“Do you recall anything, Tora?”
Tora shook her head, her golden plait sliding over her shoulder. “I was there?”
Avelina squeezed her hand before drawing her in for a quick embrace. “You were just a wee thing, but you knew when your grandda was hurt. You told us all he was coming and that he would need Aunt Brenna. Grandmama calmed because you could see Grandda on his way.”
Sylvi shrugged. “Mama, I don’t know how we can help. I don’t see things much these days.”
“Yet you saw what was in Edan’s mind…”
“I know. It just popped in my head. All of this is changing again, like something powerful is coming.” She sighed and sat on a stool. “Poor Edan. Losing a daughter must be devastating.”
“If we put our efforts together, I think we might be able to help him.” Dyna reached into her pouch and drew out the ring of thistles. “Hold it in your hands. Let your fingers trace it. It may stir something.”
Avelina extended her hand. “Hold my hand, Tora.”
Dyna moved forward, drawing them into a circle as best she could in their limited area. “Now close your eyes and focus on wee lassies in a land far away. Think of Edan in his cottage and a wee lassie in her cradle.”
Avelina began to hum, the low, steady cadence filling the air between them.
A few moments later, Sylvi spoke, her voice distant, “I hear bairns crying, Mama.”
“Keep listening. If you stay focused, you can hone in on the sounds. They’ll come to you.” Dyna rubbed Sylvi’s arm, hoping she could get her to find out more.
Avelina’s voice guided her along. “What do you hear, lass?”
“Children. Their thoughts are jumbled. One is calling for her father over and over. Another is so cold he can scarcely shape the word. They’re frightened. But they aren’t hurt.” Sylvi’s brow tightened. “Not yet.”
“Can you hear where they are?”
“Nay. Only what they feel.”
“I’m seeing something in the dark. Like a cave or a cellar.” Tora drew in a slow breath, then smiled. “There they are. Oh, Mama. The youngest one is so cute. She has red curls and a blue night rail on. She’s happy mostly, but a wee bit sad.”
“Tell us, Tora,” Avelina urged.
“They’re huddled together. The smallest two are in front. The wee lassie with red curls and a laddie in a green tunic. Or mayhap brown. I’m not sure. It’s dark there. Behind them are others, older. They aren’t crying. It’s as if they’ve been there longer.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “There’s a fog all around them. I can’t see past it. I can’t tell where they are.”
She opened her eyes. “I see them, but no farther.”
Dyna and Avelina deepened the rhythm of their voices, doing what they could to guide the girls, yet the vision refused to sharpen.Sylvi opened her eyes and said, “I can’t hear past it either. They’re frightened. That’s all.”
Tora let go of her mother’s hand and sat on the stone. “Naught more. The fog will not lift.”
Dyna looked to the older woman for guidance. “They haven’t used their gifts much of late. Do you think that has aught to do with it?”
Avelina sighed. “I don’t know.”
Dyna dropped her hands and crossed her arms against the chill. “We’re missing something. I can’t explain it, but I feel like we aren’t whole. It is as though the veil we look through is torn. It’s hard to explain.”
Avelina said, “We’re missing someone. There is another soul here who can help us. She’s new to it. Look for someone. I think she’s near the hearth, Dyna. Go find out who it is.”
Dyna got up and headed to the door. “I’ll be right back.” She headed down the staircase as quietly as she could. Her mother was asleep in her chamber, and she didn’t wish to awaken her.
She tiptoed down the passageway and into the great hall. A few chatted around a table, but that wasn’t what pulled to her. Quiet sobs came from someone near the hearth.
“Ailith? What’s wrong?” She sat down on a stool near her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, glancing at the ones behind her. It was three serving lasses and one of the housekeepers eating. “I had another nightmare, and now I’m afraid to sleep.”
