Wild Irish Heart (The Mystic Cove Series Book 1) (6 page)

Nodding, Keelin stepped back into the circle.

"Now, first thing's first. Draw a circle, step into a circle, build a circle with small stones, sticks, chalk, twine…anything around you. A circle is an age-old sign for protection and safety. Yes, the witches use the same and it is for good reason. Do not ignore me on this one particular aspect."

Keelin pulled out her notebook and began to take notes.

"Circle, got it. What next?"

Fiona began to rattle off simple prayers for protection.

"You always want to ask your angels and lightbearers for their help and protection. They are here for you."

Keelin nodded diligently and continued to write.

Fiona handed over the leather necklace with a stone attached.

"Wear this when you are doing healing work. It helps to absorb and deflect any negative energy. It will also help you to channel your purest form of energy towards the work you are doing."

The leather cord was knotted and wrapped in an intricate braided pattern and it circled a crystal that was easily the size of her palm. The clarity of the stone belied the strength it held. Keelin admired the craft with which the necklace had been made. The beauty of the design reflected strength and delicacy at the same time.

"Thank you, this is lovely."

"It was Grace O'Malley's."

The enormity of what Fiona said struck her. The crystal warmed in her palm and she was flooded with emotions of hundreds of years past. Flashes of battles at sea, giving birth, and chanting around the cove whipped through Keelin's mind. Her stomach heaved as powerful emotion swamped her. Keelin grabbed Fiona's hand and Fiona steadied her.

"That will happen sometimes when a stone first connects with its new owner. It recognizes your blood."

Keelin was dizzy and her vision blurred for a moment. Slowly, the panic drained from her and she was left with a softly knowing power. Confidence soothed her like a cool balm.

"It's a beautiful feeling, Keelin, yet a responsibility as well. Always tread carefully with your abilities," Fiona warned. "Now that you have learned some basic protection skills and the amulet has recognized you, we can go to the cove."

"Really? I can't wait." Keelin bounced on her toes. The cove held so many unanswered questions. She was itching to get her dive gear and to get a closer look at what lay under its waters.

"Can we go back so I can get some of my equipment?" Keelin asked.

"Not today, Keelin. You need to be accepted by the cove first or you will know its wrath."

"Okay, so, come on now. Mom told me some of the rumors but is it really haunted? Is there treasure? Why can't people go there?" Keelin's inquisitive mind had a whole list of questions for Fiona and she peppered her with them as she tagged along behind Fiona.

Fiona stopped walking and turned to look at Keelin.

"You must always respect the cove. It is from there that your powers come. You are a part of it as much as you are a part of this earth. Haunted, not haunted, treasure or not – you must always respect it. The cove will do as the cove does. You can no more examine it and categorize it than you can predict it. The cove simply is."

"There is no way that I can believe that. There is an explanation for everything," Keelin said as she stared into Fiona's stubborn eyes.

"Keelin, if you do not take proper respect and let it be – you will be hurt or die. I can not be more serious about this point." Fiona's breath began to wheeze and Keelin realized that the old woman was starting to panic.

"Okay, okay. I got it. Respect the cove. I will do as you say." Keelin ran her hand gently down Fiona's arm. She would reserve her opinions on the cove for later.

"The cove has a long and varied history. I'm sure your mother filled you in on most of it. All I can say is that the cove has power. Whether the chalice lies there or not, the cove will reveal its secrets to whom it chooses. Some come here for help in becoming pregnant. Others come to take the water for healing those who are gravely ill. Only those who properly respect it will walk away unscathed. You can only enter these waters with a purity of purpose. Treasure hunters are often hurt or killed. Grace's Cove is as close as you can get to sacred waters. Grace O'Malley made her living on the water and while she was a ruthless woman, she pledged her heart to the sea, and the sea alone. Her greatest gift to it was coming to this cove and enchanting it. At the end of her life, she came here to rest in these waters."

Keelin had always loved folklore, especially those tales related to the sea. Pirates, sirens, and mythology always enraptured her and left her usually logical mind daydreaming for hours. She had a fiercely romantic side that often left her in tears.

