Aimnéise Place of Pendants 2

Chapter Thirty Six

Recanting Stories

The next morning, I woke to streams of light coming through the window. I groaned at the thought that I needed to get up to pee. I was wrapped around Conall’s warm body, or was he wrapped around mine.

Moving to get up his arms tightened around me.

“Where ye going?”

“I need to pee you will have to let me up.” I answered pushing at his arms, which was like pushing a boulder.

“I will come with ye.”

“Oh no you don’t. I can quite comfortably pee on my own, if you don’t mind.” I laugh smacking his shoulder. He chuckled then let go so I could get out of bed. Grabbing the t-shirt, he wore last night I threw it on and went to the bathroom. While there I washed my face and hands and brushed my teeth. When I came out Ula and Sloane were setting a tray down on the table. I hadn’t even heard them come in the house.

“Brought you breakfast. I thought you might be hungry.” Aunt said smiling, uncle coughed into his hands. Oh shit, I only had a t-shirt on, it was long enough to cover my lady bits, but still I needed to put something else on. I excused myself and backed up into the bedroom only to be caught by strong arms.

“Conall. Ula and Sloane have brought breakfast. I need to put some pants on.” He kissed my neck softly.

“Come back to bed.” He groaned.

“You really are the devil you know, it’s a wonder I can walk this morning after last night.”

“Hmmmm. I know. I think I broke my own record; four or five times was it? I could go again...right now.”

“Well not now my poor body needs rest and I would like some breakfast, I’m starving.”

Conall chuckled and let me go. I retrieved clothing from the draws and hurried to put on my underwear and an unripped pair of jeans before he changed his mind. Looking around the room there were bits of our clothing scattered across the floor and what was left of my underwear adorned the lamp shades. I swiped them all up before aunt could see them and flung them under the bed to another Conall chuckle.

When we came out Sloane and Ula had set out the dishes and poured the tea. It would appear they were staying for breakfast too. A large plate of bacon and eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and a pile of toast sat in the middle of the small table.

Dougall suddenly came through the door. “Ah, breakfast, I’m starving.” He exclaimed pulling up a chair to sit at the table and helping himself to toast and bacon. That was Dougall.

“Do ye no have a home tae go?” Conall grunted joining us at the table.

Dougall huffed to Conall’s glare. “This is my home when I’m here bràthair.”

Ula poured tea for everyone. “Morgan, we need to talk.”

“About?”

“It seems that you were able to communicate while you were in Milan. I didn’t think you could speak Lombardi.” She said with a face full of question.

“Lombardi?” I said buttering my toast.

“Yes, that was the dialect of Milan before they all spoke what we know of today as Italian, and some spoke Latin too of course.”

“Yes, I did, I could also understand and speak Romania.”

Conall’s brows raised as if he just realised I had done so. “Could ye no speak the language before?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No, I never learned to speak any languages before.”

“Aye I thought so. I also remember ye called me a smart arse for speaking more than one language.”

Ula tutted. “I think I know why.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

“I wasn’t sure at first but the more I think about it I’m pretty certain I know why.” She took a sip of her tea.

“Love no keep us in suspense here.” Sloane added.

“Well just before you disappeared at the Callanish stones I thought I saw the Mother spirit reach out and touch your arm a second before you were enveloped in that bloody fog.”

I think all our faces looked puzzled, not sure what she was getting at.

“I think the Mother spirit knew what was happening and well, she may have known where you were going, or simply that you were going to another time. It’s just a guess you see, but I reason when she touched you, she gave you the ability to speak and understand other languages.” Ula sat back and took another sip from her cup.

I sat with my mouth open looking from Conall to each of the others. “Really?”

“Nèamhan naomha!” Conall gasped.

I laughed. “Holy heavens is right Conall, I wonder if it will stay or disappear. I hope not. I would like to be able to speak other languages. I just never learned to.”

I looked up to four mouths open staring at me, with wide eyes.

Conall took hold of my hand. “Lass did ye understand what I said?”

“When?”

“Tha mi gad ghràdh nas motha na beatha fhèin.”

Conall whispered.

“And I love you more than life itself too.” I gasped. “Holy shit that was in Gàidhlig? I thought that was what you are speaking last night when I came down from my bath.”

“Aye love I did, and you understood it.”

I nodded. I had thought about how I could have understood and spoken Italian or as aunt stated, Lombardi, but I hadn’t thought about Scottish Gàidhlig. Well now this is an ability I don’t mind having. Go me.

“Morgan can ye speak it back?” Uncle asked seeming chuffed that at least I could understand what they were saying.

I took a deep breath not sure but willing to try. I turned in my seat to face Conall and took both of his hands. He leaned closer to me an expectant look on his face. “When ye are ready, baby.” This is twice he has called me baby, I don’t recall if he had done so before. I like it.

