Page 2 of A Rogue in Twilight
“The Second Sight.” Such a gift was by the fairies, though at a hidden cost, so it was said. Donal accepted the feathery weight in his arms, studied the infant, and knew. He looked at his son. “Yours? I see a resemblance.”
“Aye. Your granddaughter. We lend her into your keeping.” His bride bowed her head, and Donal understood her sadness. The Fey had good hearts for their ilk, and for humans, too, sometimes.
His granddaughter, and so perfect! His heart filled with new love. “Mine to take?” he asked.
“In exchange for your son,” the queen said. “That is our bargain now. She is called Eilidh”—Ai-lish, she pronounced. “It is her fairy name, and holds great power. Take care not to say it aloud very often.”
“Then I will call her Elspeth, after my late wife, her grandmother. And I will give her a home and love her as if she were my own child.” He moved back quickly, before they could change their capricious minds about the babe. The wee squirming bundle was dear to him already. Tears stung his eyes. “Niall, come with me—”
“Not now. We will meet again, Da. Take care of her, please. She has Fey blood, and will feel the lure of it sometimes. But she will live with you until we call her back.”
“Let her stay with me always,” Donal protested. He looked at the queen. “I have lost my son to your ilk. Give her to me and she will thrive and be happy.”
“When she is grown, she must return to us.”
“Is there no other way? I cannot lose her, too.” He felt near tears.
“If you would find the treasure stolen from us long ago, perhaps she could stay longer. Return our treasure and we can make a new agreement.”
“The fairy treasure is gone. No one knows if the legend is even true.” The Fey were prone to exaggeration, Donal knew.Daoine Síth, they were called in the Gaelic—people of peace. Yet they were not peaceful if crossed. He must be cautious.
“It is true. A MacArthur of your ilk stole our treasure long ago.” Her voice turned icy cold. “Until it is returned, we will claim sons and daughters from this glen. You are in our thrall. Your son is with us now. You are fortunate to have this little one for a time.”
He held the babe close. “I have looked for the treasure. I do not know where it is.”
“It lies somewhere in these hills, or in some earthly hall. We cannot retrieve it, but you can. Two keys will open it. You have one, the blue stone.” Donal knew she meant the crystal that he used to open the rock. “The second key lies in your arms.”
“The child? I do not understand.”
“You will.” Her smile twitched, either humor or scheming.
“Tell me where to look for the treasure.”
“If we knew that, we would not need your help. Either find it or bring the girl to us when she is grown. I will set a binding spell around her.” She raised her arms high.
Sensing her power about to ignite, Donal moved back. “This is a wicked bargain. Let the lass choose what she wants. There must be another way.”
“Love,” Niall said suddenly. “Da, listen. Love can break a fairy spell. It is the strongest magic in any realm.”
“Stop,” the queen told Niall.
He shook his head. “If our wee daughter finds true love, the spell that binds her to this realm will dissolve.”
“Stop,” said the queen.
“Our daughter must never fall in love,” said Niall’s fey bride. “She must come back to us!” She sounded heartbroken.
Donal held the child close, knowing he must take her now and leave his son behind. “Niall, farewell,” he forced out. The young man lifted a hand, his eyes sad.
Shielding the infant with his plaidie, Donal walked backward, aware he must not turn his back on the beautiful ones or their shining world inside the dark hill. Only when the rock had closed did he turn, his heart heavy, his spirit determined.
If he could help it, his granddaughter would never set foot inside that realm, he thought as he hurried away. He would keep Elspeth safe as any treasure. Though he was obliged to visit the hillside portal regularly, he would keep the lass away from the glamour of the Seelie court and its allure and enchantment.
Yet if she were to find true love, she would be safe from the spell. Without that, the Seelie Court would take her just as they had taken Niall. He could not lose both of them. Returning the treasure could release the hold on the MacArthurs of this glen, but Donal had searched for years. He did not know where else to look.
But he would do all he could to keep this precious lass free of their realm.
The Highlands, 1808
