“Whatever is happening, we’ll figure it out. Sit and relax.”
Dyna sat down and said, “You’re right, Da. We’ll do this together. I’m so glad you are all here.”
“What has you worried?” her father asked, not mincing any words. “Tell me all of it.”
“I think something is on the horizon. Recall that night when Lia said she would need us again? I can’t say that I’ve seen it definitely yet, but I would wager I’ll see it soon. There’s trouble somewhere, and we’re going to be called to help.” She nodded her head but then saw her beloved cousin and the worry on his face. “Tell me about Ailith, ‘Dair.” She and Alasdair had been close since their toddler years because Dyna was only a year behind him.
Alasdair leaned back, steepling his fingers in front of him. “Ailith is such a quiet person that it’s hard to know what is happening inside her mind. She’s a far cry from Daran who yells out the first thing that pops into his head, and John? He’s assteady as anyone I’ve ever known. Her mother tells me she’s trying to find her way, that she’s ready to step away from us.”
Connor snorted, looking at Dyna with a smirk. “And someone does not like that idea one bit.”
Dyna said, “I understand completely. Sylvi is going through the same. Young, confused, wondering where she belongs. Tora is as light-hearted as anyone and nothing bothers her.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Everything bothers Sylvi. Is Ailith like that?”
“Nay. It’s something specific. She’s having nightmares about bairns in caves and a troll, and she wakes up screaming. Now she’s having headaches.”
Dyna whispered, “I had headaches when my abilities grew. I could always see Grandda and what he was doing when I was young, but when I was older and my abilities changed, I had headaches frequently. It was as if my mind was trying to tell me it didn’t like all the odd thoughts there.”
“Ailith is not a seer,” Alasdair said.
Her father arched a brow at her and said, “But she did get her father’s attention. You can admit it now. Tell her why you’re here. Dyna will understand.” Alasdair’s father Jake had died long ago, so she knew he considered her father as a substitute for his own.
Alasdair let out a huff, glanced over his shoulder as if anyone would be standing there, before he said, “I’ll admit it. She took a stand against me, and she’s never done that before.”
Dyna let out a low whistle. “I love it. Tell me more.”
“She said she needed to see you about her nightmares. I suggested we wait a bit before we came for a visit.”
Her father had one of the biggest grins on his face she’d ever seen. “And?”
“She told me she would travel with Uncle Connor with or without me.”
A knock interrupted them. The door opened and Tora, at ten and seven, came inside and greeted her grandfather first, then Alasdair.
She took the chair next to her mother and whispered loud enough for the other two to overhear, “Lia is coming.”
Dyna closed her eyes and muttered, “I knew it.”
Then her father leaned toward her. “Do not tell Aunt Maeve until we are certain, Tora.”
“I won’t say anything to anyone,” Tora replied. “She came to me in a vision, waving at me. She won’t be here for a few days, but someone else will be here on the morrow.”
“Who?” Dyna asked, rubbing the frown on her forehead.
“I don’t know them, but a man is coming and he carries a storm with him.”
“Hellfire.” Alasdair’s head fell into his hands.
Chapter Five
Magni
Magni MacQuarie let out a loud yelp as they sailed their ship across the waters near Jura. “What a beautiful day!”
He gave no sign of what churned beneath the surface, nor of the lass whose face had lingered in his thoughts since dawn. The wind shifted oddly against his cheek, warmer than it should be for early summer. Something was off. He could not name it, but he would.
He also refused to put words to how deeply upset he was after hearing the troubles of the family they’d just seen, the ones who they’d planned to take to Duart on the morrow.
Cormac said, “I still don’t know why you insisted on coming out here. The day is warm, but I would have preferred to spend my time replacing one of the boards on my boat.”
