Sage stood, silent, watching something appear from the depths of the water. Maddy slipped her hand into hers, clenching her trembling fingers around her hand.

"This is really happening," Maddy whispered, "that is made out of ..."

It wasn't a question, but Sage understood the need to reaffirm what they saw.

"Yes, that is a stone castle rising out of the water," Sage whispered, glancing at the map she still held, "Maddy, take that other side and hold it out for us to see."

The women looked down at the map as the rising sun seemed to play over the page. Sage shook her head; this journey of discovery had been weird, unique and wild.

"Sage, the map is changing," Maddy whispered, "look ..." she glanced up as the castle settled and the sand in front of them shifted, "... I wonder why Charlotte kept these all so close together? That was a huge risk."

Sage smiled, "Yes and no; if they were too far apart, one or all of them could have been found. There is something else... she stayed to guard them."

Maddy smiled, "She never left anyone she loved alone or helpless."

"No," Sage said, "and neither will I. Shall we explore these new ... things?"

The large hole filled with the shifting sand as the landscape changed; it brought the group closer together.

"It's Patrick's castle," Rosemary whispered as the ground stopped moving, and she looked up at the cave ceiling pointing. "Look ... it's opening and moving ... the islands ..." Taking a few spontaneous steps down the beach, Rosemary stopped and returned to Maddy and Sage. Looking at the map over their shoulders, she smiled. "The islands are making one piece of land," she sighed, "this is what was given to Patrick for his bravery."

"Does anyone know what this is?" Matthew asked, looking at everything in wonder as it settled.

"I have an idea, but it may be totally wrong," Stuart whispered, glancing at Sage. "Can Charlotte tell us?"

Sage closed her eyes, waiting for Charlotte to talk, but there was silence. Where was she? Opening her eyes, she saw the whisp of white on the sand bank between the shoreline and the castle door. Releasing Maddy's hand and rolling up the map, Sage smiled.

"Apparently, it's time to find out," she said, walking down the beach and crossing over to the wet cobblestone leading up to the castle door. Looking up at the high archway, she noticed Gaelic words carved into the stone: " It's a right of passage."

"What has to be done?" Maddy asked, looking around and then upward, "Oh joy ... more words I don't understand."

Her remark drew a smile across Sage's lips, "I can always teach you."

Maddy's gaze snapped to Sage's twinkling eyes, "I'd like that. Now ... "she sighed, pointing to the words above their heads "... what does that say?"

"Don fhìor oighre ann am bodhaig, cridhe agus anam na tìrean seo tha mi a' toirt dhut," Sage whispered, before repeating it for all to understand, "... it means ... to the true heir in body, heart and soul these lands I give to you."

"Just like that?" Matthew asked, his hushed voice brushing over the air.

"Is it truly that easy?" Matthew asked.

Sage had to agree with these questions. After all she had learned and been through, she felt she didn't think it would be this easy. Did she have to prove herself one more time?

"I don't think it's that easy," Sage said, "but we may be wrong."

Walking up to the door and stepping under the wide stone arch. Sage waited. Nothing happened. Thinking back to all the years of learning about the Celtic culture, she straightened her shoulders, raised her head, and inhaled, raising her hand. She slowly folded her hand into a light fist and rapped sharply on the wooden planks. Looking around, she sighed, one more step.

"My name is Sage Caroline Mary Annabella Rosemary Cooper-Channing. I am Rosemary Cooper's daughter and Charlotte Cooper Channing's chosen descendant. I have come to claim Charlotte's inheritance and look after the lands, people, and this place."

"How does she know what to say?" Maddy whispered behind her.

"I don't know," Matthew's hushed reply was heard, "perhaps Charlotte told her."

"Perhaps she studied it," Rosemary said with a chuckle, pointing at the white whisp moving toward Sage.

Sage's sudden gasp drew their attention to what was to come, and they watched and waited. Sage closed her eyes as she waited for Charlotte to appear. Her hand raised and laid her hand, palm open on the door. Her lips moved, but the warbled voice spoke.

"Tha mise, Charlotte Cooper Channing, a' leigeil seachad m' fhearann, mo dhaoine, làn dhìlseachd agus chumhachdan do Sage Caroline Mary Annabella Rosemary Cooper-Channing, mo shliochd taghte."

