Roger said, “I’m going with her. It’s our chance to speak with them. Go home or follow.”
Roger, Arne, and Catrina headed down to the water, a big galley ship just unloading. Roger stepped in the lead and moved directly to the man who seemed to be in charge of the ship since he was giving orders to other men on where to unload their cargo.
“Are you MacLean?” Roger asked.
“Aye. Cormac MacLean, captain of the Mull Cog. How can I be of assistance?”
Catrina would not be silenced. “Our bairns are missing, and we think faeries have taken them. Who can help us? They say someone on Mull. Who? Where do we go? When? Help us, please.”
Cormac tipped his head toward the ship. “My friend can help you. He’ll be up the hill in a few moments.”
“Does he know about faeries? Can he help us find our bairns?”
Cormac said, “I’m not sure if he can help, but it would be a start for you. His name is Magni MacQuarie, and he grew up on Mull. Ask him about Dyna Grant at Duart. If anyone can help you, Magni can. They say he met a faery long ago. In fact, he knew her so well that he named his ship after her.”
“What’s the name of his vessel?”
“Lia’s Hulk. He named it after a faery named Lia.”
A man with a headful of dark hair in unruly waves approached, then set his crate down in a different area, wiping the sweat from his brow before he joined them. “Greetings to you. Magni MacQuarie of The Brotherhood of the Black Keel.”
Edan had to admit a wee bit of hope had blossomed inside of him. Once introductions were done, Edan took Catrina’s hands so he could be as concise as possible. “We are missing bairns. My sister feels it could be because of faeries, and I fear they may have been stolen by mercenaries.”
“When?”
“Last eve. We’ve searched everywhere for them.”
Cormac said, “They didn’t go across the sea. I saw Morgan’s ship board earlier and there were no bairns on board. None on my Mull Cog either.”
Magni stared up at the sky, then turned around slowly, scanning the entire area.
“What are you doing?” Arne asked.
“Looking for a faery I know, but she’s not here.”
Edan nearly spun on his heel to leave but Catrina grabbed his hand. “Is there someone on Mull who can help us?”
When Magni turned back to them, his blue eyes sparkled. “Aye. I know exactly who you need to see, and they will help you. We’ll take you at high sun on the morrow. Be ready.” He looked at Cormac then moved back to his ship.
Cormac nodded and said, “I’ll be here, and I’ll make sure I have room for you.”
Roger called after Magni, “Where will we go on Mull?”
“Duart Castle,” Cormac replied.
“Why Duart?”
Magni overheard because he yelled out, “Because that’s where all the seers live. If they can’t find your bairns, no one can.”
Chapter Four
Dyna
Dyna Grant Corbett sat in a chair in front of the hearth, sipping on a cup of warm broth. Something was happening, but she could not grasp it. Why the hell could she see things so clearly one day and the next day see naught?
She was a seer, she knew it, as were all three of her older bairns. Sylvi, Tora, and Sandor all had some unusual abilities. Sylvi could hear unspoken thoughts, Tora could see things in the present, often in dreams. It was Tora who had run over to her grandfather many years ago and said, “The boat bwoke,” when a couple’s boat had exploded in the middle of a storm, and the two had ended up at MacClane Castle telling the tale.
And Sandor had the ability to speak with the dead. He spoke with her beloved grandfather and grandmother often. Alex and Maddie Grant were such wonderful people, how she wished she could see them both again. Sandor had helped them all deal with their losses over the years by being able to communicate with them.
