Page 44 of A Little Highland Magic

Chapter Sixteen

Gille rushed forward and threw herself into Pearl’s arms. Aria would have gone to her mother’s arms except Pearl drew a sharp breath as her gaze connected with Aria’s.

“Why would you ever return to this place when you freed yourselves from Oberon’s reach?” There was enough light from the urns to see the swift procession of fear, horror, then disappointment that flickered across the older fairy’s features.

“We are not free from him, Mother,” Gille said. “None of us will ever be free.”

“Of what does she speak?” Pearl asked with a frown.

“Oberon cursed the MacLeods when he realised I had escaped his grasp,” Aria explained, careful to control her emotions so that Oberon would not suspect she had travelled to the shadow realm.

Pearl shook her head sadly. “That is unfortunate, but the fairy king can only curse them seven times, then they will be free of his machinations.”

Aria tamped back her own fear. “He placed a sleeping curse on them all as a sixth punishment. The three of us only escaped because we were already on our way here. The seventh curse, Gille says, will be to send the ban-sithe.”

“And then they will all die,” Pearl said, her voice heavy with regret. “This is all my fault. I was the one who brought all this misfortune upon the MacLeods when I fell in love with the laird, Ian Cair McLeod.”

Graeme stepped forward. “That is not true. You were a godsend to the clan.” He opened his knapsack and withdrew the Fairy Flag hidden inside. “The gift you left them has helped to define that clan, and my own heritage, as well as save them from certain doom twice.”

Pearl’s gaze shifted between the flag and the man holding it. “You are a Duff, flagbearer for Clan MacLeod?”

“Graeme Duff.” He offered Pearl a bow.

She frowned. “Why did you bring the flag here?” Pearl released Gille and stepped back, searching all their faces. “Why are all of you here? Please do not tell me it is to rescue me? I can gather fish to eat, and occasionally the fairies in Fairyland send me the things I might need to keep me alive.”

“That is no life, Mother. We came for you, and Keiran MacLeod. It is time you came back to the human realm with Gille and me, and time for Keiran to return to the family who loves him,” Aria said, leaving out all mention of assuaging her own guilt over Lady Janet’s death.

Aria did not have to say the words for Pearl to know what was on her heart. “Her death was not because of you. Do not let what happened live in your mind and torment you. Lady Janet would not ask you to risk your life here because of what happened.”

“It is more than that, Mother, and you know it. I need to fight back against my fairy family, to show them they have no power over me any longer—and that includes Oberon.” Aria straightened. “I have tried for many years to drive the memory of what happened to Lady Janet from my thoughts, without success. Just as I have tried to rid myself of the memories of all the pain and anguish I endured while living in Fairyland. I have survived abuse for far too long; I need to fight back like the warrior I am.”

Concern etched into the lines around Pearl’s eyes. “Oberon and his fairy legion are strong.”

“As am I,” Aria countered.

“And she is not alone,” Graeme said, coming to stand beside her. “We have the Fairy Flag to offer the fairy king for the return of Keiran MacLeod.”

Pearl shook her head. “If you sacrifice the flag, then Oberon will take back its final miracle and you, Graeme, as the flag bearer, will be forced to stay behind in this realm.”

Aria and Graeme shared a glance. They both knew there was a good chance that there was no magic in the flag they carried. Because of that, Graeme would most likely be safe.

“That is a risk I am willing to take,” Graeme said.

“Will you come with us to Fairyland, Mother?” Aria asked. “Then back to Dunvegan once we have traded the flag for Keiran?”

Pearl’s eyes widened. “How will you escape the shadow realm? For that must be achieved before you make it to Fairyland. I have tried, without success for many years. Your half-sister only escaped because Oberon plucked her from this cave.”

“If we found a way to escape this cave and the shadow realm, would you come with us?” Aria asked once more.

Pearl nodded.

Aria looked about the cave, ready to get started on their quest, despite the wulvers beyond the waterway. “What keeps you trapped in this cave? It was easy enough for us to swim beneath the waterfall.”

Pearl motioned towards the back of the flowing water. “Oberon enchanted the water. Since it is fresh and not from the sea, it keeps me trapped. Even if I did make it past the water somehow, the ravenous wulvers would attack.”

“You control oceans; I control fresh water. Even enchanted water is no challenge for me.” With a wave of her hand, Aria parted the spillway enough to see the wulvers standing guard at the edge of the water. “Are there always six wulvers who guard this place?” She lowered her hand, and the water fell back in place.

“I have never seen more than six, but against one or two of us, they always had the advantage.”