Forbidden Highlander

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Larena leaped from her chair as Ramsey burst into the cottage. One look at his bronze skin, claws, and fangs, and she knew something was wrong.

“What is it?” Sonya asked from the kitchen.

Ramsey glanced from Malcolm lying on the bed to Sonya. “An attack. We need to get you and Malcolm to the castle. Now.”

“If we move him, we chance ruining his arm forever,” Sonya argued as she rushed to the bed.

Ramsey strode to Malcolm’s side and bent to lift him. “If we don’t, he’s dead.”

“Where is Fallon?” Larena asked. “He can take Malcolm and Sonya in an instant.”

Ramsey’s Warrior bronze eyes held hers a moment, the silence filling the cottage. “Fallon and Hayden went to slow the attack.”

“Just the two of them?” Her heart dropped to her feet. Oh, saints.

Malcolm grunted as Ramsey lifted him in his arms. Larena looked to her cousin’s face to find him watching her. He nodded his head, and Larena knew what she had to do.

“Go with him, Sonya,” Larena said.

Ramsey turned to her. “What are you planning?”

“I’ll make sure you get Malcolm and Sonya to the castle. There’s no time to argue, Ramsey. Go!”

When he didn’t move, she called forth her goddess and sighed as the tickle of release stole over her skin a heartbeat before she changed.

She pushed past Ramsey and ran out the door into the village. The shrill cries of the wyrran could be heard, but it was the vicious roar that gave her pause. She knew without seeing him that it was Fallon who had given that bellow.

A shiver of dread and anxiety raced through her. What was approaching them wasn’t the occasional wyrran she would fight and kill. These were hoards of wyrran and Warriors who were coming to take her to Deirdre.

“Never,” Larena vowed as she flexed her claws.

She flicked one of her fangs over her lower lip as she walked from the village to stand between it and the castle. There was movement from behind her and she turned her head to see Galen, Logan, and Camdyn, all transformed with their gods, on either side of her.

“Make sure Ramsey gets to the castle with Malcolm and Sonya,” she told Logan.

Logan glanced at the approaching attack. “I’ll be back,” he promised before he ran after Ramsey.

Larena’s heart pounded in her chest while her blood drummed in her ears. She wondered where Fallon and Hayden were and if they were all right.

Please, God, keep Fallon safe.

Deirdre wanted Fallon, so there was a chance Fallon had been captured. Larena’s blood ran cold at the thought. If Deirdre had somehow managed to imprison Fallon, Larena would do whatever she had to do to ensure he was freed. Whatever it took.

“Are you ready for this?” Galen asked from her right.

Larena shrugged. “Ready or not, it’s coming.”

“I’ve been itching for a fight,” Camdyn said. “Let them come.”

“Aye,” she agreed. “Let them come and try their worst.”

Galen grinned at her and shifted his shoulders. “It’s going to be a bloody night.”

No more words were spoken as the wyrran came into view.

Larena had never seen so many at once. For a heartbeat, she thought about running. And then she remembered who she was — what she was — and she stood her ground as her goddess came alive within her.

A glance over her shoulder showed her Ramsey and the others had gotten through the castle gate. She let out a sigh and faced the horde before her.

She joined Camdyn and Galen as they let out a roar. With one swipe of her claws, she beheaded the first wyrran that got close to her.

Larena pivoted and ducked a meaty fist she saw aimed at her face. When she straightened, she brought her own fist up between the Warrior’s legs and punched him in the groin.

The Warrior cupped his hand around himself and fell to his knees. Larena took the opportunity and kicked him in the face. She reared back with her claws, but before she could behead him, Galen’s arm came out of nowhere and did it for her.

“Behind you,” he shouted.

Larena whirled around in time to catch a wyrran as it leaped at her. She fell back, the fall slamming her head onto the ground. The plunge momentarily stunned her, but it was enough for another wyrran to join the first as they began to use their claws on her.

Pain ripped through her as her chest and stomach were torn to shreds. She jerked her knee up and knocked one of the wyrran over her head. The second she grabbed by its arms and pulled, yanking the arms from the sockets with a loud pop and making them useless. She then rolled over on top if it and broke its neck.

Just as she stood, the first wyrran tried to attack her again. This time, Larena held out her claws and the creature impaled itself on them.