"She came here to be at one with her only love she could trust – the sea," Keelin murmured. Her eyes pricked with a soft sheen of tears. There was something so very sad about how Grace O'Malley chose to end her life yet at the same time, it was strangely romantic. Keelin understood the call of the sea. The sea was a tempestuous woman, roughly angry one day, silkily soothing another. No other natural phenomenon reflected their moods as deeply as the sea. It was beauty. It was wrath. It was everything. Keelin could identify with Grace's last wish. To become a part of – one with – the sea was enchanting. Keelin's blood hummed at the thought.

Fiona led Keelin over a rocky path that wound through the pastures with the punk-rock sheep. The gentle breeze picked up speed as they neared the cove and the seabirds circled looking for their lunch. They approached the edge of a ledge and Keelin gasped as her soul sang.

Chapter Nine

The cove stretched
before them, its waters a crystal blue hugged by jagged cliffs. The steep cliffs cupped the water and allowed a small opening for boats in the exact middle of the cove. The cliffs tapered in a perfect half-circle, meeting at a small sand beach, hundreds of yards below them. A small path crossed the cliff below them, switch-backing down the steepness of the ledge. The cove was impossible in its beauty, untouched in its rawness, and so quietly alone. There should have been people on the beach, dogs running, and kids splashing in the water. Nothing marred the beauty of the beach. The birds flew over, never dipping into the water. The hum in Keelin's blood increased.

"Welcome to Grace's Cove. You'll be safe walking along the path. It isn't until you reach the beach that you should be concerned. We'll begin our protection at the beach."

"Grandma, do you hike this by yourself? This is not an easy climb." Keelin's breath huffed out as she began the walk down.

"Ah, you Americans. This is but a small walk. Try climbing Mt. Brandon if you'd like a nice hike." Fiona breezed on down, years of hiking the hills making her steps confident. Keelin followed more slowly. Her klutzy side was bound to make her trip and go rolling off the path to meet her death on the sharp rocks below.

Keelin watched as her grandmother gathered flowers on the way down. She kept up a constant lesson of various herbs and bushes, and Keelin began to notice that many of them were tied with ribbons.

"What are the ribbons for?" Keelin asked.

"I harvest herbs based on the moon and other astrological elements."

Keelin laughed.

Her grandmother stopped and looked at her. She shook her head and kept walking. Keelin could have sworn she heard her say, "There is more to heaven and earth, Horatio…"

"Shakespeare?" Keelin asked. Fiona nodded and kept walking.

"Okay, then." She blew out a breath and made a note not to laugh about the astrology stuff. She couldn't knock some of it. Even science had proven that the sea's tides were governed by the pull of the moon. Perhaps there was more to these forces than she knew. They approached the bottom of the path and Keelin steadied her breathing as the necklace hummed at her throat. Stepping from the path onto the warm sand, Fiona reached out a hand and stopped Keelin from proceeding further.

"No further. Just look." Fiona spread her hands out and turned. Her face creased into a smile and the sun shone its warm light onto her. She laughed and held her arms up to the sky, looking like a yogi doing a mountain pose. 

The cove spread before them, infinite in its beauty. Here, the wind was sheltered and sun's rays were soft. The cliffs, which were so scary from above, cradled them, creating a feeling of safety. Keelin wanted to rip her clothes off and dive in and float in the effervescent waters. It was the most private of places, a piece of her, and she felt that she had come home.

"I know," Fiona said. "This is home."

"It – there are no words. I feel giddy," Keelin said. She wanted to dance naked on the sand. She could almost feel the cool caress of the water and the weightless feeling as she floated, unencumbered, and stared at the sky. Dizziness hit her, and she grabbed her water flask and took a sip to clear her head. Never had the call of the ocean hit her as hard as this.

"It calls to you. To anyone, actually. Those who are too weak often go running right in and are pulled out to sea. It beckons." Fiona nodded towards the water. "You must never go past this point without saying a prayer or giving an offering. Remember that."

Fiona pulled the bundles of flowers she had tied on the walk from her bag. With a small stick, she drew a circle in the sand and pulled Keelin into it with her.

