Chapter 14
Edna knew something was wrong, she could feel it in every cell of her being. “Angus,” she cried. “Angus, my love, nae ye! This was never what was supposed to happen. Ye must fight this, love. Fight it with all ye have in ye.” Edna drew on every ounce of power she had, trying to get through to him.
Brielle had used every trick in the book to get to Edna, and now she was attempting to take Angus away.
I won’t let you take him! As I live and breathe, Brielle, ye will pay for this.
Ye will pay! Even as she heard the faint cackling laughter of her nemesis, Edna positioned herself in her usual spot by the fire and stared into the flames.
She searched the fiery embers until she saw Angus, lying motionless on a bed and barely clinging to life.
She fought hard to keep her emotions under control.
It would do him no good if she were to fall apart now.
Sending waves of healing energy his way, she had to fight her way through the shield Brielle had placed around him, designed specifically to keep Edna out.
It took all Edna had in her and she could feel her energy swiftly flagging, but she finally managed to shatter the veil of evil that surrounded him.
She watched and waited and then she saw it.
A slight movement of his eyelid. A twitch.
And then another. His eyes remained closed, but the subtle movement was all Edna needed to reach out to her husband and send words of encouragement she knew he would hear.
“Angus, my love, hold on. I’m here to help ye, but ye’ll need to help yerself, as well. ”
Another small movement caught Edna’s eye, this time his lips moved slightly, as if he wished to speak.
Ideally, it would have been better to be right there with him, touching him to assist in breaking the spell, but instead, Edna found herself both miles and centuries away from her love.
Edna continued her healing work, and as if in answer to her prayers, she saw Maggie and Dylan enter the room where Angus lay.
Maggie walked over to Angus and placed a hand on his chest. It was the therapeutic touch needed to complete their task and as Maggie touched Angus, the link between Maggie and Edna grew stronger.
“Maggie, work with me,” Edna pleaded.
“Auntie, I can hear ye. What would ye have me do?” Maggie’s connection with Edna allowed her to hear her aunt’s voice clearly, while Dylan, on the other hand, heard nothing.
“Do exactly what ye are doing, Maggie. Send yer healing into him while I do the same. With double the magick, we should be able to save him.”
Edna watched as Maggie concentrated on Angus.
She could feel the energy Maggie was sending through him and Edna was pleased by the strength of the magick she felt there.
Maggie was coming into her own at the perfect time.
Between the two of them, Angus would be saved.
Edna experienced a great sense of relief.
The healing flowed back and forth between Maggie and Edna as it passed through Angus.
Dylan stood back near the door, watching intently.
Edna surmised he had decided it best to stay out of the way and she appreciated his perceptive nature.
He would be a good match for Maggie and the perfect addition to the family, if things worked out the way she had planned they would.
Angus groaned loudly, startling them all.
“Uncle Angus, it’s me, Maggie. Auntie Edna is helping too. Please wake up, Uncle.” Maggie moved to hold his hand and his fingers closed around hers. “I think we’ve done it, Auntie,” she cried. “He’s squeezing my hand.”
Relief flooded through Edna, exactly as she knew it was through Maggie. “Good work, Maggie. Ye did it! I couldn’t have done it on my own. Brielle used verra powerful magick on Angus and neither of us would have been able to break the spell alone.”
Maggie leaned down and lovingly stroked Angus’ cheek.
He slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room.
“What’s this all about? Dinnae look at me as though I were a dead man.
” Angus struggled to sit up and Maggie did her best to hold him down.
Dylan came to her aid and lowered Angus back down onto the bed.
“You have to rest, Angus. You’ve been under Brielle’s spell for quite a while.” Dylan sat on the edge of the bed.
“Was it that bad, lad?” Angus appeared to be seriously considering what Dylan had just said.
“It was. We were all very worried about you. How do you feel?” Dylan asked.
“I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. Brielle forced me to drink some dreadful tasting concoction. I couldnae move, I couldnae fight it, no matter how hard I tried.” His focus switched from Dylan to Maggie. “Thank ye, lass. I ken ye saved me life.”