She flung the dead wyrran away and turned around. Only to find Fallon and Hayden now fighting with them. Fallon turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. Time slowed as awareness sizzled around her. With Fallon by her side she could face anything.

To her surprise, she saw Hayden using fire. That shock was short-lived as the earth trembled beneath her. She cast a look around to find Camdyn calling up the ground around them and using it as a weapon.

The wyrran and Warriors sent by Deirdre stopped in their tracks, staring at the wall of earth that separated them from Larena and the others.

“I cannot hold this forever,” Camdyn shouted. “They are using their powers to break the wall.”

Fallon’s lungs felt as though they were on fire. He glanced at the Warriors around him, noting their wounds and the blood that coated them. His gaze came to rest on Larena last. Her tunic was torn and barely hanging on her shoulders. Her iridescent skin shimmered like a beacon in the darkness, and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and make sure she was all right.

“We cannot win this,” he said. “There are too many of them.”

“Malcolm is in the castle with Sonya,” Galen told him.

Fallon nodded. “Good. We’ll hold them as long as we can here.”

“So they don’t get the Druids,” Larena finished.

There was a whoosh of air, and then they heard the flap of wings. Fallon looked up to find Broc hovering above them.

“This attack wasn’t to kill,” Broc said. “It is to capture as many of you as we can. Especially the Druids.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Fallon demanded.

Broc glanced at the castle. “They are my reasons, MacLeod. I cannot tell you more.”

Fallon’s mind raced as Galen cursed. He waited until Broc had flown away before he ran a hand through his hair. They were outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before someone was taken.

“We need to hide,” Fallon said. “Camdyn, can you hold the wall for a little longer?”

The Warrior nodded, his focus on the wall of earth before him, his hands raised in front of his face. “I’ll make sure it holds.”

“What do you plan?” Galen asked.

“We need to hide, and not in the castle. Somewhere they won’t expect to look,” Fallon answered.

Hayden moved to stand near Camdyn. “Do what you need to, Fallon. I’ll stand with Camdyn and ensure that any wyrran or Warrior that tries to break through this wall is burned.”

Fallon turned to Larena, intent on taking her first, but she shook her head, her glorious iridescent locks moving around her.

“Nay. I have my own power, Fallon. I’ll stay invisible if I have to. Get the others.”

Fallon cursed. She was right, of course, but that didn’t mean he liked leaving her. He grabbed her and planted a swift kiss on her lips. “Stay safe.”

“I will,” she promised.

With a sigh, Fallon turned to Galen. “You first, Shaw.”

“Shite,” Galen murmured, and clenched his jaw.

Fallon didn’t give him another moment. He flashed himself and Galen into a cave in the cliffs. As soon as they were there, Fallon jumped to the dungeons of the castle.

“What’s going on?” Lucan asked, his brow furrowed.

Fallon shook his head. “No time. Will explain later. We’re leaving.”

He needed to take more than one at a time, but he was afraid he’d fail. Yet, there wasn’t a choice. He gathered Malcolm in his arms and nodded to Sonya. “Put your hand on me.”

As soon as she did, he jumped them to the cave. Galen was there to take Malcolm and then Fallon was gone again. It took a matter of moments to get Lucan, Cara, Ramsey, and Logan to the cave, but it felt like an eternity.

By the time Fallon arrived back to Camdyn and Hayden, he couldn’t see Larena. He prayed she was somewhere safe. Camdyn’s wall of earth, though, was crumbling around them.

“Larena,” he shouted. “To the cliffs. I’ll find you there.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but put his hand on Hayden and Camdyn and jumped them to the cave.

Fallon slumped against the cave wall, his body exhausted from the constant jumping with more than just himself. He straightened from the stones and started to leave when Lucan walked toward him.

“You need to rest.”

Fallon nodded. “I just have to find Larena. She doesn’t know the cliffs.”

“She used her power then?” Lucan asked.

“Aye. I told her to meet me on the cliffs. I have to find her.”

“Go then.”

Fallon closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he jumped again. As soon as he stood on the edge of the rock face near the castle, he fell to the ground and watched as the wyrran and Warriors ran to fill the castle and the village. They would destroy what had been rebuilt, but it could be fixed again. All that mattered was that everyone was safe.

