Page 39 of The Best of Brenna Grant

The Scot’s Quest

Book 4

Dyna and Derric

Loki is called to assist an old friend and mentor.

Chapter Sixteen

Alex makes a decision to save his family. His plan needs the trickster.

Alexander Grant stood in the middle of the forest, talking to the person whose assistance he’d sought.

“Are you sure about this?” the other asked.

“Aye. I aim to put an end to this. They stole my grandson, my daughter, and they’ve put my family through hell trying to get to me. DeFry and Busby came to MacLintock land and said Edward’s son will not stop until he has my head.”

“You think giving him what he wants is the answer?”

“I’ve lived a full life. I’ll not have a young life lost over my old one. This must end now. I had to choose carefully, but I’ve known you for many years. I believe you will assist me in this endeavor. I only have one caveat.”

“And what is that?”

“You must tell no one. Will you agree?”

The man who stood in front of him thought carefully, something he should do. He knew what this action would bring down upon him. All the Grants would come for him if they learned the truth.

But Alex trusted this man, trusted him with his life. He would do the right thing.

The man turned to him and clasped his shoulder.

“Aye, I’ll assist you. Whatever it takes. I owe you much.”

Alex Grant smiled and let out the breath he’d been holding.

This would end now.

Chapter Seventeen

Alex meets with the man he asked to assist him in turning himself in to the King of England. Who is the secret man? Loki, maybe?

Alex Grant rode to his destination with the man he’d chosen to assist him. They were about two hours away when the skies opened up. A thick grove of pines was nearby, and they raced under the trees as fast as they could. His partner pointed to a large overhang where they could hide from the storm, an outcropping large enough for three men and their mounts.

The sky turned black, thunder clouds rolling in every direction.

The other man asked, “Have you ever seen clouds like that before? They’re going in opposite directions, something I’ve not witnessed.”

Alex got his horse under the stone protection and dismounted, patting Midnight down to console him. Although he was stalwart and footsure in battle, the beast had always reacted badly to thunderstorms, the quaking of the ground too much for him. He whispered sweet words to the animal and pulled out an apple from his saddlebag. The horse took it quickly and munched away, the treat calming him for a wee bit.

Alex set his hands on his hips, staring up at the thunderstorm raging around them. “I have seen one storm like this, and it was not from anything good. It meant evil was trying to steal a sapphire sword belonging to the fae.”

“When did it happen?” the other man asked.

“Avelina Ramsay had control of the sword. She fought with a daft man over it. Her brother told me the storm started because she held the sword overhead. She was driving a man with ill intent away from her. I’ve never seen another sight like it. Howbeit…” He couldn’t help but think of his granddaughter, Dyna. Blessed with the talents of a seer and the odd ability to pull power into her cousins’ swords by holding her bow over her head, he began to see a similarity between her talents and those of Avelina Ramsay. Was there more to the spectral swords than he realized? And what part was Dyna playing in this unnatural storm?

He wondered where she was and who was with her. Then another thought thrust itself into his mind. The sapphire sword. His sister Brenna had said something about a challenge arising every fifty years. Their mother had told Brenna and Jennie about it, about how a fae queen would choose a mortal being when necessary to help save the Scots, but only when all else had failed.

He pushed his memory back to it, trying to remember all he’d learned, how Brenna had told him that Gregor had been near death, but that Avelina had held him and breathed life back into him.