Chapter 36
Broc sat at the table in the great hall with Sonya pressed against him. She was officially his, and had been for two days now. The wedding had been hasty, the ceremony quick, but they were joined.
Thankfully, Cara had convinced the priest not to venture too far from the castle or Broc would have had to find one himself.
For the last few hours, they had been discussing their next move. Larena wanted Malcolm found, and Isla wanted Broc to search for Phelan.
Logan stood at the door even now waiting for Fallon to give him the nod to travel to the Isle of Eigg and search for the Tablet of Orn.
Camdyn, Lucan, and Arran were arguing in favor of drawing Deirdre to the castle to try to learn what she had planned.
“If she didna tell Sonya before, she willna tell you now,” Broc said. “Deirdre has her mind set on her newest plan. Nothing will dissuade her from it.”
“Not even the knowledge of the Tablet of Om?” Marcail asked. “Maybe we could tempt her with that.”
Fallon shook his head. “I doona want her to know of it. If she hadna told Broc of her search for the burial mound, we wouldna know of the Tablet.”
“She said there was an artifact there,” Ian pointed out as he rubbed his jaw.
Duncan, his twin, nodded. “She did. There is a difference between an artifact and a clue.”
“Maybe the artifact was the amulet I took,” Sonya said.
Broc frowned. The twins were right. Had they left the artifact behind? “We have no idea what the artifacts are. We only know of Reaghan because we were told she was the artifact. There were so many things in the tomb that any of them could have been the artifact.”
“There’s no doubt there is magic in the amulet,” Reaghan said. “It could be the artifact.”
“Yet, Sonya had been drawn to the sword,” Hayden added.
Broc ground his teeth together. He looked at Sonya and said, “We have to go back to the burial mound.”
“Aye,” Fallon said. “I’d feel better if we searched to make sure the amulet was the only artifact. We can always bring the sword with us just in case.”
Logan pushed away from the door. “We can no longer hold off, Fallon. I need to go to the Isle of Bigg.”
Fallon gave a nod. “You and Duncan be careful. Return as soon as you can.”
Duncan clasped hands with his twin before he went to stand beside Logan. “I will say the same to you. Deirdre may be setting a trap at the tomb.”
“I doona think so,” Broc said. “Deirdre doesna know what the artifact is.”
“Regardless, you’ll need to be careful,” Galen said.
They said their farewells to Logan and Duncan as the two Warriors set off on their quest. Broc took Sonya’s hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“I'm not afraid,” she said.
He chuckled. “I know.”
“The sooner we go, the sooner we return,” Fallon said.
Sonya winked at Broc. “Then let’s go.”
Malcolm stood beside Deirdre as he stared at the burial mound. He glanced down at his right arm, still unused to seeing it without the scars or being able to use it.
“Get inside the tomb,” Deirdre told him. “Find me the artifact.”
“How will I know what it is?”
Deirdre’s white eyes burned brilliant. “You will feel its power.”
Malcolm paused only a moment as he thought of Larena and everyone at MacLeod Castle. But any remorse he had he pushed aside.
He walked to the archway of the burial mound. The magic flowed freely over and around him. It pulsed with an odd cadence he found both intriguing and fearful.
Nothing stopped him as he moved beneath the archway to the huge stone door. He couldn’t read the Gaelic symbols, but Deirdre had told him what they meant. She had also told him he was the only one who could get inside the tomb.
The magic grew stronger the closer he moved to the stone door, its touch running deeper, almost as if it were learning him.
Malcolm gripped the stone and tried to pull open the door. Not even his considerable new strength could budge it. He tried three more times before he leaned a hand against the doorway.
Magic hissed along his palm before the markings began to glow blue. And the door opened.
Malcolm stepped over the threshold and the torches flared to life. He looked around at the tomb. So many canons. Then he spotted the sword atop the corpse. He felt its power, felt its attraction.
There was only the briefest hesitation before he took the sword. As soon as he touched it, the markings glowed the same blue as those outside the door for just a moment.
Malcolm walked from the mound and didn’t look back. He had gotten what Deirdre wanted. She ruled him now.
And he feared she always would.
Broc stared in shocked silence at the open tomb. Sonya pushed passed him and entered the mound. He heard her gasp, but he didn’t need to see inside to know something was missing.
Someone had gotten into the mound. But who?
“I thought you said you were the only one who could enter,” Fallon said.
Broc shrugged. “Deirdre must have found someone else.”
“But who?”
Broc had a suspicion, but he wasn’t ready to blame Malcolm yet.
Sonya walked out and shook her head. “The sword is gone.”
“This doesna make sense,” Fallon ground out as he ran a hand through his hair.
Sonya sighed. “Deirdre said Broc was the only one who could open the tomb.”
“Yet, you helped me,” he said.
She scrunched her face. “Did I? Or was it you all along?”
Broc didn’t have an answer.
“What now?” Fallon asked.
Sonya straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin “We find the sword, of course.”
“Nay,” Broc said. “We find the Warrior who did this. We find Malcolm.”
Phelan found himself in the precarious position of being curious about what was in the tomb and why everyone wanted inside. He’d stayed after using his power on Deirdre to find Broc and two other Warriors return for the Druid.
He’d seen Broc and Sonya’s reunion. So, the Warrior hadn’t left her to die. He’d left her in the tomb for protection against Deirdre.
What Phelan didn’t understand was why the Warriors didn’t see how evil the Druid was. Didn’t they realize all Druids were evil? Or was Sonya different?
Phelan might have spent over a century in Cairo Toul, but even he could remember what it felt like to have his mother’s loving eyes look down upon him. It was definitely love he saw between Broc and Sonya, and joy on the other two Warriors’ faces.
But they had left too quickly for Phelan to approach them. Then, it wasn’t long before Deirdre returned. With a newly made Warrior.
The maroon Warrior looked irritated, and there was hate blazing in his eyes. A look Phelan knew all too well since he had directed it at Deirdre himself many times.
Somehow the maroon Warrior got inside the tomb and emerged with a sword. Deirdre quickly took them away from the tomb.
And just as Phelan had expected, Broc and Sonya returned with other Warriors. They had come for the sword, but they were too late.
Phelan debated on approaching them. He heard the name MacLeod and remembered Isla telling him if he ever needed anything to find the MacLeods. Was one of them down there now?
And if he was, did Phelan dare to talk to him?
He decided it wasn’t time to meet any of the MacLeods. He still had exploring to do. He’d missed his Scotland, and he wanted to see all of her. Not to mention, there was the pretty tavern maid he’d seen three days before. He thought he might return. For her.
With one last look at Broc, Sonya, and the other Warriors, Phelan turned his back on the burial mound and the MacLeods.