"What did she say?" Stuart asked, frowning slightly.

"I, Charlotte Cooper Channing, relinquish my land, people, full inheritance and powers to Sage Caroline Mary Annabella Rosemary Cooper-Channing, my chosen descendent."

The group turned to find Avidan, Ben and their other two team members standing behind them, silently watching.

"Thank you," Stuart said, swallowing hard at the look of reverent awe of the man's usually hardened expression, "so Sage is the one." Turning to watch, Stuart sighed, glancing at Sally, "It's nearly over, sis."

Sally nodded, remaining silent as tears streamed over her cheeks, "Look. Sage has raised her other hand and placed it on the wooden panel, "her hand has disappeared into the wood."

Standing, staring at her hand disappearing into the wooden panel, Sage blinked. Was this really happening? The slight prickling and fuzziness in her mind indicated something was happening, but she wasn't sure what exactly. A rushing sound filled her ears. At first, she worried that the waters may have risen again and would take everyone into their depths, but the hushing of Charlotte's voice calmed her, and she waited.

The sounds of crashing waves, the loud cry of the gulls and the smell of the salt on the air filled her senses; she felt as though she were in another place, perhaps on the top of a cliff looking out over … a solid blue of the water, the ocean, the grass was high above her knees. The sweet smell of freshly blooming flowers could be tasted in the air. Turning, Sage took in the land behind her; it turned from open spaces to a modern vista of the family home and towns surrounding it, and gasping at the sight of her house, so far away, the land, the towns, and the mansion .... it was her's ... all of it. Charlotte's legacy was expansive and wonderous. A heat in her hands drew her back to the present. Opening her eyes, she panted; this was also part of Charlotte's legacy … pushing at the panel, Sage felt a surge of power fill her. The more she urged the panel to open, the more the sensation filled her. She felt Charlotte disengaged from her but still encouraged her as she left her to push harder and never give up.

Sage felt hot, wetness coursing down her cheeks as she continued to push, and the power built more and more. She felt it pulsing through her, at her, in her, streaming from every pore of her body until there was more of it than her. Finally, she could hold no more, but it kept coming.

"Now, Sage," Charlotte whispered, "command it now."

"Fosgail don neach-dìon ùr agad," Sage cried out, "agus neach-gleidhidh a' ghleidheadair."

The translation followed quickly, "Open to your new protector and holder of the keep."

Shuddering creaking started as Sage continued to push against the panel, slowly opening inwards. She disappeared into a glow of white as she stepped through the portal, breathing in a different air, one filled with wonder, glowing electric sensations streaming into her, through her, into the floor, walls and every fibre of the keep.

"I'm here to stay," Sage whispered, opening her eyes and watching her home come to life before her stunned gaze. The surge seemed to fill everything before it grew and exploded into the ground around her, filling the cave and the sand on the shores before disappearing.

Sage sagged to the ground where she stood, soaking in the feel of her home and the sensations that pulsed from it. This place was not just stone and mortar; it breathed, lived, felt, and gave from the heart of what this place was meant to be.

"A sanctuary and a home," Sage whispered, "my sanctuary and home."

Slowly pushing to her feet, she turned in a circle, taking in the greeting from her home, inheritance, and place of peace. This was where she belonged… where she had always belonged.

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"Ah …. Sage," Maddy called, the tone of those two words warning of a newfound danger that needed to be dealt with.

Sage moved to the doorway, gently moving with Charlottes' misty protection into the sunlight streaming into the beauty of the place. In the entrance stood two men Sage thought she would never see again. Glancing at her mother, Sage waited, but Rosemary looked at her with fear and an expectation of … protection.

Nodding, Sage moved through the tense group to the meeting of stone and sand, "What do you want here?"

The voice heard was no longer as soft and gentle as before but rang with warning and authority. The men stepped onto the sand, striding across the space toward her.

"Sage, this is where you have been hiding," the man she had once thought of as her father but was indeed her half-brother addressed her sharply as one would a child, "This nonsense has to stop, and you have to come home."

Sage stared at him, her stare penetrating and unwavering, "This is my home … brother ... and you nor your offspring are welcome here."

Rosemary stood beside her, "Only those invited may come, and neither of you ever have been. What do you want?"