"It is with purity of purpose, the greatest of admiration, and respect for the power here that we ask to enter the cove. As descendants of Grace O'Malley, we enter the cove with love, as is our birthright." Fiona laid the bundles of flowers outside the circle and handed a bunch to Keelin.

"Come, we can put these in the water as well." Fiona held her flowers in front of her and walked softly towards the water, pulling Keelin with her.

The water rippled towards them, coaxing them closer. Fiona laughed freely.

"It has such a mood. A siren's song, if you will. Many who come here are lost to it. It will be nice to us though. We've brought the appropriate gifts and it will be happy that you are home," Fiona said. Together, they flung the flowers far into the water. Keelin felt happiness pierce her heart as she watched the blooms flutter down to the water, where they rested gently on the waves.

Fiona peeled off her boots and, laughing with abandon, ran to the water's edge. She threw another bouquet of flowers into the air and they split, showering down onto a wave that reached up to catch them. Mesmerized by the sight, Keelin stood frozen.

"Come, Keelin!"

Keelin raced to the water. She skidded to a stop next to Fiona and let the water caress her ankles. Grains of sand squished between her toes and the sun warmed her shoulders. The feelings were intoxicating. Keelin never wanted to leave.

"Let me show you my favorite spots," Fiona said, eagerly pulling Keelin down the shoreline. Fiona stopped in front of a small cluster of rocks that formed a tidal pool with about six inches of clear water. Keelin could make out small fish darting between the rocks, and thin strands of a bright green sea grass waved in the water. Fiona bent and culled some of the grass and placed it in a small jar with seawater.

"This is the best stuff for the face creams that I make. Something about this particular sea grass works better than any other I have seen," Fiona explained. Keelin looked at the lines around Fiona's eyes and realized that she really did look far more youthful than her eighty years would suggest.

"I'm allowed to use my knowledge for some vanity, you know." Fiona winked at Keelin and she laughed. Fiona spent the afternoon showing Keelin nooks and crannies, tidal pools filled with interesting sea life, certain seaweeds and moss for healing, and various plants that grew along the water's edge.

"Is it safe to swim? I can't see any undercurrents from the surface," Keelin asked. She was dying to get in the water.

"Yes, it is, but I will wait on the shore for you. I want to tie up the plants that I collected."

Stripping to her bra and underwear, Keelin dove in with abandon. The cool water slipped over her skin and she dove deep, waiting for her favorite part – the feeling of weightlessness. As she hung, suspended, Keelin turned on her back and looked up towards the sky. The salt stung her eyes, yet she could never resist cracking her eyes just once, looking up at the sky and watching her bubbles of air float over her. These moments hung still, almost timeless, and were her favorite part of being in the sea. She swam to the surface and broke free, laughing.

"It's so beautiful here!" She swam in towards the beach and walked out of the water. Her underwear clung to her like a second skin and she bent over and shook out her long hair. Wringing the water out, she stood up in time to see Fiona waving at something behind her. Keelin jumped and turned in time to see a small boat in the cove and the familiar glint of blue eyes gleaming at her. She saw the flash of a bright smile and heat flushed up her body. Her wet bra and underwear left nothing to the imagination and Flynn made a slow perusal of her body. His dog raced back and forth in the boat with him and barked excitedly as Flynn pulled a net in. Flynn sent her a jaunty wave.

Keelin gave him the finger and stormed back up the beach.

"I thought nobody could come in the cove," Keelin steamed to Fiona as she pulled her t-shirt over her wet clothes. She was furious that Flynn had caught her at a disadvantage again. 

"I said people who were searching for treasure or didn't protect themselves. Flynn learned long ago the ways of the cove. His respect is rewarded in the freshest of seafood and he gets premium prices for what he catches from here."

"Hmpf." Keelin glared at him over the water. That man showed up at the damndest of times.

With a small smile, Fiona hummed a song and gathered her finds for the day.

"Come, let's go eat. I'm famished. Perhaps we can ride into town for a pint."

Keelin nodded her agreement. Quickly, she gathered her goods and refused to look back at the small boat on the cove. She had given Flynn enough satisfaction for the day.