He was surprised to find no evidence that Camdyn had broken the earth and used it as a wall. It was as if it hadn’t happened.

“Larena,” Fallon shouted.

There was no answer. He didn’t know where she was or if she had heard him tell her to meet him at the cliffs.

“Larena!”

With the wyrran screeching and the Warriors bellowing their fury, none of them could hear him. And at the moment, he wouldn’t have cared.

“Larena.”

“Here, Fallon. I’m here.”

Fallon looked around and felt a hand on his arm an instant before she came into view. “Thank God,” he said, and jerked her into his arms. “Are you badly injured?”

“I’m all right. Now.”

He pulled off his tunic and handed it to her so she wouldn’t arrive naked in the cave. As soon as she had it over her head, he jumped them.

“Thank the saints,” Cara said when she caught sight of them.

Fallon wasn’t ready to release Larena, but there were things he needed to see to. He pushed his god down and watched the black fade from his skin. The others had all transformed back into men as well.

“Is that everyone?” he asked.

“Aye,” Ramsey said. “We’re all here.”

“Galen filled me in,” Lucan said to Fallon. “What did they do when the wall of earth came down?”

Fallon ran a hand down his face and sank onto a stone. “It gave them only a moment’s pause. They’re in the castle and the village now.”

Logan groaned. “Those bastards will destroy everything we’ve built.”

“It can be rebuilt,” Fallon said. “I’ll keep rebuilding it to prove to Deirdre that she cannot stop us.”

Larena dropped to her knees in front of Ramsey, her eyes wide and her skin pale. “The Scroll? Where is it?”

Fallon’s heart missed a beat at her words. “You gave him the Scroll?”

Her stricken face turned to him. “I wanted to help.”

“I have it,” Ramsey told Larena, and pulled it from his tunic. “I wouldn’t have left it, or the fake, for them to find.”

“Thank you.”

Ramsey paused before he gave the Scroll to Larena. “Have you ever read the names?”

She shook her head. “Nay. Why?”

Ramsey glanced at Fallon, a wealth of meaning in that one look. “No reason.”

But Fallon knew better. Ramsey had seen something, and Fallon wanted to know what that was.

When the Scroll was once more in Larena’s ring, Fallon breathed a sigh of relief. “We escaped this time, but it might not work again. They’ll learn about the caves eventually.”

“Then we need to find somewhere else,” Sonya said.

Hayden growled. “I’m a Warrior, Fallon. I don’t like hiding.”

“Neither do I,” Fallon said, and got to his feet. His next words would have to be chosen wisely, or he could lose the group of men — and women — he had come to rely on. “Do you think I like running away from Deirdre? I’d rather fight to my death, but they weren’t here to kill, Hayden. They were here to capture us. Would you rather run away, or be back in Deirdre’s mountain?”

Hayden turned his head away and refused to speak, which was answer enough.

“What the hell are we going to do?” Lucan asked. “Deirdre has more wyrran than we could kill, and even if we did manage to kill all of them, she would just make more.”

Fallon watched as Lucan pulled Cara’s trembling form into his arms. Sonya sat beside Malcolm, who had been laid on the ground. The other Warriors waited for Fallon to respond, but it was Larena’s smoky-blue eyes that he sought.

She gave him a small nod of encouragement. Fallon swallowed and crossed his arms over his chest. Her strength and belief in him gave him the fortitude he needed.

“We’ve all vowed to fight against Deirdre. Tonight hasn’t changed my mind. I will stand against her until there is no breath left in my body.”

The others mumbled agreement.

“I doona know what Deirdre’s plan is next, but beyond a doubt, my next step is to get Quinn out of her clutches. I’m not going to wait another moment. I’m leaving in the morning. My fight to get Quinn back is my fight. I’m not asking any of you to come with me.”

“That’s a hell of a way to speak to us,” Galen said, his voice as cold as the north wind. “I came to you, to your brothers, to defeat Deirdre. That includes helping get Quinn free. So, I’m going with you whether you want me or not.”

One by one, the other Warriors stepped forward and pledged themselves to him. Fallon was overcome with emotion. He clenched his hands, afraid to speak.

“I always told you, brother,” Lucan said. “But you never listened. I would follow you into hell itself.”

“I’m afraid that’s just where we’re going, Lucan,” Fallon murmured.

