Highland Raven (14 page)

In late September, we heard
the sound of hooves coming toward the coven. Madelaine’s red hair shone through the trees, most of their leaves now fallen. Uald and I had been practicing at swordplay in the coven square while Sid watched on. Dressed in riding breeches and a night shirt cut off at the waist, I was a little embarrassed to have Madelaine see me. Not to mention, I was completely soaked in sweat.

“Seems I’ve left my niece here too long already,” Madelaine said with a smile from atop her horse. “She’s a doppelganger of you!” she told Uald with a laugh.

“Even worse,” Uald said. “She’s already better than me.”

I slid the sword into its scabbard and crossed the lawn to join my aunt. I smiled at Uald’s compliment. It was an elaboration, but my daily sparring had improved a lot. I was getting good. I held Madelaine’s horse’s bridle while she dismounted. She practically leapt from her horse, catching me into a fast hug, squeezing and kissing me.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she told me.

“Me too,” I replied, kissing her cheek.

Madelaine cupped my face in her hands and studied me. “How beautiful you are.”

I smiled back at her then turned to Sid. “Madelaine, have you met Sid?” I asked, turning to Sid who had, apparently, been talking to Nadia. When I said her name, Sid ended her conversation with the invisible fairy woman, frowning at her with annoyance.

Sid smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Madelaine took Sid’s hand and smiled at her, but I saw Madelaine’s brow furrow as though she was puzzled. “Have we met before?”

Sid smiled knowingly. “No, we haven’t.” Sid then frowned and shushed Nadia. “Not now,” she whispered to her invisible companion.

Madelaine looked puzzled.

“Epona is out riding,” I said. “She should be back soon.”

Uald, also drenched in sweat, caught Madelaine up in her arms, lifting her off the ground.

Madelaine laughed loudly. “Put me down!”

Sid then fell into an argument with Nadia. The fight ended when Sid sighed loudly. “I’ll be back soon,” Sid told me then headed off into the woods.

“Come. We’ll wait for Epona,” Uald said, motioning to her little home at the back of the smithy. I tied Madelaine’s horse to a post then followed Uald inside.

Uald slid her tools into a box, wiping the table clean with her hands, then motioned for us to sit while she poured us both an ale.

“There is much to say,” Madelaine intimated with a serious look on her face. She took my hands. “Alister is dead, and I have been remarried.”

Uald’s slammed the mugs down angrily. Ale sloshed over the top. “They treat you like a common whore, pushing you on one man and then another.”

Madelaine looked at her with soft eyes. “It is the way of things.”

“To whom are you married?” I asked.

“To the Mormaer of Fife. He is an old man, kind and sweet, enamored with his new, young wife.”

I smiled and squeezed Madelaine’s hands. Alister was dead. My vision was true. He was dead. And I had killed him. I had released Madelaine from her pain and punished a man most deserving of punishment.

“So Fife and Lothian are now locked,” Uald grunted as she threw herself into a chair. She propped her feet up on the table and drank deeply from her mug.

Madelaine nodded.

“Who made the marriage match?” Uald asked.

“King Malcolm,” Madelaine said, “and he asked after you, Corbie.”

It took me a moment to respond to that name.

“Ah, you would no longer be Corbie, would you? What do they call you now, my sweet?”

“Cerridwen.”

Madelaine thought it over. “A dark goddess. It fits you. Your father would be proud,” she said with a smile.

The thought that my father would be proud of me made me smile, but the notion that the King was making inquiries had made my heart beat faster, and worry gripped my stomach. “What did King Malcolm ask?”

“He asked your age, your looks, your welfare, and your whereabouts.”

“He’s considering marrying her off too?” Uald hissed.

“He’s planning.”

“Did you see Duncan?”

Madelaine nodded. “He’s fair-haired and gangly. I’m not sure there is much of a mind rattling behind those eyes. His mother was always dim-witted. I don’t see any of the MacAlpin blood in the boy.”

