Latharn raked his hands through his hair and locked his fingers behind his head as he paced about the room. “Aye, this time, it will definitely be a battle to the end. And not one I intend to lose.”
Latharn turned to plunge his hands into the holy water. He flung the droplets into the air and bellowed into the darkness. “Ancestors, I call upon ye to join me! My goddess, hear the call of your son. Grant me my rights as brother to an immortal. Help me destroy this one from the shadows.”
The droplets of holy water hung suspended and shimmered with a power all their own. Fueled by the authority of Latharn’s summons, they splintered and spun through the air. Whirling above the heads of all in the room, the flowing field of moonlit energy sparkled as it gained momentum. As the hurtling vortex heightened in its intensity, the murmur of many voices rippled through the air. Thunder rumbled deeply; a rising battle cry sounded by all the gathering MacKays as they returned from centuries past.
All the voices melded into one strong and echoing mantra rumbling clearly throughout the room. “We stand ready, Laird MacKay. ’Tis time for vengeance against this evil foe. Thedhubh bana-buidhseachbrought down many of this clan. Ye have the power and the right to lead us. Summon us when ready. We will heed your call to send this abomination to the eternal abyss.”
The storm of energy surrounded Latharn’s body and melded itself into his being. The essence of his ancestors coursed through his body. His mind pulsed with the memories of thousands. His thoughts churned with the knowledge of eons, his ancestors’ strengths now his own. His voice echoed with the voices of his kin as he gestured toward the horizon. “At dawn, we will not only take back what is ours, we shall also right a great many wrongs. As soon as the sun rises, we shall rip thebana-buidhseach’sblack soul from this existence and send it deep into the abyss.”
Trish took a step back and addressed Latharn. “Latharn, once it’s over. Once Nessa is safe…will all the rest of those MacKays…umm…go back where they belong?”
Latharn spread his hands to encase the entire castle and shook his head with a look of pride. “They belong here, Trish. This is the only place where they can find true peace and this is where they shall return. Ye needn’t fear them. They’re guardians to watch over and protect us. They honor us with their presence.”
Fiona squeezed Trish on the shoulder and whispered her agreement. “We’ll need their help in overcoming the Dark One. And ’tis also their natural right. She tortured many of them for centuries and suspended their souls from the peace promised beyond the grave.”
Trish chewed her lower lip and glanced back over at the table at the now lifeless prophecy bowl. “I just wish there was a way we could somehow warn Nessa. I wish we could give her some hope that help is on the way.”
Tinkling laughter trickled out of the darkness as two shimmering women materialized into the room. Each of them rested a hand upon Latharn’s arms as they gazed up at him with pure adoration.
The youngest one affectionately snuggled her cheek to his shoulder and smiled to all in the room. “Have no worry, Trish. Our Nessa may be tiny but she is fearless. Did ye no see how the lass killed the gutless cur and then stood against the Dark One without batting an eye? Her bloodline does the MacKays proud. She is full of fire, that one is.”
The older woman nodded her agreement. “Aye. Those sons she carries in her womb will inherit her fire as well. Latharn, you are going to finally pay for your raising. I’ll have my revenge for all the gray hairs you placed on my head! I’m going to truly enjoy watching these grandsons add their stories to the MacKay legends.”
At the shocked looks on Brodie, Trish, and Fiona’s faces, Latharn spread his arms to encircle the two transparent women clinging to his sides. Nodding to the younger of the two, he inclined his head as he began the introductions. “This is my sister, Aveline, immortal consort to the sea god Mannanan mac Lir. How is your husband, my fine little sister? ’Twould be nice if he’d lend his help.”
Aveline waved a glimmering finger in her brother’s face as she gave a pert lift of her chin. “The ancestors and I are all the help ye’ll be needing, my brother. We dinna want to take the joy of vengeance out of the hands of the MacKays.”
