The Betrayal Read Free

his young son, Hamish, in Berkshire Castle, far from the Mystical Kingdom. But they returned often, and Allegra’s family was assured that she had found great joy in that other world.
    It had been Kylia who had later found the dragon’s egg, in a nest hidden along the banks of the loch. She had watched the egg hatch, and the tiny dragon grow until it had become, like its forebears, a fierce protector of their land. She felt a heaviness around her heart, thinking about the nest she had recently found, bearing yet another egg. Had the dragon somehow sensed that its time on this earth was nearing an end?
    Kylia thought about her grandmother’s favorite expression. To all things there is a season. There was a rhythm to life, Wilona explained. A time to live. A time to die. A time to learn. A time to love.
    When would it be her turn? Kylia thought as the water began to churn and bubble.
    As if in reply, she saw a shimmering image beneath the waves. Gradually the image came into focus. The face of the man she’d seen dozens of times here in the loch since her childhood. The familiar dark hair, streaming past his shoulders. The gray eyes, deeply troubled. The strong, firm jaw and the cleft in the chin. But instead of fading, as it always had in the past, it came into sharper focus and began to rise up out of the loch.
    Now there was more than a face. So much more. There were broad, muscular shoulders and a powerful chest, barely covered by a length of dripping plaid. In his hand was a sword with a jeweled hilt that caught and reflected the sunlight. His other hand gripped the reins of a horse that followed slowly behind him.
    Both man and beast appeared exhausted and were breathing heavily.
    For a moment neither the man nor Kylia spoke a word, but merely stared at each other with matching looks of surprise.
    When he stepped closer, Kylia found her voice. “The fact that you were able to slay our guardian means that your strength is great, indeed, for Gram says it takes superior powers to overcome the dragon.”
    When he continued staring at her in silence, she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. “Forgive me. My first words to you should have been in greeting. Welcome to the Mystical Kingdom. My name is Kylia. My family is of the clan Drummond. And though your name is not known to me, your face is. For I’ve seen it here in the loch since I was but a child.”
    Grant was incredulous. The woman facing him was no witch. Here was a goddess. Skin as pale as milk. Hair as blue-black and shiny as the wings of a raven, twisted into one fat braid that fell to her waist. Such a tiny waist, tied with a ribbon into which she’d tucked a sprig of heather that matched the color of her eyes.
    Her words of greeting made no sense to him. “You’ve seen me?”
    “Aye.” She spread her hands to indicate the water that was now as crystal clear and dazzling as diamonds. “Here.” She looked up and her smile rivaled the sun. “I always knew one day you would come.”
    “You knew…?” He felt an odd buzzing in his head, and wondered why her voice was fading.
    Her smile vanished. “Forgive my babbling. You’re wounded.”
    “Am I?” He glanced idly at the blood that streamed from his throbbing arm, and started to reach for it to stem the flow of blood. Before he could move, he felt his legs fail him.
    Spots danced in front of his eyes. The buzzing increased in volume until it seemed a hive of hornets had taken over his brain.
    Without a word he dropped to the sand just as the sunlight disappeared from his view and he was engulfed in a tunnel of darkness.

Chapter Two
     
    G rant lay very still, absorbing so many strange sounds and smells. Soft, muted voices. Laughter trilling as gently as music. The sweet perfume of heather, and the mouthwatering scent of meat and herbs roasting over a fire.
    He lay, eyes closed, waiting for the pain he knew would come. He shifted slightly on a pallet as soft as down. In the absence of pain he touched a