Chapter 56: Fifty-six.

He had been standing in front of Dunluce Castle, waiting on his friends to meet him for their ride for twenty minutes - they were late. This trip away was their effort to lift his spirits, yet they couldn't even manage to turn up on time.

That was when her scent first hit, and washed over him like a tidal wave. The smell itself was weak, but the effect it had on his body and mind was not, he felt like he was being electrocuted, all his nerve endings were on fire as he beathed in what he could of it.

As faint as the scent was, there was no mistaking what it meant. His mate was near. Of all the places she would turn up, this was the last place he had expected to find her.

Forgetting his plans with his friends - they would understand anyway. He charged towards the road, closer to the weakening source of the smell, while dramatically sniffing, by hauling in large lungfuls of air in each direction to figure out which way she went. That's when he noticed the little lone car, driving further down the road.

Forgetting his need for his helmet, and with only his black leather jacket as protection he jumped on his bike, deep blue with mirror like chrome - his first love, and was accelerating down the road behind the corsa, his engine roaring louder than any lion ever could.

She smelled like the divine. Words couldn't describe it, it made his mouth water and his throat dry out at the same time, all while his heart thundered in his chest, urging him onwards. But he knew, it was her, she was in that car, and the scent grew steadily stronger, with every inch he closed in on her.

Instinctively, so he didn't alarm her, he slowed to a steadier pace, noticing the car up ahead was slowing and pulling over at the famous causeway. He watched the two women getting out of the car, one in her late forties and the other... His mouth went dry then, and he almost toppled his bike as he took the corner too sharply to get into the parking lot. She was more beautiful than he could have ever anticipated.

Dismounting from his bike, he strode after them only to stop and run back cursing at himself for not turning the damn thing off, while cringing at its abandonned state. He whispered "Sorry" to the machine, all while his nerves played in his chest as he watched their stop and start interactions.

They were almost polar opposites, and made quite a striking image. One pale skinned with black hair and the other dark skin with strikingly white hair.

What would she make of him, he wondered, especially if he were to barge in to her unannounced and uninvited. He was desperate to run after her and to gather her in his arms and never let her go, but something was holding him back. That same niggling doubt, what if he wasn't wanted here. In his head his mind warred with what to do. He could hear his parents celebrating at the thought of him bringing her home. They would be so happy that everything would finally work out. But, still he just stood there watching the figures of the two women getting smaller in the distance, frozen in place as he worked out how to handle this and what to do for the best.

One thing was for sure though, her figure was unmistakable, those long legs and that slight waist she was a wildcat, his wildcat. Just like he was hers.

-----

When Colt had caught up again with Maeve, and they finally made it down to the water's edge, she was amazed at the scene in front of her. Large hexagonal shaped columns were creating a pathway out in front of her, where the land met the sea. She had never seen anything like it. The large grey rocks were perfectly sized to place a foot in, as she carefully walked along them. Some acted like steps while the others were tall, and created a wall, depending on how high they rose up from the ground.

"What is this place?" She asked in an awed voice. "It's like something from a fantasy novel. How is this even possible? Are they man made?"

Maeve smiled, seatng herself on a column while dangling her legs over towards the sea beneath, a look of longing entering her face as she watched the waves swirling beneath her for a moment, before she answered.

"They are made from Basalt, and no they are not made by man. Science, will tell you they are the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, the lava flow reaching all the way to Fingal's cave in Scotland, where there are similar formations. The myth however, it tells a tale of two feuding giants, both who, upon believing the other was much larger than himself, ran in cowardice back to their homeland. One in Scotland and the other in Ireland." Maeve spoke in an almost mocking tone.

"Hence the name then, Giant's Causeway?" Colt clarified.

"Hence the name, yes." Maeve smiled, appreciating how Colt was able to join the dots.

"And, what would you tell me?" Colt asked, gaining a smile from the shaman "If science says volcanoes, and legend says over grown men with anger issues.... Then, what does Maeve, the suspiciously young looking ancient sea dwelling shifter, who was alive at least as far back as medieval times, say about it?"

"You are incredibly perceptive, Miss Merrier. I like that, and yes I do have another story about it." Maeve smiled, waving her arm in indicating that Colt should also sit down.

Colt sat down as requested, cross legged on one of the hexagonal stones with her knees leaning upwards on the stones at either side of her, while resting her back against another, shivers from the cold rock seeped through her jacket as she leant into the damp rock making her wish she had stayed upright.

