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fter Ian left, Wabi walked over to Deirdre. She had a far away, vacant stare and didn't appear to see him. He lay his hands on her head and sensed the evil residing there.
Such a sad affair. You're so young to be so filled with such hatred and evil.
His heart would not allow him to do away with her. He only permanently disposed of evil that had no chance of redemption. He wasn't sure about this woman yet.
I'll let you sleep for a while until we sort this out. Perhaps there is hope for you yet.
With that, he touched her forehead and whispered a chant that had her eyes closing in sleep.
We'll come for you. You're safe in this cave.
Wabi felt the men coming before he heard them. The tension that was present in their bodies traveled on the wind. Wabi had wrapped Caitlin in his cloak, hoping to keep a little warmth in her body. Her breathing was shallow and her body was cool to his touch. He placed his hands on her shoulders and sent a wave of warmth throughout her body, but it would last only a short while. He did the same for Alex. About this one he wasn't sure what was going on. He appeared to be in a deep sleep, but when he had tried to reach his mind Wabi found a wall there also. He wondered for a second if Caitlin had put a barrier on him as well. She would have only had a moment before Nezzie had taken control.
Da reached the cave before Jack and Ian. His life had changed completely in the last few months. He wished Alice were still with them. She would have loved all the talk around the kitchen table, the women laughing about something the lads had done, and the bairn, little Midge, would have thrilled her.
He was lost in his thoughts for just a moment before he heard the pony cart wheeling its way across the path. He refused to give much thought to Ian and what was going on with him. Some things would just have to wait. First things first. And at this moment, getting Caitlin and Alex to the circle of stones was paramount in his mind.
Bringing the cart to a halt and climbing off, Jack hurried down the path into the cave and memories of his last visit reeled through his mind. Caitlin had almost been killed then, too. And now again?
"Wabi? When did you get here?"
The fact that Wabi was here let Jack know this event was one of importance. The old wizard could come and go, Jack realized that, but he wasn't expecting to see him here in the cave. But he did admit he felt a bit more hopeful that Alex and Caitlin may survive if this old one was here.
"Let's get them into the cart, Jack. We must hurry."
Jack picked Caitlin up effortlessly and placed her on the cart. Next he lifted Alex, which was quite a chore even for Jack. It wasn't that he was so heavy, but he was quite a tall fellow. Jack grunted and was on the cart snapping the reins before Ian and Wabi had even completed their conversation.
"We'll meet you there, Jack."
Wabi called to Willie and Ian reached out and grabbed Henson. A streak of blinding light illuminated the forest for the briefest second and they were all gone.
Jack never questioned that those two would be there before he would. That was just fine with him. Alex and Caitlin were obviously in a state way beyond his understanding, and he had that horse moving faster than the old boy had ever gone in his life.
~ * ~
"HOW COULD SHE HAVE gotten both of them? Did she trick them?"
Millie found herself speaking aloud. For the first time since coming to the MacKinnon lodge she was alone. The quiet was unnerving. There had been a few days when she had wished for solitude. But now the silence was deafening and she understood how much she needed the noise of everyone coming and going, laughing, yelling about one thing or another. Her early life had been just that — solitude and emptiness. No, she didn't ever want that again. This was home. This rambunctious, loud, loving family was hers now. She lifted Midge and held her close.
"I hate standing here stirring stew while Caitlin and Alex are struggling for their lives."
She could hear the anxiety in her own voice. Millie was only too familiar with the fear that accompanied being in someone else's control. She'd lived with it all her life until the past few months.
She thought about a conversation she and Jack had just yesterday, when she was trying to figure out problems that could arise when she started her school.
"When Mam was worried about a problem she couldn't seem to work out, she'd go to the circle of stones and kneel. She felt there were others who had gone on before and they would hear prayers," Jack had told her.
I don't know much about that, Midge, but if that's where Jack and Ian are taking them it might be good for the two of us to be there and offer our own prayers as well. Don’t believe it would hurt, and who knows, maybe it'll help. Beats sitting here literally stewing about the situation.
Little Midge gurgled her consent and after wrapping the bairn in a warm tartan, Millie started out for the circle.
~ * ~
WABI AND IAN APPEARED on the top of the moor and watched as the sheep stopped their movement and refrained from making their incessant noise. Perhaps they could feel the sizzle in the air that always accompanied these two wizards — the old one and the young one.
Jack lashed out again at the horse and it snorted it's feelings about that. Its coat was gleaming in the moonlight and certainly the animal would be glad to have this trip over with. He wasn't often on the receiving end of a lash. The MacKinnon men only resorted to such behavior when it was absolutely necessary. They had learned as children that most animals respond to kindness rather than the whip.
"Here, Jack. Bring them inside the circle. Lay them side by side."
Jack looked at Wabi, then at Ian. "Are ye sure? According to Mam, only the called ones are to enter the circle. I know ye and Caitlin belong to that ilk. And I'm getting that Ian may also. But Alex? He's not a member of that group that I'm aware of."