Red cheeks of fury turned to pale cheeks of fearful surprise, "You … you're dead. They told me you were dead."

"Who told you?" Rosemary asked, "The people you are in league with to steal what is not yours."

"I have never stolen," the man spluttered, straightening and squaring his shoulders, "but I have come to claim part of my inheritance."

Sage cocked her head to the side, narrowing her gaze, "You're a Channing … in being and heart as are your offspring. Channings are not permitted to explore or remain … leave or die."

A sneer covered both men's faces, "I'm not taking orders from the likes of you," the younger man sneered, "we can do as we please; there will be no repercussions."

Avidan stiffened, stepping forward and staring at the two faces, "You are descendants of war criminals," he nodded, "I have seen both your faces in the newer files and lists of those who need to be held accountable."

Sage shook her head, so their words and actions went beyond just the names on the list of the current secret society. Avidan turned to her, waiting.

"Should their crimes be against others, innocent souls of purity," Sage said nodding, "they are to be held accountable."

"What is with the speaking in that way?" the man she had known as her brother but now knew to be her nephew sneered.

"It is the way you will never understand," Sage said. You have ten minutes to leave these lands and take the consequences of what you have done outside of this place or die as those you sent perished under your orders to do your heartless, selfish deeds."

Confusion flickered in their eyes, and startled looks flew between them. Ben pulled his phone from his belt, looked at the screen, and smiled before showing the phone to Avidan. Both men nodded.

"What is the news?" Sage asked.

"The demolishment of their hold on the world is over," Avidan said, "every person they held in their clutches is either free of their tyranny or arrested."

"Or dead," Ben added, shrugging, "their reign of terror, manipulation and pain is finished."

"Yes, it is," Sage said, looking at her watch, "four minutes."

"We came looking for Jeffery," the elder of the two said, "and we're not leaving without him."

"Since you know the history of this place so well, you know where the entrance to this sanctuary is," Stuart said, moving to the other side of Sage, "then you will know the place where Charlotte was meant to be taken if she didn't leave the cove."

"Well, I don't," the younger man said, shrugging, "so it means nothing."

"Yet, it means something to your father," Sage said, "and he knows what he'll find when arriving. He also knows what waits for him … when you both go there," she looked at her watch again, "two minutes."

"We'll retrieve him from that place and come back here to claim what is ours," the elder said, pushing the younger man through the entrance and disappearing.

Tension disappeared from the group as the two men disappeared, but Sage felt that Charlotte was still alert.

"Charlotte, what waits at that part of the island?" Sage whispered as everyone began to celebrate. Slowly moving through them as Charlotte's memories from that time filtered into Sage's mind, she walked into the keep toward a long stone table at the back of the room. A map showing the entire island lay spread out on the table.

"Look on the right," Charlotte whispered, "there is a dark cloud there with words written over them."

Sage found the darkened cloud and frowned at the words. These were older than the Gaelic she knew. Looking at the symbols, Sage gasped, surely not.

"These are the symbols of Ogham," she whispered, "Charlotte, you need to translate and explain."

"The ancient language of our people, our roots and where we came from," Charlotte whispered, "the single word you see speaks of death."

"Who could have put that in place?" Sage asked, looking around at the books on the shelves and the ancient pictures on the walls.

"My mother," Charlotte whispered, "the last in her line. The power I kept for one worthy of holding it."

"All that time," Sage whispered, feeling humbled, honoured and overwhelmed, "why did you choose me?"

"It is not only the bloodline that is required, but one of strength, foresight, understanding, and a thirst for knowledge," Charlotte whispered. It was not my father who was to receive the Magi's Coronet but my mother. Father received it on her behalf because she was a woman."

Sage felt the last few pieces of the puzzle fall into place, "Channing couldn't get your mother and her powers, so he was determined to get the object that would make them stronger and more lethal."

Sage sensed Charlotte smiling as she turned to look at the home awarded for bravery far beyond any requirement.

Bloodcurdling screams suddenly tore through the air, and Sage ran to the door, looking around, but the sounds came to them on the air, raising the hairs on her arms and behind her neck. Whatever that was dealing with, death was lethal and made it painful.

"What is doing that?" Maddy whispered, pale and shaking as she moved to the protective shelter of her father's arm.

"Arawn has come," Charlotte whispered, "he has come to take those waiting in the dark place."

