Highland magick, p.1
Highland Magick, page 1
Award-winning and bestselling authors Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion join forces once again in an exciting new short-story adventure series… THE TRAVELER: Initiate Years.
* * *
Meet Isobel Brodie…
Recent thirteenth-century Scottish transplant—from twenty-first-century Southern California. New wife to a fearsome Highland laird. Future mom to immortal twins. Rookie warrior drafted by magick to save the unraveling fabric of time.
The dark angel who mentors her calls her Ms. MacInnes.
Prophesy named her… The Traveler.
* * *
Highland Magick: With the rules of the game constantly shifting, Isobel squares off with her reviled enemy in her own backyard. But will she be able to safeguard her clan without exposing the secrets of her magick?
Also by Kat & Stone Bastion
Highland Legends Series
Forged in Dreams and Magick
Bound by Wish and Mistletoe
Born of Mist and Legend
Found in Flame and Moonlight
THE TRAVELER: Initiate Years
Veil of Realms
Secrets of Alexandria
Panther Rising
Stones of Power
Highland Magick
* * *
No Weddings Series
No Weddings
One Funeral
Two Bar Mitzvahs
Three Christmases
For Valentine’s
* * *
Unbreakable Series
Heartbreaker
Rule Breaker
Lawbreaker
Ball Breaker
Icebreaker
* * *
Standalone Novel
The Espionage Effect
* * *
Romantic Poetry for Charity
Utterly Loved
Praise for Other Stories by Kat & Stone Bastion
Awards and Praise for
Forged in Dreams and Magick
* * *
First Place – Unpublished Beacon Award
Best Paranormal Romance
* * *
First Place – Hold Me, Thrill Me Award
Best Paranormal Romance
* * *
Chosen by FreshFiction.com as their Fresh Pick for October 22, 2013
* * *
“A beautifully woven tale about love, choices, courage and destiny, Forged in Dreams and Magick is one of the best time-traveling novels. Fans of Gabaldon’s Outlander will love it.”
Bookish Temptations
* * *
“I was gripping my iPad like a crazy woman and fanning myself from the smoldering romance. Lawdy!”
The Flirty Reader
* * *
“Bastion’s debut is pure perfection, a combination of romance, magic, emotion, adventure and surprising twists and turns. This is a truly unique romance that should not be missed!”
TheBookQueen
* * *
“HOLY HELL!!! I am so… um… wow! FABULOUSNESS. Forged in Dreams and Magick definitely makes my BEST OF list for 2013…”
That's What I'm Talking About
* * *
“A story guaranteed to enthrall with lushly detailed travels into times long gone by. Woven with love, passion, magic and legend, the story had me hooked from the very first chapter.”
Read-Love-Blog
* * *
“Kat Bastion’s wonderful debut brings a new voice to the fore. Her voice is strong and unhesitating, very human and real, sometimes young and delicious in her treatment of intimacy and relationship development.”
Fangs Wands & Fairydust
* * *
“OMG, Bastion hits all cylinders in this supernatural tale. The layers in the book were fascinating, and I devoured the fun, adventuresome read.”
Literati Literature Lovers
* * *
Praise for
Bound by Wish and Mistletoe
* * *
“I LOVED it! Bound by Wish and Mistletoe is, to my mind, a perfect entry in the historical / paranormal fiction genre and has quite a bit to offer.”
Fab Fantasy Fiction
* * *
“Kat Bastion has done it again! … Excellent holiday novella, perfect for a cup of cocoa and snuggling under a blanket in front of the fireplace this holiday season.”
That's What I'm Talking About
* * *
“Move over, Julia Quinn and Sabrina Jeffries! Kat Bastion is an absolutely gifted author and deserves to be recognized for her talent.”
LovesHistorical Book Reviews
* * *
Praise for
Heartbreaker
* * *
“This book has definitely earned its five stars and I am just floored right now. The passion is explosive, the story itself is beautiful, and the emotions are so real my heart is ready to burst. Beautiful book. Absolutely breathtaking.”
One Page at a Time
* * *
“Heartrending, passionate, and captivating! Heartbreaker is a riveting page-turner that will leave you breathless with raw emotions, and the need to hold tight to the ones you love!”
Beneath the Covers Blog
* * *
“This book is all about flawless writing, exemplary storytelling, f*#king insane character development. The right dose of sexy hotness…”
Love N. Books
* * *
“The Bastions are at it again with this beautiful and heartbreaking story. You will absolutely fall in love with Kiki and Darren’s love.”
Under the Covers Book Blog
* * *
“Heartbreaker is a phenomenal story.”
