“Me too. I don’t like the banshee,” Tora whispered. “She frightens me.”
Dyna kissed Sylvi’s cheek and said, “You two go help Grandda with supper.” The two girls scurried away. Once they were inside, Dyna turned to Lia. “And I’m not taking them along. I’ll go with Edan. Ailith, you don’t need to go.”
Ailith said, “I’d like to go.”
“I don’t think your sire will approve, Ailith. Especially after what I saw. The best time to visit her is at midnight. Your sire won’t like that.”
“He doesn’t have to approve. I’m going along. Edan needs help and I’m the best one to help him. What else do we need, Lia?”
Lia said, “While you may not realize it, we learned much from the four of you, Ailith. We know our destination: the standing stones at Cultoon. We know we can’t use violence against the banshee, and we’ve decided who isn’t going.” She paused. “That leaves two things to uncover, the first of which I’m not sure we’ll discover yet, and it’s not essential for our immediate task. We don’t need to know what makes Edan different to go to the banshee. We can uncover that mystery within seven days. Our next and most pressing burden is figuring out how to deal with her. Still, overall, excellent work from four wise lasses. My thanks to you all. Let’s go inside. I think I hear Magni coming. And Dyna? Great work weaving.”
Dyna heard a rustling in the distance, in the woods. She grabbed her bow and two arrows, creeping into the edge of the forest. She disappeared but gave out a loud whoop of satisfaction a few moments later. “Derric! I need you!” She ran back, runningpast them, her glee so evident Ailith was sure she’d caught a deer. “Da will be so happy. I’ll get Derric and Maitland!”
Ailith stood and folded the plaid she was seated on, turning around to see Magni come around the corner and freeze.
“Lia?”
“Greetings, dearest brother of mine.”
He rushed over and gave her a big hug. “I knew I’d seen you when I was on my ship. It was you on the dolphin, was it not?”
“It was. I’m happy to see you again, Magni. Are you happy? Or would you rather have me older?”
“I thought you would be my age by now.” He shrugged, a habit of his when he didn’t know what to say.
“I was afraid to appear older to you.” Lia tipped her head. “Odd things happen when you haven’t seen anyone, and you know we’re not really blood, right?”
Magni let out a huge belly laugh, clapping his hands. “You think I would have feelings for you if you were older? That would never happen. You’re my sister, Lia.” He blushed. “At least, that’s how it feels to me. You were a sister to me when I needed one most, and I’ll never forget that.”
“Good, I’m glad. I was worried about that a wee bit. We were verra close at one time.”
Magni ruffled his hair and shrugged one shoulder. “You were there for me when I was left to die. And you went along with us all those times we were kidnapped. You helped me survive, and others.”
“I’m sorry you lost your parents, but you have Thane and Tamsin still.”
“I do. They’ve always made me feel like I belonged there, and I’m grateful to you and to them for all they’ve done for me, but Morgan and I have worked hard on these cottages. He met a man coming from the mainland who told him how to build better with wood. He taught us how to build the second floor.He’s from Italy, I think. He was hard to understand, but he was a great help.”
“You did a fine job. What else? Do you have your eye on another lass?”
Ailith stood back, watching the two, wondering why Magni was blushing a deep red. Lia noticed, but she said nothing, just looking at him differently.
Lia clasped her hands at her waist and winked at him. “You’re already in love, brother.”
“Not exactly. She hasn’t noticed me yet, but I hope she will someday soon. When she does, then I’ll love her with my whole heart. You’ll stay for supper? I can smell a fine fish stew, and I think Dyna just caught a deer we can smoke for the morrow. We have two huge pits behind the stable. I saw Derric run into the woods, and I heard a few shouts of joy from both Maitland and Derric.”
“I will stay, but only if you tell me more about this lass.”
To Ailith’s surprise, he turned away, doing his best to hide his smirk. Magni went into the cottage, looking back over his shoulder at the last moment. “Nay, Lia. I have my secrets too.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Edan
The group of five approached the standing stones of Cultoon slowly. They had timed their departure so that they would arrive around midnight, and the crescent moon confirmed they’d been correct.
Edan rode beside Ailith, wee Lia in front of Dyna, and Alasdair led the group. Ailith had tried to tell her sire to stay home, but he’d convinced Dyna that they needed at least one swordsman to ensure safe passage.
Lia had snorted before adding, “Come along, Alasdair. You can carry the pheasant Dyna will get on the way home. She already caught a deer.”