Everyone looked around, waiting for the owner of the soft, lilting voice to appear. When nothing happened, they looked at Sage.

"That was Charlotte," Sage whispered, meeting Rosemary's eyes, "I'm sorry."

Rosemary frowned before shaking her head, "For my loss? No, my child," she whispered, hugging Sage, "they received what they dealt in the end."

"Crows," Sally whispered, pointing toward the periwinkle sky, "so many crows."

"Wow," Stuart muttered, "there have never been that many crows here before."

Sage sighed, "Death."

A silence fell as each one's thoughts took a path of what could have been dealt to them if not for one person who believed in her heart and followed her instinct.

"Thank you, Charlotte," Sage whispered.

Movement on the side of the castle drew the group's attention. Slowly moving around the castle, they stopped and took in the groups of island people gathering on the other side of the stream.

Sage moved forward, taking in the changes to the land that had happened so quickly. The elders from each group stood in front of their people, some smiling, some worried, some fearful, but all waiting.

"Hello, each of you, please do not fear each other," Sage said, looking at each group, "the times you have spent in your secluded spaces have given you security and protection against those who desired only your destruction, but please know this. That time is over," Sage smiled, "it's a new beginning for everyone. Those who are strong are to protect those who are innocent, vulnerable and weak. Those who are able are to help those who are unable to do for themselves what is needed," Sage said, "those who know of healing and have the ability to ease pain and illness are to help those who are ill and in need of relief."

An elderly man stepped forward from where he stood among a group of listening men, "Who are you to direct us at this time?"

A murmur rose over the groups, but Sage lifted a hand, bringing instant silence. "When your elders first saw me, I was Sage, a person thirsty for knowledge, and now …" she nodded and smiled, "… I am Sage Caroline Mary Annabella Rosemary Cooper-Channing, the daughter of Rosemary Cooper and the chosen descendant of Charlotte Cooper Channing. I have claimed Charlotte's inheritance and promise to look after the lands, people, and this place."

Movement from the back of the small group drew everyone's attention. A woman with her huddle of children came to stand on the river's shoreline, running between the keep and where they stood. Sage moved to stand across from them and waited.

"My family and I accept your protection," she said, standing staring at Sage, waiting.

"It will be my honour to protect," Sage said, smiling.

Slowly, others joined, and the same greeting was given until, finally, everyone stood on the other side, accepting Sage as the rightful heir.

Avidan stood beside Rosemary, watching, "I'm not sure how I'm going to report on everything that has happened here."

"I'm sure you'll find a creative way of expressing the truth in a way that people would wonder if you're a storyteller," Rosemary said, chuckling.

"I wonder what will happen now," Ben asked, lifting Rosemary's hands and brushing a kiss on the back. Receiving an intimate smile in response.

"The only way to know what happens is to come back and see for yourself," Matthew said, "but you four will be welcome here anytime."

A clatter of feet drew everyone's attention, frightening some but intriguing others.

"Sage," Stuart called, watching the entrance as men burst through the opening and spilt onto the sand.

Sage moved to greet them. "Alistair," she called, walking up to the tall man. Winding her arms around his neck, he swung her in a circle and planted her firmly back in place.

"Sage, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm the new protector," Sage said, smiling as she glanced over her shoulder at the small group. Stretching her hand toward the gap in the river, she made a dry path for the people of the lands to join them, "What are you doing here?"

"Avidan and Ben asked for help," Alistair said, waving a greeting at the two men, "we heard Coopers Cove was under attack, so we came to do what we will always do."

"What is that?" Sage asked, confusion wrinkling her brow.

"Protect Charlotte's lands," Alistair smiled, "We... our line always has done so."

"Who knew?" Sage whispered, nodding, "Please come and greet the people you saved and perhaps put the weapons on safety or away."

Nodding, Alistair signaled his teams and moved past Sage toward the small group waiting to welcome them.

Sage watched as those who had journeyed through all of this with her made introductions to the people of the Islands. The interaction was tentative at first, awkward and, in places, a little strained; her heart warmed as she noticed the injured receiving help and the men of the group bringing food and drink to the new arrivals and people who had finally given them true peace.

"Now comes the hard work," Sage whispered, smiling at a white wisp that lingered in the doorway of the keep, "and a lot to learn."