Duncan was not the black-haired man I had seen in my cauldron, then. I had wondered, given it was known Duncan was slated to be king, if he was mystery phantom who’d haunted my visions. But if the raven-haired man wasn’t Duncan, who was he?

“I’m glad your new husband is kind,” I told Madelaine and shifted, unsure how to broach a new topic but wanting badly to interrupt the last. “Aunt, there has been an inquiry for my hand in marriage.”

“An inquiry? How? From who?”

Uald smiled smugly but lifted her mug of ale so Madelaine wouldn’t see.

“A druid…a young man who visited here. I was quite taken with him. He will be the Thane of Lochaber. He has asked that he be considered.”

“You told him who you were?” Madelaine looked alarmed.

I shook my head. “Only that I am from a noble house, like him.” I smiled as I thought about Banquo. If the marriage could be arranged, I could travel to Lochaber with Banquo after Samhain.

Madelaine smiled softly. “You are young, my dear. At your age, the flame of love can fan quickly. There are many lords who are inquiring for your hand. And many lords with titles far above Thane of Lochaber.”

I frowned at Madelaine’s words. I was young, and Banquo and I had just met, but that didn’t mean what I felt wasn’t real. “It is a noble and powerful house.”

“Ruled over by Gillacoemgain, Mormaer of Moray, who is also unwed and has begun making inquiries. I don’t know Malcolm’s plans, but there is great strife in the north. Thorfinn the Mighty, as they call him, is gaining power over the northern-most provinces but is backed by Norway. Something will be done to quell him, by war or marriage.

She took a drink and continued, “And Thorfinn fosters Lord Macbeth, your cousin Donalda’s son. With Macbeth’s father dead, at the hands of the Mormaer of Moray mind you, he too holds sway in the north. The matter is desperately convoluted.

“But what I know for sure is that Duncan, Macbeth, Thorfinn, and Gillacoemgain are all unwed. All four have a claim on the north. All four would be a strong marriage match for the daughter of Boite. And all four would rule over the Thane of Lochaber.”

“But…I love him.” It was true. I did love Banquo. He was my soulmate.

“What is his name, this druid who has charmed you?”

“Banquo.”

Madelaine looked at Uald who was smirking. “Well?”

“He is a good lad, and he is a druid. And he bears the marks of the stag god. He is well-suited for this dark goddess, and the two of them would be a stronghold for our faith. Ignore the duties of your line and follow the duties of your religion. Move Malcolm. Convince him on the match. Cerridwen is right. Lochaber is a strong province and a good ally. Perhaps the king would consider it since love is involved.”

“Malcolm is not moved by sentiment.”

“Let Malcolm take the north by force. Lochaber could stand with him and raise the isles, their ally, to Malcolm’s banner.”

Madelaine looked thoughtful. “He doesn’t know who you are? You are certain?”

I nodded.

“That helps. Malcolm has enough of the old blood in him to hear me out. He knows where you truly are. He will understand how you and this Banquo came together. I will do what I can. Lochaber has always been friendly to our line. Their Thane would want the marriage for his son, but I cannot promise anything. My Little Corbie, you must realize you are the last gem in Malcolm’s treasure chest, the last little bird he can marry off to win him an alliance. You must not get your hopes up, but I will do my best.”

I sighed heavily.

Madelaine took my hands and smiled gently at me. And I realized, for the first time in my remembrance, no ghosts lived behind her eyes. I saw no bruises anywhere on her. It was finally over. I was happy for her, but I worried for myself. Surely, Banquo and I were meant to be together. Nothing could stand in the way of such old soul magic, could it?

Epona arrived a few hours later. Madelaine shared her news with her.

“I will be moving my household to Fife. Malcolm will put someone from Alister’s line in place. I won’t be far, but when you return, you will come to Fife.”

“So the Thane of Fife has another wife,” Epona said. “His history with his brides is not good.”