That’s What I’m Talking About
* * *
“I loved it…wonderfully compelling, a story that touched my heart in so many ways and characters I will remember for a long time to come.”
Girl Who Reads
* * *
Praise for the
NO WEDDINGS SERIES
* * *
“One of the best romantic comedies of the year!”
Agents of Romance
* * *
“The No Weddings series is one of the best I have read that follows one couple. Cade and Hannah are both lovable characters, the storyline is real and entertaining, and the banter is fun and witty.”
Lives & Breathes Book Blog
* * *
“I loved it, and I mean REALLY loved it!”
Orchard Book Club
* * *
“This is an exceptional series… You find yourself fully engrossed in their world and can’t put the book down.”
Books -n- Kisses
* * *
“The No Weddings series has a group of such amazing characters; you can’t help but relate to them and feel the emotion in every situation they encounter. It has been a long time since a story has made me feel that way let alone an entire series!”
Under the Covers Book Blog
* * *
“The story of Cade & Hannah’s relationship is realistic, heart-warming, and filled with real-world connections that shook me in a way that few titles I’ve read this year have managed…I have loved every minute of the No Weddings series.”
That's What I’m Talking About
Highland Magick
Kat & Stone Bastion
Contents
Highland Magick
Thank You!
Want to Read More?
Also by Kat & Stone Bastion
Sneak Peek of Found in Flame and Moonlight
About the Authors
Charity Support & Awareness
Highland Magick
The gleaming razor-sharp blade descended toward Isobel Brodie’s neck.
She blocked the deadly blow with her own short sword.
A metallic clang rent the air as the powerful vibration jarred through her forearm.
Pale gray eyes held hers, merciless. “Again,” Brigid demanded.
“No.” They’d been at it for over almost an hour. Isobel’s muscles burned; her blade trembled from the fatigue.
Yet Isobel, thanks to a soul-mate-joining magick box—and all of her involuntary time travel because of it—had become immortal.
Her dear friend and sister-in-law?
Very mortal.
Even so, Brigid gripped the hilt of her borrowed short sword and stared back at her, determination in that flinty gaze.
The midafternoon sun brightened her friend’s eyes to liquid silver. A cute smattering of freckles dusted her nose. Beautiful coppery hair bounced in natural ringlets about a pretty face. And the two women battle-trained in similar deerskin hunting outfits, which they’d decided was far safer than flowing day dresses.
They’d also been sneaking away for the last few weeks to train, so that Brigid’s brother Iain—Isobel’s husband and their clan’s laird—wouldn’t be…upset…by their “antics.”
“I don’t get it, Bridge.” She sheathed her sword into one of the leather scabbards at her hips. “Why the urgency?” Isobel would do anything to protect her dear friend, her beloved people—and had. Would continue to do so. To be an effective friend, not to mention weapons instructor, she needed to understand the motivation behind Brigid’s obsessive drive. But thus far, she’d proved defiantly secretive.
Brigid bit her lip, lowered the short sword she’d borrowed from Isobel, then glanced toward the dense forest that edged Brodie Clan’s land. “Finn’s been gone too long.” Fingall, a warrior of their elite guard. And a man Brigid had been handfasted to, the night before he’d gone missing.
Isobel sighed, heart breaking for her friend. Still. “Not a good reason to punish ourselves. We’re training harder than our best warriors. Warriors duty-bound to recover their lost brother.” Proud Highlanders who’d be horrified to know their innocent young Brigid had taken their task upon herself. Especially Iain. But Isobel didn’t hammer those last well-known points home.
Brigid faced her again, gaze searching hers, as if she deliberated sharing more.
And in those seconds of silence, crashing sounds of swordplay rang out from the bailey, the sprawling courtyard within their nearby curtain wall. Then a relentless succession of metallic clangs, shouts, and grunts followed in what sounded like two warriors engaged in a one marathon sword fight that went on…and on…and on… Far longer than the women had lasted.
It was as if the universe itself reached out to make Isobel’s point.
The glorious blue-sky day, with its perfect touch of warmth, refreshed by a cool breeze and scented with sweet wildflowers, belied the tension between the two close friends. Because no woman at the turn of the fourteenth century in Scotland—most especially within their unique Clan Brodie—would be allowed to take up arms…for any reason. Women were expected to raise children, cook meals, and tend the housekeeping, gardening, and foraging. Only men, who lived and breathed war and protection from the time they were knee high, were entitled to engage in battle.
Isobel, of course, had become the secret exception—one Iain accommodated in order to remain happily married. But Isobel, and for many years, Iain, had also lived in twenty-first-century Southern California. Where women’s equality pervaded its modern culture, even if they’d only been voting there for just over a century.
