Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (13 page)

The thought of a shower after spending hours digging around in the dirt sounded blissful.  We reached the top of the stairs and Cade led me down the hall, past the door to the room I had stayed in before, and on to his own.  A large, four poster bed
occupied the center of the room
and a huge glass door stood open on the opposite end.  A stone patio, complete with a balustrade,
waited
invitingly just through those doors.

“Oh, Cade!”

I couldn’t help myself.  I pulled free of his hand and made my way across the room.  The view from this terrace was amazing.  I could see the stone courtyard off to the right and the rolling, wooded hills and ponds scattered in the distance.  To my left, a set of stairs led down to another small patio, then climbed back up
once more
onto the great terrace behind the castle.  Directly below the low point of the staircase was the garden, its herbs and plants organized in a beautiful maze resembling a Celtic knot.

Cade stepped up behind me, so quietly he almost startled me.  He wrapped his arms around
my waist
and rested his chin on my head.

“Do you like it?” he whispered.

I bit my bottom lip and turned around so that I faced him.

“I love it.”

He bent down and kissed me.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned his kiss, but he pulled away before I was ready.

“Dinner soon,” he whispered.  “I need to show you how the shower works.”

I nodded, disappointed but also eager to get clean.

In Eile, they didn’t have modern plumbing like we did in the mortal world, but they had something close.  The shower looked familiar, like something I’d find in a nice house in my hometown.  The entire interior was composed of stone and sunken deep into the room so that a shower door or curtain wasn’t necessary.

“The water is drawn up from a well and kept above the showerhead.  All you need to do is release it with this knob,” Cade indicated a lever, “and warm the water with your magic.”

I turned and blinked at him.  “How do I do that?”

He grinned.  “It’s really simple.  Fortunately, it doesn’t take much glamour to heat water.  All you do is press your hands to these stones and let some of your power loose.  The more you release, the warmer the water becomes.”

He showed me and then I tried.  It was
simple
and I almost got us both wet when I turned the nozzle to check to see if it was working.

Before leaving
, Cade
informed
me
that I could find my bags in my room, then
he
pointed out the robe and towel
neatly folded on the countertop
. 
The
distinct click
of a closing door
informed me that Cade was gone, so I moved forward and began searching the bathroom shelves for soap.  After opening and closing two cupboards
, I
finally discovered
what I was looking for
. 
Five minutes later I was standing
under the steaming stream of water,
thinking
about what I’d learned during my exploration earlier.  Luathara was a beautiful castle, there was no doubt about it, and Cade seemed to want me here as well.  Yet I was still bothered by what Niall had said about calling me ‘Lady MacRoich’.  Did he think Cade and I were married?  That sent shivers down my spine, despite the hot water.  I sighed and worked some liquid soap I
'd
found
in
a jar into my hair.  The strong scent of lavender suffused the air, helping relax my nerves a little.  Cade and I had admitted our feelings for one another, but was he ready to take
our relationship to that level?  Was I?

The water momentarily became cold and I had to turn and press my hands against the stone again, tainting it with my magic. 
M
y bags
had been
sent to my own room, so I could safely assume that he wanted to take this slowly.  I breathed a sigh of relief, despite the tiny pinch of disappointment.  I wanted more than anything to be close to Cade, but I also didn’t want to mess
things up by moving too fast
.

I finished rinsing away all the stray soap and turned the knob.  I dried off using the towel on the edge of the stone basin Cade had said was the tub
,
and wrapped myself in the robe.  I pushed the bedroom door open and checked the hallway, darting to my own room when I realized no one was wandering about on the third floor.  I changed into a clean pair of jeans and one of
the
nicer
shirt
s
I'd packed
.  Dinner might be formal, and
the last thing I wanted to do was make a
bad first impression.

-Seven-

Interruption

The hall was busier by the time I made it downstairs.  Many of the people I had seen working earlier stood around looking less dusty than before.  Cade spotted me from the middle of the crowd and walked over to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.  He too had cleaned up a little, though he wore the same clothes he had worn that day.  The hall grew quiet when the crowd
notic
ed me.  I
felt odd again, like the time I
first met my mother
in Erintara.

“Everyone, this is Meghan Elam.  Meghan, these are the people from Kellston who are helping
to
rebuild Luathara.”

I smiled, despite my awkwardness, and everyone nodded and murmured something about being honored to meet the daughter of the high queen.  To my immense relief, nobody said anything about my being a princess.

“They’ll be joining us for dinner,” Cade continued, smiling happily as he took my hand and led me down the hall towards the dining room.

A great rectangular table, loaded down with dishes brimming with a variety of food
,
greeted us
as we entered
.  I liked the dining room.  It was situated on the side of the castle closest to the waterfall and had windows that ran from ceiling to floor all along
the outer
side.  A narrow patio sat just beyond the windows and I was able to get a clear view of the fall in the near distance.

Cade led me to the far end of the table where two chairs waited.  We sat down and I felt a little ridiculous, images of a nobleman and his wife
din
ing before their sub
jects coming to mind.  I winced
.  Maybe that was a bad analogy, considering what I'd heard in the garden and what had occupied my mind only a half hour ago.