Latharn turned to smile into the motherly gaze of the woman at his right and bent to press a kiss against her misty cheek. “This is my mother, Rachel MacKay. Why did ye not join the others inside my body?”
Her eyes flared with six centuries of rage as she hissed her reply. “Your father is within you, along with the others. I choose to stand apart and land a few strikes of my own. Hell hath no wrath like that of a mother avenging her son’s life of pain.”
“Well then.” Trish threw up her hands. “I guess there’s nothing to worry about. But how exactly do you go about yanking a soul out of a witch? From what we saw in the vision, she can change her form. Isn’t it kind of useless to stab a hole in a shifting bank of mist?”
Brodie frowned as he turned the pages of the journal and scanned along the passages. As he glanced up, he locked eyes with Latharn’s watchful gaze. “Nessa willna understand what is happening at first. But once it’s over, hopefully, she’ll see why it was done.”
Trish tiptoed to peer over his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she read the instructions on the yellowed page. “You’re right. If this is what you’re going to do and the witch doesn’t kill you, Nessa might be the one you need to fear.”
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Curled up in a shivering ball on the floor, Nessa drifted in and out of sleep. There wasn’t a square inch of her body not aching from the damp chill seeping up through the stones. She was starving and the brackish water in the bowl on the table had only made her thirst worse.
She’d reduced herself to licking the moisture off the stones in the corner. She’d gagged at the taste of the mildewed droplets, but at least it had helped moisten her dry, cracked lips. As near as she could figure, she had to survive maybe one more day.
Aveline had said Latharn would arrive on the dawn of the autumnal equinox. But with no windows, Nessa had to guess how much time had passed since she’d been locked away in the room. She also didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious when Gabriel had spelled her into the place. All she knew was she was determined to survive. She’d be damned if that witch would win without a fight.
She felt a presence on the other side of the energy field. Nessa called out as she shielded her eyes. “Who’s there?” she croaked. She tried a futile swallow to clear her throat and ran her dry tongue over her lips. “I know you’re standing there watching me. I can feel your beady little eyes.”
“It’s beyond me what Latharn sees in such a rude little bitch. And one who’s so plain and tiny as well. Ye have no tits. Ye have no curves. Ye are so small the man would split ye in two if he tried to give ye a good pounding. What did ye do to him while he walked in your dreams? How did ye trap his heart in your spell?”
Deardha had once again reverted to her beguiling form of pale ivory skin, voluptuous curves, and red, pouting lips. She cupped her hands under her heavy breasts and pushed them high as she arched her back. The creamy swells of tempting flesh threatened to overflow the deep vee of her low-cut gown. “I remember how I rode him well and drew his seed many a time with any part of my body he cared to explore. I made him hard with the slightest glance, and yet not once did he offer his heart to be joined with mine.”
Nessa rolled her eyes and took a deep breath to control her seething emotions. How stupid did Deardha think she was? She knew Deardha baited her. The hag was trying to make her fly into a rage and waste what little strength she had left. Besides, even if Latharn had slept with the woman, it had been over six hundred years ago. Nessa shrugged a shoulder and pretended to stifle a bored yawn before she took the time to reply. “I could really care less about your technique. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough to keep him or he never would’ve come looking for me.”
Deardha’s lips curled into a vengeful sneer. “Once I’m finished destroying the insolent MacKay, I’m going to take a great deal of pleasure in torturing you. The hour will be upon us soon when he makes his presence known. The sun has but to rise a wee bit higher above the horizon, then my revenge will truly be sweet.”
Nessa rubbed her eyes to hide her surge of elation. Finding out that Latharn would be arriving soon was just the shot of adrenaline her waning strength needed. With newfound determination fueling her, Nessa pushed herself up from the floor. Shoving her hair out of her eyes, she took a deep breath and edged her way closer to the electrified door.
With a bounce in her step from her newfound hope, Nessa goaded Deardha. “Since you’re so positive you’re going to win, take down the barricades. Unless you’re afraid?”