“I couldnae have done it without Auntie Edna,” Maggie said.
“Where are ye, love? I cannae see ye, but I ken yer here.” An exhausted Angus searched the room with his eyes for his wife, but couldn’t locate her.
Unlike the way she had spoken with Maggie, Edna’s voice now came from the fireplace and both Angus and Dylan could hear her. “I’m here, Angus, back at the inn. I was so worried for ye. Thank heavens yer safe now. I dinnae know what I would’ve done without ye.”
“We have much to talk about, Edna, but it will have to wait, as I’m verra tired.” With that announcement, Angus fell into a deep, but thankfully natural sleep.
“Auntie, he’s right. There is much we must speak of,” Maggie said. “I have so many questions. I found Brielle’s talisman. I don’t know if she left it on purpose or if it was an accident. Do you ken what it is?”
“Aye, it is the key to her power. She didnae leave it and she will want it back. Be careful, she will do anything she must to have it returned to her possession,” Edna explained.
“Auntie, Brielle told us that the whole reason you sent me was to fight for the bridge. Is that the truth? I don’t understand why you couldn’t have done it. I’m confused about so many things.”
“Yer right, Maggie, there is much to talk about and we will, but now is not the time. Ye must find Brielle before she hurts someone else.” Edna was suffering a guilty conscience and it was weighing heavily on her mind.
She hadn’t been totally truthful with Maggie or Angus when she sent them off to Breaghacraig.
“I cannae hold my focus for much longer and my fire is dying on this end. I have faith that ye can do this, Maggie. I love ye, child.” Edna closed the connection to the sixteenth century and wept.
She had almost lost her husband and her niece was still in grave danger. How did I let this happen?
***
Maggie moved away from the bed where Angus now slept comfortably. She was shaking from the effort she had put forth to heal him. Glancing in Dylan’s direction, she saw him smiling at her. It was a soft, warm smile that made her heart sing. He came to her and she relaxed into his arms.
“It’s okay, Maggie. It’s over for now.” Dylan rubbed her arms and back soothingly.
“Oh, Dylan, I was so afraid. I thought we were going to lose him.” Dylan’s strength flowed into her, giving her the comfort she needed. “I don’t know if I can go on fighting her. Maybe I’m the wrong witch to deal with this. She’s so strong.”
“She’s strong, but you’re stronger, Maggie. You can do this. One step at a time. Don’t think too far ahead, if you do you’ll overwhelm yourself.” Dylan continued stroking her and holding her close. “I’m here for you. I won’t interfere, but I’m here if you need me.”
“I do need you, Dylan,” Maggie’s eyes lifted to his and then lowered to his lips.
She wanted so badly to kiss him, but felt this might be a very inappropriate time.
Before she could make a decision, Dylan’s mouth found hers, his lips gently pressing and his tongue tempting and teasing.
Maggie responded like a woman in great need of nourishment.
She put everything she had into answering his kisses with her own.
A moment ago, this had seemed the wrong time and place, but now it seemed it was exactly the right time.
Dylan cradled her head in his hands, holding her in place as Maggie’s hands went to his chest, exploring the hard muscle beneath his liene.
She heard a whimpering sound. Had it come from her?
No. She was reasonably sure it hadn’t. She continued to enjoy the warm, wet kisses she had wanted for so long.
She heard the whimpering sound again and this time Dylan’s head shot up.
They both scanned the room, searching for the source of the noise and when they finally found it, Dylan and Maggie released one another simultaneously.
Chester stood in the doorway looking quite a mess, blood was dripping from a wound that wasn’t clearly visible, and onto the floor.
They both ran across the room to him and dropping to their knees, did their best to find the wound.
Dylan ran his hands over Chester, covering every inch of his fur.
As he approached Chester’s hind leg, the dog yelped in pain.
“It’s okay, Chester. It’s okay.” Dylan calmly reassured the dog. “What happened to you?”