Gwenellen looked at her mother, then turned to her grandmother. “I love him more than I thought it was possible to love another. I will do whatever it takes to save him.”
“Oh, my darling.” Wilona drew her granddaughter close and pressed a kiss to her temple. “We’ll do what we can. And with so many willing to help, it may be possible to spare the life of this Highlander.”
The two women joined hands before turning to Gwenellen. “Since you are the only one who can see and speak with the spirits, it will be up to you to let us know when the circle is complete.”
Gwenellen watched as the shimmery figures of the holy women grasped hands, then were joined by Morgan Ross, and finally by Gwenellen’s own father, who held his wife’s hand in his with all the tenderness of a caress.
Though she couldn’t see him, Nola felt the whisper of his touch and arched a brow at her daughter, who smiled and nodded.
“It’s Father, Mum. He stands beside you, just as he has since he left our world.” Gwenellen stepped between Morgan and her father, and took hold of their hands. “The circle is now complete.”
Nola and Wilona began to chant the ancient words. Soon the others joined them, lifting their voices to the heavens as they called for healing.
When at last their voices faded, Andrew opened his eyes. Though he was aware of the presence of others in the room, the only one he could see was the honey-haired beauty who walked slowly toward him and dropped to her knees beside the chaise.
Her voice was little more than an awed whisper. “You’re alive.”
“So it would seem. Though, for a little while, I was not here. I was in a place of great light and peace. But I heard your voice, Imp, and knew I couldn’t find joy in an eternity spent without you.” He sat up, and waited for the dizziness to pass. Then he touched a hand to the places where he’d been mortally wounded. There was no pain. There were no marks. And though it made no sense, he knew that what he had experienced was beyond the realm of anything in this world. “Were you harmed, my love?”
My love. The words trickled over her taut nerves like a soothing balm. “A few cuts. I’ll have my mother heal them before she takes her leave of your world.”
Andrew looked beyond her to the beautiful women who stood side by side, watching and listening in silence. “You are Gwenellen’s mother and grandmother?”
“We are.” Nola led her mother closer, and the two women smiled at him. “It seems you have captured my daughter’s heart.”
He got to his feet and caught Gwenellen’s hand, marveling at the sudden rush of heat. “I’m not sure who is the captive and who is the conqueror. But this I know. She is the sunshine that brought light to my darkness. She is the joy that has replaced my sorrow and anger.” He turned to Gwenellen and lifted a hand to her cheek. “If you could find it in your heart to take pity on me, my love, I would ask a favor.”
Gwenellen’s heart was pounding. “Ask it, my lord. I would grant you any favor within my realm.”
“I have no right to ask you to turn your back on the paradise you have described as your home. But if you leave me, the darkness and despair will return and seem all the worse, now that I’ve felt your warmth and light. My beloved Imp, I beg you to stay in this place and be my wife.”
Gwenellen brushed aside the mist that sprang to her eyes. There would be no tears on this joyous occasion.
Seeing them he was quick to add, “I know not what the future will bring. It could be danger, destruction, death. But I give you my word that I’ll do all in my power to shield you from the hardships of my world. And though I can’t promise you paradise, I can promise you undying love.”
She gave him a dazzling smile. “It’s true that the Mystical Kingdom is a paradise. But without you, my love, it would seem a beautiful, empty prison. As for the future, I’ll not worry about what is to come. For now, for the time we have together, I’ll be content with the knowledge that I have the love of the finest man I’ve ever known.”
He gave her a quick, heart-stopping smile. “You’ll stay?”
“How could I leave you, when I’ve found my heart’s delight?”
He drew her close and pressed his mouth to a tangle of hair at her temple. “We’ll send for the village priest, and be wed in the abbey as soon as my warriors return.”
Gwenellen’s smile faded. “I understand your wish to be wed in front of the villagers, for you are laird. But I very much desire to have my sisters and their family, as well as Jeremy and Bessie witness our wedding as well.”
Wilona touched a hand to her granddaughter’s shoulder. “It is possible to do both in the space of but a single heartbeat.”
Gwenellen’s eyes widened. “Of course. What was I thinking? You’ll see to it?”
“I will, my darling.”
