Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (11 page)

“Meghan, just call me Meghan, please,” I said, stepping away and holding my hand out to the woman at the top of the stairs.

She took my hand as if she had no idea what to do with it.  I shook, and she quickly caught on.

“It's nice to meet you,
”
I said.

“And I you, Meghan.”

She smiled again.

“As
Briant said
, my name is Melvina and I am the head cook here at Luathara.  If you have any complaints with the food, please let me know and I’ll do all I can to improve it.”

Briant huffed and said, his voice full of pride, “No one can make a better meal than my wife.”

Melvina pulled a dish towel from the belt she wore around her waist and smacked him with it.

“Hush you!” she hissed, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

I turned and looked at Cade.  First a steward, now a cook?  Where had all these people come from?  They hadn't been here the last f
ew times I'd visited the castle
.  I asked him using
shil-sciar
.

They all have homes in Kellston, but I invited them to live in the castle and aid me when I started the construction.  Melvina and Briant have an older daughter who is married and she now lives in their old house.  We can’t live in a castle without the proper staff.

I swallowed. 
We
.  Living together . . . in a castle.  Sure, he had said it was up to me whether I lived with Danua or stayed with him, but it really hadn't hit me until just now.  Was this really happening?  Had he discussed this
with my dad?  Was I really going to live in the Otherworld with Cade in a castle?  I snorted inwardly.  And to think, I had just told him I wasn’t a princess.

Once we were properly ushered inside, and my wayward thoughts were left for another time, I discovered more wonderful changes.  Colorful rugs decorated the floor and
detailed
tapestries hung on the tall, stone walls.  All the windows were repaired and clean, making the place feel bright and airy.  Melvina excused herself, claiming she had to prepare the evening meal, something that would be grander than usual since I had arrived.  I tried to tell her not to worry on my account, but she only brushed me off and disappeared down one of the many hallways branching away from the entrance hall.

“Well, I shall le
ave
you two alone then,” Briant said, clapping his hands
together
.  “But there are some missives in your study you might want to look at
,
my lord.”

He bowed to Cade and then turned to leave.

I arched a brow and gave Cade a questioning look.  He only smiled.

“My l
ord?”

He shrugged, unbothered by the comment.

“When you own a castle in
Eile
, you officially become the lord of the castle and the land belonging to it.”

“How much land?”

Another shrug.  “Several thousand acres.”

I dropped my arms and gaped.  Several
thousand
?
!

“Cade!  Why did you never tell me any of t
his?
”

He backed away slightly, stepping out of the ray of light streaming in from one of the tall windows.  Some of that smugness he’d been exuding a few moments ago vanished and he looked uncertain.  He ran his fingers through his hair and took a breath.

“For the same reason I never told you about the
riastrad
and my own heritage.  I was afraid you would realize I wasn’t good enough for you.”

Tears sprung
in
to my eyes, not because I was hurt he hadn't trusted me enough to tell me these things, but because he had been afraid to do so.

“Oh Cade.”

I stepped forward and pulled him close, wrapping my arms around him beneath his cloak.  Cade returned the embrace and rested his cheek against my hair, one hand placed behind my head.

“How could you ever think you weren’t good enough for me?”

“You are the daughter of our high queen, and I am the son of her worst enemy
,
” he whispered.

I cringed, remembering the conversation he had overheard the last time I’d talked to, no,
argued
with, Danua.

I pulled away just enough to look him in the eye.  I lifted my hands and held his face, the way he often held mine.
 
“Nothing will ever convince me to stop loving you Ca
e
de
hn MacRoich
, nothing.”

He sighed and I reached up to kiss him, a gentle brush of our lips that left me wanting more.  I dropped back down to lean into him again, resting my head against his chest so I could hear his heartbeat.  We stood like that for goodness knows how long, the bright mid-day light streaming down into the massive entrance hall, bringing the brilliant earthy reds, greens and golds of the rugs and tapestries to life.  The sounds of men shouting, children laughing and stones being fitted into place rung throughout the castle, but I didn’t mind.  This was my new home and I wanted to soak in every
last
detail of it.

Eventually, Cade
planted a kiss on my forehead
and took a step back.

“I have to check on those missives Briant was talking about.  Why don’t you go rest or find one of Melvina’s
undercooks to make you some tea.
”

I regarded him with an arched eyebrow but only said, “I’d like to explore the rest of the castle, if that’s okay.”

Cade grinned, seeming pleased.  “I’ll be in my study if you need me.”  He indicated a carved oak door down one of the side passages, opposite to the one Melvina had disappeared down earlier.  I nodded.

“Your bags were taken up to your room if you need anything.  Your bow and quiver as well.”

Cade’s eyes glittered and I wondered if maybe he had set up an archery range somewhere on Luathara’s several thousand acres.  I shivered in anticipation.  I had grown very fond of my bow and arrows.  Perhaps we could practice later.

A sharp bark and the familiar screech of a merlin broke through the general ruckus outside, and Fergus and Meridian came flying through the open door.  Well, technically Meridian was the only one flying, but Fergus was moving at top speed.

I smiled again.  Somewhere between the dolmarehn and Luathara’s courtyard, I’d lost track of them.

Meridian came to rest on my shoulder and started cuddling against me with excitement.

Home!  Magic!  Happy!
she sent.