“I am his fifth wife, but he is not Alister. I quizzed the household women hard on the matter. All the others died in childbirth, by accident, or in sickness. There were no questions, just misfortune. The Thane is a fat old man looking for a pretty woman to sit beside him and tell him jokes. He has done his duty in the bedroom once or twice but doesn’t seek it. He is in his gray years. He seeks a companion.”

“Speaking of? What of Tavis?” I asked.

“He is part of my household. He will accompany me to Fife.”

I smiled. I was so glad.

It was late in the evening when Madelaine finally took our leave.

“I promise you I will inquire as soon as I can on this matter with Lochaber,” she told me.

I kissed Madelaine on the cheek then buried my nose in her hair. I had missed her smell; she smelled like hyacinths and home.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” I replied.

Madelaine, accompanied by Uald, who would journey with her to the stream, rode out of the coven.

I sent a silent prayer out to the Goddess:
let the King be swayed. Let me marry the Thane of Lochaber.

The only reply I got in return was silence.

Fall drifted away.
The hills turned purple with heather and then back to a dingy brown. It was not long before the cold winter winds began to whip. The fresh fruits and vegetables disappeared from our table and were replaced by potted foods, meats, and breads.

At the end of October, we began preparing for the Samhain celebration, and I began counting the days until Banquo returned. There had been no word from Madelaine. I didn’t know if she’d yet spoken to Malcolm. A holiday for dark magic, Samhain marked the eve when the veil between the worlds would be the thinnest. And it was the night most sacred to the dark goddesses. I waited on Samhain, but the days before dragged on with excruciating slowness.

“How did you stand living in the castle? If I spend even a few days walled up I begin to feel my mind slip,” Sid complained as she paced her room one evening.

“I didn’t think about it much, and I had Madelaine to entertain me.”

“Mad Elaine, Mad Elaine, ever full of life. Let’s pass the time. Want to learn how to send a casting? I know you’ve done it before, but you can never practice too much, Raven Beak.”

I nodded.

“Then lie down,” she said and crawled onto her bed. She grinned at me.

I smirked at Sid. We’d never said anything about what had passed between us. Sid acted as if nothing unusual had happened, but I’d begun to see her in a different light. I adored her, and she was intimately tied to Banquo, whom I loved. I wanted to marry Banquo, to be his bride, to bear his children. I wanted to rule Lochaber at his side. With Sid, I just wanted to be with her. We belonged together, her and me and Banquo. The three of us. When Sid lay down, I felt a strong urge to touch her, to put my lips and hands on her, to feel that wild energy inside her. To feel her. When I thought about it, I wondered about the deep affection I saw between Uald and Madelaine, and wondered if it was similar.

“Not now,” Sid said with a grin. “Lie down and learn something.”

“I’m fairly certain I learned a few things the last time I lay down on this bed,” I said with a wink.

Sid laughed, reached over, and pinched me. “Pay attention, Raven Beak. What you must do is lift out of your body. Rise up without moving a muscle. You will have complete control of where you go. You will not be at the whim of chance. I’ve seen you do it before. Go ahead and try.”

I looked at Sid. “But how?”

“Ride the silver thread as you did in the barrow when you visited the Wyrd Sisters or glide on your raven wings. Close your eyes and rise up as you did before. But rise up and out of your body.”

I tried to quiet my mind, which still rumbled with thoughts of Sid’s soft skin and fiery touch. After some time, I became still and focused on my breathing, on the beating of my heart. I pulled my energy in and focused. I focused on my soul. I tried to see Sid’s room through my mind’s eye. I thought about the moon. Determined to look at the glowing orb, I bade myself sit up. And I did. I saw the room around me and Sid lying beside me. I rose, walked to the window, and gazed out at the silvery disc. It was nearly full. In two weeks it would be Samhain.

“See,” Sid said. “You’ve done it with no trouble at all.”