"I have told you I follow the gods, Colt, and my story of the Causeway is about them." Maeve began. "Long ago, before the historic stories were told never mind written about, the world began with the gods. The first of them being Danu, the mother. Though she prefers to be known as Dana..." she said leaving the information hanging in the air.

Colt, jumped on that little tit bit straight away though, her mind whirring as it formed pathways connecting everything it was being exposed to. "Wait, Dana, as in Dana, the woman who said you were her daughter, but she looks younger than you do, and you're meant to be several centuries old, not that you've been specifically clear on that front though, and she magically made a boat traverse the Amazon river, and why haven't I asked about this already? Oh, oh, oh, and who was the man that was with her, that she abandoned in the jungle, and oh my god! Was she?" Colt spat her thoughts out in a jumbled torrent till she was completely out of breath, then added, "But how?"

Maeve cackled with laughter, bending over at the gut as her fit of giggles ripped through her. Colt's questioning reminded her of an over excited toddler, and on a fully grown woman who could competently survive on her own in the rainforest the image was hilarious.

"Okay okay, slow down, and breathe Colt." Maeve spoke, once her laughter had subsided. "Firstly, she is my mother in the same way she is yours, and everyone else's, because from her all of creation was born. Secondly, I do not know who the man was, but I would suspect he is her lover, and he is known by many names, just like she is. Dana is gifted with many spectacular abilities, among them is the flow of water and she has a special affinity with rivers. It is why I beseeched her looking for help in collecting you. No, I still won't tell you my exact age, and as for your last statement, you meant 'Oh my goddess' I presume." Maeve smiled, winking playfully at Colt.

Colt sat there speechless. She knew many races, from humans to shifters had different religious beliefs, but this was huge. Maeve was claiming Colt had ridden in a boat, no been chauffeured around in a boat, by the first Goddess in existence, and Colt's brain was failing to come up with any logical evidence or explanation to counter it.

"Colt," Maeve counselled, "as time has moved on so has the different species of this planet. Where we came from has become a hot topic of debate with so many diffevent opinions and theories warring with one another. So, we have become more reliant on the scientific processes of the world. Things that can be backed up and 'relied' upon. But, we are shifters, we were born of magic, of nature. We crave that, which instinctually makes us feel good. We are bonded with mates through magic. Not science, and although science is important and can explain a lot. It is not the be all and end all, and it will never clarify everything. Do not stress about that, which you do not understand, but have faith and ask the Gods for guidance." She said soothingly.

Colt felt a wave of calmness wash over her, with Maeve's words. How it was possible she had no idea, but when the woman in front of her spoke, her words seemed to weave some kind of metaphorical blanket that soothed away Colt's stress and worry. Resulting in Colt feeling like she had been specially selected to be part of something bigger than herself. One of the few people who knew of the truth of the world. It made her smile to herself, before she looked up to Maeve's expectant eyes.

"But, that still hasn't told me your story about the Causeway here. Are you holding out on me?" Was all she said with a sly smile.

Maeve rocked with laughter. "Fair play, Colt. Fair play." she said, rocking back and forth. "I will gladly share my truth with you. The Giant's Causeway is linked to the story of Dana, and when she left this realm to join the rest of the Gods, who I will add, had left a long time before her. It was a bridge, like the Giant's legend states. Only it didn't go to Scotland, but to Tír na nÓg. Also known as the land of the fae."

"The fae, like faeries?" Colt asked for clarification.

"Again, not all is as it seems. Most of the known gods were diminished to lesser creatures with the rise of Christianity, Colt. But yes, those we think of as faeries, were once known as the great creators and protectors of the world, and the land in which we are part of." Maeve stated solemnly.

"Well, I am not quite sure what to say to this." Colt responded. "Except, why tell me this?"

Maeve smiled warmly, "Because, Colt, you must understand the dynamics and the principles of your own self. Both in the scientific sense and in the magical. To shift, requires a sacrifice, it is paid for in excruciating physical pain. You can analyse the DNA of every shifter available with all the scientific technology available, and it will tell you what type of animal they have, or what colour that animal's eyes will be. But, it will never tell you how the shift begins, because that is a gift from the gods and lies in the realms of magic." She explained.

"But, what about when the levels of a shifters hormones rise, isn't that part of it? The increased levels of adrenaline etc." Colt asked, trying to fit this new information in with her existing knowledge.

"That is the why, but not the how." Maeve answered.

Colt stopped, finally understanding what Maeve was getting at. The cause of a shift is physical, but the how, the actual process of bones breaking and reforming, that was magical. She let that sink in, as she watched the water around them swirling back and forth, the deep blue and greys beneath the white foam twirling and frothing infront of her, like it was suddenly very agitated. It almost felt like it was pulling her in, inviting her into it's cold depths, like it needed her as much as she seemed to need it. There was a craving building at the back of her consciousness, pulling her deeper into a trance as she watched the water swell.

