The Faerie Queen (The Faerie Ring #4) (9 page)

Dain and Larkin looked at Tiki in surprise.

“We’re here—we need to at least go to the castle and see what we can learn. The Cup gave us the clue, it must mean something.”

Dain spoke first.
“You’re right, Tara. It would be foolish to leave without investigating.”

Tiki expected an argument from Larkin but the faerie surprised her. She swept her arm out in the direction of the castle.
“To Dunvegan.”

Chapter Fifteen

The trek to
the castle took longer than Tiki expected—the trail wound up and down the swales of barren land in an undulating path, much longer than it appeared from a distance. As they neared the castle, the landscape became wooded, obscuring the panoramic view until they reached the entrance and gazed out from their perch atop a ridge of rock. The castle was balanced on the edge of a great loch like a sentinel, the silence only broken by the cries of the sea birds. Before them the hills stretched as far as one could see.

They walked through an arched entry into a main courtyard with a parapet on one side that looked out over the vista.

“It’s like we’ve arrived in another world, isn’t it?” Tiki murmured.  “After the hustle and bustle of London, it’s hard to imagine that life exists like this.”

Dain
stood close by her side, his hands resting on the top of the stone barricade, his gaze sweeping the vista. “I feel like we’ve gone back in time—to a place perhaps Eridanus and Finn knew.”

“
I agree. It’s like we’ve reached an intersection of old and new; ancient and present—a crossroads of time and space.” Tiki placed her hands next to where Dain’s rested. His fingers were long and tan—a stark contrast to the petite size and pale color of Tiki’s. She glanced up at the side of his handsome face. “Do you suppose it’s destiny that has brought us here?  Are we meant to find what has been hidden for so long?”

“
Don’t deceive yourself.” Larkin’s words broke the spell as she came to stand on the far side of Dain. “Destiny is simply the intersection of hard work and opportunity—nothing more, nothing less. If you put your mind to something with the intent of pursuing the goal at all cost—you create your own destiny.”

“
Can I help ye?”

Tiki whirled around to find
a wizened old gentlemen dressed in a Scottish kilt standing ten feet away.

“
The castle’s not open to visitors at this time,” he said, “though it’s been years since we’ve had any.” He tilted his head. “Have ye lost yer way?”

“
Mr. MacLeod sent us,” Dain answered, stepping forward with his hand out. “I’m Brendain Winterbourne and this—” he motioned to Tiki, “is Tara Dunbar MacLochlan and Larkin.” Tiki nodded and gave a short curtsey. “Mr. MacLeod said we could visit the castle. Are you the caretaker here?”

“
Rory Campbell, I be. Caretaker, Groundsweep, Head Inn Master and other assorted titles.”  He gave a gap-toothed grin as he gripped Rieker’s hand, then tipped his mac at Tiki then Larkin.  “Glad to make your acquaintance. You’ve come to learn about the castle, then?”

“
Yes, we’d love to hear what you know about Dunvegan,” Tiki said. “We’ve been told there are even some stories about faeries.”

The old man let out a gleeful chuckle and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“Why else would we have a faerie tower?”  He cocked a shaggy eyebrow at them. “There are many treasures here at Dunvegan but the Faerie Flag is our most prized possession.”

Tiki clapped her hands together.
“Would you tell us how the MacLeod’s came to have a flag from a faerie?”

“
Certainly, little miss. Would the three of ye like to join me for tea?”

Ti
ki and Dain grinned at the old man. “We’d love to,” they chimed together.

RORY CAMPBELL LED them into the castle into a small room that doubled as a makeshift kitchen.  “Pardon the mess—” he swept a few periodicals off the table and dusted the wooden seats— “it’s not often I have guests.”

The three of them
sat down on the chairs and Tiki let out a grateful sigh. “Thank you,” she said.  “It was a longer walk than we thought. It feels good to sit.”

“
Where ye from?” he asked over his shoulder as he put a kettle on to boil and  pulled four mismatched tea cups from a small cupboard. “I can tell by your accents you don’t live on the Isle.”

“
London,” Dain said. “We’re just in Scotland for a short visit. How long have you been caretaker here at Dunvegan?”

“
Since the chief had to pack ‘er up and go to London.” He shook his head, an expression of great sorrow on his face.  “I’m the only one who stayed.” He looked around the small room. “Somebody has to keep the place alive.”

“
Can you tell us about the faerie flag?” Tiki asked. “I’ve never heard the true story of how it came to be in the possession of mortals.”

