Donna Fletcher Short Story Collection (13 page)

No amount of protesting on Mercy’s part did
any good and Duncan simply stood there grinning at her. His wife
may not pay heed to his words but there was no avoiding his mum’s
insistent nature. When she wanted something her way, she usually
got it.

But he had learned a long time ago that Mara
always did everything from deep within her heart and she fiercely
protected those she loved and she loved every one of her sons
whether they were from her womb or not. And now with her first
grandchild on the way, there was no stopping her from ordering
everyone about when it came to Mercy’s safety and well-being.

“You’ll not be bothering the ailing lassie,”
Mara said sternly as her husband entered the room along with
Bryce.

“A few questions no more,” her husband Carmag
assured.

“It can wait until morning,” Mara said and
fussed with the blanket around Mercy once more.

Duncan didn’t mind her fussing over his wife,
though he had put his foot down when his mum had ordered him out of
the room so that she could help Mercy into her night dress and into
bed. If anyone was going to help undress his wife it would be him
and grateful he had been for doing so, Mercy having leaned heavily
on him as he had stripped off her garments.

Her sense of humor or perhaps it was her
constant desire for him had her teasing. “I had thought about you
stripping me bare since we left this room earlier.”

“And you have gotten your wish,” he had
whispered, “though not quite as you expected.”

She had sighed and let her body go limp
against him and he sensed her fatigue and knew her back continued
to pain her. He had her in bed in no time and he intended to remain
the rest of the night right there with her to make certain she was
all right. And he had no intentions of allowing his da or brothers
to badger her with endless questions.

Duncan moved to the bed to sit beside his
wife, taking her gently in his arms so that she could sit
comfortably cushioned against him.

“Duncan knows what his wife needs not like
the lot of you,” Mara said waving at her husband and two sons. “I’m
going to see that supper is being prepared for the two and when I
get back,”—she glared at each of them—“no more questions or I’ll be
entertaining us with a lively tune during supper.”

Her husband and sons cringed painfully
recalling Mara’s wailing voice, though Duncan grinned.

“Hurry and be done with it,” Reeve snapped,
“or she’ll be ruining our supper and I’m starving.”

Mercy didn’t wait for questions. “There isn’t
much to tell. From what I could gather it seems that the two
soldiers wanted nothing more to do with being soldiers for the
king. And one spoke of a secret mission that had something to do
with a curse. The other believed that they had been affected by
this curse while the other argued it couldn’t affect them only
if—”

“Only if what?” Reeve asked since she stopped
abruptly.

“He never got to finish,” Mercy said. “The
one heard something and they both hurried away.”

“It had to be something important,” Bryce
said, “for the king to hunt two lowly soldiers down and want them
dead.”

“Something to do with his empty coffers no
doubt,” Reeve said. “Perhaps he has hunted down a witch to fill
them for him.”

No one laughed and Reeve hadn’t meant them
to. They all knew the king was desperate and desperate men do
foolish and dangerous things.

“I’ll see what I can find out while on my
mission,” Reeve said.

“Be careful, Reeve,” Mercy said. “The two men
sounded ever so fearful. Whatever that curse, the one felt it had
affected them and it seemed he thought them doomed because of
it.”

“I don’t believe in curses,” Reeve said.
“They’re nothing more than nonsense.”

“Nonetheless,” his da said. “You will pay
heed to Mercy’s warning and be careful. We don’t need you returning
with a curse on you.”

“Reeve laughed. “A curse would be too fearful
of me to stick.”

“Watch that boasting,” Bryce warned. “You
never know what could happen.” He grinned. “Why you may just meet a
woman and fall in love.”

“Now you’re really trying to curse me,” Reeve
said with a laugh.

“Better you than me,” Bryce said laughing
himself.

“You don’t wish to be as happy as your
brother?”

Reeve and Bryce cringed and Duncan grinned
once again as their mum entered the room.

“In due time,” Bryce said bravely.

“Perhaps I should be finding you both wives,”
Mara said.

“I can help,” Mercy offered with a smile.

The two men realizing they were on the end of
a losing battle quickly made excuses and left the room, though
Mercy called out to Reeve and had him halting while Bryce
disappeared.

“Promise me that you will be careful,” she
said seriously.

“I will take no unnecessary changes,” he
promised and was gone before she could argue any further with
him.

Mara ordered Carmag from the room, letting
him know that she’d be down to join him for supper shortly. Then
after she fussed over Mercy once more and instructed, for the
umpteenth time, for her to remain abed until morning and told them
that their supper would arrive shortly; she left.

No soon as the door closed then Duncan said,
“You should have waited for me.”

“My only thought was for the safety of the
lad,” she said cuddling closer against him.

“Your safety and,”—he rested a hand to her
stomach—“that of our babe comes first.”

She rested her hand over his. “Our babe is
safe and I will keep him so. Besides I knew you would not be far
behind me. You would rush into hell itself to rescue me.”

“You believe I can free you from the
devil?”

“If not,”—she smiled—“you would join me in
hell, for you would never leave me to suffer alone.”

“You know me well, wife.”

“I know the depths of your love for me and
that makes all the difference.”

She turned her head and their lips met in a
hungry kiss.

The door burst open, though they didn’t
bother to break apart.

“You two are always at it,” Reeve said
shaking his head, though smiling.

Duncan hugged his wife as he said to his
brother. “Why are you disturbing us?”

“I had a thought and wanted to ask Mercy a
question.”

“How did you get passed mum?” Duncan
asked.

“The secret passageway.”

“What secret passageway?” Mercy said.

