Maggie found herself being drawn up out of her chair and onto his lap. She was the witch, but he was the one who’d cast a spell over her. They were sitting so close; she could feel his breath on her face and feel the truth of his words as something hard poked against her thigh. Gathering all her courage, for she had never been a verra forward girl, Maggie turned her head and kissed him. The sensation that ran through her body was amazing. She kissed him some more and he kissed her back, drawing her closer. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest and the strength of his arms, caged as she was inside them. Maggie wanted to run her hands all over him, but she didn’t dare. Should she continue to kiss him, or should she stop? Her inexperience in these matters had her head spinning. She didnae wish him to think her easy, even though for him, she most definitely wanted to be. Gasping for breath, Maggie pushed herself back and quickly turned her face away as a blush formed on her cheeks.
“Maggie, look at me,” Dylan said.
Red-faced, she did as he asked. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t apologize. I enjoyed it and I’d like to enjoy it again. I know that this isn’t the right time, and definitely not the right place, but promise me we’ll do this again… soon.”
“Aye,” she blurted out. Kicking herself, she couldn’t believe how eager she had sounded. Wasn’t it better to play hard to get? “Aye, soon. First we must take care of the Brielle problem.”
Footsteps warned them that someone was approaching and Maggie stood up abruptly, so as not to be caught behaving like a besotted schoolgirl.
“Maggie,” Cailin’s voice rang through the empty hall. “Robert says I’m to take ye to see Brielle.”
“Aye, please. Dylan, will ye join me?” Maggie hoped he would agree. She really didnae wish to face Brielle on her own, but there were questions that needed answering.
“Of course. I was planning on it,” Dylan responded.
“I’ll be joining ye as well,” Cailin said. “There’s strength in numbers, ye ken.” He led the way down a passageway, which took them from the hall and into a dimly lit stairway and then down into the underground levels of the castle. “She’s down at the verra end there and hopefully far enough away so she cannae use her witchcraft to seek aid in escaping.”
“’Tis a bit creepy,” Maggie said, as a shiver ran across her skin. Dylan clasped her hand and pulled her closer to him. “Is anyone else down here?”
“Nae,” Cailin said. “None but Latharn, I’ve left him here to guard her. He’ll nae let her out, no matter what she might say.”
“I’m nae so worried about what she might say, but what she might do. She is a witch, ye ken and while I was able to stop her from casting spells, it was only temporary. I’m sure she’ll be able to overcome my spell at some point soon, and then I don’t know what we can expect.” Maggie strained her eyes to see in the darkness. The torch that Cailin carried did little to light their path, and his large frame kept her from seeing what was in frontof them. Finally, she could distinguish another glowing torch up ahead and as they approached, Maggie could see Latharn seated in a chair outside of a locked door. He stood as soon as he saw them.
“How has she been behaving?” Cailin asked.
“Quiet,” Latharn responded.
Maggie stood on tiptoes and peeked through the barred opening into Brielle’s cell. “I must speak with her, Cailin.”
Cailin pulled the chair Latharn had been seated on closer to the door. He held out his hand to Maggie. “Step up onto the chair. I’d prefer that ye speak with her through the opening.”
“Dinnae think that a wooden door, no matter how thick can protect ye,” Brielle shouted from inside her cell. “I’ll get my power back soon enough and ye’ll be sorry for ever thinking that ye could get the better of me.”
“We’d nae be foolish enough to believe that,” Maggie answered. “Brielle, what is it ye were trying to accomplish here?”
“Did yer auntie nae tell ye? Why did she send ye here on a fool’s errand to try to stop me, when mayhap it should have been Herself to do so?”
“Edna cannae leave because she is the keeper of the bridge in Glendaloch. She sent me, because she couldnae come,” Maggie replied.
“So, she didnae tell ye why she sent ye.” Brielle laughed scornfully. “That sounds just like Edna. Sending a wee babe to do her bidding in her stead.”
“I am nae a wee babe,” Maggie retorted. It occurred to her that she was beginning to sound defensive. “If ye know so much, why am I here?”
“Yer here, because Edna was afraid to go up against me in a battle for the bridge. She didnae wish to die.” Brielle laughed maniacally. “As soon as I’ve defeated ye, I will be the keeper of the bridge. That was our agreement—Edna’s and mine. I can doso much with control of the bridge! So many on this side, would pay me handsomely to allow them to travel forward in time to gather riches, or go back in time to change the outcomes of their fate.” Brielle paused, as if waiting for a reply. “So, ye’ve nothing to say?” she asked.
Maggie said nothing, preferring instead to let Brielle continue.
“I knew ye were coming and I disguised myself as ye because I knew the MacKenzies and Dylan would welcome me with open arms. Once I was here and accepted as ye, it would make my work much easier. I had only started to play with them, when ye arrived, spoiling my fun. Edna was quick to send ye here. Her love of the MacKenzie Clan is great and I used that to my advantage.”
Maggie was shocked by this information. So this was all really about the bridge, and Edna had been willing to sacrifice her niece in hopes of defeating Brielle. “How did ye ken I was coming?” Maggie asked.
“Were ye nae listening to me, lass? Yer auntie told me. In order to save the MacKenzie Clan from destruction, yer auntie agreed that we would fight for the bridge, of course, as I’m sure ye ken, I enjoy nothing more than causing a wee bit of trouble, and if I’m bored and left to me own devices, well… The sight of the clan running for their lives in the apple orchard was invigorating to say the least. And the water, the horses and the bread dough all helped relieve my ennui. As for ye, yer auntie wouldnae come, so she sent another witch, but she didnae send the right witch. Ye’ll be easy to destroy.” As she spoke, Brielle’s voice took on a whole different tone, sounding as if she’d aged one hundred years in the last few minutes. “Yer auntie sacrificed you. As I’ve said, once I’ve defeated ye, the bridge is mine. Yer auntie swore to it.”
Maggie couldnae speak. She was shocked by this revelation and as she peered through the opening at Brielle, she saw herbody gradually changing, just as her voice had. She was growing old and haggard before Maggie’s eyes. Her eyes blazed with an angry fire and Maggie quickly placed a wall of protection spell around herself and the others in the passageway. Dylan, who stood behind her to keep her from toppling off the chair, tightened his grip on her legs. Maggie glanced down and saw concern written all over his face. Cailin and Latharn appeared to be just as worried.
“What’s wrong, my dear, cat got yer tongue?” Cackling laughter echoed throughout the passageway and Maggie suddenly realized that this was going to be the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life. She was going to have to rid the world of Brielle. It was so out of her nature to destroy anything, let alone another human being. Granted, Brielle was an evil witch, but still, could Maggie bring herself to do it? If it came right down to it, could she kill Brielle? The question echoed in her head until she almost screamed in frustration. Catching herself, she tapped Dylan’s shoulder to let him know she wanted to get down. He lifted her from the chair and set her on wobbly feet, steadying her as he folded his arms across her chest and pulled her back into his embrace. Everyone, it seemed had been stunned into silence.
