He stopped nuzzling her and gave her his complete attention.
“You’re looking at it all wrong.”
“What?”
“The spectral swords. John is not intended to be a part of the group. ’Tis John they protect. Aye, he helped their power grow, but he is not needed any longer. He was filling in until the last of the group arrived. He mustn’t be included in any other battles. He’s so young and powerful, the surges were draining the cousin’s strength.”
That gave him pause. “Filling in. Who were we missing?”
A voice came from behind him, one he was pleased to hear. His dear brother Robbie. “You’ll be mighty proud of all of them,Alex. We are.” He waved and disappeared into the mist that had formed at the back of the room.
Alex had a tight hold on his wife because he knew what was coming. “Please stay, Maddie. I miss you so.”
“Alex, I treasure these moments, too, but they are difficult for me, and I’m only given a short time. You’ll understand someday, but now I must go.” She kissed him tenderly on the lips. Her last comment was, “This last person will be more difficult to pull in, but he must join the group if they’re to play the role they’re supposed to in the war.” With that, she disappeared, leaving Alex alone to think on her words.
Restless, he made his way to the hearth and sat down.
John was the true power they needed to protect. He’d helped them for a short while, but only because the last member of the group had not yet arrived. A male who would be difficult to pull in.
Who could it be?
Then suddenly he knew.
Derric.
The Scot’s Quest
Book 4
Dyna finds her man, the sapphire sword again, and one of my favorite scenes is near the end when they finally save Grandsire…
Chapter Four
A large group of Grants are still visiting MacLintock Castle, so Alex stands in for Connor, revealing the quest Derric must undertake in order to be considered as a match for his dearest granddaughter. He has to learn how to guard her soft heart, something Derric has no idea exists.
The distant sound of hoofbeats met his ears, becoming louder, and Alex rode into the clearing on his horse and drew up close to Derric. “Join me in a canter while they clean up our dinner?”
With a sigh of relief and a nod, he tried not to move too quickly toward his horse. He would be grateful for some distance from Dyna’s cousins just now. It hadn’t been a pleasant conversation.
They rode quietly for several minutes before Alex slowed his mount and Derric did the same.
“They love their cousin,” Alex said, “but don’t expect their disapproval to be as harsh as they suggest. If the two of you don’t suit, then you move on, but only after being honest with my granddaughter. You need to spend time together to see if you suit.”
“I agree, and many thanks to you, my lord.” He wiped his hand down his sweaty face. “’Tis a fine stallion you ride.”
“I’ve had several dependable warhorses, all descendants of my first one, Midnight.”
“What do you call this one?”
“Midnight,” Alex said, his mouth tipping up slightly. “He’s earned it.”
Derric noticed the man rode like he had a special connection with his horse, something he admired. The relationship between a horse and its rider was a sacred thing. Derric had developed a talent with horses years ago when he’d first joined William Wallace. Being one of the new men, he hadn’t possessed his own horse—but he’d soon learned that there were horses to be acquired in any battle…if you could get them to stay with you. Soft words and a pat or two did far more than whipping an animal. He’d noticed that the Grant mounts never bore any scars on their flesh. A pheasant flew within the beast’s vision, and the horse didn’t respond at all. Derric’s horse nearly bolted, and the rabbit that ran across their path spooked him even more. He leaned down to calm the horse with soft words, stroking its neck. This horse was one from the MacLintock stables, assigned to him because his horse was still weary from the ride.
Midnight didn’t wiggle an ear.
“He’s finely trained, my lord. How do you do it?”
True, he knew quite a bit about taming horses, but Alex Grant had to be well into his seventies. He’d trained more horses than Derric by far.