“No time to explain now,” Reeve said. “If a
servant finds me here she’s sure to tattle to mum. Duncan can tell
you about the passageway another time.”

Mercy looked to her husband and Duncan
nodded. “I promise.”

Reeve sat down at the bottom of the bed. “You
heard one soldier say that it was a bad mission right?”

“Aye, that’s what I heard.”

“Then that would mean that the group we met
up with was the soldiers sent on that bad or secret mission,” Reeve
said

Duncan nodded. “You’re right, which mean the
mission failed.”

Reeve shook his head. “No, if this mission is
as important as it sounds we’ve merely delayed it. The king is sure
to gather more men and see it done.”

“I fear that you’re going to ride into the
heart of it,” Mercy said.

Reeve stood with a grin. “Then the curse
beware for it has met its match.”

~ The End ~

This short story follows Mercy and Duncan’s book
Bound To A Warrior
, first book in the Warrior
King series and is a prelude to Reeve’s book
Loved
By A Warrior
, second book in the series.

Based on character from the book—
The Wedding
Spell

“I forbid you to go to a Halloween
party!”

Jade shook her head, her long blond hair
shimmering like stardust and smiled. “Really, Dad? I’m twenty-one
years old and—”

“In witch years that means you’re nothing
more than a baby. And Samhain, a most sacred night, should be
shared with family.”

“In mortal years it means I am legally
responsible for myself and can come and go as I please. And this
party is only one night; I can celebrate the other two days with
family.”

“Ali!” Sebastian Wainwright yelled out for
his wife.

Jade sighed and walked over to the French
doors thrown open to the cool October night. She breathed deeply
loving the rich scents of the earth and all her children. She
cherished this season most of all when the trees burst full with
vibrant colors in preparation of their sleep. And the earth
graciously produced its last harvest before it too rested for the
winter.

It hadn’t taken Jade long to decide her
career path. She intended to study plants and herbs not the botany
that was taught today or even herbology that was growing ever more
popular. No, she had chosen to study both the old way with teachers
of her kind... witches learned in both subjects from the dawn of
time.

“Your daughter intends to go to a Halloween
party tonight on All Hallows Eve, the Shabbat, dressed like that,”
Sebastian said pointing at Jade after his wife entered the
room.

Jade stretched her arms out from her sides
and struck an enticing pose. “But, father, this is who I am... a
witch.”

“You look more like Morticia from the Adams
Family minus the dark hair,” Sebastian said as if accusing her of
some horrible error in judgment.

Jade grabbed the black witch’s hat from the
chair, the point bent a couple of inches from the tip as if it
winked at the viewer while a purple satin band hugged the base just
above the brim. She plopped it on her head.

“Do you believe this?” Sebastian said with a
shake of his head at his wife.

Ali sighed. “I have to agree with your father
on this, Jade, though not about your costume. Having lived three
hundred plus years nothing surprises me as to how witches are
portrayed. It is more the risk you take that concerns me.”

“How stupid of me,” Sebastian said shaking
his head. “I was so intent on her not being with us for the night
and her costume that I had completely forgotten about how dangerous
it could be for her.”

This time Jade sighed. “I know full well the
dangers that can haunt a witch on All Hallows Eve.”

“Do you?” her mother questioned with concern.
“The sands of time open for all sorts of creatures to roam this
night. And a young, inexperienced witch could find herself in all
sorts of predicaments.”

“I’ll be careful,” Jade said. “But if
anything should happen I’ve no doubt that mother, Uncle Dagon, Aunt
Sarina and especially Aunt Sydney would have no trouble coming to
my aid. And of course there’s my cousin Alexander.” She smiled.
“Alex is always there to help me ever since we were little. I could
always count on him, which is why I invited him to the Halloween
party.”

“I’ve forbidden Alexander to go,” Dagon said
entering the room, his wife Sarina not far behind shaking her
head.

“Another father with good common sense,”
Sebastian said.

“Not that it will stop me,” Alexander said
following his parents into the room.

Jade smiled. She always did when she saw
Alex. Her father was a handsome man, Uncle Dagon was simply
gorgeous, but Alex... there were no words that could describe how
striking he was. He was beyond movie star or male model good looks.
His features were breath-catching. He was dressed as a Highlander,
though not in a kilt, the old way, the clan plaid draped around his
body, a linen shirt beneath. He was as mortals would refer to him—a
hunk—and that made him deliciously irresistible to any woman.

“The women are going to flock to you, Alex,”
Jade said walking over to give his cheek a kiss.

He ran an appreciative glance up and down
her. “And the men are going to pant after you.”

“Enough,” Sebastian ordered. “You two aren’t
going anywhere.”

“That’s right,” Dagon agreed, crossing his
arms over his chest and giving a firm nod.

“Leave the young ones be.”

Everyone turned to see Aunt Sydney glide into
the room or at least it always seemed to Jade that she glided. Tall
with dark hair and elegant features and the wisdom of a seer who
had lived more centuries than Jade could comprehend, she was a
woman Jade much admired and loved.

“Have you forgotten what I’ve taught all of
you?” Sydney asked though waited for no answer. “You must live to
learn and earn life lessons. Let the young ones live.”

“But it is All Hallows Eve,” Sebastian
said.

“What better night to learn,” Sydney said and
looked from Jade to Alex. “But just in case.” She raised her arms
drawing a circle in the air around the two. “This night is yours
for the fun you seek. The circle of light in safety you’ll keep. No
ghost or ghoul will pass your way. But be careful of the words you
say. For on this eve of trick or treat, the sands of time you just
may meet.”