Chapter 19

Nyall kept pace with Jamaran as they ran a cross pattern through the marsh, both of them heading in opposite directions. He didn't dare slow down, for the muddy ground would snare him in an instant. When time returned he knew they would never reach the caves before the shifters caught up, so he looked for a defendable position. Behind them the Cait Sith's screeching yowls grew louder as they gave chase, sometimes pouncing on each other in their lust to attack. From the size of their bodies, fangs and claws, he and his friend might be able to hold off a few, but Caroline had been right—there were simply too many. Somewhere back near the shore she would be in the ghost boat now. Knowing she would sail back to Caladh and safety made him ready to face his end.

Dinnae come back for us, my lady. Permit us save you this last time.

The air suddenly turned as cold as if winter had returned. Jamaran came to his side and knocked him to the ground as something huge and dark shot over their heads. The Cait Sith screamed as the darkness slammed into them, knocking them into the air like so many poppets. Through his frost-covered lashes Nyall saw Shaw for an instant, his body shedding the darkness like oily black smoke.

Shaw.

The chieftain only resembled the man he had been. His eyes gleamed like polished shadows, and the skinwork from his arm now moved all over his body. It seemed to stretch and grow darker, as if it meant to cover every inch of his flesh. When it ran up over his face Shaw dropped his head back and released a roar that seemed to shake the entire island from one end to the other.

Never once you've seen me as the thing that served the Pritani,Shaw had told them when they had struck their pact. When I become that, and someday soon I shall, Captain, I shall kill without hesitation, remorse or relenting.

Tears froze on Nyall's face, but he could not look away. He had lived with the slow horror of the madness that had devoured his màthair. He'd watched sharks fight over the torso of a drowned mortal, one finally killing the other before devouring both. He had even fought against raiders so crazed by blood lust they slaughtered warriors from their own side who mistakenly stepped in their path. None of that compared to what the Pritani had done to the chieftain.

Forgive me, Brother. I didnae understand.

He wanted to go to him, to stop him before the beast completely overwhelmed him. At the same time he knew if he tried, in his state Shaw might attack him. It was the same as being back at the watch tower and seeing Tiree standing on the edge.

Stay down,Jamaran thought to him. The chieftain shallnae ken you now.

The shape shifters ran toward the hills, pursued and attacked again and again by the stream of blackness that cut through them like a giant demon's scythe. Their shrieks turned into pitiful cries as they limped and dragged each other into the caves. For a moment it looked as if the thing Shaw had become would finish them off, but then it changed direction and raced up the side of the hill and over it, vanishing from sight.

Nyall got to his feet, pacing in a small circle to keep his boots from sinking into the mud. As he helped his friend up he watched for Shaw's return, and then scanned the area around them. Several badly-wounded beasts lay moaning on the ground, their fur matted with blood and gaping with wounds. He wanted nothing more than to dispatch them to oblivion. Yet when he turned to look down at the shore, he could see the ghost boat but no sign of Caroline. For a terrible moment he froze, wondering if the chieftain had slain her. The water beside the boat churned and a slim hand appeared, grabbing at the side before it was yanked beneath the surface.

Nyall didn't sink into the mud, but the full moon disappeared as black clouds covered the island, the billowing black laced with hundreds of lightning arcs. As bolts began striking all over the island, he grabbed Jamaran, pulling him away from one of the wounded Cait Sith.

Our lady never made it onto the boat. Something seized her and holds her under the water.

Thunder boomed as they ran for the shore and dove into the shallows. The lightning briefly illuminated the dark water around them, but Nyall saw no sign of Caroline. Jamaran disappeared as he swam for the depths, and then a violet-gold flash caught his eye. He swam for that, only to collide with what looked like a man and a shark. The creature spun around toward him, his wedge-shaped head tilting back as he revealed rows of jagged teeth.

Overhead white lights spread over the surface of the sea, forming a deadly net.

As the creature attacked, Nyall drove his dagger into the man-shark's eye, and it screamed silently as it rolled away from him. Blood darkened the water, but it also glowed violet and gold, as if it had come from a Selseus. He caught the bizarre beast by its tail, dragging it back and flinging it up as a powerful bolt of white light shot down, impaling it. The creature jerked and convulsed until the lightning disappeared, and then it sank down toward the bottom. Just before its burned body touched the silt it went motionless, as did the water.