While Andrew watched in astonishment, the older woman lifted her arms heavenward and began to chant. He and Gwenellen were suddenly floating high above the earth, soaring over forests and mountains, meadows and villages, until they drifted gently to earth.
When he looked around they were standing in a meadow much like the one in his Highlands. Clustered around a tidy cottage were two handsome warriors wearing the distinctive plaid of their Highland clans, and two beautiful women who could only be the sisters Gwenellen had described.
She fell into their arms and embraced them before introducing them to Andrew.
She caught the arm of a beautiful, fiery-haired woman with green eyes and a beguiling smile much like her own. “This is my sister Allegra.” She linked her arms through those of a tall warrior and a fair-haired lad. “And her husband Merrick, and son Hamish.”
Then she beckoned a raven-haired woman and tall, handsome man to her side. “This is my sister Kylia, and her husband Grant.”
While Andrew acknowledged the introductions, Gwenellen was embraced by a hunched old woman, and then by a tiny man in a frock coat and top hat. There was such warmth and affection in her voice as she introduced Bessie and Jeremy.
The old woman seemed pleased to see her young friend, but the little troll appeared crestfallen when he heard that she’d returned home to wed a Highlander. “You mean you’re leaving me alone here?” His croaks turned to sad little hiccups. “What shall I do without my best friend? Without your sunny smile to cheer me, and your reckless spells to add adventure to my days?”
Gwenellen knelt down and caught his hands in hers. “Andrew and I will visit often, Jeremy. I promise.”
“You will?” His smile returned. “And we’ll ride Moonight and Starlight together?”
“Aye.” She glanced at the winged horses grazing nearby, and saw Andrew’s astonished look as Jeremy and Hamish climbed on their backs and were lifted above the treetops, where fairies flitted in the tallest branches.
Allegra and Kylia caught their younger sister’s hands and began leading her toward a tidy cottage in the distance. When Andrew looked alarmed, they merely smiled.
Merrick dropped an arm around Andrew’s shoulders. “Have no fear, for it’s some sort of woman ritual.”
“Aye.” Grant nodded in agreement. “They’re determined to hear all about their youngest sister’s adventure in your land while they prepare her for her wedding.”
“What should I do?”
Nola lay a hand gently on his arm. “You can walk with me and see something of the Mystical Kingdom while you tell me about yourself and your people.” Her smile was warm and welcoming. “I yearn to know all about the man who has captured the heart of my wild and reckless youngest daughter.”
Epilogue
“This Highlander, Andrew Ross, makes you happy?” Allegra studied her sister’s reflection in the looking glass as she finished brushing her hair.
“Happier than I ever dreamed I could feel.” Gwenellen sighed as Kylia began to tuck sprigs of wildflowers here and there in her curls.
The two sisters stood back to admire their handiwork.
“Oh, Gwenellen.” Allegra brushed a tear from her eye. “
You seem so different.”
“Aye. All grown up.” Kylia linked her fingers with those of her little sister. “Mum told us that you have at last found your gifts.”
Gwenellen nodded. “I truly can converse with those who have left this world.” Her voice took on a dreamy note. “I often saw and spoke with Father here in the Mystical Kingdom, but I thought it was merely because we were so closely connected. But when I arrived in Andrew’s castle, I saw and spoke with his father, as well as all those who had been killed by his enemy. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction to know that I could use my gift for some good, for I was able to carry messages to their loved ones.”
Allegra smiled. “And you mastered the art of flying.”
“Aye. Not just for myself, but an entire village.” Gwenellen laughed. “I wish you could have seen it. It was the most amazing sight.”
“And now you’re to be wed to your Highlander. Are you certain you can be content to spend a lifetime as Andrew’s wife?” Allegra saw how her sister’s eyes softened at the mention of his name.
“I want nothing more than that. Of course,” Gwenellen added with a smile, “there’s always his library, if I should find myself restless for a bit of magic. It’s filled with the spirits of holy women and books brimming with spells and chants.”
Her two sisters glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.
“Heaven help the people of Andrew’s village,” Allegra muttered as she linked hands with her sister.
Together the three made their way to the meadow, where the others were waiting.
As they drew near, Andrew drank in the sight of his golden-haired pixie in a gown of gossamer gilt that drifted about her ankles with each step. When at last she stood before him, he had to reach out and touch her, to assure himself that she was real.
