“Nay, our trip is mostly flat. Beinn Bheigier is our tallest mountain over there.” He pointed toward the east where the sound was. “But our fields are fertile and we have lochs full of fish.”
Cormac led the way, Edan and Roger riding off to the side.
Sylvi whispered, “Edan cannot keep his hands away from you. Your sire didn’t see the last one. Do you like him?”
Ailith blushed at the thought of admitting her feelings about Edan. How standing next to him made her feel special, how he had a scent of pine that was all his own, and how her favorite thing about him was the way he looked at her. Like she was the most precious gem on the isle.
But she said naught.
“What are you two whispering about?” Tora asked, riding ahead of her mother.
“Girl talk,” Dyna said. “Ignore them.”
They rode in silence for a short bit, taking in the lush scenery on the isle. Sylvi announced, “You know what I think? I think this is going to be a truly strange trip. Strange land, strange people, strange journey.”
Tora said, “I think we’ll have a grand time. I love new lands, new people, new animals.”
Her mother overheard Sylvi’s comment. “Can’t be any stranger than when we moved to Mull, and we survived quite well. Do not worry your pretty head about it. You’ll learn new things about a new land.”
As the sisters grew, Sylvi worried more and Tora worried less. The younger of the two had a passion for life that Ailith wished she had. Sylvi was more reserved, as Ailith was. For some reason, whether it be her new powers or her father loosening his reins on her, Ailith had a growing comfort in who she was. She glanced at Edan, wondering how much was because of him.
Uncle Connor said, “I know one thing you all had better be ready for. Be prepared to swim.”
“Swim?” Sylvi asked.
“Aye. Morgan said they’re in the loch all the time, and they have several different types of small boats. They are always trying out new forms in their loch. He said there’s a ridge on one side that if you climb it, you can see all the way to Jura.”
Tora let out a hoot, her imitation of a Grant war whoop. “I cannot wait.”
“Which loch?” Roger asked.
“Ardnahoe. They have two cottages there.”
Edan said, “I know the cottages. We leave you at this fork in the road. Rest up, but may we visit you on the morrow? We’ll take you to Finlaggan Castle and see what we can learn there.”
Alasdair asked, “Those are the two most populated areas on Islay? Finlaggan and Dunyvaig? So the next place we ask questions is at Finlaggan?”
“Aye, the two biggest castles. The harbor at Dunyvaig and Lagavulin Bay are the busiest. Four parishes—Kilnaughton and Kidalton near Dunyvaig, Kilmeny near Finlaggan, and Kilchoman in the west. If we want information, we’ll go to Finlaggan Castle on the morrow. It’s where I’m headed,” Edan said.
“Stop at the loch and we’ll join you,” Dyna said. “We need to get settled first.”
Edan and Roger took their leave with a nod, and Ailith’s heart sank a wee bit.
They headed in different directions, and a short time later, they reached the loch, the path leading directly to its coast. There were only two cottages on the loch’s shore, and they sat on its southeastern part.
As they approached from a path behind the buildings, they could hear the splash of water, and Alasdair let out a shrill whistle. Within a few moments, Morgan and Magni came flying around the cottages to greet them on the path.
“Da! I didn’t know you were coming,” Morgan said. “Where’s Mama?”
“Your mother said she’ll come along on the next visit. She needed to settle at Duart first. You know your mother. I have tomake sure the place has all the comforts she requires before I bring her along.”
Magni led the way to the stable for horses and a storage building built into the ground. “We built a separate cottage for visitors.” Magni pointed to the larger of the two cottages settled inside a group of pines as he grabbed a trunk, Morgan gathering sacks to carry inside. “We have three bedchambers in our cottage on the left, and there are three in this one with one large one for bairns. I don’t know why we built this second one on the right, but I had a sudden inexplicable urge. What else does Sela need?”
Dyna climbed down with Derric’s help. “Allow me to answer for Mama. Big hearth. Baskets of blankets by the hearth. Wine, wine, and more wine. How is your cook?”
Morgan guffawed. “No cooks here. We’re on our own, but we’re learning. And Finlaggan is not far.”
Alasdair said to the group, “We’ll go in the new hut. Bring everything into it. Emmalin and I get one chamber. The lasses can take the bairns’ room. Dyna and Derric take the other one. Maitland and Grant get the last one. We’ll send your father with you, Morgan.
