Wicked Rage of the Moon: Book Three of the Airendell Chronicles (17 page)

“Everyone but me.  I have failed the Guild for centuries.”  Morna says sadly.

“You have not Pretty Morna.”  Elias insists adamantly upon entering the hall and hearing that last statement.  “Morna, you know how often you served in your role as Protector.  You would be drawn to the gateways, even to Airendell when the need arose.  True, you did not serve a set rotation annually, but you never failed to come when you were needed.  You served your Guild admirably since you were ten years old.  Considering that you are now eight hundred and forty two years old, I think that is an astounding record of service.”

“I know that Elias.  And thank you so very much for reminding me of my age,” Morna says with a dry chuckle.  “But I should have actually been there all those years.  People like Archer, yourself, Fionn and others had to step up and fill in for my absence.”

“Yes, and they have become stronger for it,” Breena says sincerely.  “Besides Morna, if you had been there, posing a daily thorn in Mother’s side, she would have found a way to end your life permanently.  What happened in your life happened because it needed to.  I am not being fatalistic, I am just confident that you are doing exactly what you need to do for the good of the Guild and your family.”

Aideen comes out of the kitchen with the baskets of dinner rolls she had prepared and sets them on the large table.  “Mama!  Knock it off!  Stop blaming yourself for things you couldn’t control.  We talked about this, you and I.  We promised to work on those inner feelings that propel us to do stupid things.”  Morna looks at her oldest daughter with immense pride.  Not too long ago Aideen was cursed to fall in love with her own father and had tried to kill Morna.  Aideen has certainly come a long ways since then.  Morna looks around the room and realizes that they all have.  Morna smiles happily, knowing she has much to be thankful for.

Aideen laughs and walks over to take her mother’s hands and lead her to the table.  “Auggie and I have worked very hard on this meal.  Well Kyle helped too, but I can tell you that he was not very enthused about the idea of making meatloaf for dinner.”

Morna laughs and hugs her oldest daughter.  “Ladybug, when you are right, you are right.”  The family and friends take their seats at the table.  Kylor says the grace over the meal and they all start chatting happily and passing the food around and filling their plates.  The food is excellent and the spirits of all in attendance are light and open.

After several minutes Luca leans over and kisses his mate’s cheek.  “I am going to go check on a few things before we go to Airendell.”  Morna quickly suppresses the overwhelming urge that she feels to accompany him, and smiles brightly before kissing him goodbye and returning her attention to her family.  After a few minutes she meets Agnar’s eyes and quickly looks away.  She knows full well that he and others at the table are well aware of how much she wanted to go with her mate.  But Agnar is the only one who might call her on it. 

After Morna finishes her meal and compliments the cooks on a job very well done, she goes over to talk more with Heimdall.  “So Rinda has moved out?”  When Heimdall only nods, Morna continues.  “I guess that is my fault?”

“No Morna.  We have our seasons together and Rinda has been incredibly restless this time.  She is looking for something that I cannot give her.  Besides, she would have moved out anyway to serve her rotation in the Airendell warriors.  Do not blame yourself.”  Heimdall says softly.  “I miss her, but I am not bonded to her as you are to Luca.  It is not the same for us.”  Heimdall hugs his goddaughter lovingly and pats her shoulder reassuringly.  “Aideen is right, you still insist on blaming yourself for things you had no control over.”

“Sorry.”  Morna says quietly.  “I guess old habits die hard.”  She senses Agnar behind her and turns to face him with a wry smile on her face.

“Speaking of old habits…” Agnar pats his breast pocket of his suit coat and says, “Join me in the garden?”

Morna chuckles and says, “You are a bad influence, but I will gladly join you.  Thank you for the invitation.”  She follows Agnar to the garden and eases her bulk onto the same bench she sat upon approximately thirty-six hours before.  “I am not making the wisest choice for my child.  I should not smoke while I carry him.”  Morna says honestly.

“Well, if you were an ordinary pregnant woman and you carried an ordinary child that might be true.  But Mordir and Reagan both agree that your body protects the child from anything that might even be remotely harmful to him, and he is so strong that he can withstand much without any harm befalling him.  Rest easy sister, I asked Reagan personally three days ago.  I had felt your fleeting cravings over the last few weeks.  I know how much you miss smoking.”

