Page 29 of Her Highland Destiny

Failure could not happen, and yet she had to face the truth of its possibility.

Fergus closed the door behind the departing goldsmith and turned to Cassandra. “Are ye ready?”

Her heart went wild in her chest. She had been born ready, for exactly this purpose. They had waited for this moment, being close enough to Edinburgh to get the stone. And now it was time. Doing it too soon would have the land repairing itself quickly, noticeably. She only hoped it was late enough that real damage had set in.

Fergus pulled the stone from his neck as Cassandra did likewise with the replica. His breath grunted out in a harsh exhale when the stone left its place against his chest. He gritted his teeth and held it to her with a trembling hand.

The blood raced through her veins and the whole of her world focused in on the dangling green gem, like a starving man before a feast, practically mad with ravenous need. She took the gold chain in her hand and vaguely had the sense he removed the duplicate from her. Her breath echoed loud in her own ears and her heartbeat thundered loudly.

Nay, it was not her heartbeat - it was that of Scotland beneath her.

She slipped the stone over her head and a surge flared through her. It expanded inside of her chest where it lay, burrowing deep and exploding outward in rays of energy so bright she thought surely it would extinguish her mortal life. She curled into it, embracing rather than fighting, and let the immensity of it absorb into her.

Strength fired through her, confidence, pure power. She surveyed the world and found it crackling with possibility.

“Incredible, aye?” Fergus asked with a smirk.

His hesitation removing it was understandable now that she had the force of the stone in her possession. It must have taken an amazing amount of will for him to pull it from his body.

“It did,” he answered her thoughts grimly. “Though I can scarcely hear yer mind without the clarity the stone afforded me.”

She reached forward and took his hand in hers. She wanted him to experience the enormity of her gratitude for what he did with his sacrifice. The earth sang in joy, the beauty of its happiness rose into the air.

Pain edged into Cassandra’s awareness and she realized it was not hers, but Fergus’. His hand. She squeezed it too tightly.

She gasped and released him, but he merely chuckled.

“Ye’ll get used to yer talent soon.” He massaged his hand. “’Tis fine.”

He unclasped the shutters and let in the light of a new day. “The snow has ceased. It will take two days at most to get to Edinburgh from here with the ground still mired from the harsh weather.” He leaned out and craned his head upward, squinting against the sun. “I only hope the weather isna so bonny it causes suspicion.”

Cassandra joined him and gazed out at the bustling square below. Snow glittered against the brightness overhead and jagged blocks of ice had already begun to melt. It was certainly not the weather they had experienced without reprieve since Fergus first put on the stone. And yet Cassandra did not think she could bring herself to pull the stone from her chest as he had. Indeed, it would never leave her chest. Not when Scotland sang with such beautiful relief in her soul.

He turned to her. “We must go.”

She nodded and gathered her things silently. Despite the completeness of her renewed strength and vigor from wearing the stone, she still harbored some hesitation that her plan would work. Her failure would bring about dire results, all of which would be revealed in two days’ time.

Fergus tread heavily upon the ground with an exhaustible weight. It had been that way since he’d drawn the stone from his neck two days ago and given it to Cassandra.

Ever since, he had not seen with the same precision people’s emotions. Their thoughts were muted, as though traveling beneath water rather than clear in his mind. He touched Cassandra whenever possible, drinking in the energy coursing through her veins in greedy sips every time their skin connected.

Edinburgh rose before them with its slanted streets and the massive castle atop the hill overlooking all the subjects below. It had been his home for the prior decade and yet it had never felt so foreign.

He wanted nothing more than to go within its bowels, claim the son he had never known and spirit him away from this place with its awful memories and painful past. Throughout the time of their journey, Fergus had sensed Cassandra’s doubt at the plan, at her own survival.

Fergus had to concentrate especially hard, not just through his own softened abilities, but also through the column of energy surrounding her. Yet still, he could hear her thoughts: she was afraid. Not for herself, or her life, but of failure, and the lives that would be lost.

He clasped her slender hand in his to lead her through the crowded streets of Edinburgh. The power of the stone immediately shot to his palm and radiated out to the rest of his body.

Above, the skies were gray and snow had fallen intermittently through the day. He was glad for the sun having slipped behind the heavy clouds, for it gave the world a less sunlit appearance, one not indicative of the stone being in the Protector’s care.

The king clearly had knowledge of the stone and the legend. Surely he would know the adverse effects of Fergus’ wearing it. Edinburgh Castle rose before them from its perch at the crest of the tall hill. They were almost there.

Excitement and uncertainty raced through his veins. Cassandra squeezed his hand and her thoughts merged with his own, warm with the recollection of the night before. They had stayed up far later than they ought to before battle. The night had been sweetly spent while they took their time cherishing one another, savoring what might never be again.

Even now, he wanted to draw her in his arms and press his lips to hers one final time. For neither knew the outcome ahead of them.

A flash of red hair showed in the crowd in front of them. Not an ordinary red, but brilliant, that shone even in the muted light of the overcast day. It caught his attention and Cassandra’s hand tightened on his.