A light drizzle greeted Stephen and Aileen the next morning—the air smelling of clean pine, and fresh earth. Both nodded in greeting upon awakening as Stephen fetched her long coat to ward off the morning chill, placing it gently across her shoulders.
They remained quiet while they broke their fast with dried berries and oatcakes. Neither felt the need, nor desire to speak. Words could no longer soothe away the ache they both felt somewhere in the recesses of their hearts.
Their journey this morning would take them through Caedons Pass, and from there they would be at the lower valley of Urquhart. Stephen pondered what Aileen’s reaction would be to the Great Dragon. He sensed her to be unafraid. However, he would rather wait until they were at the water before he told her how to approach the Great One.
As they rode, the drizzle turned to showers, matching their mood, solemn and pensive. Sorcha was still their ever-faithful companion, camping down with them at night, and arising before dawn’s light. Stephen only grunted when Aileen remarked on her beauty. Yet, watching her take flight again as she swept through the rain drenched sky, he took in her ebony features.
“Perhaps ye are correct, Aileen,” he remarked softly.
Sorcha let out a screech as if she had heard him. Before she disappeared over the pass, she circled in an arc around them.
Stephen slowed Grian, waiting for Aileen. They had reached Caedons Pass, climbing up over the ridge. The rain had finally ceased, and the sun broke through.
“Caedons Pass?” Aileen asked, giving Buttertwill a light pat.
“Aye,” he answered, noting the dark circles beneath her eyes. Stephen knew she had not slept much, making the journey more wearisome.
Taking a deep breath, he looked across the valley and to the loch below where a swirl of mist crept along the edge. It was breathtaking. The water shimmered with hues of blue and green, beckoning one to come forth. On the far bank stood a red stag, his stance proud, more in welcome than fear. He stood watching, his gaze never wavering.
“Are you anxious?” she asked.
He turned from her to look out at the valley again. How long had it been? His heart lurched at the memories, not realizing how much he ached to see the land—
his
home
.
“I am,” he answered solemnly, giving Grian a nudge to continue onward.
Buttertwill gave a soft whinny, and Aileen leaned forward. “You feel it, too, my friend.” Her voice a low murmur. “Shall we?” Giving a light scratch behind the horse’s ear, they slowly descended down into the valley.
Stephen dismounted, leading Grian to a wild patch of grass away from the water’s edge. He waited patiently for Aileen to come forth. Grabbing her waist, he swept her off her horse. Giving Buttertwill a pat on the rump, he watched as the horse meandered toward Grian.
“Are ye ready, Aileen?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
She smiled up at him. “Yes, Stephen. I am ready to meet the Great Dragon.”
“Stone?”
Opening her hand, she pulled it forth. Rubbing her thumb across it, Aileen marveled at its color. “Is it my imagination, or has the color of the stone changed?”
“Nae, not your imagination. The stone kens it is close to home, and the color shifts. At times, it can be a bright green.”
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed out.
Stephen nodded. “Aye, the Stone of Ages.”
Aileen’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”
“Stone of Ages,” he repeated, shifting around her.
“Stephen…” Aileen clutched at her pendant with her other hand, eyes wide. “My mother called
my
pendant, the Stone of Ages, too.”
Frowning, he slowly turned back around. His hand reached out hesitantly to touch the moonstone, afraid his fingers would encounter fire. Yet, the stone remained cool. “Strange,” he murmured, his fingers trailing across her neck, and he felt her shiver from his touch.
“Your stone might have come from the
Tuatha De Danann
, as well,” he said half-aloud.
“Well considering what I’ve just found out about my heritage recently, I wouldn’t doubt it,” she said with a chuckle. Then in a more somber voice, she added, “My mother made it for me. She called it my amulet of protection.” Aileen shook her head. “So much to learn.”
“It is lovely,” he whispered, meaning more than just the pendant. His eyes roamed the light in her eyes, and for a brief moment, he wanted to take her mouth with his. She drew him forth like a bee to honey—
lavender
honey
.
Clenching his fists, he took a step back.
“What now?” she asked, turning her gaze out to the loch.
His brow furrowed. “I call forth the Great Dragon.”
