Page 35 of Time of the Druid (Stones of Scotland #7)
Chapter 35
N othing could compare to the feeling of life rushing back into her veins. Norah’s limbs trembled, aching with weakness and tingling as sensation crept back into her fingers. Her chest ached from the effort of breathing, each breath sharp and cool like wind cutting across ice. Her tongue felt dry and swollen in her mouth, her lips cracked, as if she hadn’t spoken in years.
She drew in one rasping breath, then another, the sound of it loud in her ears, before she finally dared to open her eyes. Shapes swam before her, blurry at first, then sharpening—until she saw him. Matthew’s face hovered just above her, eyes wide, his brow lined with worry and wonder. The forest behind him glowed faintly with residual magic, the air thick with ozone and the scent of crushed leaves. For a long moment, all she could do was stare, stunned by the sheer reality of him, and the impossible miracle of still being alive.
Hardly able to believe what was happening, she pushed herself upright, wobbling a little. Matthew got to his feet more easily and stretched down a hand to help her up. Unsteady on her feet, but definitely, wondrously alive, she stood beside him, her hand clutching his.
“ What ?” Edmondson asked, his face white and shocked as he stared at the two of them. “What is happening?”
“You forgot about the true power that the stones draw upon,” Matthew said, clutching Norah’s hand even more tightly. “Magic is fueled by love, Father. If only you could have understood that, truly understood that, things might have been different.”
He turned to look at Norah.
“This magic is not like anything I’ve felt before,” he said, speaking so quickly that she could barely understand. “It’s an incredible power, and we need to use it.”
Norah nodded, not quite sure what she was agreeing to.
Then Matthew raised his hand and shouted a word she didn’t know. For the first time, Norah felt what it was like to work magic—not from the outside, but from the inside out. It burst through her chest like a second heartbeat, a tidal wave of light and heat and sound roaring up from deep within. Her skin tingled as if every pore had opened to drink in starlight, and the pressure behind her eyes built until she gasped, her vision filling with radiant white. The power ripped from her body, hot and sharp, tearing a cry from her throat and flinging her arms skyward. She shouted in shock, her whole body vibrating with raw energy, the scent of ozone and earth thick in her nose, her breath catching in awe and fear all at once.
“Stop!” Edmondson called. He and the druids rushed forward, but the wave of magic rolling out from Norah and Matthew threw them back again. At least one druid fell to the ground, and even Edmondson struggled to keep his footing.
“What’s going on?” Norah asked, starting to panic. She’d never felt anything like this before, and this power was definitely coming from somewhere inside her.
“Your love has strengthened my magic,” Matthew said, with the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. “And the stones feel it, too. Let’s wake them up.”
He called something else, once again in a tongue that Norah’s language chip couldn’t interpret. The sound reverberated like a bell struck inside her skull, sending vibrations down her spine. She felt the stones stir awake—first as a flicker of warmth in her chest, then as a surge that thundered through her veins like liquid lightning. Her skin prickled as the hairs on her arms lifted, the air around her thick with crackling energy. A deep, thrumming hum rose from the earth, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
And then, for the first time, she saw them. Hidden moments ago by the trees, the stones now gleamed like molten silver etched with glowing runes. Their light spilled into the forest, turning every leaf into a luminous green jewel, every shadow into a place of wonder. The ground itself shimmered. Magic filled the air, rich and intoxicating, thick with the scent of moss and hot stone and something like summer rain. Norah staggered under the intensity of it, overwhelmed, her chest tightening—not in fear, but awe. For a heartbeat, she thought she might dissolve entirely into the power flowing around her, and the mad, exhilarating part was—she wanted to.
Then Edmondson screamed, throwing back his head as the glow from the stones enveloped him.
“No!” Matthew shouted. “No, not like this! It’s too much!”
“I won’t let you destroy them!” Edmondson shouted, raising his hands and lunging toward Matthew, magic crackling from his fingers in a way Norah had never seen before.
“I’m not the one doing this!” Matthew shouted back. “It’s the stones, Father! Get away from them!”
“They’re mine!” Edmondson called, staggering toward the closest stone, a huge carved cross. “The power will never turn against me!”
Matthew reached for him—both with his hands and with the magic that Norah now felt storming through her blood like lightning unleashed—but he was too slow.
Power erupted from the stones with a sound like a thousand wings taking flight, filling the air with a deafening rush and a blinding whirl of light. The wind tore through the clearing, howling with raw energy, bending trees and pelting leaves like rain. The ground trembled beneath Norah’s feet, and her body vibrated with the sheer force of it, every hair standing on end. The vortex surged into being, spinning tighter and tighter, a glowing maelstrom of golden light and churning magic. It sucked at everything around it, pulling leaves, twigs, even dust toward its centre. And there, right in the heart of it, stood Edmondson, his robes flapping violently, eyes wide with manic elation. Norah watched in horror as the magic condensed and then cracked open the very air, forming a tunnel of pulsing brilliance that stretched into some unfathomable void.
