Trial of a Warrior Read online

  Liam glanced around, noting the lush interior and heartiness of the people he had witnessed. The man was one of the richest travelers in this part of the country, and he found their host's statement contrary to what he witnessed. “I have nothing of value on me.”

  O’Malley pointed to his sword. “I will accept the blade at your waist in exchange for the treaty.”

  Abela stood abruptly. “Will you consider my dirk?”

  “I admire a woman who can wield a blade,” remarked O’Malley. He lifted his hand. “May I?”

  She stepped forward and handed him the weapon. Liam clenched his fists at his side, trying to retain his composure. Did she not comprehend his instructions to remain silent?

  The blade was stunning in its craftsmanship. Silver and etched with Celtic knots and symbols. Liam would have preferred handing the man her smaller sgian dubh blade.

  O’Malley gestured for her to sit, and Abela took a seat next to Liam. “Is there magic forged within the metal.”

  She smiled charmingly. “Magic can only be found in the land, air, sea, and fire.”

  He brushed his fingers over the engravings. “However, it was made in your realm, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  Liam gritted his teeth and snatched the dirk from the man’s hands. “I will bring you another when I return with the treaty.”

  “But I have not granted ye the treaty, yet.”

  “Those are my terms. A gift from my home in exchange for the document.” Liam glared at the man, daring him to challenge his offer.

  O’Malley shook his head. “No. I want the blade belonging to your woman.”

  Abela touched Liam’s arm. “It is of no personal value to me. I would be honored to let him have the dirk.”

  Her grip told him otherwise. You lie, Abela, and we are in a dilemma. “If my beloved has consented, then I have no objections.”

  “Excellent.” Retrieving the dirk, he tucked the blade within his belt at his side. “You will have the treaty in a couple days.”

  “Unacceptable,” Liam protested. “If you are not willing to hand over the document now, we shall leave.” He held out his hand. “The dirk, please.”

  Chuckling softly, O’Malley withdrew the blade and handed it back to Liam. “The document is not here. My younger brother, Peter, has it in his possession. If ye recall, he is the scholar within our clan. He arrives the day after next, Midsummer’s Eve. Business in the south prevented him from joining us.”

  The man’s iron will held firmly around Liam. All he required was the bloody document. Two days…two more days. He stood slowly. “Then we shall spend the night. Would you have an empty caravan for Abela?”

  She clasped her hands together. “I have no objection to sleeping—”

  Liam glanced sharply at her. “Preferably a wagon away from the others.” He had no intention of having her sleep under the trees.

  “I will have one of my women make the arrangements.” O’Malley stood and motioned to the woman sitting on the far bench. “I believe the birthing wagon will not be needed for some time, correct?”

  “Aye,” conceded the woman.

  O’Malley pointed to Malcolm. “Take two men and move the wagon away from the others.”

  His brother grunted his acknowledgment and left the wagon.

  Liam rose from his place. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

  The man broke into a leisurely smile. “Ye have honored my clan by accepting an invitation to stay with us. I am quite certain the bard will tell the tale of how two Fae dined with us.” He wandered over to Abela and took her hand. Placing a kiss along her knuckles, he stated, “Please join us later at the campfires.”

  Liam noted the hesitancy on her features and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. “It will be our pleasure,” he affirmed.

  O’Malley released her hand and gestured for them to step outside. “The wagon is being placed south, near the river. I give ye my word, no one will bother ye.”

  “Thank you,” stated Abela and quickly added, “You have been generous.”

  He winked. “Always to the Fae.”

  Liam watched him cross to a group of men gathered around one of the fires. He tugged on Abela’s hand. “Let us move away from the camp.”

  She made no sound as he ducked under some branches. Liam continued to move them along a narrow path toward the river. Not once did he release his hold on her. The area curved, and they descended through the trees, revealing the river below. He wasted no time in moving her toward a smooth boulder.

  Letting out a sigh, he raked a hand through his hair. He had no concept how the priestesses prepared for the feast day. “What do you require for Midsummer? Can I take you somewhere?”

  She sat, mesmerized by the water below them. Her silence bothered him, and he knelt in front of her. “Speak to me.”

  Her eyes were filled with sadness when she looked at him. “I should have prepared a week ago.” Abela wiped a hand across her brow.

  Confused by her demeanor, he grasped her hand. “But we were enjoying spring, not summer. Jumping through the Veil multiple times is difficult for Fenian Warriors, so I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone who has not had the proper training.”

  She withdrew her hand from his. “You cannot fathom why I’m upset. I have trained for decades to sense even the tiniest whisper of the feast day.”

  “Your focus has been on other things,” he countered.

  “Again, you did not hear me. We trained and honed our keen insights against distractions. The exercises were intense, often without rest for weeks. We had to always be one with the land, regardless of what was happening around us.” Her voice rose. “This was a test, and I have failed. You cannot begin to understand, just as I am unable to comprehend your own training.”

  Liam was plagued with guilt. He should have never agreed to venture out of his prison. His life was ruined, but now hers was as well. “I should have banished you the moment you stepped forth from the shadows inside my cell.” He shook his head in remorse and turned away.