The image vanished from my mind as
everyone started
pulling out
chairs
and taking their seats
, casually talking to one another.  I soon learned that even though Luathara w
as a castle, and although Birgit and her family insisted on addressing Cade and I with the proper titles, it was nothing like the formal
court
at Erintara
.  Thank goodness.  People started passing around bowls and plates, chatting and laughing and sharing gossip.  I blinked up at Cade only to find him watching me
closely
.  I smiled and he returned it, but I could tell he was wondering how I was taking all this.  I reached down and grabbed his hand under the table, squeezing it to let him know I was doing fine. 
After that, his composure was much more relaxed
.

I glanced up and spotted Birgit and invited her to come sit in the chair next to me.  Never in the mortal world would I be bold enough to actively seek out new friends, but
that was the old Meghan
.  Besides, I really liked Birgit and I was in desperate need of some friends now that I was starting a new life.

Birgit’s eyes widened as she made her way gracefully to my side.  Before she sat down, I noticed her glancing towards the opposite end of the long dining table.  The boy from earlier, Arl
e
n, was watching her carefully.
  I had to hide a grin as she turned to give me a shy smile.

Borrowing some courage from thin air, I took a sip of mead and said, “So, tell me about Arl
e
n.”

Birgit choked on her own drink and I cheerfully patted her back as she regained her composure.  When she glanced back up at me, her blue eyes were wide with surprise and her face had grown redder than her hair.  I only beamed at her.  So that’s how I looked all those times Robyn prodded me about Cade.

“You don’t have to sit next to me, you know.  You can go sit with him if you want.”

Birgit took a deep breath and shook her head.  “That’s alright.  My father doesn’t really approve of my spending time with him.”

All of a sudden, all the fun of talking with her about her crush left the room.  I frowned.  “Why?”

She shrugged.  “He thinks Arl
e
n isn’t interested in more than what he sees.”

Birgit blushed again and I nodded.  I wondered if that was the truth or if Briant was just being a typical father.  I wished to find out more, but I didn’t want to spend the evening talking about a sore subject between father and daughter, so instead I asked Birgit about growing up in
Eile
.
Any
thought
s
regarding
Arl
e
n soon left our minds as my new friend answered all of my questions.  The meal lasted long into the night, and as the dinner plates were exchanged for dessert, I turned to Birgit once more.

“Do you see many faelah around here?”

Birgit finished a bite of pie before turning to me to answer.  Unfortunately, I never got a chance to hear what she had to say because the distinct sound of breaking glass cut through the dining room
like a gunshot.

I jerked back only to catch sight of something pushing its way through the window twenty feet up.  People started shouting and screaming and moving out of the way as another window shattered.

I stood, almost knocking my chair over, but before I could so much as duck under the table, strong arms grabbed
my shoulders
and a large body folded
over me.  Cade.  The sound of shatter
ing glass continued to permeate the room
, so I pulled my head free of Cade's arm and glanced upwards.
D
ark creatures
were struggling to crawl through the broken windows
,
their shapes
almost impossible to
trace
because they matched the black sky outside.

“Briant!” Cade shouted over my ear, “Gather those with fighting expe
rience and go get some weapons from
the arms room, then spread out.  It looks like they’ve got us surrounded!”

Briant’s strong voice cut over the panicked ones and I caught a glimpse of several people trailing him out of the dining room to follow Cade’s orders.  Birgit had left my side to join her father and I wondered
whether
she was
seekin
g to find a safe place to hide or if she was going to help fight off the creatures.

Cade pulled away from me just enough to grab my hand.

“My sword is in my room,” he said as he half-dragged, half-led me into the main hall.  “And your bow and arrows are in yours.”

I stopped my stumbling and gained my feet but didn’t let go of his hand.  My heart pounded and I could feel my magic stirring.  At first I thought it was fear, but to my surprise and delight, I realized what I was feeling was excitement.  I was getting another chance to test out my
archery skills
on some of the Morrigan’s monstrosities and I was looking forward to it.  I didn’t know if I should be proud of myself or shocked.

Cade let go of my hand at the top of the stairs and I sprinted to my door as he headed for his.  I flew into my room, not bothering to pause, and walked into chaos.  My window had been broken and Meridian, who I had let in before dinner, was flying around in the dark, screeching.

Meridian!
I sent.

Angry!
she returned,
Kill creature!

A quick, blinding flash and a sharp screech informed me that Meridian had zapped whatever faelah had managed to invade.  I shuffled over to the corner where my bow had been earlier, relying on touch since the room was so dark.  The acrid smell of scorched death greeted my nose and I had to fight back the urge to be sick.

Meridian, shoulder
, I demanded, and in the next moment I felt my spirit guide’s talons digging into my skin.  Her overly tight hold told me she wasn’t happy about the rude awakening.

I came back out into the hallway in time to meet Cade, brandishing his sword before him.  Something black covered half the blade and I had a feeling his room had been broken into as well.