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CHAPTERNINETEEN
Tobermory was as sleepy as Lerwise, though the inn at its center was busy. The taproom was full of fishermen, sheltering from the coming bad weather–clouds having swept along the channel between the island and mainland, bringing with it squalid showers and driving wind. Murdina and Kin had walked for an hour after their encounter with the mysterious hooded man, passing the circle of stones he had spoken about a mile south of Tobermory.
“We require a room, landlord, and somethin’ to eat and drink,” Kin said, adopting the same brogue he had used the evening before.
“I have a room for ye, aye,” the landlord said, eyeing Murdina with a knowing look in his eyes.
Murdina had heard her father speak of Mull as an island where elopers would go to escape the harsh judgment of their families, a place where fewer questions were asked, and those with secrets could come to hide. The landlord undoubtedly believed that Murdina and Kin were just such a couple–eloping in the hope of marriage and excited to spend their first night together.
“And somethin’ to eat, too?” Kin asked, and the landlord nodded.
“Aye, come this way,” he said, and he led them through a door at the side of the counter and up a winding staircase to a landing lit by candles burning in sconces along the walls.
The inn reminded Murdina of a ship, for its walls had subsided somewhat, and the corridor itself was at an odd angle, the floorboards creaking as they made their way to the far end where the landlord unlocked a door that led into a room with windows looking out to sea. It was comfortably furnished, with a bed built into an alcove and a fire burning brightly in the hearth. A small table stood by the window, with chairs on either side and a jug and basin for washing.
“We shall be very comfortable here, thank ye,” Kin said, and the landlord smiled.
“I am sure ye will. Nay one will disturb ye. I shall send the lad up with yer supper–tis’ a stew and bread, but I trust ye are nae too worried about what ye fill yer bellies with,” he said, and Murdina and Kin glanced at one another and smiled.
“Our only concern is to be left to ourselves,” Kin replied, and the landlord nodded.
“And for the price of a few coins, ye shall be,” he said.
Murdina handed over the money, and the landlord left them alone, closing the door behind him and bidding them a good evening. The rain was falling now, lashing against the windows, and Murdina was thankful to be inside, their long journey having taken its toll on her.
“Tis’ a strange place,” she said, slumping down into one of the chairs by the fire.
“Aye, tis’ so,” he replied, and she raised her eyebrows to him.
“Ye daenae have to pretend when we are alone,” she said, and he smiled.
“But is that not the mark of an excellent spy? A man who can assume the identity which is his at all times. I am certain it is in my blood,” he said, coming to sit opposite her.
She put another log on the fire, and a few moments later, the landlord’s boy brought their supper–a simple meal of stew and bread.
“What are we to dae about that man? Dae we go to the stone circle tonight?” Murdina asked.
She had tried hard not to think about it, but the evening was drawing on, and they would soon have to make their decision. The circumstances were strange, and they had no way of knowing if the man was either friend or foe. He had given no indication of his purpose or of his identity–he was as mysterious as their reasons for going to that strange island, as much a part of the mystery as the key and the coin.
“He spoke of the knot. He knew who we were. It was as though he had been waiting for us, but how could he have known? We were not known in Lerwise, and no one else could have crossed the waters ahead of us to warn them of our coming. I think he recognized me, but I have no recollection of ever having been here before,” Kin said, shaking his head.
There were so many unanswered questions, and the mysterious man’s appearance had only added to those questions. But meeting him could also be key to answering those questions, and while Murdina was nervous, she was no coward in the face of danger.
“We are two. He is one. We will fight if need be. I am nae afraid,” she said, and he smiled at her.
“I am not afraid either, though I worry…” he said, a look of unease coming over his face.
“About what?” she asked.
“About remembering. The more I remember, the more terrible it seems. What if this man is the one who brings my memories back, and what if those memories are not ones I would wish to know of?” he asked.
Murdina thought for a moment–he had not been the same since awaking from the dream of the burning castle–and it was clear he feared the prospect of further memories coming on him like a thief in the night. But to know the truth–however terrible–was surely preferable to the fog of mystery, and she leaned forward and took him by the hand.
“Yer mystery has become mine. I am as much mixed up in it as ye are. I cannae go back to my father, nae now, and I have nay where else to go but to remain at yer side. We must face this together, and tis’ surely better to know the truth than to remain forever in the dark,” she said, their eyes meeting in a gaze of mutual understanding.
He nodded and sighed. Murdina knew she was right–on both accounts. She had not intended to allow their lives to become thus entwined, and though she knew there would surely be a parting of ways–as much as it pained her, strangely, to think it–at that moment, their fate was as one. She had followed him in the hope of escaping her father’s intentions, but in doing so, she had become as one with Kin’s intentions, too. The mystery was hers to solve, and now they had arrived on Mull, she was determined to see it through.
“And I am glad you are here to face it with me,” he replied, squeezing her hand.
