Chapter 2

Chapter 2

John paced the length of the study again. He glanced at Colin, who arrived at Dunstaffnage Castle this morning after John's urgent summons. John turned and stared out the window. The Chapel in the Woods stood in the distance. God, he just wanted her back, back in his arms again.

Colin approached from behind. "Well, we still have not talked over the Fae Fable Book. The damned thing makes little sense, and it is a story I've never heard my ma mention before."

John barked a sharp laugh. "Since when do those damned Fae sisters make any sense, and that book?" He waved at the Fae Fable Book, half expecting the book to thump or flip a page to vex him. "Has never made sense."

Colin raised an eyebrow as he lounged against the desk and crossed his arms and legs. How could Colin be so relaxed and composed? John hadn't slept, hadn't bothered to shower, and stood before Colin in what he wore yesterday, his exercise clothes. John felt like crap and smelled like it, too, but he didn't care. All he cared about was Marie.

Colin smirked. "Well, no, it doesn't. At least not till ye need it most, like when I needed it. Then the book makes total sense."

The Fae sisters. John rolled his eyes. The sisters' father, Dagda, was king of the good Fae and charged Morrigan, his family Fae, and Brigid, Colin's family Fae, to assist John and Colin protect the Stones of Iona from evil for all mankind. Many centuries ago, the Fae gifted the Fae Fable Book to the MacDougall family, and inside were stories which outlined the stones' fates. But they weren't always cut and dry and most times didn't help at all.

Last year, the Tuatha Dé Danann Fae, the good Fae, discovered the evil Fae, the Fomoire, created three evil stones, the Stones of Fear, Lust, and Doubt, which track the three good gems, the Stones of Love, Faith, and Hope. When an evil Fae almost discovered the good stones' hiding place, Dagda cast the good stones through space and time which prevented them from falling into the hands of evil. That Fae killed Colin's parents, traveled back in time, and used the Stone of Fear to find the Stone of Love.

Once Dagda recognized the Stone of Fear locked in on the Stone of Love, he sent Colin through the chapel door, a Fae portal dedicated to time travel, to the eighteenth century to locate the Stone of Love. In a mishap, Bree followed Colin. They both found the Stone of Love, defeated the evil Fae tracking it, and took the Stone of Fear. Colin became stuck in purgatory. When Bree used the Stone of Love with her love for Colin and returned her true love, Colin lost the Stone of Fear.

Once reunited in the present, Colin and Bree placed The Stone of Love in the Chapel in the Woods, now protected by Fae magic.

John stood as he remembered yesterday. "The book changed pages after Marie disappeared. But when I began reading it, the pages turned on their own so I could read the entire story." John glanced at the book, secure in its glass case next to the window. He clenched his fist, exhaled, and stared out the window. "Marie is out there with a strange cleric, and I'm stuck here." He drove his fist into his hand. "God, Colin, I have to do something."

He ran the fable, The Stone of Fear, back through his mind. There must be a clue which explained why a priest took Marie.

One day, a man sat by a stream, depressed beyond belief.

A Fae approached the man. "Lonely are ye?"

The man sighed. "So much so."

"What can I grant ye to cure yer loneliness?"

The man sat up. "Ye can grant me a wish?"

The Fae giggled in her tinkling voice. "A spell, I can cast a spell. What would ye like most in the world right now?"

The man didn't hesitate. "I want my wife by my side, forever."

The Fae giggled again, but this time it didn't have the tinkling sound but a mirthless, deep laugh.

"Done." She flew over his head as waved her arm and chanted.

And on all hills that shall be dug for the place of God,

No fear shall be cast upon anyone on his hallowed ground.

For there, you shall bury all fear to hide it from the doom of man.

This is our cross to bear.

John turned to Colin. "What does a man who bargains with the Fae to return his dead wife have to do with Marie and me?"

Colin shrugged. "Hell, at least this time ye got to read the whole story before ye must chase after Marie. I only got one or two lines before. The damn book only changes pages when an evil Fae seeks a Stone of Iona. The tale leads us on a trail searching for a rock. Now it's open to the Stone of Fear fable. This time they want us searching for the Stone of Fear."

Damn the Fae and their games. He needed a clue which explained why the priest took Marie, and the damn Fae Fable Book didn't have an answer.

A plan. They needed a plan, and John remained in no state of mind to make one.

Colin cleared his throat, and John glanced up as Colin raised an eyebrow.

He ran his hand through his hair and tried to focus. "Damn the Fae! I need to find Marie."

Colin stood and sat at his desk. "Calm down, John. The beginning. Start at the beginning."

John took a breath, released it slowly and allowed the motion to relax him. "Colin, I cannot understand how it happened. I was out jogging like I usually do. I stopped by the chapel to see Marie, and she wasn't there." He held his hand out in front of him. "That's when I saw him, the priest. He had her, Colin. God, he hurt her." John clenched his fists. "Before I knew it, I ran. Then Conner showed up, injured." He exhaled as he unclenched his fists. "The bastard flung her unconscious into the boat, then whisked her away before we reached her."

