Chapter 31 - Veil

The beat of Matt's heart pounded violently in his ears, the dull thud echoing as loudly as a hammer. The regal woman beside him intently watched his every move, as though searching for a sign he'd break like the small twigs beneath their feet while they walked deeper into the heart of the vast Olympic forest. It was not fear which drove him, but a call, an awakening pulsing through the air, singing his name... Mathúin... Mathúin.

She'd followed him tonight, tearing out the door and chased him down the street. If there was one thing that he'd learned in the past few years, Leah Clearwater was difficult, if not impossible to ignore. In truth, he could have denied her. There was magic in him; enough so that he could slip away, effectively stopping the wolf in its tracks. Yet, he did not. Perhaps it was the power of the gods, or the growing attraction he'd felt for her this past year... or maybe it was how she looked so ridiculous and beautiful at the same time, sprinting down the sidewalk in four inch pumps and a pencil skirt bunched up over her knees. Whatever the reason, he had not the heart to deny her this request.

Further they climbed, traversing rocky switchbacks looming far above the headwaters of Puget Sound. Higher and higher they pushed, until the heated muscles in their legs shook, aching with physical exhaustion. Like Moses ascending Sinai in the wilderness, the pair made their way toward sacred ground, its secret hidden deep within the heart of Cascadia.

Standing on the precipice of a steep cavern wall, the longing to see his people filled him with a mad sense of excitement. Matt's eyes looked to a small grotto of shimmering golden light barely visible behind the waterfall which ran into the heart of Pyramid Mountain. It was a sudden release to see it there, to know that it still existed after all this time. The ancient power of his people ebbed and flowed with the water crashing amid the canyon base. The whispered songs of Tír na nÓg called him home.

"This is where I leave you." Squeezing her hand once in a gesture of goodbye, he quickly began the descent toward his journey home.

The walls of the cavern were treacherous, too dangerous for a human to scale alone without the aid of modern equipment. Which was precisely the point. Once, the portal had been on a mountaintop, as were many of the mystical entrances to the human world. Wars, climbers, airplanes and technology changed that. In a world of satellite imagery, secrets that were once hidden could now be stumbled upon far too easily.

As he descended the slippery outcrop, the tattoo across his chest came alive, pulsing wildly with the magic of the fae. With every cautious step, the glimmer of light grew brighter, larger, proving it was not an illusion. Shadows of rock fell beneath his feet into the foamy blue water below, highlighting the natural beauty which surrounded all such things connected to the Sidhe.

All the while, Leah Clearwater was watching.

The moment he dropped her hand, the breath of her body ceased, leaving her gasping and fighting for air. As Matt drew closer to the light, a pain in her chest rose until it strangled the breath from her body. The sudden urge to follow him tonight had both frightened and excited her at the same time.

Old Quil did not know from whence his powers came. A gift from the gods. The blessing of the Thunderbird. Chosen by the ancestors to heal and protect the tribe. He believed she was the next chosen one to which the knowledge, the power would be passed. The time would come he told her, when a presence would appear before her as a mighty angel to fill her with the timeless knowledge of the mystics.

Seeing the gateway near the base of the waterfall, Leah suddenly understood that her fate was tied to the magic that lay on the other side. Tied to the man who was about to leave this world for the next. The pulse of it pounded through her veins like a drumbeat, calling to her, demanding she follow. Then, as Matt stood before the glow, the illusion of man fell away, allowing her to see clearly what he was for the first time.

The raw power which radiated from the center of his being, both beautiful and terrible at the same time, illuminated his body in the waning moonlight. Everything about him, from the glow of his skin to each silken strand of ebony hair was a living, breathing thing. A sheen of silver marks on his chest, with all the magic of an ancient rune, glimmered like the tip of a silver sword drawn before battle. The emerald of his eyes held her gaze, rendering her helpless. Unable to move, unable to tear herself away from the one thing that bound her to this place.

"Wait!" she cried. Then before either could blink, the arc of her body sliced through the air, landing in the violent ripple of water below. With prenatural grace, she scrambled up the rough wall of rock as though it were no more than a mere stage and she were the dancer.

Face to face with a living god among men, her lips found his with a passionate furor, communicating a wild desperation that he might leave, never to return, never to know that she understood his secrets... and wanted him in spite of it.