Aileen lightly touched his arm. “Are you worried?”
Stephen kept his focus on the water. “Nae. She was the one who helped me with my power of water when I was a young lad.” He rubbed a hand over the shadow of his beard. “When she comes forth, she may speak to ye inside your head.”
“I am ready, Stephen.” She squeezed his arm, gently.
Placing his hand over hers, he took deep calming breaths, and walked close to the water’s edge.
Stripping off his boots, he tossed them aside, and then stepped into the icy water. The contact flooded his senses making him sway. The water spoke to him on some ancient level, searching for the man who was hidden in the recess of his soul. A part of him wanted to let go and open fully, but the anger held fast onto his spirit.
Stephen closed his eyes, letting the rhythm of his power ripple out across the loch. Raising his hands upward, he spoke the words to call forth the Dragon.
“
Hail the North, I call upon thee, from the Mother who will set us free.”
“Hail the East, there are those I seek who will help with the peace.”
“Hail the South, the fire that will forge the bond.”
“Hail the West, where all will journey to the next Realm.”
“From the four quarters, I, Stephen Malcolm MacKay, call upon the One who came from the stars with the Tuatha De Danann. Come forth, Great One.”
The wind shifted, and the mists thickened. Aileen watched in utter amazement as the valley took on an ethereal glow, shimmering as if it was lighted with a thousand candles of various colors.
The air whispered to her of...
magic
.
She reached out with her senses, gasping at the serenity of the place they were now standing on. It wasn’t long before they were engulfed within the mists, a cocoon of warmth.
She became lightheaded. A slow, warm thrill of euphoria coiled through her body. She wanted to jump into the water and play. Suddenly, she saw movement in the middle of the loch. Her eyes went wide as the mists parted.
They say in the legends that you should fear dragons. Run...scream...hide, so she had been told. Yet, here she stood before the most benevolent creature she would probably ever encounter. Pure love radiated from the dragon, bobbing gently in the water. There was absolutely no way she could tell how huge it was, for she only saw its head and long neck.
Eyes the color of many-faceted crystals blinked at her—
waiting.
She swallowed, not knowing what to say. Thank the stars Stephen stepped forward, for she felt like a fool just staring at the dragon.
“Great One,” Stephen said with a small bow, “I ken it has been far too long since my last visit, and I beg forgiveness. I have brought with me the Stone of Ages to ask a favor. I humbly request to have it cleansed by ye.” He motioned for Aileen to present the relic.
The air shifted slightly. The dragon had not even looked at Stephen when he spoke. Was it confused? Upset? Aileen glanced his way.
“I would be most grateful...”
In a blink of an eye, the dragon whipped her head around to him. “Your words are not allowed here, Knight, especially from one who no longer
believes
. Look within to find the source of your anger, Knight, and you will discover it has naught to do with magic. You betrayed yourself.”
Aileen gasped.
With a deep sigh, Stephen grabbed Aileen’s elbow. “Let us leave this hallowed place. We are not welcome.”
She looked confused. “Why? What happened?”
“Greetings, Aileen, daughter of Rose MacLaren and Aidan Kerrigan, Fenian Warrior to the fae.
You
are most welcome.” Her words were like a melody of song within Aileen’s mind.
She snapped her head around to look up at the dragon. Instantly, warmth and love touched her heart. She turned back toward Stephen, lightly touching his face. “I will be fine. She wants me to stay.”
Stephen hesitated, and then gave her a curt nod. With one last look upon the dragon who had been his friend and mentor, he strode from the water’s edge. Picking up his boots along the way, he knew without looking that the mists had now shrouded Aileen and the dragon from his view.
With each step he took, his heart splintered a bit more.
Aileen swallowed the lump in her throat. She could no longer see him, and turning, she greeted the Great Dragon with a small nod of her head.
“Hello, Great One.”
“I have awaited the daughter of the great Fenian Warrior for some time.” The tone of her speech danced across Aileen’s senses like strings on a harp—soothing and harmonious.
“I thought you were angry my father defied you?” uttered a shocked Aileen.
“Aidan Kerrigan
defied
the Tuatha De Danann, not I.” The Great Dragon bobbed gently within the waters. “The Fenian Warrior chose to seek me out for my wisdom and advice. He was given a choice, and he chose wisely.”
