They did not wait another moment. Dirc was already prepared and waiting, and they went directly to the circle of standing stones, where he had already cast the ring away once, in secret. Now it would be cast again, this time carrying Bren’s every hope with it.Please, don’t let my brother have died in vain. Bring her home to me.
It was done, now he had only to wait.
“How long did it take the first time, between when ye cast the ring and she appeared?”
Dirc gave him a sympathetic, no, a pitying look. “Nearly three months. But she wasn’t looking for it, then. She might be, now.”
“How will she ken to look for it? She willna even ken we’ve sent it! She may never look…” The months ahead of waiting and not knowing… Bren wasn’t sure he could stand it. And Mored’s hate-laced words echoed in his mind. What if she chose to stay there? What if she didn’t choosehim?
“She is a verra smart lass”, said Dirc. “She will think to look for the ring. She will trust that ye will bring her back.”
“But I dinna think I can survive without her, Dirc!”
“Ah, lad, ye’ll break an old man’s heart, to see ye hurting so.”
***
They had looked in every storage room, opened every box that was labeled Scotland, England, Wales, or Britain, and the ring was not there. Faith snapped the lid back onto the last boxand looked up at Brian, a sad smile of defeat on her face. “That’s that, then. It’s not here.”
He put an arm around her, gave her a brotherly hug. “Come on now, don’t give up yet. This is only the first place we’ve looked.”
She gave a hiccupping laugh. “The entire basement of the Smithsonian is only the first place we’ve looked? There is an entire planet out there, Brian! If it is anywhere else but here, I could spend the rest of my life trying to find it! That is assuming Bren got it back from Mored and sent it forward again. The odds are definitely not in my favor, here.”
Brian rubbed his chin. “Don’t go getting hysterical now. We have to think. Where else could it turn up?”
Faith had a sudden thought, and her stomach did a slow roll. She stood up. “Brian, I didn’t look in the box I found it in the first time. The box I was going through in the cataloging room.”
A grin lit his face. “Well, let’s go!”
They ran down the hall, footsteps echoing like gunshots in the empty stone corridor. Thank God no one but a few interns and janitors were ever down here this time of night. Brain yanked open the door to the cataloging room, and Faith reached for the box, still on the shelf, still labeledScotland. She put it down on the table. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her hand shook so much that she couldn’t get the lid off. Brian, impatient, snatched it away from her and opened it. They both leaned over as one to look inside. There, amongst the dull colored pottery, was a little gleam of gold. Brian reached in and held up the dragon ring, smiling from ear to ear.
“This is it, I’d wager.”
Faith nodded, tears spilling down her face. “It is.”
He handed it to her. “Well, what are you waiting for? You need to put it on, right?”
She looked up at Brian. “In case it works, I just… I want to thank you. Thank you so much, Bri. Not just anyone would have believed me, you know. And you helped me… thank you.” She reached out and hugged him, tight. “I hope you find everything you’re looking for in life, you deserve it.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out her keys, setting them on the table. If I…leave, you should go to my apartment and take whatever you want, because I won’t be coming back.”
She stepped back, and held the ring at the end of her finger, the same finger she had put it on the first time, just in case. She gave him a lopsided smile. “If this doesn’t work, I’m going to be standing here feeling like the biggest idiot that ever lived.”
He laughed. “I have a good feeling. Go ahead.”
She slipped the ring on her finger quickly before she could think too much about it. And the world went black.Thank you God, was her last thought before she came to again, face down in a clump of heather. She rolled over, and slowly sat up. It was night, but the moon was full, casting a light bright enough to see by. She looked around, and recognized the shapes of the hills, outlined against the sky. She had arrived in just the same place she had the first time. But… was this the righttime? If it wasn’t… no, she couldn’t even think about that. Ithadto be the right time. There was only one way to find out. She stood up, nervously dusting the bits of heather from her clothes. Her heart was beating too fast, and butterflies swarmed in her stomach so that she could barely catch her breath, but she began to walk towards the direction of Creagmor, just as she had before.
She walked fast, practically running where the ground was even enough, and so it wasn’t long until she could see the tall silhouettes of the standing stones in the distance, looming dark and solid against the horizon. As she drew closer, she thought she could see a lone figure in the center of the circle, and herheart leapt into her throat, pounding hard. She stopped short. It was Bren. She had made it, she had come home! Steadying her suddenly shaky nerves, she walked silently, watching him, wanting desperately to make the joy of this moment last forever.
He knelt in front of the largest stone, naked from the waist up, and the contours of his muscular back gleamed in the moonlight. His head was bent, as if in prayer, and his hair fell forward to hide his face. She knew the very moment he sensed her presence. His muscles tensed, almost imperceptivity. His head lifted, but he didn’t turn around, not yet. Taking a deep breath of the sweet night air, Faith walked forward, into the circle. She could feel it then, a subtle thrum of energy, a sense of place stronger than anywhere else. She stood in the center, the tall stones shadowy figures enfolding her in the world of the unseen. Intangible forces of nature, of the very universe, the thinnest of threads that held it all together.
Bren slowly stood, turned to look at her, almost reluctantly, as if he was afraid she wouldn’t really be there. His expression was hard, fierce. His long wavy hair blew back a little from his face in the light breeze. His hands were fisted at his sides as if ready to do battle, and the moonlight limned each defined muscle of his broad chest. He was magnificent, beautiful. Hers.
“Faith.” The one word trembled with raw emotion.
She ran to him, more certain than she’d ever been of anything. He stumbled toward her, catching her up in his open arms, holding her so tight she couldn’t draw a breath.
“Oh God, Faith, ye came back. I thought I’d lost ye! Never again! I’m never letting go of ye again.” Unashamed tears rolled down his face as he held her, stroking her hair. Then he took her face in his hands and gave her a fierce kiss. She was crying now, too, and their tears met and mingled on their cheeks.
He held her at arm’s length for a moment, looking her over. “Are ye alright? Were ye hurt at all? God, but I was lost without ye!”