“
Yes, please do,” Larkin added. “It sounds fascinating.”

“
Twas a gift, ye see,” he threaded his gnarled hands together and rested them on the small wooden table.  “A very precious gift, indeed.” He stared at the table as if gathering the threads of the story he was about to tell. When he was ready, he lifted his head and began.

“
It was long ago, hundreds of years before now, when one of the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod fell in love with a young woman. What the chief didn’t know at the time was that the woman was a
bean sidhe
—a faerie—but I doubt that would’ve stopped ‘im. They was in love, ye see, and there’s little that can stop true love.  They married an’ lived happily for several years. Had a baby boy what was their greatest joy. But the chief didn’t know his wife had made an agreement with her father—she could only stay for a certain length of time. At the end of that time she had to return to the Otherworld and bring nothing from the mortal world with her.”

His voice was low and melodic and Tiki sat mesmerized by the tale he told, his words creating images of people she’d never met.

“Well, the time up and came where the faerie had to depart.  She and her husband bade a tearful farewell at the Faerie Bridge,” he pointed out a little window, “right down yonder, not far from the castle. Before she left she bade her husband promise the baby would never be allowed to cry, for she would be able to hear his cries in the faerie realms. Her heartbroken husband agreed an’ they parted ways.

One day passed into another an’
the chief remained distraught at the loss of his love. His clan was so concerned that they organized a party for him.  A young nursemaid was assigned to take care of his son but the party went on well into the night an’ the young maid had never seen such a revelry.  There was music an’ dancing under the stars an’ she crept from the baby’s room to watch the goings-on.  It was then that the baby woke an’ began to cry.”

He stopped and lifted his cup to his lips.

“And what happened?” Tiki asked.

O’course, the mother heard the wee babe from
far away in that Otherworld an’ she appeared at his cradle.  She wrapped her baby in a piece of fabric—some say it was her shawl, others say it was a flag—but she sang a sweet lullaby to her son until he slept again. When the chief came to the baby’s room to check on his son, he found him wrapped in a golden silk sewn with what looked like red elf berries.”

“
She didn’t take him back to Faerie?” Tiki asked

Rory shook his head.
“When the child grew to be a young man he told his father that the flag was
Am Bratach Sith
—a gift from his mother. Should they ever find themselves in danger they should wave the flag an’ armies from the faerie realm would come to their aid.” He held up a crooked finger. “However, there was a condition—the Faerie Flag could only be used three times an’ then it would disappear an’ return to Faerie.”

“
Oh my,” Tiki said. “That is a wonderful story.”

“
Has the flag ever been waved?” Dain asked.

“
It’s been used twice: once when the clan was in battle against the MacDonalds an’ once when the MacLeod cattle herds were stricken with plague an’ the clan members were dying of starvation. Both times the chief waved the flag an’ the faeries saved them.”

Larkin
smiled at the old man. “Sounds like the flag has one last go in it.”

“
Yes, indeed. It’s there for when we need it the most.”

“
Where do you possibly keep such a valuable treasure?” Tiki asked innocently, lifting her cup to sip her tea.

The caretaker didn’t blink.
“You’d have to ask Chief MacLeod. That secret is not mine to keep.”

Chap
ter Sixteen

“Wills!” Leo’s jaw sagged. “What a surprise! Your cousin told me you’d left for Scotland.”

“
You saw Dain?” Rieker’s expression mirrored the surprise on the young prince’s.

“
Just yesterday.” Leo grabbed Rieker’s arm and pulled him into the small sitting room.  “Come in here so we can talk in private.”

“
Uh—Leo—” Rieker resisted the tug on his arm.

“
What is it?”

“
I’m not alone.”

Leo frowned.
“What? Who’s with you?” He leaned out the door to peer down the hallway.

“
They’re not out there. The guards thought it best if I came up by myself.”

“
And who have you brought to visit?”

Rieker glanced over one shoulder and then the other
before lowering his voice. “The children. We were headed for Scotland for their safety—but I wasn’t far outside of London when I realized we were being followed.”

“
Followed! By whom?”

Rieker
pressed his lips in a thin line. “I don’t think you want to know.”

Leo’
s eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

“
This was the only place I could bring them where I knew they’d be safe. Do you think the children could stay with you for a bit?”

Leo’s mouth opened and closed and opened again before any words came out.
“Of course. We’ve plenty of room—”

“
I know it’s a lot to ask but there’s no one else I trust.”