“Please.” Brigid’s brows lifted in a pleading expression. “I canna explain.”
Isobel dropped her a deadpan look. “Try me.”
“Dreams,” Brigid murmured. “I’ve…” Slender coppery brows furrowed. Full lips firmed into a hard line. After a slow inhale, she sighed. “’Tis but a feelin’. One I doona know how to…”
“Dreams?” Isobel reached out and carefully pried Brigid’s fingers from the hilt of her other short sword. “Feelings?” She sheathed the blade back into her other scabbard.
Brigid gave a solid nod. As if she rested her case on such a vague explanation.
“You’ve gone insane.” Laughing softly, she gave her a fierce hug. “But I love you anyway.”
On her next heartbeat, a burning snap stabbed hard from behind her breastbone.
She gasped at the hot pain and sudden realization.
The timeline tether!
A few seconds warning was all she got. Before she’d be snatched away—catapulted through time—on a mission.
“Gotta go.” She gave Brigid a last quick squeeze, then spun around and hightailed it along the curtain wall.
“Och!” Brigid shouted. “Where’re you off to?”
“Garderobe!” Bathroom break? Pregnant lady? Anyone would believe that excuse. And although Brigid was one of the few who knew of her ability to time-jump, Iain had forbidden Isobel to continue to do so. Because the last time, he’d discovered her unconscious. Under a tree.
“We’ll be meetin’ later?” Brigid called out. “You’ll tell no one?”
Isobel shot her a last glance before rounding the corner. The two women locked gazes. “Yes. I promise.” Brigid’s “later” referred to another clandestine training, after nightfall. To instruct Brigid on stealth approaches. And reconnaissance.
Too many things kept secret.
In the cool shadow of their curtain wall, Isobel slowed as the tug vibrated in her chest again.
The best moment to get plucked out of their time and dropped into another was when she’d gone out of sight of her clansmen. Especially since a recent glitch had developed in the timing of her return. And although she suspected the miscalculation had been caused by a detour she’d chosen on her prior mission, she didn’t know for sure. And she didn’t want to risk angering Iain. Or worse.
Concern made her press a hand to her still-flattish belly. Her mentor, the angel Skorpius, had assured her the twins she’d carried had also turned immortal from all of her time travel and magick wielding. But in the quieter moments, she still worried about their developmental health.
“Like any normal mother would,” she murmured.
As she stood there waiting in the shadows, another tug vibrated. She drew in a deep breath, anticipating a shocking electrical zap.
The bright daylight faded.
But none of the total blackness descended. No shocking zap either.
The cause of the fadeout? A thick solitary cloud had drifted in front of the sun.
Seconds ticked by. Longer than usual.
Then another tug vibrated behind her breastbone.
She frowned. “Huh.” Something felt…different.
The tug hadn’t escalated. The time-jump never materialized.
“Why the vibration, then?” The timeline tether’s fainter quiver acted more like her inner directional compass than any impending transport. In fact, its behavior mirrored the kind of vibrations she’d experienced post time-jump.
“Oh.” As she rounded the corner, a harder tug snapped behind her breastbone as soon as her orientation pointed in the direction of the smithy. “Oh, shit.”
The tether was working just fine. No time-jump required.
Because whatever threat required her attention? Had manifested in her time.
Great. “No problems there. Whatsoever,” she grumbled as she strode with quick steps over the drawbridge. She nodded toward the guard in the tower, then entered their castle grounds.
And her entire world—one she’d fight to the death to protect—greeted her in a vibrant tapestry of activity. Shirtless training warriors packed the open expanse of lawn below the keep. Women bustled about, carrying out their daily afternoon tasks: gardening, beekeeping, laundry. A group of young children squealed with delight, fleeing from an older lad who held his arms stiffly out in front of him, roared like a bear, and slow-stomped after them.
“Too many,” she breathed, suffering from post-traumatic stress after her most recent battle. Because during that last mission, thousands had gotten killed. And although she’d been able to undo the harm, she hadn’t consciously planned the time-rewrite. Newbie her hadn’t known she could save them in such a way. It had been a fortunate accident. One she couldn’t count on replicating.
Anger fired through her veins as the tether vibrated its urgency.
“Not in my backyard.”
Whatever threat had coalesced, she’d deal with it.
The tether pointed toward their auxiliary buildings. And on her way to investigate, she paused by a wooden table in the shade of their stables and scooped fresh water with a wooden ladle. As the cool water quenched her thirst, the sensation of being watched prickled up the back of her neck.