“My mother,” whispered Aileen.
“
Love,
” replied the Great Dragon.
“My mother passed away last year.” Her eyes misted with unshed tears.
“Her passing rippled across the veil.”
“Really?”
“Do not be sad, daughter of Aidan and Rose Kerrigan, for she is in the land of forever—the
Summerland.
”
Aileen wanted to ask so many more questions. Who was her father? Why didn’t he and her mother ever tell her about her heritage? Why
was
she sent here? For Stephen? Herself? Her mind seemed to burn for the answers.
The medallion’s stone was cool in her palm, and with a heavy sigh, Aileen held up the medallion in front of the dragon. “I understand I might not have any right to ask, but I really would like you to consider helping Stephen. I found this in my own time, and came through the veil to give it back to him.” She let out a short bark of laughter. “Not that I had a choice, but since I am here, it would mean so much to me if you could do this.”
Aileen stepped closer to the dragon, letting the water lap gently at her feet. “He truly is a good man.”
The Great Dragon was silent for a moment. “Do you love the Knight?”
“Lo...
love
?” she blurted out. Flustered, Aileen rubbed her forehead. “I really don’t know. Perhaps?”
“Hmmmm,” sighed, the Great Dragon.
“It’s complicated,” stammered Aileen. “Stephen has a duty here, and I have to return to my father. It is my duty to be with him.” There, she answered truthfully.
Moments passed. The mists grew thicker, and Aileen pondered if she should just leave.
“Duty is not a
lorica
,” spoke the Great Dragon. “You and the Knight wear this around your hearts.”
Aileen stiffened. “What is a
lorica
?”
“A breastplate for the soul.”
“The soul and heart are two separate entities. You said that we wear this around our hearts,” she replied mystified.
“Are they not bonded?”
“Well, I suppose they could be,” she muttered low. Glancing back to where Stephen had disappeared, Aileen’s love for him was real, regardless of the duty to her father. Try as she might, to deny it would be futile.
Taking a deep breath in and out, she peered up into the dragon’s eyes. “I’m asking you to do this for the love I have for him. For the love that
you
have for him. Help him, please.”
Aileen waited, clutching the medallion tightly in her fist. The only sound was of the water gently caressing against the shore.
“Remove your pendant and weave its chain around the Knight’s relic,” said the dragon.
Unsure, Aileen ran her trembling fingers over the moonstone.
“Trust me,” said the dragon in such a way, that Aileen’s thoughts went directly to her mother’s voice. She often would chide her for the same.
Trust me
...said her mother.
With a broad smile, she removed her pendant, twining the chains together. One soft and fine, the other heavy and solid.
“Now what?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Place it on the water’s edge.”
Aileen bit her lip as she gently placed the two pieces into the water. Only they didn’t sink, but floated. The water’s current taking them out to the dragon.
Aileen watched in awe.
The colors around the dragon intensified, while swirls of mists circled the water. The dragon grew before Aileen’s eyes, making them tear up from the brilliance. She clenched her arms around her waist and waited.
A song of a thousand voices filled the sky, filling her soul with their love. It was too much for Aileen to take in, slowly sinking down on the wet ground. In a flash of dazzling colors, the two pendants exploded in the air. Shielding her eyes from the array, Aileen shook not from fear, but from an overwhelming mix of emotions.
After several moments, she slowly opened her eyes. “Great Goddess,” she choked out. With trembling fingers, she touched the two pendants lying in front of her. Except now, they were
different
.
“What did you do?” asked a stunned Aileen.
“Bound by blood...bound by stone. From the land before yours, the two shall be as one.”
Aileen swallowed. She didn’t know how, but her pendant had bits of green in it, and Stephen’s had moonstone in his. “They’re beautiful.”
Standing, Aileen asked, “But why did you join them?”
“You and the Knight have a destiny to fulfill.”
“I still don’t understand, why...” Aileen froze as the air shimmered brightly again.
“Blessings of light and love, Aileen Rose Kerrigan.” The dragon’s voice but a light whisper on the winds, and then she was gone, taking the mists and colors away.