"Leah..." Even as he spoke her name, it was not enough. Too small a name for this woman whose strength and beauty bore all the hallmarks of an ageless faerie goddess. Without thought of the consequences, he made a decision. One that could be the destruction of them both, or perhaps, just the beginning of a long journey.

Grasping her hand, he forced the tip of one finger across the jagged rock behind them until the flow of blood dripped freely from beneath her copper skin. Then quickly, before the wound could seal itself, he unhesitatingly drew it over the mark on his chest.

The silver tree, imbued with the magic of his people breathed with the offering of essence. His eyes watched her carefully, knowing what she saw. Leaves unfurled from the branches, small silver apples ripened and blushed with the stain of red, even as the sustaining force filled her own being with the all-encompassing power of the fae. Life begets life. "Come with me," he asked, allowing her an infinitesimal moment in which to decide.

It was she who first stepped into the light, leading them through the thin veil of this world to the next.

ooo000ooo

Silently, he watched the raven strands of her hair blowing in the rustling breeze. Thin gossamer curtains, lighter than silk, swirled over the balcony, wrapping her body in a halo of light. Dressed in the clothing of his people, from the fine sandals upon her feet to the thin girdle of gold wound about her waist, Leah Clearwater appeared as an angel before him, silhouetted by the soft pink skies of Tir-na-nog.

When they'd passed through the veil of shadow, the admiration painted upon her face loosened the pain from the roots of whence it came, revealing new life which sprang eternal in her soul. Never before had he seen such beauty embodied by one woman, nor the words to encompass all such joy in the transformation.

For as far as the eye could see, a lush, velvet carpet of verdant green stretched over rolling hills and sweeping valleys of white blossomed clover. A golden glow cast by the three moons of Selene hung in the sky, illuminating the silvery boughs adorning the tree of life. Leah's eyes gazed in childlike wonderment at the rivers that wound over the land, creating a cerulean pathway to the hall of kings, to the towering hill upon which sat the mighty walls of ancient Tara.

Taking her by the hand, Mathúin proudly led her toward the home of his people.

Now, as she stood admiring the blush of the apple, the lilting music of harps rising from below, he was more certain than ever that Leah belonged with him and he with her. Slipping his arms about her waist, Mathúin whispered words of love in the ancient tongue of the Sidhe while inhaling the faint scent of rose which lingered on the small wisps of ebony that clung to the delicate satin of her nape.

Too long had the birds of shadow passed over her life. Like the brightly jeweled peacocks fanning their plumes in self-veneration, she too would burn once again with the brilliant fire of rubies.

Twining their fingers together, he brushed them softly with his lips, lowering them to whisper in her ear. "Come, it is time to meet Máire."

Leah was silent as they walked the pathway of glittering halls lit by the flames of a thousand candles. Those who passed nodded in greeting to the regal woman hanging on Mathúin's arm, unaware of the nervousness that quaked through her body. Few things in life frightened Leah Clearwater.

She was a woman jaded, hardened by the cruel reality of life. Being poor came with birth on the reservation. The only man she'd ever loved was brutally taken from her just as all the hopes and dreams of a young girl were stripped the day she became one with the wolf. For years she had hovered on the fringes, not quite belonging to the world of her ancestors nor to the masses beyond the boundaries of her childhood home.

Yet here, in this place, Leah felt an odd sense of belonging. Immensely overwhelming, the young woman did not know what to do with it, almost as much as she did not know what to think of the man who walked beside her. The long repressed stirrings of love pulsed beneath her breast, keeping time with the rhythmic beating of her heart. The gods had opened a door, giving her the choice to walk through.

Quite suddenly, bright light colliding earth with sky unfurled before their feet into a vista of shimmering waters dotted with green. The sweet scent of heather and rose lingered on the breeze, carrying the lilting song of nature's sweetest music. Like tiny fireflies, winged pixies darted in and out of the petals, small bubbles of laughter issuing from their lips. "Garden faeries," Mathúin explained. "They paint the world with color from their imaginations and this is their canvas."

