Chapter Three
Connor
Slowly, people trickled into what Connor called the library, whether books were in sight or not.
Fraser came to stand next to him, and together they watched as the displaced folks of the village came together in quiet mumblings and wide-eyed disbelief.
It seemed Xiathen was the unspoken leader, as people approached him with desperate stares and tearful gazes, as the Mystic did his best to comfort them.
Luciana stood silent, pale, and still. She smiled tremulously when Connor met her gaze. Max stood solidly beside her, and it seemed the woman had found a protector by the way the big man carried himself.
The Innkeeper, a slim woman of indeterminate age, or at least that’s who Connor supposed her to be from the apron she wore, and a couple of others appeared twenty minutes later, laden with trays of meat, cheese, bread, and some strange, fruity drink.
The tired crowd helped themselves, and some sat on the floor.
The child Adrian had carried, a little girl around three years old, was gently lowered from his shoulders to the floor, and a man and a woman murmured their thanks to him. Adrian smiled at them, patting the woman’s shoulder.
Adrian saw him looking and winked cheekily. Connor ignored him and turned away. The whole village seemed to be in the room now, huddled together, their faces filled with confusion and, in some cases, utter despair.
It was time to get some answers. Connor clapped loudly, and everyone’s attention focused on him.
“Good morning to you all. I know this must be extremely scary, not knowing what’s going on, but I hope we can find some answers now that we’re all together.
First, let me tell you where you are.” He took a breath.
“Your village has landed in a valley called Briar’s Hollow, on land I own. We are in Argyll, in Scotland.
“Like you, I have no idea what happened to bring you here. What we can do now is figure out how to manage the situation and get you folks back home.”
A young man in the crowd scoffed loudly. He couldn’t have been more than fourteen. “Back where we belong? No, thank you. I wish to stay here. There’s nothing to go back to.” A murmur of assent swept through the room.
What the hell kind of place did they live in, that they were happy to stay somewhere they know absolutely nothing about?
He nodded. “Be that as it may, it’s still my responsibility to find out how you got here. Then we can decide what to do. Fair enough?”
The teenager nodded sullenly. Others in the room echoed the sentiment.
“Right then. I’d suggest we go around the room, with everyone telling their story of what happened before you arrived here. We don’t want everyone speaking at once. Anyone want to start?”
A show of hands shot into the air, and Connor sighed. It was going to be a long morning.
An hour and a half later, they were still no closer to discovering the events leading up to their predicament. Everyone said the exact same thing, even as the remaining residents trickled fearfully into the library.
They’d all been out and about and suddenly found themselves in this strange place. Some bore bruises and cuts from falling. Others nursed headaches where they had struck the ground. At almost six o’clock in the morning, Connor could see everyone was exhausted. He could do with some rest himself.
He waved his hands and called out to stop the buzz of conversation.
“Everyone, may I have your attention, please?” The room grew quieter.
Connor smiled at them all tiredly. “It’s been a long, stressful time for you all, so may I suggest we all head home, catch up on some sleep, perhaps even get to know your surroundings?
Then, in a couple of days, I’ll come visit and introduce you to my clan.
There are twelve of us, and we live about twenty minutes from here.
I think they’d enjoy meeting you and would be happy to help. ”
They could get to know the other clan members living independently on Brannigan land soon enough. The castle folk would be more than enough to face right now.
Adrian walked over and nudged him with an elbow, a warning glint in his eye. “I too shall visit with my friend here, and then at a later point, bring my clan to meet you all. We don’t want to overwhelm you on your first week here, non?”
Connor rolled his eyes. “If anyone needs anything or has any concerns, let Xiathen or Luciana know and they can contact me directly. My people and I will do what we can to help.”
He wasn’t sure whether the Utharians were used to communicating by mobile phone or email. He hadn’t seen a single piece of technology during his time in the village.
Xiathen stepped forward and bowed graciously to Connor and Adrian.
“We are glad to have you as friends.” His gaze drifted over the waiting crowd.
“It is as our friend says. Come to us,” gesturing to himself and Luciana, “with your fears and we will try to help. Until then, go back to your homes, take stock of your surroundings, and hold your family and friends close. These are trying times indeed, but as always, we shall overcome.”