I took another breath trying to think of what to say. “Càit a bheil sinn a ’dol a dhèanamh ar dachaigh?”

Conall’s face along with everyone else’s lit up into smiles and grins.

“Our home will be wherever you want to live.” He answered my question of where our home would be?

“So now we have cleared that up. It would seem Morgan has developed the ability to speak and hear any language.” Ula laughed pouring herself another cup of tea. Conall wrapped his arms around me nearly pulling me off the chair.

“Ye are truly a miracle, my miracle.” He whispered into my hair.

“As long as you don’t expect me to say all those ye’s, yers and kens all the time.” I said to the chuckles of everyone.

“Aunt Ula how is my store going? I meant to ask you last night.”

“No problems Morgan, oh and your shipment from Egypt arrived, don’t worry though we stored all the boxes in the back storage room. It will all be there for you, when you are ready.”

“You haven’t told me how you found me.” I said wrapping bacon in my toast before taking a bite.

“The Brollachan that sent you away worked at the Glasgow Art Gallery, but we think that it was a set up by Aoife...”

I interrupted Ula. “Not her again. I thought that when I gave the box back to the Mother spirit it would all be done and over.”

Conall patted me on the knee. “Aye we thought so to, but Dougall and I were sent back to save an old king. It was no but a ruse to get my pendants. We think that Aoife wanted tha half pendants and maybe you too. We are in the thought that she thinks it would still get her into Tir na Nog some way.”

“Oh, I am so going to demolish her arse. I have just about had enough of her. What do we do now? It feels like this is never going to end.”

“Morgan, you got to meet the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci, so how was he?” Ula asked, I think more to change the subject and calm my nerves. I couldn’t believe that my being sent to Milan was all a set up by Aoife.

“He was...wonderful.” I answer to a grunt from Conall.

“A gentleman, kind and caring. He looked after me seeing as I knocked myself out on the landing and lost my memory.” Another grunt from Conall. I ignored him. “You know he wasn’t really famous for his paintings, in fact most of them are unfinished. He was famous for the plays he put on, the scenery he made and of course the drawings he did of weapons and such.

Oh, and did I tell you that he had the most beautiful singing voice.” Conall grunted again. “Conall if you keep grunting like that you are going to turn into a pig.”

Conall scowled. “I no like the idea tha another man looked after ye.”

I patted him on the arm. “I know love, but you had nothing to worry about, he...well, his preference for company is not of the female kind.” I say giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Dougall perked up seemingly being lost in his own thoughts. “Ye mean he was gay?”

“As I said he was a very nice man, as was Solai.”

“Aye we met Solai, strange lad.” Conall said not looking at me.

“Oh, Solly was fine, once you got to know him. He loves Leonardo and follows him around like a puppy, but he is a real little thief when he wants to be.”

“Did you get to meet anyone else that was famous?” Ula asked.

“Well yes I guess so. I met Ludovico Sforza, the Lord of Milan, he was a right arsehole. He and Cesare Borgia were the reasons Leonardo and Solai had to smuggle me out of Milan with the Romanian gypsies.”

Conall turned in his seat, looking somewhat murderous. “Why? We spoke to Solai but he never actually told us the reason.”

I huffed, if Conall thought to go back in time to deal with the pair of jerks he had another thing coming. “Does it matter, it’s...in the past.”

“It matters.” Conall grumbled.

“If you think to go back to deal with them you’re not and I won’t tell unless you promise not to go back in time.”

A smirk crossed Dougall’s face. It was aunts unblinking stare that had Conall shifting uncomfortably on his seat, along with her hands on hips. I glared at my husband, quirking my eyebrow, that silently told him ‘If you don’t agree I am telling you diddly squat’.

Conall threw his hands in the air. “Fine, I promise.”

“You all heard him right?” I asked the others to their nods. “Ok, well Sforza simply wanted to bed me.” Conall’s jaw clenched folding his arms tightly over his chest as if to stop his chest from escaping. Yep he was angry. I ignored him. “And well Cesare Borgia I’m not sure what exactly he wanted. I never got the displeasure of meeting him.

His messenger Micheletto Corella was the one that said I was to be ready and waiting when he and Cesare Borgia came to get me, and to make sure I had the half pendant. So maybe he was in league with Aoife too, I’m just not sure.”

Conall took a hard breath needing to calm himself. It was obvious how much he was incensed by what I related. I sigh in relief I didn’t tell him any of this while we were still there, God knows what he would have done. No doubt beheads them as he did with Ronaldo. As it was there was no telling how Ronaldo’s death by Conall’s hands had altered history.

“You know that would make sense.” Ula said. “If Aoife had convinced this Cesare Borgia to find the pendant and you in the process then all she had to do was get Conall’s pendants. He managed to get his own back after Dougall broke him out of the dungeon.”

“Dungeon?” I yelled. “How the hell did you end up in a dungeon?”