It was enchanting, all of it, and it had enraptured Leah so that she was unable to envision ever leaving this place. Birds chirped merrily from the trees, music quivered in the air and spread across the lawn, lush and green, swans spread their wings, arching their graceful necks as they alighted down into the turquoise water.

In the center of it all sat a woman whose mass of curls tumbled over creamy white shoulders peeking out from beneath gauzy layers of shimmering silk. When she turned her dark eyes upon her, Leah gasped in shock, a single name falling from her lips.

"Bella."

Máire stood, throwing her arms affectionately around Mathúin and kissed the cheeks of her grandson in greeting. Then grasping Leah's hands in her own, she offered a familiar smile, both startling and beautiful. "Yes, my granddaughter looks much like me, though far more beautiful, I think. Céad Míle Fáilte! Welcome to our home."

Leah felt herself blushing, feeling quite small and insignificant in this ethereal woman's presence. Radiating beauty and kindness, the unmistakable aura of powerful mysticism surrounded her, demanding reverence from all who knew her.

Máire ushered them forward to a small table laden with a bountiful repast. The scent of wine and fresh bread lingered in the air, urging them to feast. "Come, we have much to discuss and our time together is short."

While they ate, Leah found herself studying the ethereal woman sitting across from her. The similarities between she and Bella were startling, yet the differences in their features were marked. A mass of tresses, the color of midnight, instead of the burning fire of sunrise hung loosely past her waist, the auburn tint no more than a trick of light beneath the amaranth skies. It was Charlie's eyes and ruddy cheeks that looked to Leah with unabashed curiosity. The crimson stain of her lips accentuated her creamy skin, darker than the soft pink of Bella's own. Though, there was no mistake, the same blood that bore generations ran through their veins. The fine lines around her eyes gave away no sense of her age, though she looked no more than perhaps thirty, at most.

Every movement, from the way she folded into the chair to the way she poured wine from the silver carafe, was with a celestial grace, captivating all who saw her. "I know you must have many questions, young one. Perhaps if I tell you my story, you will understand and perhaps not. For now, let us discuss the safety of my great granddaughter. Mathúin tells me that you are one of her protectors."

"She's my dearest friend." My only friend, she thought, as Emily's scarred face filtered through her mind, once again feeling the sting of betrayal. Leah wondered if it would never end.

Smiling gently, as if able to read the pain etched on her very soul, Máire offered her gratitude instead of sympathy. "Indeed, she is quite lucky to have one such as yourself in her life. I fear that she will need much from you in the coming days."

The revelation startled and worried Leah. Bella Swan, wherever she goes trouble follows. It was the tagline that accompanied her young life. "What kind of danger is she in?"

"The kind that is always attracted by anyone with a drop of faerie blood," she explained. "Vampires. They do not know that she is of our kind, only that her scent is alluring; more so than that of the average human being."

Leah squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to process yet one more piece of the puzzle. Then, she looked toward Matt, finally understanding what he had not been able to tell her before. There was an unspoken apology in his eyes, the plea for forgiveness on his face.

"Yes, child," she continued, answering the silent question which hung in the air. "I sent her my grandson for protection and guidance. But I am to understand there is another, the one she was always meant for who now lights her path." Again she smiled, this time both wistful and eager. "I look forward to meeting the warrior who has stolen the heart of a sidhe princess."

"Jacob is one of the finest people I know... and he loves her desperately," Leah replied. "He won't let anything happen to her."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," she agreed. "I recall when it was his grandfather's paws that raced along the forest floor. It is a gift unique to your people, the ability to embody the beautiful creatures of nature. A mighty protection given by Danu herself."

"Danu?" Leah questioned, feeling a bit lost at sea in a world of legends far beyond the one in which she was raised.

"Yes, my dear." Máire spread her arms wide, gesturing to the beauty all around them. "Danu is the goddess of land and the waters of life. She is the good mother who watches over us all. On you she has bestowed a gift, one both mighty and strong. It is through her grace that I passed my abilities onto your friend the shaman, just as one day another of our kind will pass on the magic of our people to you."

"His... it came from you?"

"Yes. Although our time together is short to explain now." She could not help feeling deflated at the dismissal. This woman was the key to many of the answers she needed in life.