Jamaran swam up to him. I cannae find her.

She stopped time again, so she yet lives. Nyall pointed at the body of the man-shark. That thing bleeds like a Selseus.

His friend looked disgusted. 'Twas transformed by Duxor. The bastart likely followed us here. He drew in a long breath of water, and then glanced over at the ghost boat. She's close. I can still taste her scent.

We'll circle the island. If Duxor wishes use her as leverage, he must keep her alive.

Caroline surfaced,gulping in air as she turned to see the north tip of the island several hundred yards away. Frozen lighting pierced the night sky, but from here she couldn't see Nyall, Jamaran, Shaw or the shifters. She didn't know if she could swim back to land and hide herself in eight minutes, but she had to try. As she glanced down at the motionless body of the aquatic she had escaped, she wondered if she should cut the big vein behind his knee so he'd bleed out in the water. The memory of Shaw's eyes turning black came back to her.

I would never have killed Rich,she thought, oddly relieved. I don't have it in me.

She swam to the shallows as fast as she could, stumbling as she climbed onto a rocky reef top and immediately went down. Reaching for her left ankle, which the Selseus had grabbed to pull her underwater, she yelped with pain. A sharp piece of bone protruded from the side of her foot, and her hand came away bloody.

"I'm supposed to be lucky in the water," she muttered as she ripped the sleeve from her leine. "So, come on, Poseidon, give me a little break here."

Binding the wound made tears of pain roll down her cheeks, but the time stop was quickly running out, and she had to hide from the Selseus. She then looked at the rocks around her until she spotted a long piece of driftwood, and tested it to see how sturdy it was before she used it to get back on her feet. Putting even the lightest pressure on her broken foot made a hard jolt of agony shaft up through her leg, but Caroline endured it as she made her way to the mounds of seaweed beyond the rocks. Where she had come ashore the island looked featureless and flat, with no boulders or grass. From the look of the muddy ground the tide probably completely covered the area when it came in. She pushed herself to go as far inland as she could, but after a few dozen yards the pain became too much to bear.

Caroline glanced back at the water. If he comes after me, I'll stop time again.

Fearing if she sat down she wouldn't be able to rise again, she leaned on the driftwood stick and waited the last few minutes before time started again. The sound of the storm boomed around her, and the sea wind tore at her wet hair and clothes, nearly knocking her down. The moonlight came out for a moment, showing dozens of pale boats sailing toward the island. From the blonde heads and the fluttering tartans, it looked as if the Selseus and the MacMar had come to their rescue—but how could they have known what was happening? The sky lit up again, so bright now it looked as if someone were detonating bombs overhead.

Maybe they saw Nyall's lightning from Caladh.

The wind grew even stronger, whipping the water beyond the rocks into a rocking boil, but Caroline saw no sign of her attacker. She wanted to find Nyall and Jamaran, so badly it made her whole body ache. That was when something hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground, and then a man's hand seized her wrist and tore the ring from her finger.

The odd-eyed scullery smiled down at her.

"You're a wonder, Caroline, but ever you should watch your back." His long hair streamed in the wind as he held up the ring to admire it. "When I end you, shall I take your power along with your memories?"

She tried to stop time again, but nothing happened. She rolled away to push herself up on all fours, but her arms and legs shook so much she couldn't do more than that. The scullery kicked her onto her side, grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her toward the rocks.

"Let go of me," she shouted, clawing at his hands.

"I cannae, for my master wishes transform you as he did me." The scullery's body suddenly changed into that of a tall, dark-haired woman. "You seem happiest in the sea, only I dinnae reckon you shall obey him faithfully. Mayhap death, 'tis better for you."

Caroline's hair tore away from her scalp as the shape-shifter yanked her upright. "I want to live. I'll serve whoever you want."

"You'll live again, lass, in a fashion. All those I slay do." It changed into the Selseus she had seen at the reef when she'd been trapped. "I'll become you for a time so I may learn everything my master wishes ken. Shall your lovers welcome me into their arms? Never I've facked two at once as you've done."

"Let me live, and I can spy for your master," she lied. "Give me a chance."