“Why in heaven’s name did a Vanir god ever start smoking?”  Morna asks as she takes a deep draw from her cigarette.

“During one of my jaunts to Midgard.  I developed a fondness for slender, petite women, marijuana, scotch whiskey and smoking cigarettes.”  Agnar laughs and says, “Considering your history with Rinda, and your time in El Paso, we seem to have similar weaknesses.” 

“I only fancied one slender, petite woman.  You know that.  Why are you so fascinated with my past relationship with Rinda?  You were very interested when I was a sixteen year old, and you still are.  What gives Agnar?”

“Your sexual affair with her confused me.  I knew for a fact that you were attracted to men, passionately attracted.  You are a very sensual, sexual person by nature.  But you never felt any attraction to another woman in all the years I was around you.”

“Because I was attracted to Rinda, the person, not her body.  For me, our bond was never based on sexual attraction.  You are right, women in general do not appeal to me.  They never have.”  Morna admits.  “Why do you say I am a very sexual person?  Do you think I am some sort of harlot?”

“Never Mo!  I know you are woman of strong moral beliefs and those beliefs always guide your actions.  But you are none the less a very, very sexual person.  You always have been, and it is even stronger in this incarnation.  I suspect you never had a shortage of men trying to get into your panties, even though many would say you are truly rather ordinary looking, some would even say you are too tall, and too wide.  But that didn’t keep men from trying to get into your panties, did it?”

“I guess not,” Morna says quietly, as she wonders why Agnar is engaging in this topic of conversation.

“You know I was goaded by Loki to try to seduce you when you were sixteen, but it didn’t take much goading on his part.  I wanted you very badly, ever since I first fought with you on the sparring fields.  I am ashamed to admit that I lusted after a fourteen year old girl.  I even made jaunts to Airendell to watch you, hoping to learn more about you.  That’s how I knew about you and Rinda even before you told anyone here.  I struggled with my lust until you were sixteen.”  Agnar rakes his hands through his hair and pulls out a flask and takes a long drink.

“A lot of the attraction I felt for you came from the way you are on the battlefield.  That rush you experience during battle, that sensation you experience when you best a man in combat.  It is a great deal like a sexual orgasm.  And your body would react to me physically, even though mentally and emotionally I held no real attraction for you.  I tell you this because I really want you to understand why I tried so hard and boorishly to have sex with you that time.  I really wasn’t a total pig Morna.  You have to understand that,” Agnar says quietly.

“I do Agnar.  I did flirt with you that night, and I did thoroughly enjoy what you did to me up against that wall in my father‘s hall.  But when it became obvious that what we were doing was leading to intercourse, I had to stop it.  I had sworn to myself to be a virgin when I found my mate.  And while I was physically drawn to you, you certainly weren’t what I wanted in a mate.  You weren’t the one for me, and I was not the one for you.”  Morna sighs and lights another cigarette.  Agnar offers her the flask, and she shakes her head no, not wanting to cross that line with her son’s health.  But she smiles at her slight regret because she can tell by the smell that it is the same good single malt that she prefers. 

“You know your body will process the alcohol before it can even reach the child.”

“That’s probably true, but I take enough risks with little man’s wellbeing as it is.”  Morna looks at Agnar and says, “You know later, we did become very solid comrades as protectors of the Gateways.  I grew to respect you, even though we fought like insane warlords at times.  I am sorry I reacted so badly when I first found out you were in love with my daughter.  It was truly a shock, in light of remembering your face shoved in between my legs when I was sixteen years old.”  Morna says with a self-deprecating laugh.

“Morna I meant it when I said I was a reformed reprobate.  I truly love Aideen, and only Aideen.  I have no interest in other women at all,” Agnar says earnestly.

“Ag, I know that.  Why are you dredging all this up?”  Morna asks in bewilderment.

“Because I want you to know I will always protect and love Aideen.  And I want to be able to tell you how very much she is like you.  She exhilarates in battle, in the very same way you do.  She is fiercely protective of those she loves, just as you are.  She really wants to do the morally right thing, just as you do.”  Agnar sighs, “Morna, I want you to tear down the wall between you and my mate.  She needs something from you that no one else can give her.”

