The issue, as Graham saw it, however, was that pagans and their witches prevented those conversions.If the higher authorities in the Church did not see it, at least Graham did.And he would not allow anyone to deter him from his task of converting all of the Eastern Highlands.It was his Godly duty, after all.
He glanced toward the open door, where the gray light of gloaming filled the narthex.
“Then ye have more to worry about, no’ only for his health, but for his very soul.She should be questioned at the verra least.And if her answers align with your accusations, then she should be punished and imprisoned.Can ye retrieve her on the morrow?Do ye know where she will be?”
Eoghan looked to Betris for an answer.
“I canna be certain, but she mentioned attending her new friend, another accused witch, who lives north of Mowtie near one of the old, pagan stones,” Betris told him.
Eoghan nodded his agreement as his fingers gripped his sword hilt.“’Twould be easier to find her there than challenge Drumoak in an effort to claim her.I will bring a few men and find her on the morrow.”
The abbot dipped his chin.“Bring her to the village here, and put her in the pit for the night.She will be more likely to confess after a night in the pit.”
Betris and Eoghan shared another glance with each other.
“The MacDougals will not care for that.After her interrogation, they will prefer to pay the fine and have her returned straight away,” Eoghan argued.
Abbot Graham leveled his hard gaze at Eoghan.
“Then we will have to make sure her punishment is no’ one they can easily pay.She must pay, and we will make certain the punishment fits her crime.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ailithenjoyedtheslowride to Teagan’s cruck house and the freedom that came with it.Wee Brian had been occupied, helping a cousin in the barley fields, so Ailith had a stable lad saddle a sleepy palfrey.She had hoped the plodding beast would be an easy ride, and she’d been right.
This first solo ride to Teagan’s had been misty, cleansing, and bespoke a liberty Ailith had not felt since she’d left her own time.
In the twenty-first century, she often took a car, her dad’s truck, or the bus, traveling by herself to shop, go to class, spend time at the ruins, or attend her Ju-Jitsu training.There was a distinctive freedom in traveling alone, one she did not get to experience in 900 CE.
Yet here, on this horse, heading toward Teagan’s small house, she could reclaim some measure of that freedom.
Teagan seemed to expect her – her front door hung upon a bare inch.Rain came from the west, so the east-facing door remained dry even as the mist became a gentle rainfall.The airy petrichor was loamy and intoxicating.
Ailith tethered her horse under the thatched overhang between the house and the lean-to barn and peeked her face past Teagan’s door.
“‘Allo, Teagan?”
Her orange hair appeared from behind the door first, followed by her mossy eyes and smiling mouth.
“Ailith!What a pleasure.I had hoped ye might join me this day.Is William with ye?”
Ailith stepped past the doorway and closed the door until the dim, flickering candlelight was all that lit the small interior.
“Nay.I rode here alone.He’s at the Moray Keep near Aberdeen, Blair Keep, I think he called it.Some diplomatic visit, from what he told me.He should return sometime on the morrow.”
Teagan’s lips thinned before her smile returned to her face.“Knowing the Morays, ‘twill be for naught.I dinna know much about history, but one thing I have learned in my time here is that the Morays will stop at nothing to keep their power and gain kingship.Ye know that’s what the Mormaer is, aye?They believe themselves the kings of the northern Highlands, equal in power to the king.”
Ailith understood Teagan’s caution.“Aye.Fortunately, Ididstudy my history, and until the clans all come together under the banner of Scotland, the Morays will always hold that belief.”
“Is that why ye have such an interest in the politics of the clans?”Teagan asked as she led her to the table.“Ye studied history?”
“Enough of it, aye.”Ailith nodded.“Ye mentioned in your time here.I never asked anything more.How long have ye lived in the Highlands?”She glanced around the cruck house.“From how ye live, I presume quite a while.”
Her words must have surprised Teagan, because she didn’t move for a moment.She stared at Ailith, then, in a quick twist, reached for a low shelf and removed a flat, thin piece of wood covered in ashy markings.
“I use this palette and burnt wood to keep track,” Teagan explained.“Easier than worrying about purchasing parchment at the village at Stonehaven.Does no’ raise any eyebrows, aye?”
Oh, smart.Ailith also understood her reticence – ‘twas one of the reasons why William had purchased her own papers and ink, and why she kept them tucked away in her rooms.