Connor moved closer to them. “And next time we meet, you’ll tell me all about who or what everyone seems petrified of. I—”
Xiathen closed Connor’s mouth with a slim finger.
“Do not mention them here. We must be vigilant. We promise we shall tell you that story. For now, let my fellows rest and savour what peace they have.” His gaze softened as he observed the people milling around.
“They have had little time for it in the past, so we would appreciate some time to enjoy the solitude.”
Connor sighed. “I respect that. But I will have the story, so don’t think I won’t ask again.”
“This is a remarkable event. I hadn’t thought to see it in my lifetime. A Valour in our midst. Extraordinary.” The soft voice behind him made Connor turn.
He saw three figures at the front of the gathering, watching him with a strange, almost hungry composure, as if they’d been waiting for a door to open for a long time.
The speaker was young, perhaps in her early twenties, with hair so pale it looked like moonlight spilled down her back. Her eyes were a clear, hard blue, the kind that didn’t seem to soften for anyone.
Beside her stood a man in his late forties, broad-shouldered, with long black hair tied back at his nape. His gaze was dark and steady, the gaze of someone who’d seen what the world could do and had survived by refusing to flinch.
The third was a child, no more than ten, small and still, with her auburn hair braided tight. Her skin was pale as ash. Her eyes were strange in a way that made Connor’s instincts snarl: blank white irises, unfocused, seeing nothing in the room and everything beyond it.
Blind.
And yet she looked straight through Connor as if she could see the shape of his soul.
She waved a hand. “Two Valours, in fact, and not human. This is indeed auspicious, Which one of you is the leader of your people, and the sovereign of this land we stand in?”
Xiathen made a sound, half gasp, half prayer, and dropped his head in a deep, formal incline. Around them, the three newcomers and the townsfolk followed as one body. A ripple of bows, hands pressed to hearts, and whispered invocations swept through the room.
Connor’s throat tightened and his skin prickled.
“I don’t know what you mean by valour,” he said, forcing the words out like iron. “But this is my land and I’m responsible for the people who live on it.” He nodded. “We’re shifters who’ve lived on this land for hundreds of years. We don’t make it a habit to tell outsiders.”
The woman smiled. “We are the Triarc, not outsiders, not strangers,” she murmured. “We will not reveal your secret, so do not fret. And neither will anyone here.” Her gaze travelled around the room, and everyone nodded as if in a trance.
A hush fell so deep Connor could hear the fire shift in the grate. The pale-haired woman took a slow step forward, and the air seemed to tighten around her. She didn’t raise her voice, yet the room leaned in as if pulled by a hook.
“Valour is not a title you claim,” she said softly. “It is a mantle that finds its bearer. And when it does, the Triarc must witness it.”
Her eyes moved between Connor and Adrian, weighing them with the same unsettling composure she’d used on the entire room. “We ask permission to assess you both for what we believe you are.”
Connor felt Fraser’s presence at his shoulder, solid as stone, and beyond that, the hush of unnaturally still Utharian bodies. Even the fire seemed to burn quieter, as if it had learned manners.
His wolf bristled at being watched, tested, and named by strangers with pretty mouths.
Adrian’s brows rose, a flicker of his wolf in his expression, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re looking for, but you speak as if you already know the answer,” he said, forcing a light tone. “If this is an assessment, what happens if we fail?”
The child’s white eyes turned, unfocused and unerring, until they faced Adrian. “It’s the names that matter,” she whispered. “And the creation of the Bond.”
The woman’s gaze returned to Adrian, then back to Connor, pinning them both. “The Veils shift. The Council listens. When power moves, it leaves a wake.” Her smile was thin, reverent. “Before we speak further, we must be certain of what stands before us, so we do not offer vows to the wrong deity.”
Adrian shrugged. “If it gives you comfort, mademoiselle, I am happy to be judged.” He turned to look at Connor. “How about you, mon ami?”
Connor frowned. “It sounds like a load of bullshit to me.” He had no idea what the whole Bond thing was about, but he didn’t like it.
Fraser chuckled. “Are you scared, lad? Is that what I’m hearing?”
Connor glared at him. “I’m not fucking scared, you idiot. I’m wondering what this all has to do with a bloody village arriving unsolicited on my land.”