Colin glanced up at John. "I know it's hard to witness the one ye love hurt." He sighed. "But let's look at what facts we have. Then we can form a plan."

John strode to the fireplace, thankful his boss and childhood friend came when he called. Colin remained the mastermind and he would formulate a plan that helped him find Marie. It's what Colin did best.

John leaned on the fireplace's mantel and mumbled. "Marie was at the chapel…"

Marie, the chapel. God, was it over a year since he first met her? When she first arrived to work on the renovation project. He stared into the flames as he recalled the day, clear in his mind as if it were today.

****

Marie stepped out of the back entrance of the castle. "Ye don't have to come with me in the rain."

"Nonsense"—John flipped open the umbrella—"I insist on coming along. The trail can be treacherous in the rainfall." He couldn't allow her to walk along the pathway alone. She might slip and fall, and he didn't want her to get hurt.

The shower stayed a slightly cool rain that stayed at a steady pace as it dropped hard drops and hit the umbrella John carried. He shifted the umbrella into his other hand, and they inched closer as they shifted beneath the covering.

He glanced at her profile; she was more than John expected. Their friendship quickly grew as they communicated via text and email for weeks. Marie was short; her head stopped at his middle chest which made him want to protect her more. Her dark-blonde hair flopped in its ponytail bounced on her back as Marie bounded along the route. She reminded him of a sprite, what a bright, happy Fae.

She slipped on a stone. John's arm wrapped around her and prevented her from falling. He drew her closer to him, and the side of her face pressed against his chest until his chin rested upon her head.

He stopped on the trail. John turned toward her and leaned closer to her face. "Ye okay?" John caught a close glimpse of Marie's eyes, frost blue, like ice with silver flecks. They gazed at him in honesty and struck him immobile.

Marie blinked and nodded her head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. I was so eager to get to the chapel."

John smiled as they continued. "Oh, that's okay. I'll make sure ye're safe."

They proceeded on the trail slowly, close under the umbrella. John kept his arm around her waist as he held her close in case she slipped again. Their hips bumped, and Marie leaned into him.

When they arrived at the chapel, Marie shifted away, stepped across the doorway, gasped, and stood still as she studied the stone flooring. The chapel possessed no roof as the wood had long rotted out. The trees provided a little protection from the rainfall, but droplets still dripped from the branches into the chapel. It wasn't raining as hard now, so John closed the umbrella and leaned against what the passage of time left of the doorway frame.

Marie crossed to the altar and examined the tile from front to back of the nave. Her springy energy enchanted him, and her bright smile lit up the room. Marie pulled a measuring tape, pad, and pencil from her backpack.

John, not missing a chance for a rock joke, asked, "Ye know what the ruler said to the rock?" He winked at her. "Ye rock, I rule."

Marie rolled her eyes as she dropped her backpack but grinned back at John before she bent to take measurements of the flooring.

She crisscrossed as she measured the space until she reached the rear. Portions of the mosaic design were gone, long washed away from weather and time which left the stones smooth, with the edges rounded in wear over a lengthy period, some light and some dark. The head of Christ, part of the original design, was long gone, but his hair, ear, and neck remained, the face blank as it rested near the center of the Chapel. He viewed the flooring multiple times, but today he imagined how Marie might view it. While he imagined empty spaces and broken rocks, she probably saw the floor, new and complete.

Marie stepped in front of his vision as she marked in her notepad. She chewed her nail then mumbled to herself.

John chuckled.

She glanced up and blushed. "I am certain others look at this and see a ruin. A pile of worthless rocks."

"Oh, no." John waved his hand. "I've worked with Emily putting this project together. I understand the passion she has for the chapel." He glanced around, his eyes landed on her. "As a boy living with my da, I always sensed the chapel seemed sad as it sat here rotting. He called the building a lonely lost soul."

Marie's eyes twinkled as she crossed to the center of the chapel and turned, her eyes wandered over the building as she spoke. "The history of this building has inspired me in my graduate studies at University. Since researching it for Emily, I've become caught up in the chapel's lore. The death of Lady Mary, the wife of the eighteenth century Laird MacDougall, is such a sad story, to be stabbed to death at yer son's christening. The spiritual implication is moving."

The way her eyes sparkled when she spoke about the history, he believed, caught him in a spell.

"In some lore, it's rumored the tile design is magical. The floor comprised of stone pieces placed here in the eleventh century and depicted Christ on the cross with a halo around his head spanning twelve feet. When the MacDougalls built the chapel, they positioned the center of the cross in the center of the nave." Marie pointed to the empty circular window above the altar. "Emily MacDougall believes the original design of the circular stained glass above the altar held magical properties, but we found no drawings or depictions. She hopes more research will guide us to what that design was." Marie sighed as she stared out the window.

