Dragon Knight's Medallion Read Online Free PDF

of the Thistle. Her mother was only two and Aunt Lily four, but they vowed one day they would come back. Her mother did make the trip, and there she met her father.
    Sadly, her aunt never made the trip, until now.
    Aileen grasped her aunt’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’ve come home for her, too.” Her aunt merely nodded, keeping her focus on the land.
    It was then Aileen noticed what her aunt gazed upon. The clouds had dispersed from earlier, and now the sight of so much green did more than beckon. It actually touched a place within her soul, and she gasped. The water of the sea gently caressed the land, calling her to come forth. Her senses swam, and she fisted her hand to her chest. “I have... returned .”
    Aunt Lily twisted slowly to look at Aileen with a look of alarm spreading across her features. “What did you say?”
    She shook her head to clear her senses, blinking several times. “I...I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s a feeling of déjà vu.”
    “Perhaps.”
    They both sat staring at the landscape below, watching as the city of Aberdeen came into view. It was a clear day, but for a few clouds drifting by. Maeve tapped Lily on her arm interrupting their silence.
    “Will Aidan be meeting us at the airport?”
    “I don’t think so, Maeve, seeing how busy he’s been lately. He might be sending someone else,” her aunt responded.
    “Humph!” Aileen bristled.
    “Aw, dear, don’t fault your father for what he does,” chided Maeve.
    Aileen blanched. “I’m not, Maeve, but he could at least meet us there.”
    Maeve narrowed her eyes at Aileen, and whispered low, “This from one who didn’t want to come, because of said father ?” She gave her a sharp jab on the arm before reclining back in her seat.
    Aileen closed her eyes and prepared for the landing, but most of all for seeing her father. She had to get her emotions into check, or they would surely tumble forth when she saw him. To come from a family of healers who possessed great skills of empathy was at times a curse. Her parents had the gift of empathy and passed it down to her. It had been a battle most of her life to build the walls strong against the gift, since not only could she feel other’s emotions, she could actually heal with her own. However, since her failed relationship a few months ago, combined with the death of her mother, it had left her weak and unable to be around others for any length of time.
    Gwen had been the one to pull her back from the brink of total seclusion. She worked with her every day, helping her with her mental exercises, and mixing teas with healing herbs. Her father certainly did not want to help. He had abandoned her for Scotland, and there was the rub. The one and only person who could help to rebuild her shields chose to leave her helpless and adrift.
    Rubbing her hands across her legs, she drew forth from her well of strength and surrounded herself with her mental armor. Taking long, deep cleansing breaths, she focused so hard, that when the plane touched down on the tarmac, Aileen did not feel the jolt.
    “Well, Dad, let’s see who is the stronger one,” she muttered softly.
    ****
    To say the airport in Aberdeen was bustling would be putting it mildly. A mass of people filled the terminal. If this had been six months ago, Aileen would have never been able to make the flight. She started to feel a bit unsteady, but she blamed it on the food they served on the plane. What she craved was a cup of hot tea.
    They made their way to the baggage carousel, and again the same strange sensation of déjà vu washed over her. She tried shrugging it off, believing it was tied to something she read in a Scottish magazine, but then her vision blurred, and her heart started to pound erratically against her chest. Feelings of anxiety clawed at her, threatening to take her down into the abyss of darkness.
    “Shields up, Aileen.” Gwen’s soothing voice pierced through the veil.
    Those simple