“
Say no more.” Leo held his hand up. “It’s past the supper hour. Have any of you eaten?” He pushed past Rieker and began marching down the hallway before Rieker could answer. “Bring the children to the lower drawing room and we’ll feed them before we send them to bed. Then you and I must talk.”

IT WAS SEVERAL hours later when they reconvened in a small sitting room on the second floor near Leo’s private chambers. They sank into a pair of dark leather chairs and Rieker leaned his head back against the cushion with a sigh of relief.

“
Thank you for taking us in, Leo. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. Having to care for the children changed everything.”

“
Yes, I can imagine. Probably better to have staff for that sort of thing.”

Riek
er gave a short laugh. “I can see where it would come in handy at times.”

“
What is your plan now?”

Rieker ran a hand through
his dark hair. “I need to find Tiki, except I don’t know exactly where she is.” He looked at his friend. “It could take me a while.”

Leo waved a hand through the air.
“The children can stay. No worries. You do what must be done. It seems that the, uh…
situation,
has taken a turn for the worst.”

“
Yes. You said you’d seen Dain?  Where was this?”

“
It was yesterday, late afternoon. I called on your townhome and he answered the door. I’d just had an enlightening conversation with Mamie and my mother and stopped by to share what I’d learned.”

“
And Dain answered the door at Grosvenor Square?” Rieker had an incredulous tone in his voice.

“
Yes. In the morning, you should travel directly there and find him. I gave him something very valuable intended for you.”

“
And what was that?”

“
The Faerie Queen’s mirror.”

Rieker’s eyebrows shot up.
“Leo, I think you’d better explain.”

“
Mother told me about it…”

THE NEXT MORNING Leo shared breakfast with Fiona and the children over a breakfast of poached eggs balanced in delicate china cups and a plate of buttered toast. They ate in an elegant parlor decorated in bright yellow and white making the room light and sunny, a sharp contrast to the dark, stormy weather outside. Wait staff in black tails stood at the ready.

“
Is your friend Johnny feeling better? He’s hardly eaten a thing since you’ve arrived.”

“
I know he would have been at breakfast if he could, Prince Leo,” Fiona replied, staring down at her plate.

“
Should we call for the physician?”

“
Do you think it would help, sir?” Fiona and Toots looked at him hopefully.

“
Well, he’s certainly having a devil of a time. I feel for the poor chap—throwing up everything he tries to get down.”  Leo used the edge of his spoon to crack the top of the egg and pulled the little dome away. “He’ll blow away in a stiff breeze at the rate he’s going.”

“
We don’t need a physician,” Clara piped up in a matter-of-fact tone, “we need to call Larkin.”

“
Who’s that you say, child?” Leo turned to gaze at Clara with an indulging smile. The five-year-old’s wavy hair was like a golden halo around her head and she looked as pure and delicate as a little angel. A grubby pink stuffed dog sat next to her chair.

“
Clara—” Fiona warned as Toots choked on his bite of toast.

“
Larkin is a friend of ours,” Clara said, ignoring Fiona.  “She’s very clever. She’d know right what to do to fix Johnny up.”

“
Fi—” Toots’s green eyes were as wide as two lily pads floating in his freckled face. “Clara’s right. That’s exactly what Johnny needs—he needs Larkin.”

THEY WERE STILL at the table when Rie
ker entered the room. Snow coated the shoulders of his dark coat and a gust of cool air swirled into the room with his arrival.

“
Any success?” Leo asked.

Rieker shook his head.
“If Dain was at Grosvenor Square, he’s gone now. And to make matters worse, there’s a bloody hell of a storm on. The winds are howling, there’s a sea surge that could flood the coastal areas and it’s starting to snow.”

“
It’s probably worse up in Scotland,” Leo said philosophically. “Why didn’t Tara plan to accompany you there?”

Rieker
sighed. “It’s long and complicated. She felt I was the only one she could trust to care for the children while she took care of some problems that others felt only she could solve. But I’ll tell you Leo—I can’t shake the feeling I shouldn’t have let her go without me.” He slapped his leather gloves onto the table. “I knew better than to let her go. Now I don’t know where to even look for her.”

“
I’m going to call Larkin,” Clara said brightly, gripping a glass of milk in both of her small hands.  A white moustache covered her upper lip. “On account of Johnny, o’course. When she comes you could ask her how to find Teek.”

Rieker sat up abruptly.
“Clara—you are brilliant! That is exactly what we need to do.”