Velvet Haven

magick?”
    “Why not? The grimoire contains the necessary spells. It is most vital that you find this book, Raven, and bring it to me. Only then will we have the means to destroy this threat.”
    Extinguishing the candles, Bran stood in darkness while Cailleach seemed to glow and sparkle in the moonbeams. She looked like an angel, but he knew her for a succubus beneath her goddess guise.
    “There is much you are not telling me,” Bran accused. “I can sense your deception.”
    “I do not know all, Raven.”
    “So much for your pretty speech about fighting this darkness together.”
    “Some things you are not meant to know.”
    “Why? Because you enjoy having the upper hand?”
    “Because it is not the right time to reveal them,” she snapped. She pressed her eyes shut and struggled outwardly for control. When she opened them, she was steadied. Slowly she walked forward till she was standing before him. Once again she was the Supreme Goddess. “There is much I cannot tell you. Already, I have said more than I ought.” Her gaze flickered before holding his. “But know this, Raven. Your time as a warrior has come. You will lead the quest for the flame and the amulet. This I have foreseen. You will command nine immortals whose powers will assist you in destroying this dark magician. It is a destiny that you will not evade, for it will find you. Already it is close.”
    He glared at her. “What if I don’t want it?”
    “It’s too late. Besides, you cannot choose fate. It chooses you.”
    He growled, not liking her answer. He wanted to find his brother and destroy Morgan. He had no desire to be Cailleach’s soldier, but he had no choice. He was king. It was his duty.
    “And the significance of nine?”
    “The beginning and ending of things. Be careful, Raven. There will be one amongst the nine who has immense power. Even more than you. That one will either save or destroy everything we love.”
    “You know a lot more than what you’re telling me. Damn you, Cailleach—”
    “Trust, Raven. You must learn it. In time I will reveal what you need to know. For now, you are ready to begin.”
    She smiled, then reached for him, bringing him close to her before placing a silver chain with a large fire opal pendant around his neck. “This is the only way I can help. Inside this pendant is all you need to protect you. Birch bark for purification and fortification, holly berries for protection and potency in your magick. Leaves of the ivy, for the vine that never fears to go into the dark will guide you through the blackness. Be well,” she whispered, before fading into the mist.
    The beginning and ending of all things . Casting one last look at the empty altar, Bran was left wondering what was ending and what the hell was just beginning.

CHAPTER TWO

    Mairi MacAuley stroked the gilt edges, then traced the flowing words on the wrinkled vellum. The contact gave her an immediate rush. She’d never seen anything so beautiful, so rare. The detail in the artwork was amazing for such a little book. She’d never felt this amount of excitement over an illuminated manuscript.
    But this one was different. Special in a way Mairi couldn’t describe. She should probably feel guilty for taking it, but she hadn’t been able to resist.
    “So this place is, like, totally dead.”
    Mairi looked up from the illuminated manuscript to see the new student nurse she was training flop down beside her. “Probably not the best thing to say in a hospital,” she replied.
    “Besides, the patients waiting behind the curtains don’t want to hear the word ‘death.’ ”
    “You know what I mean. I thought the emergency department would be more exciting and have waaaay more hot doctors. All the docs here are dinosaurs.”
    “ Competent dinosaurs,” Mairi replied. “And you shouldn’t date colleagues. Gets messy.”
    “Speaking from experience?”
    It was a comment full of snark and Mairi refused to rise to the bait. Obviously people had been talking behind her back. Everyone thought it was a laugh that Mairi preferred musty old books to men. But she had her reasons. Reasons no one needed to know.
    “I’m not stupid enough to get involved with on-the-job drama, and you shouldn’t either,” Mairi mumbled as she returned to the book that lay open in front of her.
    “You didn’t actually think I went into nursing to become a nurse, did you?”
    Mairi looked over her student. From her highlighted hair, enhanced boobs, and