"I will return to your land on the approaching winter solstice." The easy cadence of her voice turned hard and menacing, anger glittering brightly in her smoky eyes. "The time has come to seek vengeance and protect what is mine. We hold a common enemy. One that has interfered with the lives of many and must pay for the sins against nature."

"The Cullens." Leah's eyes narrowed and the small tremors of hatred tingled along her spine thinking of the destruction their existence had caused.

"Indeed. In my time there was a woman, troubled and pretending to be a mother to an even more troubled immortal child. Her husband sought out a human girl locked away in asylum, maddened by her startling visions of the future. It was she that was the catalyst in this little tale, raining down fire on our heads when she foresaw the son and my granddaughter's futures intertwined. It was but one possible road, but I fear that like many things in life, it was taken only for face value."

"Alice." Wracking her brain, Leah vaguely recalled the small leech with the elfin face. Her betrayal had hit Bella hard when the family departed without so much as a goodbye.

"She has joined them? Been made an immortal?" Máire's beautiful face registered both shock and displeasure. This was clearly unwelcome news. "Then my Isabella is possibly in more danger than we could have guessed. Such gifts are coveted by the dark ones, but the truth of the visions is often lost in selfishness and left unknown to them." A sly grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Tell, me child, would you like to see your own future?"

"I... I don't know," Leah stammered, taken aback by the possibility.

"A wise answer. Truly, the Danu has blessed you." Máire stood from the table, leaving no option. "Come, if your heart is willing, you shall see."

Placing a strong hand on the small of her back, Mathúin urged her to follow, though his eyes gave away no secrets. Máire led them through an arched gateway, it's lovely fingers of ivory woven together in Celtic knots. Then they crossed a bridge of carved stone over the flowing rivers to a small, shallow pool rippling beneath the tree of life. Its golden apples blushed red, reflecting in the waters below.

Beside her, Máire whispered quiet words, indiscernible to Leah's sensitive ears. The ground beneath them trembled and the air quivered with the mystery of unknown. Leah hesitated, then looked down to see the mirror of her future become clear in the small waves that lapped about her toes.

Slowly, the water became smooth as glass offering up its secrets in a frame of cool blue. It was in a light which she saw herself, transformed into a woman of great power and knowledge. A battle, hazy and diluted played out before her eyes. The flash of fur, claws raking against marble flesh. Then later, a child, small and sturdy, playing near her feet. A child. The glow of motherhood. A coveted dream, lost to her with the advent of the wolf. The cruelty of it slapped her in the face.

Gasping in disbelief, Leah staggered backwards, clutching an invisible pain in her breast. Tears welled in her eyes, just as anger washed over her in waves. "It's not possible. Why would you show me this?" she demanded, feeling hurt and betrayed by this place which had enraptured her.

"I have shown you nothing. It is your own heart, your mind which was willing to see. The future is not fully known to any of us. Though, I suspect a part of what you saw is standing not two feet away." Her warm eyes turned upon Mathúin. He too looked unsure, as if seeing all his hopes slip away between his fingers like the tiny grains of sand that fell through the hourglass of time. "Love is the best and strongest of all gifts. It transcends all magic and enchantments because it is created by two willing hearts. Open your eyes child, and believe."

"But, I... the wolf... it's physically impossible."

"Nothing is impossible." Máire grasped Leah's face between her hands, as if demanding to heed her voice. "The daughter of the third wife was also a wolf, brave and strong. It is from her in which the blood of the chiefs was strengthened. Female warriors are among the fiercest of our people. A part of us flows through you, not by blood, but by magic. It is from the Tuatha Dé Danann that the gift of the wolf lives and breathes as one with your soul. There will come a time for all such things to pass away, yet there will still be life, so long as you choose to live it."

The smooth cadence of her voice brought forth an emotion that Leah had not felt in many years. Hope. Brilliant like fire, it burst through the clouds, warming her heart and mind with joy and filling her with a buoyancy she didn't know she lacked.

Mathúin watched it wash over her countenance and he too, fervently held onto a dream of a future, wherein perhaps he could play some small part. It was his grandmother's gift, the ability to depart gladness in the hearts of others. No amount of magical enchantment could equal the wisdom or love which she could bestow with the touch of her hands. As they strolled along the rivers edge, his mind raced with possibilities, though unable to see the outcome.

