Kat Bastion - Forged in Dreams and Magick

We slowed our mounts to a walk, and the group continued to pass us a few yards to our right.

“You miss your Iain?” Velloc asked.

I glanced over. Velloc faced forward, negotiating his horse through a rocky stream. Mixing the two worlds in my head messed with my mind and emotions. I’d endeavored to keep the two separate. When one man asked about the other, my struggle to maintain composure amplified tenfold. Common sense dictated they know as little about each other as possible. Each of our emotional needs, however, took precedence over steadfast rules and assumptions. A part of me yearned to talk about the difficulties plaguing me, but I had no one to talk about them with other than my men. Velloc needed to know how I felt and where he stood. And he had asked.

“I do miss him.” I took a shaky breath. “He left to fight a smaller battle. Right before I left, the enemy captured him.” The words choked me, my throat cramping on a held sob.

Velloc stopped and pivoted his horse. Malibu jolted to a halt with a whinny. “Iain is chieftain of your tribe?”

“Yes.” I frowned. “What does that mean, Velloc? What will they do to him?”

He stared hard at me. “They will keep him alive as long as they need him.”

I nodded. So many things went unsaid with Velloc’s statement, and my fear running rampant refused to clarify them. Alive had so many variations. What would become of Iain when they no longer found him useful? Velloc had satisfied his curiosity about my state of mind, and I had no desire to prolong my pain. I negotiated Malibu around him, following the others disappearing into the forest.

Velloc advanced on my mare so fast, I had no time to process the movement before I found myself swept onto the ground. A strong embrace kept me upright as my head spun.

He buried his face into my hair. “Isobel,” he whispered.

The soothing coo of my name feathered over my ear like warm sunshine on a bitter morning. I exhaled, melting into his arms. Tears cascaded down my face, unchecked. I hurt. In my denial, in my perseverance, and in the rush of activity around me, I hadn’t allowed myself to grieve for the loss. The brave man that held me saw my need, forcing me to lean on him.

So many things had been stolen from me: a modern life with dreams I’d had since childhood, a husband and clan I’d grown to love, and the free will to decide what I wanted my life to become. But dwelling on problems had seemed unproductive and immaterial in light of the life and death battles Velloc’s warriors and their people dealt with on a daily basis.

Velloc tightened his embrace. “Why did you come back early? Because they’d taken him?”

Explanations of liquid walls with beaming lights transporting me through layered dimensions fell beyond the scope of the energy I possessed, so I stuck with the simplest explanation. “I . . .”

I faltered in getting the right words out of my head. How do you streamline the fantastical? Velloc already knew I’d time traveled and had come from the future. One more stretch of his imagination would allow him to relate to me on my level. To have Velloc know my successes and failures in the magick that surrounded me would set free the part of me I’d locked up tight out of fear.

“I’d been charged with keeping the clan safe. Iain believed I could. A large wall, very much like the box, transports not only me through time, but also . . . an entire village.”

I paused as he pulled back. His attentive eyes gazed down at me, and I knew he understood.

“When I placed my hand on the wall, exactly as Iain instructed, the transfer began, but I hadn’t braced my feet before touching the surface. I hadn’t expected its power to make me dizzy, and in an attempt not to fall, I dropped my other hand on the wall also. The power it contained grabbed hold of me and threw me back to you.”

A sob tore free as emotion lanced a fresh wound into my heart.

“I was supposed to make them safe!” My anguish-laced words were barely coherent as I buried my face into his chest.

Velloc eased away, tipping a finger under my chin. I blinked away tears, clearing my vision. His eyes searched mine. Gentle, callused fingers brushed against my temple as he tucked windblown locks of hair behind my ear.

“You’re not the only one responsible for the safety of your tribe. Nor am I for mine. They chose us to lead them. We accepted, aware of our strengths and weaknesses. We know we can’t be everything. They know we cannot. If we falter, another person replaces us, protecting them.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath, clearing my head. In the master plan of things, I couldn’t be certain fate hadn’t caused my misstep. Even if carelessness caused my fumble, being haunted with misery about the possible consequences was pointless.

As I forgave myself, I realized Velloc had highlighted something I’d forgotten. Brigid stood behind me as more than a figurative backup. My mind latched onto the thought: she’d done the right thing in my stead.

The knowledge strengthened me. “ Someone did protect them.”

Velloc kissed the top of my head as I vowed to be present for him in every way. My survival, and therefore his, depended upon my clarity in every moment.

I shifted and smiled up at the man who supported me in so many ways simply by being true to himself. A rugged, fearless warrior on the outside protected the heart of a man who loved with conviction without reservation or prejudice. I tightened my arms around him, pulling him close, his physical comfort magnifying the warmth he’d spread inside me with his words. The minutes he held me in silence felt like a precious eternity.

I slid my hands up his muscular back. “Come, let’s join them. Lead your tribe to victory.”

Velloc devastated me with a rare smile of pride. Joy lit up a darkly handsome face worn by the elements in a hard life fully lived. He hooked his arm around me, tugging me toward our horses. I laughed as his contagious happiness surrounded me. Amid a march toward the most stressful of events, the man had lifted my spirits. I’d thought I couldn’t fall any harder for Velloc. I’d been wrong.

Buoyant on his generous spirit, I spun in front, leaned up, and kissed the smile off his face. He enfolded me in his arms as we explored each other’s mouths. My hands skimmed up his chest and locked around his neck. He pressed forward, kissing my breath away.

Velloc reluctantly tore his lips from my mouth, panting as I gulped for air. He dropped his forehead, resting it on mine. We needed to rejoin the men. Safety among numbers and diminishing daylight made catching up with his tribe imperative. He growled, releasing his possessive hold, and a whimper left my lips as we separated, the moment ending.

Velloc tugged me forward by the hand. We mounted our horses and raced southeast, Malibu pacing behind his stallion. He veered left, choosing a sparsely wooded path to make up lost time. We pushed the animals hard until darkness hampered the ability to navigate with speed. As we slowed to a walk, I questioned whether we’d be able to find the others in the obscuring night.

Sounds filtered through to us on the wind: a gentle snort, then another. We’d found someone’s camp for the night. Velloc shot up an open hand, and I silently reined in Malibu. He scouted ahead, disappearing, while I waited with bated breath in the silent darkness.

Velloc returned and led us toward a ridge. The horses climbed at our gentle urging, picking their way to the top. Rocks tumbled down the steep incline during our painstaking ascent. We passed a group of untethered horses, but I saw not one man.

Seeing and feeling had become two very different things for me, however. My Pict training kicked into high gear as I sensed the environment. A large amount of consciousness weighed heavy in the space around us, bordering the tree line, and into the forest. Before reaching the peak of the ridgeline, Velloc turned us into the heavier woods. Within seconds, we were surrounded.