  Abela gently touched his face. “No regrets, Liam MacGregor. This path has already been woven.”

  Slowly, he returned his gaze to hers. “Was my life so important to you?”

  “It has always been thus,” she whispered. “I am truly sorry I sent you away so many moons ago.”

  Lifting her hand, Liam placed a kiss on her palm. “I am, too. Yet, it is done. Over.” He stood, bringing her to her feet. “What can I do for you?”

  She leaned against him and looked outward. “With Midsummer approaching, I will be weaker. The veils between the realms will be thin, so I have no wish to draw attention by moving through the land. We celebrated by feasting, dancing, and planting more seeds for rebirth in the land.”

  “Understood.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, he added, “The traveler’s camp is the perfect spot to remain hidden. I pray O’Malley’s brother arrives before dusk on Midsummer’s Eve. If you’d like, we can venture farther away from the camp near the river. It will provide you with more tranquility for meditation.”

  Abela chuckled softly. Placing a kiss on his cheek, she moved out of his embrace. “I think it best if we are separated and wise to return on Midsummer’s Eve.”

  He arched a brow in challenge. “Do you not trust me?”

  She gaped at him. “At this time of the season? No. The song of the land is powerful and difficult to resist.”

  “You forget. I am a trained Fenian Warrior, skilled in fighting the alluring temptation of sexual pleasures during this time.”

  “So the Gardens were used upon your return for your…release?” Her tone implied teasing.

  Liam placed a fist over his heart. “I am here to protect and guard you.”

  “Yet, can I trust myself around you? I am new to being outside of the realm of security.”

  Her question startled him. Desire bolted through him, and he turned away from the intensity of her stare. With o
ne look, she had stripped away the warrior, and now the man ached to possess the woman. Liam glanced over his shoulder. “If I must, I’ll chain you to the wagon.”

  “Sounds enticing,” she purred, and strolled down to the river.

  He gaped at her in utter dismay. One moment, she was sorrowful and in agony. The next, a tempting vixen, inciting a riot between his body and mind. “I must be the stronger one,” he muttered.

  Shaking his head to rid his lustful thoughts of the woman, he followed her down to the water. By the time he approached the bank of the river, O’Malley’s men had maneuvered the wagon to a cluster of trees not far from the bank. Their horses had been tethered to a nearby tree and Abela went to free them, leading them toward refreshment.

  She lifted her arms and stretched. “I have no problem sleeping under the stars.”

  Settling his body against a tree, Liam studied her. “You and I both know the wagon is better suited for your needs, especially so close to other humans.”

  Shrugging, Abela glanced up at the first star of the evening. “Do you believe the ancients are angry with us?”

  “The dragon guardians are wary. I sense their watchful presence. If we had disrupted anything, I am certain a blow would have been delivered.”

  “Disrupted, as in the timeline?”

  “No. What you did in freeing me.”

  She nodded in understanding and pointed upward. “A crime within the realm, but maybe they comprehend.”

  Liam fingered Abela’s dirk at his waist. Retrieving the blade, he examined the etchings in the fading light. “Who gave you the dirk?”

  Her faint smile held a touch of sadness as she walked toward him. She held out her hand. “May I?”

  Handing the blade to her, he waited.

  Abela traced a finger over the symbols. “Aidan gave it to me on our last day of training together. It was a parting gift for being a worthy student. He forged the steel from the waters by his home.”

  He patted the ground next to him. “Tell me more.”

  She hesitated, uncertainty shown within her gaze.

  “I promise not to touch you,” he affirmed.

  “I envy your training,” she uttered softly, taking a seat next to him.

  “Don’t, Abela. You were destined to become one with the land. I pray you will be able to continue once we return. Whereas, I am hardened by decades of training and can silence the call within me.” He pointed to the dirk. “Continue.”

  “Ever since he presented me with the dirk, I have carried it with me. The priestesses saw no objection when I entered the temple, carrying the blade at my side. It was the sole item I possessed and regarded it more deeply after he left our world. Not only was Aidan a great warrior and leader, but he was my uncle. When the news of his death reached the kingdom, I wept for days near the waterfall that leads to Tir na Og.”

  An ache of remembrance stabbed at his heart. “We all did on that day. Conn refused to acknowledge him as an uncle, preferring to see him as the great Fenian Warrior.”

  “So sad,” she whispered.

  “No, Abela. It was out of a high regard for Aidan. In truth, Conn had no desire to seek favors due to his blood lineage. I witnessed many conversations between the two.”

  “My brother is always in control.”

  For a moment, Liam longed to ask more about Conn, but recalled his vow. In due time, he would come upon the knowledge. “Did you know I was there when Aileen scattered his ashes in the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland?”

  Her eyes were misted with unshed tears. “No.”

  “All the Fenian Warriors arrived to pay tribute to him. I will never forget the scene.” He placed a hand over hers. “We are not going to turn over this dirk to O’Malley.”

  She scowled and removed her hand. “A bargain was struck.”

  “I will offer another gift. Give me your sgian dubh.”

  “Like this is going to pacify the man,” she scoffed, removing the smaller blade.

  “Ahh…but look how it glows.” He tapped a finger against the hilt, turning the wood to silver.

