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Hoping still to find my lover,
I have wander'd far and near:
O where shall I the youth discover?”
By the time Luch had finished the verse, tears were falling down her face, as she watched the place where the hom
e had once stood. Her expression changed from one of sadness, to joy.
Confused, Macey turned back to the ruins, only to discover a beautiful stone building rising in front of them. It was simple in appearance, but clearly built with love and care. The doorway was arched, created from interlocking stones, and it hardly looked as if it had been touched by time at all. It was exactly the kind of thing Macey had expected, just with a few centuries less of weathering.
“Sleeps he in your breezy shade,
Ye rocks with moss and ivy waving,
On some bank where wild waves laving,
Murmur through the twisted willow?
On that bank, O were I laid,
How soft should be my lover's pillow!”
Macey jumped as the male voice replied to Luch's song. It wasn't what she'd expected. It had an ethereal note to it. Almost like Fedelm when she'd been speaking. But that would mean...
"Bradaigh," Luch exclaimed, jumping into action and running down to the entrance of the Amazon's home.
Macey followed her down, not at all surprised to find her greeting a translucent man. A man who was looking at Luch like she was the only woman in the world.
"It's been a long time, Luch," the man said now he'd stopped singing.
"I'm sorry, Bradaigh. It's taken me this long to find them," Luch replied, reaching her hand up as if to try and touch the ghostly face of the man.
"I know, I've been watching when I can. Except from when you were in that horrible dark place." He shuddered, sending a shimmering light through him. It was an odd thing to watch. Almost like sunlight when it rippled through the surface of the water back in Macey's Loch.
How she missed that place. Before her adventure, it had seemed small and confining. Now, she almost wished she was back in the cool, calm waters, surrounding by the people she'd known since birth. Even if that did mean facing Aunt Nessie again. The only thing stopping her from running right back home and denying anything had ever happened, was the fact she wouldn't have her men if things had gone any differently.
"I'm sorry, it had to be done. I'm protecting us now," Luch said, nodding furiously. Bradaigh nodded.
"I can tell. I'd recognise one of your shields anywhere." He stroked the tip of his finger down Luch's cheek, though they didn't actually touch.
Macey's heart broke for the two of them. There was so much love on display between them, and yet it couldn't be realised. Not unless Luch suddenly learned how to make herself into a spirit. If anyone knew how, it'd be the mouse. Though Macey suspected she'd already have done it if she could.
"These are them?" he asked.
"Yes, these are the newest Wardens," Luch said.
Macey grimaced slightly at the use of newest. She didn't like the fact there'd been so many Wardens before them. Or that they were nothing more than another set in a long line. Even so, the seven of them were unique. They were the first Wardens made up of all supernatural beings. That was a start. If she kept reminding herself of that, then she wouldn't feel too bad about being just the next set.
"And you brought a kelpie? Are you crazy?" Bradaigh demanded.
"After all these years, you're still not going to let go of that stupid prejudice? We both know that neither of your kinds are responsible for it. That has Unseelie written all over it," Luch admonished him.
"It's not about my own prejudices. I couldn't care less. You know as well as I do, that I've known for thousands of years the importance of the Wardens. I'm not going to turn my nose up at her just because she's a kelpie. But the others..." he trailed off.
Macey hissed, and glared at him. There'd only be one creature that talked that way, and she didn't like that he was one of them at all. Though it did explain the song, and the reason this place was so deserted.
"They wouldn't come here, would they?" Luch asked, a slight quiver in her voice that Macey wasn't a fan of at all. Anything that scared the mouse was certainly a bad thing.
