A/N: I do not own the story or any of the characters from The Covenant. I was intrigued by the storyline from the movie and inspired to start a story in this realm. Any ideas, people and places not recognized in association with The Covenant belong to me and any real life parallels are entirely coincidental.
With that said, now I can relax. Hello everyone and welcome to my new fiction, the very first one in The Covenant world. I hope that you enjoy the ride I plan to give you and it would be wonderful if you dropped me a review to let me know what you think. This will be a multi-chaptered story that will be updated regularly. So without further adieu, I present to you:
Crossroads of Destiny
Chapter 1
The sea below the ancient family seat in Éire was frothing in its fury as it raged against the cliff face. A petite form stared at the roiling water from the comfort of a window seat high atop the estate as rain pounded against the window glass. The entire Isle of Moiré seemed to be in mourning for the loss of the family matriarch.
"Aislinn, it is time."
The still figure turned her head away from the outside forces to stare at her childhood Nanny. Large grey eyes were somber as the young woman rose gracefully from her seat.
"I know Doreen."
The rotund nanny wiped her brown eyes as her charge slowly walked towards the door, her pale skin even whiter in her black mourning dress that matched her raven hair perfectly.
Unable to hold it in any longer she let out a wail of grief. Her longtime friend and employer was dead and her beautiful charge was to be whisked off to America to stay with her only living relative descended from the long bloodline of Turlough.
Slim arms encased in gloves engulfed the older woman in a hug, offering comfort and love. The graying redhead found herself leaning upon her charge's shoulder, for once the roles reversed. Many times had this child come running to her for comfort in the past, but no longer.
At the age of seventeen on the cusp of eighteen, Aislinn had grown into a beautiful, strong woman whose blood was the purest of any living Turlough, directly descended from the ancient royal line of Ciardha, rumored to be blessed with fey blood. Due to her Grandmother's machinations, her existence was kept secret after her mother died in childbirth and Aislinn was sheltered from the world having private tutors and lessons provided by longtime family friends who were sworn to secrecy.
It was not due to shame that Matriarch Brigid Turlough kept her granddaughter secreted away, but out of a fierce protectiveness to protect the last pure descendant of the Turlough clan. A power burned in Aislinn's blood, a power that is the strongest seen in over four hundred years since the time of Elspeth Turlough.
The women of the Turlough clan, at least the true descendants of the bloodline, have always had some extra sensory powers. Whether the power is the Sight, Empathy or even in some cases Healing, none had ever had the capability to the degree that Aislinn had.
And it had worried Brigid Turlough endlessly.
Sniffling, Doreen stepped back and gave Aislinn a stern once over.
"Are you performing?" She asked in a nasally voice.
Smiling softly, the raven-haired teen responded. "Yes, Doreen. Máthair always loved to hear me play. Particularly towards the end."
Her smile dimmed as she recalled many nights standing at the foot of her grandmother's bed and playing a lively tune on her fiddle. Sometimes her grandmother would request that she use the electric violin, wanting to feel the sheer power of the instrument deep in her blood, her bones.
As a fellow music lover, Aislinn understood what her Máthair meant. Those times were some of the best in her memory.
"Has my estranged cousin arrived yet?"
Doreen smiled sadly as she nodded. "Alana arrived a few hours ago with her son Tyler. He's your age, you know."
"Yes. I know. Máthair was very thorough in her tutoring. I am familiar with the prestigious history of the Sims, being one of the oldest families in Ipswich, Massachusetts. I can recite their family tree, but I do not know much about them as individuals. Likes, dislikes, things like that."
The former nanny eyed her charge speculatively. " And are they aware or your uniqueness?"
"Cousin Alana of course is, being Máthair's niece. But she follows the same code as all Turloughs. She has not and will not reveal our clan's secret."
"Was she one of the blessed ones?"
Aislinn shook her head. "No. She was Máthair's niece by marriage. Besides you know, very few of past three generations have been blessed."