The others gathered around, forming a circle, while Wilona stretched out her arms over their bowed heads.
“First you two must speak those things that are in your hearts.”
Andrew lifted Gwenellen’s hands to his lips. “Before you came into my life, I had grown weary of the lying, the cheating that seemed so much a part of my life. I’d foolishly pledged my heart to a woman who had no regard for anyone except herself. A woman who used me to get to my father, in order to satisfy the evil plot of our enemy. When I discovered the death and destruction of all those I loved, I believed that vengeance was my only choice. Then you came along, my beloved imp, and taught me to smile again. And finally to trust. I love you, Gwenellen, more than life itself. And I pledge to you this day my heart and soul. If called upon, I will lay down my life to keep you safe from harm.”
Gwenellen looked down at their joined hands, and then up into his eyes. “Before meeting you I cared only about measuring up to my sisters. I felt like a failure because I’d made so many missteps. I thought, when first we met, that it had all been another terrible misstep. But now I know that there are no mistakes. They are merely lessons to be learned. And I’ve learned the greatest lesson of all. Love can be found when you least expect it. In the midst of death and destruction, love can begin like a tiny seed on barren soil. A seed that grows until it becomes a beautiful fragrant flower. I love you, Andrew Ross, as I have never loved another. To you I pledge my heart, my soul, my love for all time.”
While the others linked hands, Wilona touched the bowed heads of the couple who stood before her. “From this moment, you are no longer mortal and witch, but are one, joined in love. The bonds that secure you cannot be broken by time or space. Not even death will separate you, for you are bound for eternity. Go now to dwell in the land of the Highlands. But return often to our Mystical Kingdom, to renew and refresh yourselves.”
There was the rustle of a breeze, and Gwenellen and Andrew were lifted into the air, watching those on the ground receding until they were mere specks in the heather.
As they floated past villages and skimmed over forests and mountains, they were able to see the beauty of the Highlands. The power and majesty of the land left them breathless.
They dropped gently into the library of Ross Abbey, where the entire village had assembled.
Andrew glanced in surprise at Gwenellen. “How can this be? Haven’t we been gone for days?”
She shrugged. “Days. Hours. Mere minutes. It matters not in the Mystical Kingdom. When we left, Mistress MacLean had been told to prepare for the wedding of the laird. Look.” She pointed to the priest, who stood in full vestments before the assembled.
As she and Andrew started up the aisle, she heard the whispers of good wishes from those who had died. Though it brought a quick tear to her eye, it brought a smile as well. And then, as a harp played, she saw the robed women standing in the knave, singing with the voices of angels. A song for her ears alone.
She and Andrew paused before the priest and she felt a misty dampness on her arm. Turning she saw her father standing beside her. When she glanced over at Andrew, she saw his father beside him. The old laird winked, and she couldn’t hold back the little laugh that bubbled forth.
Andrew closed a hand over hers. “You’re happy, my love?”
“I am. And you?”
“My heart has never been so light.”
After repeating their vows, they turned to greet those in attendance. While Andrew nodded toward Drymen MacLean and his wife, Gwenellen was smiling at the thousands of souls that had filled every bit of space in the abbey, craning for a look at the woman who could see and speak with them.
She’d thought her gift a foolish one. Now she realized that it was a rare and wonderful gift, and one she would treasure for a lifetime. As she would treasure the love of this noble warrior who had captured her heart.
As they moved among the celebrants, Andrew paused to brush a kiss over her lips. “I can’t wait until we’re alone later, so that I can offer you a proper welcome home, my love.”
Home. Aye, her heart whispered. She smiled at the image of her father and Morgan Ross standing to one side, beaming their approval. The Mystical Kingdom was a haven, a paradise, where she would return often to renew and refresh herself. But this place, this man, and his people, were now truly her home. For now. For all time.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3572-4
THE KNIGHT AND THE SEER
Copyright © 2003 by Ruth Ryan Langan
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†Texas Series
*The Highland Series
**The Jewels of Texas
§The O’Neil Saga
‡Sirens of the Sea
††The Badlands
◊Mystical Highlands
Ruth Ryan Langan, The Knight and the Seer
(Series: Mystical Highlands # 3)
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