Larena rose and came to stand in front of him. “You saved me from death with your blood. You brought me here to protect me from Deirdre. You gave me … hope. Is there any other place I would be but by your side?”

He didn’t know how she knew it was his blood in her veins, but it didn’t matter. “I cannot bring you near Deirdre. I would die if she imprisoned you.”

“But she won’t. Do you forget that I can be invisible? I’m your best advantage at getting into the mountain and finding Quinn to let him know we’ve come to rescue him.”

“She’s right,” Cara said. “As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right.”

Sonya blew out a breath and licked her lips. “The truth, Fallon, is that you’re going to need all of us. If someone is injured, you’ll need me to heal them.”

“Nay,” Lucan bellowed. “You and Cara aren’t going anywhere near that damned mountain. If one of us is injured, Fallon can jump them back to you. Besides, we cannot leave Malcolm by himself.”

“Lucan is right,” Fallon said before Cara or Sonya could argue. “I’m risking too much by bringing Larena and the other Warriors to Deirdre. But with every drop of Druid blood, especially the Demon’s Kiss around Cara’s neck,” he said, motioning to the vial that held the drough blood of Cara’s mother, “Deirdre’s power grows.”

“I can help,” Cara argued.

Fallon nodded. “And you will, but from the castle. We will be injured, and it will take both you and Sonya to aid us.”

Cara relented after Lucan whispered something in her ear. Fallon shifted his gaze to Sonya to see her defeated expression, but she nodded in understanding.

“Good.” He lowered himself to the rock and leaned against the wall behind him. He had never felt so tired or drained in his life.

A small, tender hand touched his face. Fallon turned toward the contact, needing to feel Larena’s skin against his.

“How are your wounds?” he asked.

She shrugged. “They’ve healed.”

“We got away this time, but we might not the next.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. You did well tonight, Fallon. Never doubt that. It was quick thinking getting us away from the attack and somewhere they couldn’t find us.”

He grunted, unsure her praise was warranted. “I thought my heart would leap from my chest when I saw you fighting. You were magnificent.”

“So were you.”

He opened his mouth to tell her he was sorry for earlier, but she moved away from him, retreating to a corner by herself.

Maybe it was for the best, Fallon told himself. There were too many ears listening, and the things he had wanted to say — the things he had to say — were for Larena only.

Fallon rose and walked to Sonya, who hadn’t left Malcolm’s side. He knelt by the Druid and nodded at Malcolm. “How is he?”

“He was doing better before he had to be moved.” Her hand hovering over his broken arm, she sighed. “I had to make him sleep he was in such pain, Fallon. He wanted to help fight, and I fear he would have if I had not done something.”

“You did the right thing. Larena would have both our heads if something happened to her cousin.”

Sonya shrugged and tugged a strand of fiery hair behind her ear. “I fear what the damage this night has done to his arm. It has begun to swell again. My magic can only do so much.”

“Do what you can. That’s all we can ask of you.”

She licked her lips and turned her amber eyes to him. “Is it enough? My healing abilities have always been great and exceeded what most Druids are able to do, but I fear that the one day I will really need my magic, it will fail me.”

A stab of fear jabbed in Fallon’s heart. “Did you have a vision of this?”

“Nay, just a … sense of what is to come.”

Which meant a vision, but Fallon wasn’t going to argue with a Druid. “Have you joined Cara’s magic with yours for Malcolm?”

“We were just about to do that again when you returned. I will see it done now.”

Fallon moved away as Sonya motioned for Cara to join her. He stood to the side and watched the Druids work. Though he couldn’t see the magic move from their hands to Malcolm’s body, he could feel it.

There was a distinct change in the air, a crackle almost, that alerted a Warrior that magic was near. In a powerful Druid like Sonya, a Warrior could sense what she was before she spoke.

Cara had been different because she hadn’t known she was a Druid and hadn’t developed her magic. Now that Sonya had begun training her, Fallon could sense the magic growing in his sister-in-law by the day.

They were fortunate to have two Druids with them, and every Warrior there would do everything they could to protect them from Deirdre.

Fallon sighed and made himself as comfortable as possible. It would be a few hours yet before the wyrran and Warriors gave up looking for them. Meanwhile, he would plan his attack on Deirdre.