"And none as much as yourself." Doreen said with a sniffle.
The slender woman smiled wistfully. "Máthair always said that I was thrice blessed, a true daughter of Éire."
A knock on the door interrupted the two women.
"We have to go. That is most likely Kerry, hurrying us along."
"Go on Doreen. I just need another minute."
Nodding in understanding, the former nanny left the room in a swish if skirts. Alone, The Daughter of Éire glanced around her room, her grey eyes mournful. Breathing deeply, she smoothed her dress with her gloved hands before turning on her heel and exiting.
She had a funeral to attend.
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Tyler Sims was bored. Utterly bored. He had been stuck inside of the Rolls Royce since they landed in Dublin three hours ago. Granted, the car was every man's wet dream come true, but the ride was l-o-n-g. Not to mention the fact that he was stuck with his mother who kept prattling on about the ancient family seat of Turlough. He didn't see what the big deal was, after all his lineage was rather important as well. Being one of the sons of Ipswich was a proud heritage, one that he would not trade for the world. Even with the possible addiction of his powers. Seeing the result of Caleb's ascension and Chase Collin's dementia had sobered all of the Sons of Ipswich into acting more responsibly and taking their powers seriously. It was hard to believe that it had only been three weeks since the battle between Caleb and Chase took place.
"How much longer?" He asked his mother impatiently.
"Just over that hill, and we will have come to the borders of the family estate." She responded almost excitedly.
Tyler raised his eyebrow and was ready to comment on his mother's excitement when his cell phone vibrated indicating a text message. He flipped it open eager for the distraction. It was from his best friend Reid Garwin.
U there?
Y. N 1 Piece.
U OK?
Bored.
No hot-ez?
N car 3 hrs. Not there yet.
Suckz.
Y. M is crazy. Won't stop talk….
HOLY SHIT!
What? Ty? What?
A fing castle!
NO WAY!
4 real! Gotta go.
Tyler flipped his phone closed as his mouth hung open in absolute shock. A goddamn castle loomed in the distance. A huge, turret ridden, honest to god castle!
Un-fucking-real!
His eyes drank in the moss-covered walls greedily as the car drew closer. He could see the modernized parts of the stone edifice and perfectly manicured lawns. He took a picture with his phone, several in fact before sending them out to the other sons of Ipswich almost robotically.
"Mom, you lived here?" He asked hoarsely.
"Only for about six months before we moved back to the States after my father remarried."
Seeing Tyler's confused expression she elaborated. "Brigid Turlough was my Aunt by marriage. My father married her sister after my mother died. She welcomed me into the family and treated me as a true Turlough."
"So, this Aislinn Turlough is what? Your second cousin?"
"Actually, we, the Turlough clan, could never keep all of the relations between cousins right. So we settled on just simply labeling everyone as cousins."
The car pulled in front of the enormous wooden doors that had intricate carvings of the sea and was supported by massive wrought iron hinges. The youngest Son of Ipswich exited as the driver helped his mother out. The massive doors opened and a tall figure stepped out.
"Mrs. Sims. Welcome back! It has been too many years since you were here last."
"Kerry? Is that you?"
A smile broke out on the elderly man's face. "Indeed it is Mrs. Sims."
"Alana, Kerry. Call me Alana."
Tyler didn't know what surprised him more. The warm smile on his usually reserved mother's face or the fact that she had no trouble understanding the man's thick Irish brogue.
"And this must be young Master Tyler."
The teenager shook the proffered hand. "Pleased to meet you sir."
"Oh ho! Such manners! Are you sure he is yours Alana?"
"Kerry! I wasn't that bad."
Tyler couldn't resist a chuckle at the skeptical look on the older man's face. Clearing his throat, Kerry ushered them inside before following after them.