The sting of the slap brought Colt startlingly back to reality.

Maeve had hit her.

"Aow!" Colt complained, as she rubbed her face "What was that for?"

"I thought it best, before you jumped in to the water in a trance, Colt."

"What? I wasn't...." She stopped realising she had moved and was at the edge of the stones, teetering precariously above the swirling depths. "How did I get here?" She asked staggering back with all the grace of a hippopotamus avoiding a floor of mouse traps. Her breathing escalating as she began to panic.

"You're alright, Colt." Maeve spoke softly, holding each of Colt's arms. "I've got you."

"What was that!" She demanded to know, her adreneline spiking in her panicked state.

Maeve sighed, "You tapped in to the residual magic, not many can, Colt. But, it lured you to the gateway. I wouldn't worry too much, it will be because you have recently spent time with Dana herself. Like sensing like." She shrugged. "Could of been worse. At least there's no mist on the water today and we aren't here at sunset."

"Maeve, I don't understand any of what you just implied. You know that right?" Colt asked her breathing regulating as her panic subsided.

"I know, Darling." She nodded. "But come, we will move on, I think, from this spot. The connection to Tír na nÓg is too strong here." Maeve said calmly pointing down the bay.

"Okay." Colt said and allowed herself to be led further along the shore, deliberately keeping her eyes trained on the uneven patchwork ground below her feet.

About two hundred yards along they stopped, the water seemed calm here, compared to the churning it was demonstrating, within the pool that was calling to Colt. Though it was still deep and still cold looking, when Colt eventually looked up to gaze at it. Relief flooding her that there was no hypnotic pull this time.

"So?" She ventured at Maeve, who seemed deep in thought, her dark skin marred with lines as she frowned in concentration.

After a moment of scouting around, the lines of her face relaxed. "Alright. Here we are. Now I suggest you remove your socks and shoes first. There is nothing worse than walking in wet shoes."

Colt felt her stomach physically drop into her said shoes, at Maeve's words. Fear crept up her spine and lanced through her chest to her limbs. She automatically wrapped her arms about herself. After what had just happened, Maeve still expected her to go for a 'dip'. She tried in vain to speak from a throat that was suddenly bone dry, resulting in her mouth doing a stellar impression of a gold fish.

Painfully she forced the words through her throat and out, a half choked whisper being the result. "What?" Her fear and panic was draining her figh,t again. Reminding her of the incident at the ranch with Elijah. That unchecked and crippling anxiety that left Colt feeling utterly helpless.

"Come now, Colt." Maeve spoke sternly. "It is time for your swim. Chop chop." She clapped to emphasise her point. "Get on with it before the tide retreats. Then we can get lunch."

"Oh. Right." Colt nodded, as she numbly kicked her boots off, but left her socks, as she was unable to move her hands from their position wrapped about herself.

Her legs shaking she walked to the edge, steping down each column as they lowered to the water and turning to see Maeve's expectant face one last time, in the vain hope she would change her mind. She turned and watched the water below, the swell of the tide rising and falling. There was no compulsion this time to enter the cold depths, and she didn't understand the point of this, presumably it was to do with strengthening something through exposure. But somehow she couldn't quite grasp what.

Taking one last shakey breath, she unwrapped her arms from about herself and dived in to the water. She could have swore she heard Maeve cuss as she did, but there was no time to focus on that. When Colt hit the water the cold was like an electric current striking through her and paralyzing her momentarily, as her chest constricted in pain and she released every ounce of air she had been holding onto. This meant as the swell picked up her body and then dropped it she was unable to protect herself from the multitude of basalt columns that were still present below the surface. Her body was lifted and repeatedly slammed into different rock pillars as the tide ebbed and flowed quickly and without mercy. Each punishing blow preventing Colt from catching herself and swimming to the surface. Her lungs were burning, desperate for more oxygen that just wasn't available. She internally cursed herself for blindly following Maeve's command. As her once strong feline vision began to develop big dark spots and her arms and legs became too heavy to move.

The tide lifted her again, the powerful swell of the Atlantic lifting her up and depositing her, head first this time into another pillar, with flash of black infront of her face, Colt's mind sank into oblivion, not even registering the sharp pain in the back of her skull, or the arms that were circled about her waist.

Author's Note: So... I am dying to hear your thoughts after this one.... B x