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SHE BLINKED, TRYING to make sense of what was happening. Everything crashed down around her. She heard roars through the rain, then Aidan’s grunt before his weight vanished. Terrified, she yanked a blanket around her, scrambling back as he and another man rolled, and battled, dragging the shredded tent with them.
“Run,” Aidan roared into her mind. “Save yourself!”
Like hell, she would.
Searching in darkness only illuminated by flashes of lightning, she located his satchel and yanked out his dagger. Scrambling after the men, she found the enemy with a blade to Aidan's throat. What should she do? Was she prepared to kill someone? What if they were possessed? Yet she refused to let Aidan die, so that was that. She would use this dagger if she had to.
Thankfully, before she could do anything, the warrior slumped down, passed out cold, under the influence of Aidan’s magic.
“Are ye all right, lass?” Aidan chanted them into clothing and scanned her quickly, worried. “Are ye hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.” She peered through the rain at the havoc around them. “We need to get to David.”
“Aye,” he agreed, nodding at Tiernan when he and Julie joined them.
“I didnae sense the bastards coming,” Tiernan spat.
“Because they were already here.” Julie frowned at one of the enemy warriors battling his own comrade. “Those are Robert’s men fighting each other.”
“Can you make them vanish before they’re killed?” Aidan asked Chloe.
“I can try,” she replied, not sure how she’d done it the first time. All she knew was she'd wanted to keep them safe. She didn’t want innocent men dying. So she thought that as strongly as she could, hoping it worked.
Moments later, rather than running off or vanishing into thin air, the possessed man closest to them, suddenly stopped short, confused. Before his opponent made another move, she yelled, “Wait!” allowing the formerly possessed warrior time to throw down his blade and back away.
The same thing happened all around them as the fighting quieted.
Dim daybreak filtered through the woodland, and Julie eyed the sky, no doubt looking at her ley-lines.
“The Disinherited are fleeing via the lines,” she murmured, reminding them that the lines were darker where evil was present. She grinned at Chloe. “You did it. They fled even faster this time.”
“Which means you have grown stronger, lass,” Aidan said, clearly proud of her. “Because of that, so have I.”
There was no missing the relief on his face, and she didn’t blame him. His powers really were an integral part of who he was. Something she understood better and better the more they connected. It was one thing for him to tell her about it, but another thing to actually feel it. It was so very much a part of him, body and soul. She couldn't imagine feeling it wane or losing it altogether. How devastating that would be.
“What the bloody hell,” the earl roared. “What evil is this?”
Though Donald was angry and wanted someone to blame, in the end, he couldn't do much. Far too many of Robert’s men, not to mention his own, had been under a spell. All claimed they had no idea what had overcome them. To prove their fealty, every last man swore their undying allegiance to the true King David II right then and there, most on bended knee.
As it happened, David had ended up being protected by Cray, who hadn’t killed the man who went after the king but left him maimed. David was rattled but okay, more in awe of Cray than anything else. But then he was pretty intimidating. Especially when riled up.
While she knew he traveled somewhere in the war party, they hadn’t seen Cray the day before, and she’d hoped they would. She wanted to apologize face to face.
“Cray’s not joining us, is he?” she asked Aidan a while later as they once again ate breakfast without his cousin.
“Best to give him time, lass,” he replied. “Let him come to terms with things and gather his thoughts.”
“Will he, though?” She frowned. “Come to terms with things?”
“He has no choice,” Tiernan said. “But aye, I dinnae doubt he will forgive you, Chloe.”
“Or at least pretend to,” she murmured, knowing full well Cray could hold a grudge as readily as Aidan. At least when it came to betrayal.
Though Tiernan and Julie spoke with him on occasion, she and Aidan didn’t see Cray the remainder of the journey. From what she heard, while they traveled closer to David, often dining with him, Cray stayed to the rear.
“I’m surprised Donald let him travel back there the whole time,” she mentioned as she and Aidan sought out a place to bathe after setting up their tent in Dupplin Moor. “I was under the impression he wanted to keep all of you toward the front, so he didn’t lose track of his newfound warriors.”
While the journey had been taxing, she was doing better now that her body had adjusted to riding on horseback. She and Aidan had only grown closer, spending hours upon hours talking then making love every chance they got. Though she hadn’t known him long, she wondered how she’d ever managed without him. She understood why she loved him so much in her previous life and considered him her best friend. He truly was. She had never gotten along so well with anyone.