If the teenager thought the outside was impressive, there was no comparison to the inside. Numerous sconces lit the entrance hall illuminating the numerous tapestries lining the wood paneling depicting various scenes of nature and battles. While mostly devoid of furniture there were a few tables and wall hanging mirrors spread strategically around the hall. He could see three benches lining the walls as the walked further into the entrance hall.
Impressed, Tyler continuously snapped pictures with his phone, pausing when he passed a disturbing tapestry depicting a witch burning at the stake in vivid detail. He carefully took another picture making sure to include all of the sewn words that was faded somewhat with time.
Kerry led them to another set of doors and threw them open before standing proud.
"Welcome to Éire. The ancient family seat of the clan Turlough."
Gaping, Tyler mechanically followed behind his mother and their guide taking in the sheer magnitude of the place. Various décor lined the rooms they passed, very old and in excellent condition. His brain was having trouble assimilating all of the history that was contained in these walls.
For the first time he could truly understand his mother's excitement of returning here. He ascended a massive staircase, eyeing the paintings lined on the walls. The work was exquisite even to his untrained eyes.
"Here you go Master Sims. This here is your suite."
The teenager snapped his attention back to their guide and nodded his thanks.
"Thank you sir."
"Your mother's rooms are further down the hall. You have time to rest before the service if you so desire. If you need anything, pull the rope by your bed and a servant will be up shortly afterwards to attend to you. Someone will collect you in time for the service."
"Thank you."
Saying his goodbyes, the handsome man entered his rooms closing the door firmly behind him. Finding his luggage already here, he immediately went to unpack his laptop. Booting it up, he took a long look around his quarters for the next week, finding them rather comfortable and simply decorated in warm earth tones.
Recalling that the castle had Internet connection, he quickly logged online, glad for the wireless capabilities. Typing up a quick message, he plugged his phone in and downloaded the photos he had taken to his brethren back in Ipswich. Sending off his message, he closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair.
Suddenly, he felt tired as his body needed to adjust to being six hours ahead. Maybe he would take a nap like Kerry suggested.
After all, he needed to feel well rested when he met Aislinn Turlough. Hopefully they would get along just fine since they would be both attending Spenser academy together and his mother and himself were the only living relatives she had left.
Unfortunately, he had a feeling that she would be a stuck up bitch having been born and bred in a castle and treated like a princess all of her life. He felt no regret at his snap judgment of her. He was used to the snobby girls of Spenser coming from money and lots of it.
It never occurred to him that he could be utterly wrong.
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"I am sorry for your loss."
Aislinn gritted her teeth and kept her smile plastered on her face as she thanked the umpteenth guest. She stood in the receiving line eyeing the long line of people who had attended the service.
She sighed as she braced herself to greet the next guest. She turned her attention to a striking older woman accompanied by a handsome man around her age fiddling with his cell phone.
"Aislinn? I am your cousin Alana. Alana Sims. And this is my son Tyler."
Smiling brilliantly at finally being able to meet her distant cousin in person the heiress shook her hand before replying in her soft brogue.
"It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you. Máthair would tell me stories of your brief stay here at Éire."
"Lies. All lies." Alana said with a twinkle in her eye.
Aislinn laughed softly at that. "I am sure. Just as the stories of my misadventures are false."
"Exactly!"
The two women exchanged smiles.
"Tyler, say hello to Aislinn."
The tall, blue-eyed teenager stepped forward to greet her with the hand not holding his phone.
"Pleased to meet you." She said softly.
"Likewise."
A moment of uncomfortable silence descended the trio. All Tyler could do was stare at the mesmerizing young woman in front of him. He had covertly taken a few pictures of her as he stood further back in line, and now that he was up close he could not help but record a small video of her interaction with his mother to send to his friends later.
"Well, we had better be moving along since there are tons more guests for you to greet."
A grimace crossed Aislinn's face causing Alana to laugh. She patted the younger woman's hand.
"We have plenty of time to chat later my dear."
