“Don’t give me that look. I’m being observant. There are circles under your eyes that have their own circles.” She tilted her head, studying me with that unnerving focus she got sometimes. “Bad night?”
“Something like that.”
Willow was quiet for a moment, and I could feel her deciding whether to push.
“Ramsay snores,” she said instead. “Like a chainsaw with a head cold. I’ve considered smothering him with a pillow at least three times this week.”
A surprised laugh escaped me. “That seems extreme.”
“Does it? I think a jury of women would acquit me.” She patted my arm. “Whatever’s going on, you know you can talk to me. To any of us. That’s what we’re here for.”
“I know.” My throat tightened unexpectedly. “Thank you.”What would my life be like had these amazing women not entered it?Especially given I was more book worm than socialite when I was younger and had tended to hang with the lads more than any girlfriends at school.
Sophie called the meeting to order before Willow could say anything else, which was probably for the best.
“Right,” Sophie said. “We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started. First order of business is Zara, who has some information to share about what she’s been sensing from the loch.”
I sat up straighter, my attention sharpening.
Zara was seated on the other end of the long table, her guide dog Mitch pressed against her legs as always. She looked tired too, I noticed, as her face was pale and drawn.
“I feel like the signals have been getting stronger,” Zara said. “Ever since the attack. It’s like impressions? Whispers?I don’t know. But I really think there’s something trying to communicate.”
“The Kelpies?” Orla asked, leaning forward with a frown.
“Maybe? I don’t…I don’t know. It’s kind of frustrating, actually.” Zara waved her hands in the air, looking into the distance, her eyes seeing what we couldn’t. “I’ve been trying to make sense of it, but it comes in fragments. Images and feelings more than words.”
“What kind of fragments?” Sophie tilted her head. “Like …can you describe it?”
Zara was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed.
“There’s something about blood,” she said finally. “A lineage. And like, just random phrases, I guess.”
“What phrases?” Hilda asked, pen poised over her notebook.
Zara took a breath. “Something about lies. And a promise. A daughter, maybe?”
The words sliced through me.
I must have made some sound, some movement, because Liora’s head snapped toward me from across the room, her eyes wide. I shook my head—not now—and forced myself to sit still, to keep my expression neutral.
But my heart was hammering, and it felt like Gran’s ring had gone hot on my finger. I twisted it, feeling like warmth was pouring through my veins.
Daughter of lies.
“Agnes?”
I blinked. Sophie was looking at me, her brow furrowed.
“You don’t look good. Are you all right?”
“You’re not the first to mention that.” I slanted a look at Willow who just blew me a kiss. “Just tired. Didn’t sleep well.”
Sophie didn’t look convinced, but she let it go, turning back to Zara. “Is there anything else? Any sense of what this communication actually means?”
“There’s something about a betrayal,” Zara said slowly. “A long time ago. And something that needs to be mended or restored. I can’t quite grasp it.”
“Could it be connected to the Beithir?” Kaia asked.