From the moment she opened her eyes in the morning to when she fell asleep at night, she wanted to be around him. Some might say that was normal for people falling in love, but she knew it would always be that way for them. They would never tire of each other. When she wasn’t with him, she looked forward to seeing him again. She was always eager to tell him about her day, even if they had only been apart a few hours.
“From what Tiernan says, Cray’s in a fouler mood than ever,” Aidan said in response to her comment about Donald not insisting the MacLeod ride toward the front. “Apparently, Madison hasnae let him be when it comes to the lasses. He’s been unable to enjoy any of the wenches meandering about.” He shook his head. “’Tis a bad thing indeed when the MacLeod is denied the lasses. He becomes a raving beast.”
“I can just imagine.” She set her satchel beside his when they found a secluded spot by a stream. “That’s why Donald’s fine with keeping Cray at a distance then, eh?”
“Aye.” Aidan chanted away his tunic, revealing a chest and shoulders she couldn’t get enough of. “Though he’s been assured Cray isnae possessed, he doesnae entirely trust such.”
She chuckled. “I get that.”
As always, he eyed her with lust but shook his head. “Whilst I would prefer to take you here and now, ‘tis best I bathe first.” He chanted away the remainder of his clothes, giving her a welcome view of his tight ass as he strode into the water. “’Twas a good practice I got in with Tiernan this morn.”
“No doubt.”
They had been mock-fighting for hours while she and Julie collected herbs and berries for dinner. Though she shouldn’t be because she’d always enjoyed nature, she was surprised by how much she liked being in this era. How quiet and peaceful the forest was. How fresh the air smelled compared to modern day. The more time she spent here, the more the feeling grew. Which made sense, Julie reminded her, as she had once been a faery and lived amongst the trees.
“So the Battle of Dupplin Moor is tomorrow then?” she asked Aidan, smiling when she started to undress only for him to chant away her clothes.
“Aye.” He dipped beneath the water, surfacing in time to admire her walking in. “And just as history tells it, the Earl of Mar is being a bloody fool. More so, in my opinion, because he's seen his men turn on each other while they were possessed.”
She knew what was about to happen bothered him and his cousins a great deal. She couldn’t imagine how hard it was to remain silent when they knew what lay on the horizon for their fellow Scotsmen.
“It’s still so hard to believe,” she said, having seen the size of Donald and Robert’s army. Not just that, but more were coming, led by Patrick, Earl of Dunbar from Lothian. “It seems impossible to believe such a small army will defeat such a large one.”
Donald and Robert’s army totaled over ten thousand men. Across the river setting up camp, Balliol and Henry de Beaumont’s army numbered no more than a few thousand. The only way the upcoming battle could be remotely balanced was if a great deal of Donald's men fell victim to possession. Something she sensed would not happen. Not since she drove the Disinherited away during the overnight battle. Rather the brotherhood would proceed with caution next time, using a few well-selected men who could accomplish what they needed quickly.
“’Tis pure foolishness,” Aidan muttered. “And though ‘tis hard to know, mayhap ‘twould have gone differently if Donald wasnae so overconfident and Balliol didnae have Henry on his side.”
“Right,” she murmured, contemplating what was going to happen, assuming, of course, the evil brotherhood didn’t interrupt history. As was foretold, and as she saw this morning when Donald arrogantly laughed at the size of the enemy’s army, he was about to make a fatal mistake. “Despite Robert’s protests, Donald already declared that it was all right for his men to drink tonight. That it would be a quick battle on the morn and sure victory.”
One had to wonder, though, if on some level allowing his men to drink wasn't Donald's way of coping with the oddity of having his men possessed not once but twice now. Scots, as it turned out, were a very superstitious lot, and some whispered perhaps the devil was amongst them. So bringing a semblance of normalcy via imbibing wasn’t a far-fetched notion. Just particularly poor timing as fate would have it.
“Aye, there will be drinking.” Aidan sighed and frowned, sad that he and his cousins would be part of it. If Robert and his men didn’t indulge, they intended to egg them on. They needed to be in their cups and not at their best. “’Twill not be easy watching any of it.”
“I know.” She embraced him, offering comfort, feeling his pain. “But we’ll get through it and protect David.”