"Of course cousin. It was a pleasure to meet you in person. You too Tyler." Aislinn said with warmth.
Saying goodbye, mother and son made their way to the reception hall, following the throng of guests.
The heiress of the estate stared after them a moment before her attention was captured by the next guest.
With a heavy heart she saw that it was Lord Jasper Hamilton, an Englishman in his late twenties who was after the family estate. Unfortunately for her, that meant he needed to pursue her hand in marriage in order to gain control of Éire.
"Lady Turlough, you still look absolutely breathtaking in your time of grief. I am truly sorry for your loss."
It took all of her willpower not to flinch as the coldly handsome man kissed her gloved hand.
"Thank you for your compliment Lord Hamilton. Though looking pretty is the farthest thing from my mind I can assure you." She said coolly, yanking her hand from his grasp.
"But of course. Forgive me for being so callous." His frigid blue eyes bored down into hers.
"Yes, well, thank you for coming. Now if you will excuse me, I have other guests to attend to."
A flash of irritation appeared in his eyes at her dismissal but he covered it with a cold smile. He inclined his head before moving on.
She shuddered as he left her presence, for once glad that she would be an ocean away and from him soon enough.
She leaned over to Doreen and Kerry and excused herself pleading exhaustion. Smiling in sympathy, Doreen nodded having seen the interaction between her charge and Hamilton.
"Go, take a break sweetheart. I'm sure the guests can manage without you for a little while."
Aislinn quietly slipped away, and made her way upstairs away from the guests. She made her way to the Hall of Portraits, her refuge.
She seated herself on the window seat overlooking the raging sea and leaned her head against the cool glass.
God, she just wanted all of this to be over with. As much as she loathed leaving her home, she was ready to spread her wings and take flight. She technically would not inherit the family seat of Éire until she was twenty-five, though she was already recognized as the matriarch of the extended clan of cousins.
The Turlough clan, while sticklers for a lot of customs, could be lax when it suited them. And it suited them to look to Aislinn as the Head of the family.
"Am I disturbing you?"
Startled, she jumped slightly. Snapping her head around she saw Tyler standing a few feet away.
"I did not mean to scare you."
She stood, her hands clasped in front of her.
"It is quite alright. I was lost in my thoughts. But what are you doing here?" She asked abruptly.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I got lost trying to find my room."
She smiled. "I can show you if you wish."
"Thank you. I would appreciate it."
They walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke, her soft brogue breaking the ice.
"What is Spenser like?"
"I guess it is like any other prep school. Full of rich kids who do stupid things for kicks."
She smiled. "You sound like my online pen pal. He told me almost the exact same thing you just did. He attends a prestigious boarding school as well, though I never did think to ask which one."
She laughed, a wonderful sound to his ears.
"I was actually curious about the extracurricular activities. My pen pal says that he is on the swim team with three of his best friends, and it sounds like something I would enjoy. I absolutely adore the water. Máthair used to say that I had to have been born part dolphin."
Tyler had gone rigid at her recognizable description of her communication with her online pen pal. Her reference to being part dolphin was eerily familiar too. He stopped in his tracks.
"Irishprey400?" He asked, heeding his inner voice that was screaming at him saying that this was his long-time pen pal..
She whirled around to face him. "How did you know….?" Her eyes widened.
"Mson4?" She asked cautiously.
A huge grin lit up Tyler's face. "I don't believe it! How cool is this? Here I was afraid of how to talk to you only to find out that you are the pen pal I've had for the past two years!"
"It is a relief for me as well. I was rather unsure of how to talk to you myself seeing as we come from two totally separate worlds. It is nice to know that you are already my friend."
"Nice, are you kidding? This is great! Just wait until I tell the guys!"
She smiled again. "I guess this really is a small world. Máthair used to say that no matter how much you might think you know about something, there is always a different side to learn."
"Smart woman."
"Yes, she was. I miss her sorely and I will miss this place when I move to your country. I am a bit nervous about that you know."