The woman sighed. "Och, when you see what you'll become, you'll change your mind."

Her eyes widened as the woman's body changed again, this time into something that looked like a humanoid shark. Its tail thrashed, knocking rocks into the water as its mouth opened and it showed her its hideous teeth. This was the killer shark that the clan and the Selseus had been hunting, Caroline thought, aghast.

"No' so pretty, eh?" the creature said, its altered voice growling the words as it clamped an arm around her, and climbed down into the water. "I'll end you quickly, I vow."

Lightning blazed over them, and when the shifter dragged her underwater Caroline saw two shapes moving quickly in the distance. Her men didn't know what had captured her, or how it could shift. The creature had already been living on the island as it pretended to be a mortal. Now it would kill and become her; that was why it had been hunting her.

It's still part shark now. She had to protect her lovers and their people from this thing, and there was only one way she could do that.

Caroline turned toward the shark creature, and punched it in the mouth, pushing her fist against its teeth so that they shredded her flesh. Blood bloomed in the water between them as she jerked her hand back and then swam across the shallows.

Come on. She knew nothing sent sharks into a frenzy like fresh blood in the water. Come and take a nice big bite of me, you bitch.

She got her wish a minute later, when the shifter rammed into her from behind, seizing her shoulder and clamping down on it as it flipped her. It shook her like an oversize dog with a bone, and for a moment the pain almost made her black out.

Not going that easy.

Caroline hammered at it with her fists, letting all of the rage she had locked away inside her pour into this last, desperate fight. She wouldn't survive it, but the ones she loved would. It was high time that happened. Using her fingers she clawed at its eyes, and rammed her knee into its underbelly. When the shifter tried to retreat she wrapped her arms around its lower body, digging her hand into its hide and tearing it from the muscle.

The water turned white as a thousand needle-fine bolts shot down through the water, striking them both.

The shifter released her as it sank, and Caroline closed her eyes as she did the same. Somehow being struck by lightning underwater should have been painful, or killed her instantly, but instead it had numbed her wounds and filled her with a strange warmth. The last breath escaped her lips in small bubbles when she finally landed on the silty bottom. This close to shore she might wash up where her guys could find her. She hoped they would bury her near the garden outside her little cottage.

No regrets, Mama.

Vaguely she became aware of gentle hands that lifted her from the bottom, and guided her up through the water into strong arms that raised her above the surface. She choked out some water, but breathing didn't seem as good this time; funny sounds seemed to be coming out of her chest. As her rescuer placed her on the sand she opened her eyes to see the man she loved.

"Nyall." She wanted to touch him, but her arms were so tired, moving with the surf that drifted over them. "Saved me again."

"Dinnae speak, my lady." He sounded gentle but looked terrified. "Jamaran gives chase to your attacker." He cradled the side of her face. "He shall come soon. He shall transform you. 'Twill save your life."

She managed to shake her head.

"Not what I want." It hurt to think she'd run out of time, and she'd have to leave them both, but there were more important things to say. "That shark thing is a shifter. It posed as Kai on the island. Be careful."

Jamaran dropped down at her side. "Caroline."

"Third time's...a charm." She smiled as he leaned over to kiss her brow. "Time to go. Take care of him, okay?"

Men rushed out of the shallows and gathered around them. Caroline heard Merrick arguing with the laird, and Jamaran trying to calm them down. She looked up into Nyall's eyes, glad his clan and their allies had come to the rescue. Something rolled with the surf into her hand, and it took her a moment to realize it was the ring the shifter had stolen from her. When she closed her fingers over it, the sensation of a million tiny sparks spread over her skin. Dimly she heard the two voices in her head from when she had made her last dive in her time. This time they spoke together, their voices merging into a beautiful harmony.

Do you wish live?

Please. If they could save her this one last time, she would do everything she could to love Nyall and Jamaran, and become part of their lives. Please, yes, let me live.

The pain returned, huge and horrible, and blazed through her body as she clutched at Nyall, convulsing. She fell into herself as if she had become the sea, and swam through the currents in her veins as her wounds began to close and heal. What had to be the magic that had brought her to this time spread out to saturate her, enveloping everything inside her. She could sense that it now changed her, although she wasn't sure why.