I laughed. 
Yes, pretty Meridian.  Home.

Cade gave my hand one more squeeze, then dropped it and headed down the hall.  I took a deep breath and spun around, Meridian clinging to my shoulder with her sharp claws.  It was a little daunting, exploring Luathara while everyone around me seemed busy with work.  Perhaps I could find someone who could use my help.  Despite having visited the castle a few times before, I’d only ever seen this entrance hall, my room upstairs, and the great patio out in back that led to the cavern full of dolmarehn in the hillside.

"Want to explore with me?" I asked my spirit guide.

She chittered happily and fluffed her feathers.  Fergus panted and wagged his tail at my side.  Looks like I'd have company after all.

Smirk
ing
like an imp ready to make mischief
, I decided to start with the first floor.

Luathara was filled with many rooms, some small, some larger.  Most of them looked like spare bedrooms, but a few spaces resembled studies as well and I even found a
set of
doors that led down further into the belly of the fortress.  I imagined a wine cellar or even an old dungeon awaited at the bottom.  Shivering at the thought, I
didn't venture any
further than where my imagination took me.

At one point I popped into the kitchen,
the vast room
bright, spacious and warm from the fires in the ovens, to see if Melvina needed any help.  She promptly shooed me away, claiming that she wanted the meal to be a surprise and that she didn’t want Fergus getting into anything.  I had just enough time to catch a glimpse of the dried garlands of herbs and vegetables hanging from the rafters and to detect the scent of something delicious bubbling in a cauldron over one of the fires before my curiosity was cut off with the click of the door closing
in my face
.

Of all the rooms I discovered, however, the library was the most impressive by far.  Located towards the back of the first floor, it was the largest room next to the entrance hall and just a tiny bit bigger than the dining room I’d stumbled into just a few moments before.

Several comfortable looking chairs and a few couches were scatte
red about, and a giant, diamond-
paned window stretched from ceiling to floor, taking up most of one wall.  The rest of the walls were dominated by bookshelves housing tomes that looked as old as the Book of Kells.  I desperately wanted to take my time exploring this one room, but there was so much more to see.  I shut the door with a soft click and made a mental note to come back one day when I could take my time looking around.

Once I was finished with the inside
of the castle, I made my way out the front door, Meridian still gripping my shoulder and Fergus trailing us like a puppy.  The courtyard was noisy and dusty, what with all the construction going on, so I looked around for a way out.  If I wanted to get away from all the ruckus, I could simply slip through the portcullis and cross the bridge.  Perhaps I might even find Speirling, Cade’s black stallion, grazing in the fields.  But I already knew what lay
that way.  I wanted to see more of the castle
grounds
.  A sharp whistle pulled my attention to
a small stone archway.
Fergus released a bark,
then took
off to chase a young boy through a small gate.  Aha, that would be a good place to start . . .

I quickly followed after him, passing through the arch and stepping into the small gardens I had seen earlier.  Up close, the space appeared to be much larger, the far end backing into the same hillside where the waterfall and dolmarehn could be found.  Luckily, the water cascading
down
the hill fell on the other side of the castle, so no mist bothered us here, although a narrow creek snaked along the garden’s edge to disappear under the great stone wall I recognized as the base to the patio on the second floor.  I
suspected
it flowed past the garden
to join
up with the larger stream that
formed
a makeshift moat
around the castle
.

Fergus barked somewhere in the maze of herbs and plants up ahead, so I followed the crushed gravel track around flower beds overflowing with lavender, rosemary, thyme, yarrow and a variety of other herbs whose names I didn’t know.  I trailed
the wolfhound'
s
excited barks and after bypassing a bed of mint, a happy scene greeted me.  In the center of the garden stood a small fountain and around the fountain ran the boy who’d whistled at Fergus.  Two little girls, their looks so similar they m
igh
t have been twins, chased after the dog and the boy, squealing in delight, their light red hair trailing in braids behind them.

“Niall!" a young woman kneeling in a muddy flowerbed shouted.  "Stop playing with that dog and get back over here and help me with these weeds!”

“He’s not a dog!  He’s a spirit guide, Lord Cade’s spirit guide!” the boy responded, out of breath as Fergus yipped at his heels.

Play!
  Meridian sent before leaping from my shoulder.

Before I could say anything, she dropped from the sky and made an arc in front of the boy.  I knew she was just joining in the game, but her sudden appearance startled him and he
jerked to a halt
, letting go a small screech.  Fergus didn’t have time to stop, so within the time span of two seconds, the boy, the spirit guide and the two little girls were in a jumbled heap, legs and arms, both Faelorehn and wolfhound, scrambling to get up.

“Niall!  Oriana, Wynne!” the girl weeding the flowerbed cried, jumping to her feet and lifting up her mud-stained skirts to run to
wards
the others.

“Oh no!” I shouted, bolting from where I stood to join her.  “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.  My spirit guide, Meridian . . . she likes to play.”

I felt guilty, even though I know Meridian meant no harm.  Eventually, the girl was able to pull the boy and two other girls free of Fergus, and to my relief they only had a few scratches.  The two little girls were crying, but only sniffling at the shock of being rolled around on the gravel with a giant wolfhound.  Fergus had trotted off to the side,
tail between his legs and
looking somewhat shamefaced.

I knelt down to help.  “Is everyone okay?”