“Father, take my hand!” Matthew shouted, panic in his voice as he lunged for his father.
But Edmondson didn’t reach for him. Instead, he threw himself backward with a triumphant shout.
“Never!” he called.
And then he was gone, the magic wrapping around him and whisking him away out of sight. With a colossal bang that reverberated through Norah’s bones and echoed off the trees like thunder cracking across the sky, a shockwave burst outward in every direction. The force slammed into her chest like a giant's hand, nearly knocking her to her knees. The light collapsed in on itself with a sharp, shuddering snap, and the air went still, eerily quiet after the deafening roar.
Ash drifted through the forest like snow, glinting in the sudden hush. The stones that had moments ago pulsed with unimaginable power now stood dim and cold, their surfaces dull and lifeless. All around them, the forest held its breath.
Norah and Matthew stood side by side, surrounded by a stunned ring of druids, the silence between them crackling with what they had just witnessed—and what might still come.
“Abandon these stones,” Matthew called, his voice strong and powerful, although as Norah reached for his hand, she felt his fingers trembling. “Your magic will not save you.”
To Norah’s shock, the druids scattered like leaves caught in a sudden gust, their panicked footsteps vanishing into the trees. The rustle of undergrowth faded quickly, until even the crack of twigs snapped underfoot was swallowed by the forest. In just a few moments, the clearing fell eerily still. The humming power that had once surged like a storm drained away, leaving behind a breathless, echoing silence.
Norah turned in place, half-expecting someone else to emerge from the woods. But there was only the whisper of wind through the leaves and the faint hiss of ash still falling through the air like silver dust. She and Matthew were entirely alone, as if the entire world had paused to bear witness to what had just passed.
“They gave up rather more quickly than I expected,” she said, letting go of Matthew’s hand and taking a cautious step toward the nearest stone. It seemed safely dormant.
“They didn’t expect to face that kind of power,” Matthew said. “I didn’t have a fraction of that strength when I was on my own.”
He smiled at Norah, but there was a strange sadness in that smile, almost as if he was saying goodbye. Norah felt a sudden rush of foreboding.
“What do we do now?” she asked. “Can these stones take me home?”
Matthew shook his head.
“Norah, nothing has changed,” he said, confirming her worst fears. “I still have to destroy these stones. Time travel has to stop.”
“Matthew, no,” Norah said, seizing his hands, her grip tight with desperation. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears, and the cold weight of dread pooled low in her stomach. “It’s done. Your father is gone. I don’t know where, but I suspect that the time magic will never let him go.”
She looked up into his face, pale with determination, and felt a chill creep down her spine. “You’ve won, Matthew,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Please, don’t destroy these stones. Not when they’ve brought so much happiness. Not when they’ve given us this.”
“They’ve brought a lot of misery, too,” Matthew pointed out. “Families ripped apart, lives brought short. What about everyone you killed, Norah? Those people should have lived.”
Norah winced at how his words cut her heart. Everything he said was true—and yet…
“We can’t undo everything bad that’s happened,” she said firmly. “It happened, Matthew, and that’s all there is to it. You’ve made sure that your father can’t hurt anyone else. Let it go.”
Matthew shook his head fiercely.
“I should have stopped him years ago,” he said. “So many people have suffered, and I didn’t stop him soon enough. I have a chance to undo everything. How can I not take it?”
“Because you have a chance to build your own future,” Norah said, stepping in close and gripping both his hands, her fingers digging into his palms as if she could anchor him in place. Her eyes searched his face, frantic and pleading.
“Don’t throw that away,” she said again, her voice shaking with urgency. Her breath caught, and she blinked back the sting of tears. “We’ve both made terrible mistakes, Matthew, but we can build something better. Your father’s sins are not your fault.”
Matthew stared at her for a long moment. His shoulders trembled, and his breath hitched audibly—as if some great weight had finally slipped loose from his chest. Then he crumpled, a broken breath escaping him as he sagged against her.
Norah staggered under his weight, wrapping her arms tightly around his back to keep them both from toppling. His arms clutched her waist as if he never meant to let go, his forehead dropping to her shoulder, and she could feel the raw relief radiating from every inch of his body. Her own knees buckled slightly with the overwhelming release, with the desperate knowledge that they were both still alive—that he had chosen her, chosen life.
“You’re so right,” he whispered, his voice muffled by her hair. “The stones have been showing me the way all this time, and I never listened any more than he did. Revenge isn’t the answer. Death isn’t the answer. It’s love. It’s always been love.”
Norah tilted back her head slowly, her breath trembling in her chest, her lashes damp with unshed tears. The muscles in her arms ached from holding him so tightly, but she didn’t loosen her grip. Her heart pounded with a wild, hopeful rhythm as she looked up into his eyes, searching his face like it held all the answers. And when their gazes met—his eyes shining with tears, love, and something like awe—her whole body seemed to melt with relief and joy. The storm had passed. They were still standing. And somehow, against all odds, they were still together.
“It’s always been love,” she repeated softly. “And I love you with all my heart, Matthew Edmondson.”