"All that you say is true, Jack. But within the circle there will be others who will protect Alex, even though he isn't one of us. Don't be alarmed. The power within this circle would amaze you. In fact, it may amaze us all. At this moment, we need all the help we can get."
Jack worked quickly to bring Caitlin inside the circle and walked toward the stone that lay in the center, with its smooth edges that stood out from all the others. He gently placed Caitlin there and brought Alex next, laying him close to her. Then, not sure what he was to do next, he slowly inched his way back out of the circle. He was fairly certain he didn't belong in there. And if he would admit it, he was a little afraid of the place. Mam had always thought it a special place, but he'd just as soon stay out of it.
He stepped farther back and looked around. The moon was ever so bright, and the wind almost non-existent. That was strange. There was always a brisk breeze at the circle. He looked around the area. The gravestones of his ancestors were visible, and over on the right side he saw where they had laid Mam. Just a little farther, Jamie's grave was visible, its floral wreath gleaming white in the moonlight. As far as he could see out on the moor, all was quiet and the silence of the lambs was deafening. Then he uttered the first prayer of the evening.
Ah, Mam, wish ye were here. We're in another bad place. Some of yer woman's intuition would be good right now.
Mam had always managed to remain calm when everyone else might be bustling about trying to make something happen.
Jack continued to stand well outside the circle and watched, feeling totally helpless. Alex and Caitlin might well be dead. Both of them lay perfectly still. Wabi and Ian entered the circle, followed by Willie and Henson. The two wizards joined hands and began to chant. Immediately the wind began to howl, whipping the trees in every direction, and clouds raced across the sky in a kaleidoscope of colors. Jack was surprised to feel his hair rising from his head. He wasn't sure if it was the wind, or if he was just that scared.
He felt a great sense of relief as he looked around and saw Millie and Midge walking up behind him. He took a few steps to meet them, taking Midge from Millie, holding her close. Millie walked over and stood next to Da, who seemed so forlorn standing by himself.
"Daniel, can you tell me anything?"
"Nae, lass. I think all we can do is stand here and watch quietly."
"And send a few prayers of our own," Millie said.
They watched and wondered and worried greatly.
The two wizards now lifted their arms skyward and the chanting grew louder. The sound was certainly more than two people could make. There were so many voices lifted to the wind and, like a giant chorus, there was a musical quality to the sound. The wind began to send small whirlwinds of leaves into the air, and Millie had to tug at her skirt to keep it from flying about.
"Do you understand any of the chanting, Daniel?"
Millie looked at the old man and he shook his head. "Millie, I've never heard such before, lass. But Alice always said this place was sacred, so I'll let that thought stay in me mind at this point."
Alice, mo chridhe, be with us all.
He might be afraid just a bit himself. Those two bodies, so still, just lying on the stones — his son and a new daughter-in-law whom he had come to love already.
The scene was one none of them would ever forget — Wabi and Ian, with arms lifted to the heavens, and hundreds of voices chanting with them. The two now knelt in reverence and lowered their arms and it was quiet—the chanting had stopped. Then, in a hair-raising act of beseechment, Willie's call to his ancestors flooded the sky, echoing from one side of the moor to the other and Henson's primal yowl tore through the path Willie had created.
Movement just above them got everyone's attention. A great horned owl made a spectacular downward spiraling circle and quietly alighted on Wabi's shoulder.
"Now we're all here. Let us complete this task."
Wabi had spoken. He and Ian joined hands once again and the air began to shimmer, bathing the circle of stones in a golden light. So many spirits had joined in this ritual that Ian was overwhelmed. But, even in this state of total immersion in the moment, he felt her spirit as it slowly floated over her firstborn . . . and then over his chosen woman.
Mam. I knew ye would find us. We need ye — Alex and Caitlin need ye.
Ian waited quietly and felt her as she drifted away. He began to rise, but as he did so, he became aware of another spirit hovering over Caitlin's head . . . it wasn't Mam's spirit, but he knew it was filled with a mother's love. He remained kneeling and watched as Wabi acknowledged the spirit.
Ah, Flinn. Your spirit is as healing as Alice's. A mother's love is the greatest power of all.
She too drifted away and the old wizard and the young one both felt the moment when the blackness was lifted and the golden light brought the return of the two beloved family members. It was as though a tremendous weight dissipated into thin air.
"Thanks be to the Creator. He has found us worthy."
Wabi and Ian stood and watched as Alex first raised his head, then slowly got to his knees, looking around. He leaned over to Caitlin and brushed her hair from her face, then carefully lifted her head. She opened her eyes and looked into his face, reaching for him with outstretched arms.
"Alex? Where have you been? I've been looking for you."
The look on the Highlander's face was one she'd always remember.
"Mo chridhe, we've got to have a talk."