Chapter 7 #4
“Since I’ve never seen it, it makes me think I’ve either lost my mind or died and ended up somewhere my Sunday school classes never talked about.”
“The Thirteenth Realm is an alternate plane of thirteenth-century Scotland in yer reality.” He paused and rolled his shoulders as if trying to rid himself of something that pained him.
“But the Realm possesses so much more than the Scotland ye know. So much more.” He cleared his throat, sucked in a deep breath, then groaned it free of his lungs.
“The blessed Highland Veil keeps all realities separated for their own good. Occasionally, a few beings slip through the portals, but the Highland Veil always knows and guards itself as best it can against those who would do evil. Or it tries to. The Weavers and Defenders try to aid it in maintaining the balance of the universe’s tapestry.
” He gave a regal nod. “The Weavers reunite fated mates and bring them safely through the portals. Ye know the origin of fated mates, aye?”
“Maybe. I don’t know the origins since our worlds are so different.
” She was still trying to wrap her head around the thirteenth-century Scotland parallel.
The thirteenth century? Seriously? As in: no modern conveniences or medicine?
She squirmed in place and crossed her legs, her bladder nudging her with a not-so-gentle reminder that she needed to pee.
Badly. “Why don’t you tell me the origin of the fated mates so I can be sure we’re on the same page? ”
“At the beginning of creation, when humankind came into being, our souls, our spirits, were so mighty, so awe-inspiring that it drew the attention of some of the more jealous gods and goddesses. They feared us, feared our ultimate power. So before our awareness sharpened, before we realized all we could become, they split our souls in two and cast them to the winds, hoping to weaken us by separating us from ourselves forever.” He tilted his head and leaned forward just enough to make her heart pound harder.
“Their act doomed us to search for the other half of our spirits through each and every lifetime. The lives where we dinna find and join with our fated mates find little happiness—if any at all. But the lives where we discover the other half our soul and reunite to make ourselves whole, those lives know the blissfulness of completeness, of true contentment, of unimaginable love. And each time we reunite, it strengthens us for the next lifetime and makes it easier for us to find one another.”
The cynic in her wanted to snort, but the little girl who used to make up songs about fairy tales and happily ever afters longed to believe what he said was true.
Lyla blinked back the tears. She didn’t need to cry.
It would make her throat hurt. “And it’s the Weaver’s job to help the fated mates reunite?
” That seemed an impossible task to her, considering how many souls could be out there.
“Aye, and each time fated mates reunite, especially a particularly powerful pair separated by centuries and planes of existence, it strengthens the weave of the blessed Highland Veil, repairing any damage done by the evil ones seeking to control the worlds.” His scowl hardened, the muscles in his jaw flexing.
“The only Weavers left to tend to the Veil are those of Seven Cairns. Those who would undo the universe’s order destroyed the other Weavers and took over those portals in an attempt to open them against the will of the Veil. ”
She hugged her knees to her chest, not wanting to believe anything he said, but finding it more and more difficult not to. “And you and I are a particularly powerful pair?”
“Aye.”
“What happens if I…accept? Will I ever get to go back to my world? See the people I care about?” She’d always been choosy about who she allowed into her inner circle, especially during the glory days of her fame.
Sadly, she had quickly discovered who she could and couldn’t trust when those glory days crashed and burned with the loss of her voice.
She’d become an introverted loner. But she still cared about a select few people.
Jake and his mom came to mind. The tenants in her building who couldn’t always make their rent.
They were her people now. Her real friends.
Who would make sure those forgotten folks got the opportunities they deserved if she never went back? “Will I have to give up everything?”
“As far as I know, ’tis a rare few who are ever allowed to visit their time and place of origin, and when they do, it is only permitted on the sanctified grounds of Seven Cairns—where the Weavers can protect them.
” He lifted his chin higher as though bracing himself for her reaction.
“Ye possess the right to choose. The only right I possess in this is the right of fourteen days and nights to convince ye to choose me, convince ye to make us whole again.”
“And once I choose?”
“Once ye choose, it is done.” His sadness reached out to her, begged her to give him a chance. “Until the next lifetime.”