“Ye dinna understand,” Mairwen said.“Ye?—”
“I don’t have to understand!”Jessa gripped the sword tightly, increasing the strength of its light.“You have lied to me.Repeatedly.You mishandled and manipulated me.You and your Weavers need to do better, Mairwen.Bringing fated mates together should be an honorable act both for them and for the protection of the Veil.It should not be one of kidnapping and treachery.”
Morrigan tossed her head back and laughed.“Yer pet has grown claws, sister!See what happens when ye dinna properly train them?”
Jessa aimed the sword’s arc light at the snarky goddess, trying to slice her in two.
The Morrigan exploded into a cloud of ravens, then morphed back into her warrioress form.She shook a cautionary finger at Jessa.“Careful, little one.Ye canna defeat me.Not even with the Elven sword.”She sauntered back and forth in front of them, as if walking some sort of invisible line.“I came here to tell ye of the sons ye carry.”She tossed a nod at Grant.“I already gave yer mate my word that I would not trouble the MacAlesters again—the bairns merely strengthen my oath.”Her eyes narrowed.“But I mean to take down the Highland Veil and rule over the chaos with Lùnastal at my side.”She angled a dark look at Mairwen.“He chose me afore Danu imprisoned him.Ye know that as well as I.”
Mairwen sat taller in the saddle and remained silent.
Sympathy for Mairwen twitched at Jessa’s heart and made her a little more forgiving of the manipulative woman.A little.Mairwen needed to work on her method of uniting fated mates.But poor Mairwen had been wronged.Possibly by her fated mate, definitely by hersister, and yet she still fought for the greater good of the Veil.That, in and of itself, convinced Jessa that she and Grant were on the right side of things.
“You have said your piece,” Jessa said.“If that’s all, go.”
Morrigan went still, eyeing her with an unreadable expression.The longer she stared at her, the harder Jessa fought to stare right back at her without blinking.
“One more thing,” the dark one finally said, her voice returning to its dangerous, purring tone.The faintest smile, an evil smirk, tugged at the corner of her mouth as she nodded at Emily.“I am not the only one trying to destroy the Veil and rule chaos.The light has many enemies other than my particular form of darkness.”Once again, she burst into a swirling mass of screeching ebony birds and disappeared into the clouds.
“What did she mean by that?”Emily asked, drawing her mount closer to Jessa and Grant.
Jessa turned to Mairwen.“Whatdidshe mean?”
“The Veil has many enemies, and we must remain vigilant even though here, at this point in history, and this place in Scotland, Morrigan has agreed to honor the rules governing warfare on holy ground.Much as she does at Seven Cairns.But that does not mean others will do so.We must watch for the others.”
“Who are theothers?”Jessa asked.
Mairwen released a heavy sigh and suddenly looked much older than she ever had before.“Too many to name, child.”She nudged her horse into motion.“Come.It is past time that Emily and I returned to the Seven Cairns of the future.”
Henry and Lachie glanced back at them, then moved as one to flank Mairwen on the path.
“Are you all right?”Emily asked Jessa.
“Lots to process.”And that was the biggest understatement she had ever made in her life.
“I am going on ahead.”Emily tipped a thoughtful nod at Mairwen’s retreating figure.“I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss.We’ll have our time before I pass through the curtain.”
Jessa had no idea what curtain Emily was talking about, but was certain she would eventually find out.After all, Seven Cairns was her way station, her connection to the life she had left behind.Who would have thought she’d be sitting on a monstrosity of a horse in the eighteenth century with a man she couldn’t imagine living without?
“Jessa?”
“Can we get down and walk a while?I need to see your eyes when we have this conversation.”
Without a word, Grant slid to the ground, then gently took her by the waist and set her down in front of him.“Tell me yer thoughts, m’love,” he said quietly, his tone deep and worry in his eyes.“I would know them.Good or bad.”
Instead of walking as she had requested, she hugged him close and rested her head on his chest.“Have you ever seen a tangled knot of yarn made up of a bunch of different colored strands?”
“Aye.”He tenderly stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
“Those are my thoughts.”
“What is in yer heart, then?”His arms tightened around her.
“Love for you.Worry.Fear.Protectiveness.Dread.”
“Worry, fear, and dread?”He kissed the top of her head again, gently swaying as though soothing a crying child.“Give those to me, m’love.Allow me to slay those beasts for ye because they canna withstand me.”
“Those goddesses had no right to mess with our children just because of some promise they made to Mairwen.”Still unable to believe she was really pregnant, the thought of anyone taking advantage of an innocent for any reason absolutely infuriated her.“They had no right.”