  “Impressive, but not as big. In my short time among the males, I’m guessing they like their blades huge and decorative.”

  Liam stared at her. Even in the faint light, her cheeks started to turn a rosy glow as she caressed the length of the blade. Images of her hands on his body ripped through him. Stirrings of lust shot through his blood, and the land urged him to take her upon the ground, swift and claiming.

  Standing abruptly, he shook while trying to bring his emotions under control. He had to move away from her and clear his mind. “Try and get some rest.”

  He had only taken two steps when her voice drifted by him. “Rest comes to those who don’t understand what we feel.”

  Liam kept walking and the more his steps carried him away from Abela, the more he ached to possess her.

  Body and soul.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Even in the remote parts of the temple, I understood that the ripple from tossing a stone into the water can mirror the first taste of a kiss.”

  ~Diary of Princess Abela

  Sleep was elusive within the confines of the wagon. From the parted curtains, Abela counted the stars in this strange world and attempted to trace outlines with her outstretched hand of all the various constellations. When she argued with Aidan one day that he should teach her about the human world and its stars, his denial was swift. It was often a topic of heated conversations.

  “Why this interest in the humans?” he argued, piercing her with a stern look.

  “Did we not once live among them? You did. Certainly, you can share your knowledge. I don’t know why it’s forbidden,” countered Abela. “If I must, I’ll seek out the Library of the Ancients.”

  Aidan halted in front of her. “There are no records of the constellations of the human world in any tome. It is merely the sacred texts of our people.”

  “I have heard otherwise.”

  “By whom?” he demanded.

  “I do not divulge my sources.”

  “Name the Fenian Warrior.” His order came out as a growl.

  Never would she speak his name. He was gone. Dismissed from her life. But he had manage to share fragments of the human world he had heard from his brother during training.

  Abela dared to defy her uncle. “Why is it so wrong?”

  His chest heaved in frustration. “So you present me with a question and refuse to answer my own?”

  She waited, praying his temper would cool, refusing to show no fear in front of him.

  Minutes ticked by in agonizing torture. She would not relent and considered this information a part of her training.

  Aidan snapped his fingers beside her. A parchment appeared in his hand. “This is a map of the constellations in the northern European hemisphere during the summer months. If you are intent on learning the stars’ alignment, you’d better study.”

  Her fingers trembled as she took the map. “Thank you.”

  Turning away from her, he started for the garden outside the chamber and paused. “Abela?”

  “Yes, Aidan.”

  “If you ever disobey an order again, I will end your training.” He glanced over his shoulder, glaring at her. His eyes had shifted to pure shards of crystals.

  All she could do was nod.

  “One more lesson for you to learn, Abela. You may not have answered my question, but all the Fenian Warriors are under my command. I shall find the man. It would have served you better to disclose his name.”

  Never before had she witnessed the intensity of his anger. Abela vowed on that day to never incur the wrath of her uncle ever again.

  When he left the chamber, Abela trembled. All she had wanted was to witness the stars in the world Liam would eventually travel to, along with her brother. Was it too much to ask?

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she deftly opened the map upon the table and spent the entire day committing to memory every detail o
f the constellations.

  Sighing, she shook her head at the long-forgotten memory. “Did you ever find out it was Liam, uncle?”

  Abela brought her knees to her chest and inhaled deeply. A cool breeze kissed her cheeks as she watched the last star wink from sight. The new day rose with a pink hue across the treetops. “It’s almost Midsummer’s Eve,” she murmured. “How am I going to move through these days?”

  Tossing aside the coverings, Abela stepped forth from the wagon. As she turned toward the east, she lifted her arms in welcome to the new day. “At the stone we sing and gather. Brush a hand over the first breath of dew’s kiss.” She bent and touched the ground in reverence. “We awaken this day.”

  Rising slowly, she waited for any message from Mother Danu. Abela sensed it was a futile effort, but attempted the contact. Hugging her arms around her body, she tried to banish the ache of loss. Would the great Goddess ever reach out to her again?

  Birdsong was her only greeting. The tiny sparrow flitted about in welcome. After giving her feathered friend a small smile, Abela made her way toward the river. Removing her shoes, she bunched up her gown and stepped into the water. Its icy sting vanquished the weariness from her body and cleansed her mind. A powerful urge to strip her clothes and submerge her body deep within the waters was immediately squashed. Too many prying eyes, she suspected. She quickly splashed her face with one hand and then retreated to the wagon.

  “Good morning.” The timbre of Liam’s voice was low and sent her nerves skittering.

  He stood leaning against the entrance of the wagon. She brushed past him to grab her cloak and weapons. “Yes, it is.”

  “Plans for the day?” he inquired and pulled the cloak from her arms. After draping the garment over her shoulders, he tilted her chin up with his finger. “You did not rest.”

  “I counted the stars and the constellations,” she confessed.

  “You do realize they are different in the human world.” His eyes brimmed with amusement.

  Abela stared at him. Why did the man look positively gorgeous, especially in the early morning hours? “It was part of my training.”

  A flicker of surprise flashed briefly on his features. “Only the Fenian Warriors are privy to the knowledge.”