“What might that be?”  Morna asks.

“Your respect.”  Agnar says.

“I am learning to respect her.  I already respect her as a powerful Spell Weaver and a great healer.  I adore her sense of humor.  I am filled with joy because she became so close to her younger siblings, especially Aiden, so quickly.  Give me a break Ag.  I love the girl with all my heart, but I really don’t know her that well.  If everything wasn’t so damned crazy I would be trying to spend more time with her, to get to know her and Kylor better… but have some patience with me.  I am trying.”  Morna says in frustration.

“Morna, are you sure you don’t keep the wall between the two of you because of Lucian?  She was unnaturally attracted to her father.  She is an equally amazing sexual being, just as you are. Do you not on some level view her as competition?”  Agnar asks quietly.

Morna stands and turns to face Agnar.  She looks him in the eyes and growls, “Bastard!”  While simultaneously holding him in a binding spell and levitating him twelve feet into the air, and slamming his body against the house.  “If Aideen did not love you so much, I would happily squeeze the very life out of you right here, right now!” 

Morna allows him to crash to ground without warning.  She walks over to him, and stands just out of his reach.  “Why would you say that to me Agnar?  Do you not understand that just because I am devoted to my mate, that doesn’t mean I am so small minded, petty and unsure of his feelings that I would deliberately keep my own daughter at arm’s length to ensure his love for me.  It is just what I told you Agnar, I don’t know my own daughter that well.  That’s all it is.”

“Then why haven’t you asked her to join your Protectors?  You asked Ingrid and Annie, but not your own daughter.”  Agnar says as soon as he is able to draw a breath.

“Because recruiting warriors for the Protectors is Ingrid’s job, not mine.  I selected seasoned, experienced warriors as my number one and number two.  Selecting other warriors, well now it’s Ingrid’s job.  I will have final say, but she will hand select our warriors, not me.”  Morna says in frustration.  “Hell, I didn’t even know she was interested.”

“Mama… why did you assault Agnar with magic?  I heard him hit the house, and heard the very last of your conversation, what could have provoked this?” Aideen asks quietly.

Agnar sits up slowly and says, “Aideen, she was probably justified in her reaction.  I think I stuck my nose in where it doesn’t belong and really handled it badly to boot.”

“I’ll say that you stuck your nose in where it doesn’t belong,” drawls Luca, his voice heavily laced with double meaning, He is standing in the entrance to garden off the south lawn.  “It is truly a testament of how much my mate loves our daughter that she did not end your life for your impertinence.”

Morna whips her head around and meets the eyes of her mate.  She is unsure how much he has heard.  “Fine, fine!  Whatever!” Huffs Morna.  Then she turns to face her daughter, “Aideen, do you wish to be part of my Protector Warriors?  Or was your interest in serving as a Warrior limited to the Warriors of Airendell?”

“I was and still am interested in serving with you, Mother.  In whatever capacity you see fit.  I want to serve our Guild and our family,” Aideen says sincerely.

“Good!  Talk to Ingrid.  You will have to go through whatever training she sees fit.  You will also have to undergo the rites of fealty to me and to the Guild.  You still okay with that?”  Morna says quietly.  When Aideen nods, Morna smiles and then walks over and hugs her.

Morna turns to face everyone else that has now gathered in the garden, and says, “Now, let’s get inside and clean up the dinner dishes.  Kylor has something he wants to teach us and we should get to it soon.”  Morna walks over to Agnar and offers her hand to him.  He accepts and rises cautiously.  “Agnar, you wash the dishes.”  She turns to Kylor and says, “You dry kiddo.  Breena and Damian, make sure the kitchen is put to rights.  Kyle and Nora put away the leftovers.  I will clear the table, with Dad’s help. Aiden and Aideen scrape the dishes and haul the trash out.  Ingrid and Annie, please see that the floors are cleaned as well.  Auggie, you go pour yourself a good three fingers of the scotch in our study and take the rest of the night off.  Hell, take the whole bottle if you want it. Thank you for a lovely dinner.  That was the best meatloaf I have ever eaten.”