Tyler smiled at his petite companion. "Don't worry. The Sons of Ipswich will take good care of you."
"I don't doubt that Tyler. Just remember, I will be over there to finish my education, not socialize. I have already taken my placement exams and hopefully with the proper letters of recommendation and grades I can get into Oxford. I am lucky enough to have been tutored by world-class teachers who were very close friends with the Turlough family. I think that as well as money is what made my enrollment into your school so very easy."
Tyler let out a low whistle. "Oxford huh? You could always attend a college back in the States. We do have quite a few really good ones, you know."
"I know. I am not that naïve that I will not keep my options open, but Oxford is where the current of life is presently pulling me."
Seeing his confused expression, she explained. "The current of life is much like an ocean current. Constantly pulling you along your path unless you have the strength to break free."
"I must say, I have not heard that comparison before. But I think it suits you." He mused.
She laughed. "Well, you did not grow up here at Éire where the sea is your constant companion."
"True enough."
They continued walking in silence for a few minutes before the youngest Son of Ipswich had a thought.
"What do you mean that you don't plan to socialize? What about hanging out with friends, partying, boys, things like that."
She stiffened and turned her face away.
"Aislinn? What is wrong? Was it something I said." He asked puzzled at her reaction to his innocuous question.
She turned her grey eyes on him and he was stunned at the sadness reflected in them.
"Do you remember when we first started writing to each other how often I wrote to you?"
"Yes." He answered slowly.
"Do you also recall my response when you asked if I had a boyfriend?"
He wracked his brain trying to remember. Frustrated he shook his head negatively.
"I said that I was unable to love, God made it so."
"That's right. But you never explained what you meant."
She sighed wearily. "I have too much to do before I can even think about a man in my life in a romantic fashion. I do not have the luxury that other women my age do. I have a great responsibility as the Head of the Turlough clan and I cannot allow myself to be distracted by something as insignificant as a man."
He gave her a long look, his lips pressed together in irritation.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!"
She recoiled from the anger in his tone and his hurtful words. She breathed deeply before responding quietly.
"Maybe it is stupid to you, but not to me. There are many things that you do not know about me Mr. Sims, and if you did, you would understand that I am not someone a man would consider having a relationship with. Like I have said, I am unable to love. God made it so."
She stopped by another hallway and motioned with her hand. "You will find your quarters down there, fifth door on the left. I must get back to my guests. Goodnight, Mr. Sims."
Her formal tone of voice made him want to kick himself for bringing a halt to her good mood. He did not understand what had happened and was sad that their comradeship at finding out that they were old pen pals was now over with.
"Goodnight Aislinn. Thank you for showing me the way." He said stiffly.
She nodded once before turning on her heel, leaving him to stand alone in the hallway. He stared after her as she disappeared from view, replaying the last moments of their conversation in his mind.
There was something secretive about Aislinn Turlough, something she was not sharing with him. Now that he thought about it, he could recall numerous times in the past where certain things she had said in their correspondence was odd, such as that whole statement that God made her so she was unable to love. Whenever he called her on it in the past, she would brush it of or give an answer that made no sense to him.
Suddenly, a picture of the witch burning tapestry flashed across his mind in vivid detail.
Maybe the secrecy wasn't just with Aislinn herself. Maybe it was with the bloodline. He was determined to find out and he knew just the person to ask. He would wait until morning and then confront his mother.
If anyone knew and could tell him, it would be her.
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A/N: Next chapter, we will catch up with the other Sons of Ipswich and see what's been going on in their lives. I will gloss over a lot of Tyler's week stay in Ireland, but do so in a manner that helps the story flow.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and the introduction of Aislinn Turlough the heroine of the story.
Yes, I will have Chase Collins in this story as well. I know, I know, unoriginal. But what can I say, he makes a wicked cool bad guy.
Drop me a line and let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading!
F.L.