They would have to. Because according to history, thanks to Henry de Beaumont’s strategic thinking, he would lead his small army to a truly remarkable victory.
One that would cost Donald and Robert dearly.
She tried not to think about it later that day as she sat with Robert and David in the king’s tent. Like her, Julie tried to smile and be jovial with David, but it was hard. This was no place for a child.
For the first time in over a week, Cray was finally present as well, his disposition stony and his eyes alert. She tried smiling at him several times, but he never looked her way. Eventually, she noticed that while he and Aidan drank whisky, they weren’t urging Robert to imbibe like they were supposed to. Meanwhile, elsewhere in camp, Tiernan made sure his men toasted to the morrow despite Robert advising them not to.
Her heart went out to Cray and Aidan, realizing how hard this was for them. Robert had proven to be a good man, more faithful to Scotland than most. So neither had it in them to encourage him to drink when he clearly thought it was a bad idea.
“’Tis unwise to imbibe,” Robert had said earlier. “The earl is a fool. He should know better. Henry de Beaumont is a more seasoned warrior than most and has a good mind to battle. Even better than our Earl of Mar is said to have.” He’d shaken his head. “Though I dinnae see evidence of it this eve.”
Even so, she thought to herself, this needed to happen. So she held up her cup in a toast, not wanting Aidan and Cray to have to make the first move. Sparing them this. “Where I'm from, it’s bad luck not to toast. So here’s to a victorious battle!”
When everyone held up their cup except Robert, she looked from his whisky to him with hope, pretending this meant a great deal to her. “Please. For me?”
He hesitated before he finally appeased her and toasted as well, taking a solid swig. That was all Aidan and Cray needed to get the ball rolling. As the night wore on, they encouraged Robert to keep drinking, and the three of them eventually left to join the others.
In the meantime, she and Julie spent the remainder of the evening with David. He really was a sweetheart and very intelligent for his age.
He was also very observant.
“’Tis going to happen again, aye?” he eventually said softly, looking at Julie. “Someone is going to die just like Regent Thomas did.” His worried gaze flickered from Chloe to Julie. “That is why Chloe is here. Because something is about to happen.”
Chloe’s heart broke for the boy. Not only had he lost his parents at such a young age, and been thrust onto a throne others meant to kill him for, but he’d lost Regent Thomas Moray. A man who had cared a great deal for him. Julie was about to answer, but Chloe spoke first, wanting David to understand how much she cared because she really did.
She also felt he deserved honesty.
“Yes, something is going to happen, David.” She crouched in front of him and took his hand. “And when it does, I promise you that Aidan and I are going to protect you alongside Julie, Tiernan, and Cray.”
“With a unicorn?” he murmured, hopeful.
“Maybe.” She smiled, not sure it would appear on her adventure like it had Julie’s. She could, however, make something else appear that might give him comfort. “Though I know for sure a faery will.” She cocked her head. “Have you ever heard of faeries?”
“Mayhap a wee bit in a tale or two.” He frowned. “But faery’s arenae protectors of Scotland and its true king like unicorns are.”
“How do you know?” Sensing this was the right thing to do, she embraced the sensation she had felt when she’d wanted to protect the possessed men. Luckily, her vision began to sparkle. “I am half faery and would die to protect both Scotland and you, the true king.”
“It glows!” He touched her cheek in wonder then looked at her eyes in awe, not frightened in the least. “And your eyes sparkle.”
“That’s right.” She smiled. “That’s my inner faery. My very power.” She squeezed his hand gently in reassurance. “And it will only ever protect you, my king.”
She meant it when she called him her king. The journey had shown her many things, but above all, how much she loved this place. How much it felt like home. Even though she might have started her existence in Ireland, then ended up in America, her heart now belonged to Scotland.
“I believe you,” David whispered, enchanted by her. “Thank you, faery Chloe.”
She chuckled at the name and kissed his forehead before she stood. “No, thank you for your courage and devotion to your country, King David.”
Now, she reflected, sitting in her tent sometime later, she could only hope all went as it should, and he remained king. That he didn’t lose his life tonight. Something she feared might happen when Aidan returned, and she learned that things had just become unpredictable indeed.
“Surely, you’re mistaken,” she exclaimed.
“Nay,” he groused. “Cray has vanished into the night in a drunken rage.” He shook his head. “All who saw him claim he was mumbling about a good swim across a big river and heading in the direction of the enemy camp.”