"Emily believes when the sunlight at dusk from the west window hits the center of the space and the stained-glass matches the flooring or, at minimum, the cross." As raindrops hit her head, Marie folded her arms and hunched. "She believed the chapel holds mystical power but can't figure out what or how."

John grabbed the umbrella, crossed to the center of the nave, and opened it so the canopy covered them both. "Ye are getting wet standing out here in the middle of the chapel."

He stepped closer and lifted his hand to her face. He wiped the water from her nose, then her cheek. John sensed time slow. As his fingers cleared her face, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. He dropped the umbrella and cupped her face as he kissed her deeper.

He drew his arms around her as she moaned into his kisses. She felt so good in his arms. Her lips followed his caress's energy and returned his kiss with enthusiasm. John shifted and kissed her neck as raindrops followed his path. He spotted a small mole on her neck and kissed it. Marie shivered, and he tightened his embrace. Heat spread over John as he yearned to take her close. He trailed his lips up the other side of her neck and brushed his lips against hers. As he ended the kiss, John's chest swelled with his breath. His hand caressed her face. The sun broke through the clouds and shone on them creating a perfect halo. They stood together and gazed into each other's eyes, stunned by their reaction.

A raindrop dripped on Marie's cheek, and John wiped the drop away with his thumb. "Ye should get inside, get something warm to drink. Ye wouldn't want to be catching a cold." John glanced around the chapel, settled his gaze on Marie, and his thumb caressed her cheek. "The rain will stop tomorrow, and ye can spend all yer time here. Let's go inside for a cup of tea."

John waved to the doorway. Marie stepped through it, and he snapped open the umbrella and stepped beside her. Huddled close, John led her out and down the trail.

John grinned as they strolled down the slope. "Where do rocks sleep?"

Marie shrugged.

He gave her an impish grin. "In bedrocks."

They continued to her bright laughter.

****

"Ye haven't heard a damn word I've said, have ye, John?" Colin's voice snapped John back to the present. He blinked at his friend, his mind still in a haze.

Colin stood, stepped to the table of spirits, and poured a generous portion of whisky into two glasses.

He strode to John, handed him one, and then placed his hand on John's shoulder. "We'll find her. Don't worry. We've been through worse." Colin referred to his adventure when he courted Brielle, which included a trip back in time to restore The Stone of Love for the Fae. An evil Fae threatened her life. Colin risked his life to save her.

John sipped his whisky and stared into the glass at the brown liquid as the liquor glittered in the sunlight reminding John of Marie's golden hair and bright smile.

Next to him, Colin paced in front of the fireplace, sipped his whisky as he counted off the facts. "So, we know she's on a boat with a priest." John ran his hand through his mussed hair as Colin stopped. "Hamish's friend at the Iona Abbey says they were there, confirming they landed in Iona."

John nodded, crossed the study, and stood in front of the window. "I know; ye said as much."

Colin spoke from the fireplace. "Aye, Hamish's friend reported she's conscious and not hurt, but the man isn't nice to her. His friend tried to intercept them, but they disappeared from the property. But ye didn't hear me say they are on their way back here. A fishing boat spotted them and radioed Hamish. They tried to double back, but the shipping lines traveled through. Once they passed, it was too late to catch them."

John turned fast. "They are coming back. My Marie is coming back?"

Colin smiled as he spoke. "Aye, we've laid a trap. Ronnie, Ian, and Conner lie in wait, in shifts. They'll notify me when they spot them around the point coming into the loch."

Colin had a plan. He always had a plan, a backup plan, and a backup to the backup plan.

John took a deep, soothing breath. "Then what do we do?"

Colin grinned. "We get them at the dock and get yer, Marie, back."

Colin's cell phone rang.

John stared at him and his insides shifted. Was she back already?

Colin glanced at the caller I.D., then at John and shook his head.

Damn, it wasn't the guys from the wharf who warned they spotted Marie.

Colin answered his cell and whoever spoke on the other side came clear.

"Bree? Aye, I'm here and in one piece." There came a brief pause, and Colin glanced at John. "Aye, John's a mess. No, we haven't found her yet." Another pause.

"No, Bree, ye will not come to Dunstaffnage. No, I don't care who all ye can get to watch after the twins. Ye are not coming near the stones ever again." The last Colin bellowed loud enough his voice shook the stone walls.

There came a long pause, and Bree's very American voice, high-pitched and angry, yelled from the speaker. Colin and Bree had twins almost a year ago, a boy and a girl who created havoc for their parents. John grinned as he recalled when they dumped maple syrup in Colin's "stinky" boots.

"Damnit, Bree, I said no. Ye will not come here, and ye will not bring the kids. That's final." Colin pushed the button on the phone, ending the call.

He practically panted as he ran his hand through his hair. "Ye sure ye want to find yer woman? They are hell on earth at times."

John stared at his friend and replied, "Aye, I'm already hooked."