Highland Dream (Book 1)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Aislinn was in the twilight world again. The men and women she usually meets here surround her again. She has no idea who these people are but she knows that they either were or will be an important part of her life. She knows there is a mix. Not all are linked to her past and not all will have any influence on her future, but all of them have or will touch her life in some way. The other thing these figures have in common…she does not know any of them.

Even the ones she can tell are from her past. She cannot place them, name them, and describe them outside of this land. When she was a child she had tried to explain these people to her mother and father, she wanted to know about these important people she saw in her dreams. They had not been helpful, a sound beating and being told to tell no one of dreams like that again. She soon stopped talking about them, and her secret people quickly became her escape from the real world, because no one here hurt her.

They gave her information, but nobody ever spoke. The peace she felt here was reflected in the mood and the silence around her. Usually if she became the centre of attention like this she would be uncomfortable and trying to find a way to escape, because all attention brought was pain. But here it was different, the love she received from no other source allowed her to be whom she never thought she could become in the real world. The person she was in the twilight world was the person she knew someone as strong and powerful as Camdyn needed by his side, but she was not this person in the real world, so only in pretend could she ever think about being with him.

Today, the people around her started to move. The males in the crowd fading out of the way to allow the women to come forward. She stands still and allows them to show them what they will, if she asked they would not show her fully what she needed to know. The women converged, they were old and young alike…she was drawn to one in particular, every time she was drawn to this woman. She looked like Aislinn, same hair, same shaped face and body shape but she was maybe an inch taller than Aislinn. That does not make her tall, but it definitely shows Aislinn it is not an impression of herself.

With the way she acted though each time she appeared Aislinn could not work out whether this was her actual mother, the one who gave her to the people who so inhumanly brought her up, and she was here as an apology for that and to show her she was always loved even if from afar. Or was it in fact her daughter, someone that has yet to be even a thought between her two parents. Aislinn had a feeling that this woman was both, but she took on one personality over another whenever they meant depending upon what needed to be said. This time was different from any other time though, these women started to strip her down as a ladies maid would, not that she had ever had experience of that before.

From nowhere a dress appeared among them. It was the most beautiful garment she had ever laid eyes upon. A stunning soft white with the finest of embroidery covering the entire length of fabric in a floral design of the most brilliant gold. It shimmered pearlescent in the glow of the twilight world. It was lifted above her head fell is a swoop around her. As the corset was tightened she realised the sleeves were of the shoulder and a pendant had appeared about her throat. The biggest, clearest and deepest ruby was set in a teardrop of gold. Her hair was soft and down floating down past her shoulders and back. A circlet of golden flowers, each flower centre was a ruby or sapphire, was placed upon her head. She did not know what was happening or why.

All she knew was that this was important, but this was not showing her a map for the direction she must take, or giving her an item showing her this or that. This action had her completely confused, and she had no one to talk this one through with. If she was found mumbling to herself in the company of so many men they would think her mad and may withdraw their protection. But what this means is even beyond her ken at the moment. Only time will truly be able to tell.

Cam carefully placed Aislinn into Artair’s arms so he could dismount to enter the camp. As soon as his feet hit the ground he reclaimed her for himself, much to the satisfied look upon Artair’s face and Aonghus had the exact same expression several yards behind Artair. Grunting he turned and headed for the small tent his men had set up for Aislinn. He was starting to get worried about her, she had slept since just after leaving the cave and the rest of the day, night had fallen an hour ago and she had missed what little they had for their midday meal. He was concerned about her missing more meals with how thin she already was. The only thing that stopped him from waking her was the expression she wore.

He had never seen someone with such an expression of peace upon their face, even when asleep. There was an entire aura that surrounded her that was soft and peaceful, lulling him in to a belief that whatever she was dreaming of it was a better place than the pain he would be bringing her back to. And pain was something he did not want in her life any more.