I turned around. Our bodies lay on the bed. Sid stood beside herself. It was different, much different, from when I had traveled to the Wyrd Sisters. And this time, I did not have my raven wings. I was myself, but in spirit. And this time, I was in control.

“Is this how you usually go the faerie?” I asked.

“Sometimes. Sometimes I go to them whole as I did that day in the barrow.”

“How did you do that?”

“I saw the portal to their world. Sometimes it is a glowing light. Sometimes there is a door. It is easier to walk between the world as solid flesh when you are in the old holy places, cairns, circle stones, or even caves. There are many caves in our realm that lead to dark, old places. They are guarded by the little people of the hollow hills who will trick you and kill you if they can. That’s how I got lost at the autumn festival. They turned me around in the caves, and I emerged far from here. They are dark, old, and dangerous things.”

“What are they?”

“Not human. Not faerie. Old. Ancient. From another world and time,” she said. I couldn’t help but notice her tremble. “Come, let’s send before we grow too tired.”

“Send?”

“Who do you want to see?” she asked.

“Banquo,” I said right away.

She smiled.

It was strange to exist as a specter. I lifted my hands and saw through them. The world outside my window was silver.

“Where do you suppose Banquo is?” Sid asked.

“Somewhere north, or on his way here.”

“Think then. See him. Find him. There is a tie between you and him. It is strong. Feel that pull and follow it.”

I closed my eyes and thought about Banquo. I suddenly became warm, as if I was standing near a fire. I smelled men’s bodies and ale. The heat was stifling. It made me feel heavy with sleep. I cracked my eyes open and saw a roaring fire in the center of a hall. Men slept on the floor under heavy furs. The wind outside whipped at the doors, but the heat backed the chill away. I opened my eyes more fully and looked around. I noticed Balor sleeping near the fire. My eyes sought out Banquo. He was half-awake, half-drunk sitting on a stool in front of the hearth. I walked toward him. He spied movement and looked up. At first he squinted, as if he could not see me clearly, then his eyes opened wide.

“Cerridwen?” he whispered.

Could I speak? “Hello, Love.”

He paled. “Is something wrong?”

“All is well. It is only that I missed you. Are you coming soon?”

“Lord Thorfinn has just given us his leave. We ride south in the morning.”

“This is the stronghold of Thorfinn the Mighty?”

Banquo nodded.

Another man stirred and sat up. He stared at me. He had long black hair, a long black beard peppered with white, and a sharp gaze. He wore black robes and had the pelt of a fox draped over his head. Around his neck, however, we wore a medallion carved with runes; it was the badge of a skald.

“Soon then,” I whispered to Banquo and pulled back. As if I was being reeled in like I fish, I felt my energy snap back, and I stood once again in Sid’s room. Her shadow was waiting. Both of our bodies still lay on the bed.

“You spoke to him?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Let’s go back to ourselves before you tire too much,” she said.

“How?”

“Don’t look at your body, simply lie back into it.”

Looking out the window, I lay back down on the bed, lying back into myself. I heard a loud noise as I took a sharp inhale. Suddenly, my flesh felt solid. I felt my heart. It was beating very softly. After a moment, Sid took a similar breath. She rolled over and rested her head on my chest.

“There was another man there who was able to see me,” I whispered.

“Besides Banquo?” Sid asked, lacing her fingers in mine.

“A skald. Banquo is north with Lord Thorfinn. They will leave in the morning to join us.”

“Thorfinn is said to have a gifted seer who travels with him. Those with the gift can see you when you cast.”

“That must have been him then,” I said and closed my eyes. “I feel so tired. And dizzy.”

“It’s always like that after a casting,” Sid replied. Her voice sounded distant. “You’ll get more used to it, but it always wears you out.”

I wanted to reply but was too weak. I snuggled closer to Sid, inhaling the scent of lemon balm soap in her hair, and fell asleep, the moonlight casting silver rays down on us.