In her mind a tall, beautiful man who looked so much like Nyall appeared. You shall live, lass, for your fierce love and endless joy. You're a daughter to me now, so you belong to us.

Speal managedto hobble up on deck, where Lugh stood at the stern guiding the fisher in the gray light just before dawn. Most of her sisters lay below, their wounds tended and bandaged, but a few would not live to see land. The mortal watched her as she approached, and from the blood stains on his garments she guessed he had been the one to doctor them.

"How many dead?" she asked, sitting down on the deck beside his boots.

"Five on the island," he said, glancing down at her. "Three in the hold I reckon shall soon perish from their wounds. You enraged something ancient and very deadly."

"From what I remember, 'twas a Pritani god." She closed her eyes for a moment. "What of Dearg?"

He shook his head. "The wee one didnae return with the others. Nor did the one-eye."

Speal wanted to believe that for the best, but tears still blurred her vision. "I shall release you when we reach Insii Orc. You may take the boat and sail back to your haven."

"You yet dinnae see what's before you, foolish wench." He reached down and took hold of her arm, and pulled her to her feet with a single jerk. "Take the rudder, and steer due south. The currents and the wind shall do the rest."

He walked over to the side of the boat, and climbed atop the railing. As the first rays of sunlight glowed over him, his garments and body faded from flesh and cloth into a pure blue color, as if he were a man made of glass. When he dove over the side he became a stream of water that disappeared as soon as it joined the sea.

Speal uttered a weary chuckle, and then looked toward the south, and thought of the next battle that awaited her. She didn't want to abandon the sisters she'd left behind with the enchantress, but their new failure would further enrage Derdrui. It was likely in such a state that their sovereign would end them all.

A woman's hand appeared on the railing, startling her. "Dearg?"

When she rushed over to help the bedraggled female onto the deck, she saw she was too large in size to be the little Cait Sith. This female had been badly burned over her arms and legs, and only a little dark stubble covered her scalp. Her skin had turned an odd, mottled gray and white, like that of a shark. When she lifted her head and smiled, Speal released her and fell back on her arse.

"Fair morning, Sister," Fiacail said. "Did you miss me?"

Caroline openedher eyes to see the sunlight streaming through the windows of her cottage. She could smell her favorite spicy tea blend brewing, and the sound of birds singing in the garden made her smile. Maybe she had died back in the surf and this was heaven, but whatever had happened, she'd never woken up this happy in her life.

"Dinnae think of moving from that bed." Nyall sat down beside her, and took her hand in his. "You near died last night."

"I should have drowned." With her other hand she touched the shoulder the shifter had bitten, but it seemed fine. "The ring healed me?"

He frowned. "'Twasnae on your finger when we brought you to shore."

"I held it for a little while." She vaguely remembered letting go of it, and how the surf had swept it away. "How's my foot?"

"Healed as well." Nyall pulled back the linens and raised it to show her. "'Tisnae a mark on you."

"Your dad sure knows how to keep a promise and welcome a girl into the clan." She sat up and hugged him, relieved, scared and wondering if she could handle all this. She told him what had happened when she'd held onto the ring, and then asked, "What about the shifters?"

Nyall drew back. "We found five bodies in the marsh, and searched the shallows, but the bodies of the two shark creatures vanished. The survivors likely fled the island on their ship. The laird decided against pursuing them."

"Probably smart." She sighed. "I need to tell Connal and Merrick everything that shark shifter said to me. Did Shaw make it?"

"He's yet missing." His expression darkened. "The Cait Sith wouldnae attempt capture him. I reckon he hid from us when we looked for him."

"Give the guy some space," she said softly. "After what happened, I'm sure he's dealing with a lot. So am I, for that matter." She met his gaze. "I need to ask you something. Will you marry me?"

Nyall went still. "You wish wed me? Why?"

"I love you. I nearly died last night. Your dad saved me. I've been a complete bitch to all the MacMar since I got here, but now I understand what you're trying to protect. It's not just a clan. It's a family. Our family." She touched his face. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, which is probably going to be a long, long time. What do you say?"

Nyall was still kissing her when Jamaran came in carrying a basket of food.

"We're getting married," Caroline told him. "You're going to be the best man. You're also spending the wedding night with us. Any problem with that?"

He grinned. "We're good, my lady."

THE END

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