"Visions of the future are subjective. I fear that nothing is as concrete as it might seem, especially considering the vampires. They are a selfish race, their very existence is a direct violation of nature. Their minds are easily distracted, making it difficult to predict their movements. I know that you both came here for answers and I have many to give you, but I ask that you wait until my return.

"The time has come for me to meet my granddaughter. It is to she I owe such knowledge first and an offer of my own protection." Máire stopped, looking steadily into the eyes of her grandson. He was her pride and joy. All the years of love and adoration that she had been unable to bestow on her son and his descendants she had lavished on Mathúin. "I am sorry. You came here seeking answers and I give you nothing but riddles and broken wisdom instead. Please, indulge me as I have you and forgive the heart of your grandmother."

When she batted her lashes and flashed him a winning smile, it instantly put to mind the southern ladies he'd seen on movie screens. Scarlet O'Hara herself wouldn't stand a chance against Máire. His grandmother could charm the bees from the trees with the crook of a finger. "I understand. However, there is something more. There is an enchantment of sorts hidden in the Swan house. I haven't been able to uncover it, the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet. Though, now... but, it called to me. It is our magic. Around it are placed some simple human superstitions, herbs, talismans. It's obvious that it's never been disturbed, possibly placed there when the house was built."

The information stopped Máire mid-step. "I wondered where she had hidden it."

"So, it was you that created it."

"Yes. Again, it is a story for another time, but the vampire who pretends to be the wife of the doctor stole it from me. In my time, she was called Esme. If we meet again, she will have no name."

This alarmed both Mathúin and Leah. "Do I need to retrieve it?" he asked. "It felt quite powerful."

"That it is. It contains an enchantment. It was created for the shifters, specifically my grandaughter and her wolf. So that if she were ever separated from him, that he would be able to find her, ensuring that the imprint between them would not suffer. It was a way for him to call her home. Before I could pass it to the shaman, Esme Cullen found me in my weakened state. It took all the magic left in me to return here."

"She's not his imprint." Throughout this conversation, Leah had been silent. Now both looked to her with astonishment. "What? She's not. It's not something any of us have ever understood, but Bella is not Jacob's imprint."

"That is not possible." Máire backed away as though she'd been burned. Clearly, this was not what she'd expected. Leah and Mathúin watched as she raced back to the pool, desperately searching for precise answers in what she'd already explained was not an exact science. Mathúin searched Leah's eyes, certain she must be mistaken. He himself had seen the absolute animal possession Jacob Black had exerted the first night they'd met. He'd all but lifted his leg to mark his territory the second Mathúin had walked into the room.

Leah shrugged, then tapped an index finger lightly on her temple. "Believe me, I'd know."

ooo000ooo

Dawn was breaking over the vast hills of the land when they reached the shimmering veil that would lead them back from this world to the next. A small gathering of fae had come to see them off. From their mouths issued indiscernible words- almost in a song- a blessing for their safety, a prayer to the Goddess Danu.

Máire came forward, then taking Leah's hands in her own, offered her own blessing in the form a charm. The silver felt cool and smooth in Leah's palm. Yet, she knew the small tree surrounded by the never ending circle it bore great power. "What is it for?" she asked, fingering the silver knot.

"Many things. Life, love, honor. It is a gift to remind you of the connection between heaven and earth and the wisdom of all such things. There are other enchantments on it, things that are small but will serve you well so long as you wear it. Consider it a talisman of sorts. A reminder of the power resting inside you." She paused for a moment, allowing Leah to ponder her words. Then, from her own finger, stripped a simple ring bearing a large translucent stone the color of the sunrise. "I wonder if you would give this to my granddaughter for me. It belonged to me when I walked among your people, a gift from my husband whom I was saddened to leave. The stone came from your lands and with the giving, the protection of my people and yours. It will aid her in trusting her own intuition."

Mathúin embraced his grandmother, kissing her goodbye and then placing a guiding arm around Leah's waist, led them through the veil once more.

I've been waiting from day one to share this chapter with all of you and I hope that you enjoyed it. Huge thanks to my wonderful pre-reader Niamhg for sharing her Irish roots with me to make this better.

Thoughts? More questions? I'd love to know what everyone is thinking.