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“Aye, the Kelpies,” Hilda said softly. “He’ll still protect us, you see? Even when he’s stubborn to the point of infuriation, he’ll still take watch.”
Unbidden, the image of Lachlan, alone on the wall, facing down an unknown beast that might have been responsible for his mother’s death, rose to my head. My heart twisted, and I found myself with the inexplicable urge to go find Lachlan and comfort him. I almost snorted. I had a feeling that trying to console Lachlan would be like trying to hug a bull.
“He believes,” Archie said, quietly. “Just give him time to work around to it.”
“It’s been years.” Hilda rounded on her husband. “We’re running out of time. Loren Brae is losing people. They’re leaving. Tourism is drying up. Businesses are closing. Next, people will start getting hurt. It’s a responsibility we have, Archie, to see this through. We owe it to our people and to our place in history to protect the Clach na Fìrinn. It’s us who can restore the Order, the guardians, and I’ll not shy away from such a task. Even if it hurts Lachlan. I love him, och, you know that I do with all my heart, but some things are bigger than one person’s feelings.”
It was her impassioned speech to her husband, the firelight glinting off a sheen in her eyes, that convinced me that I needed to honor their story. It was wild, oh goodness, was it wild, but also…a part of me wanted it to be true. More than anything, that last bit surprised me. For someone who thrived on the predictability of a routine and the comfort of the mundane, this entire story should have sent me running for the next flight out of Scotland. Instead, something inside me warmed to it, my blood beginning to hum and, for once, I listened to my gut instead of making a neat pros and cons list to lead my decision.
“This is wild,” I said, drawing everyone’s attention back to me. “Like, well and truly wild. But I’m open. I want to know more. Particularly…why me?”
Matthew almost fell out of his chair.
“You’re into this?” Matthew asked, the look on his face like he’d just discovered I visited bondage sex clubs in my downtime.
“I don’t know that I’d say it quite like that.” My lips quirked. “But, yes, I’m in the information-gathering stage, Matthew. I want to know more. I’m…I’m listening.”
“That’s a good lass,” Archie said. His praise warmed me, as he didn’t seem like one to dole it out unnecessarily, and I turned to the two women across from me who now wore matching hopeful expressions.
“Why me? Tell me,” I reiterated.
“I’ll take this,” Agnes said, shifting through the papers in front of her before pulling one to the top. Peering at it, her lips moved slightly as she read through the words before lifting her head to look at me in the weird way that people do when they try to talk to you while looking over their reading glasses. “The Order of Caledonia was originally comprised of individuals that played a role in the maintenance and upkeep of the village.”
“So not a traditional Order, then?” Matthew leaned forward, his pen flying across his notebook as he took notes. “It’s not like the Knights of the Round Table or something of that nature?”
“No, it’s not,” Agnes said. “Each member of the Order has different and valuable roles. But there is a knight.”
The room went quiet, and I felt a touch of…something…dance across my skin. My eyes widened.
“Me?” I whispered.
“Aye, Sophie. You’re the knight. The first of the Order of Caledonia. It always starts with the knight. Your duties, should you choose to accept them, will be to step into your power and to restore the Order to its fullest. In doing so, you’ll bring peace and prosperity back to our community and protect one of the greatest gifts and threats to humankind that has ever existed—the Clach na Fìrinn,” Agnes said. Her words fell like a curse or a benediction. It was hard to say, really. The weight of them settled on my shoulders, a mantle of responsibility and, for a moment, I almost bowed under the pressure. Looking down at the table, I forced myself to breathe and tried to sort through my emotions.
This is your birthright.
“So no pressure, right?” I smiled weakly, and Matthew chuckled next to me.
“It’s immense pressure.” Hilda regarded me stoically. “And a great honor. The knight is chosen because they are capable of handling both.”
“Wait…why not Sophie’s father, then?” Matthew interjected, his hand in the air.
“He must not have been worthy.” Agnes shrugged, flipping through the pages as though the answer to my father’s inability to care for anyone outside himself would be found there.
“You hear that, Soph?” Matthew asked. “Robertwasn’t worthy. Butyouare. This stone—one of the most sought after in the world, mind you, that knows all the truths of the universe—decided that your father wasn’t worthy. And you have been chosen. I think that’s a pretty important point, don’t you?”
“Duly noted, Professor,” I said, my heart thundering in my chest. I rose from my chair. “Do you mind…I think that I just need some time to digest all of this?”
“Why don’t we take a break and meet back here before lunch for a quick castle tour? I think you’ll enjoy the history.” Hilda stood, twinkling up at me as though I was her savior. The crux of it was…I already didn’t want to let these people down. Aside from Lachlan, they’d all been incredibly nice. How could I tell them that fairy tales were for kids and leave them behind? Either way, I owned this castle, which meant I was in charge of its future, even if it came with a whole bag of ghosts.
Not waiting for Matthew to accompany me, I left, my own ghosts haunting me as I tried to decide if I could handle what came next.
CHAPTERTEN
lachlan
Ineeded to blow off some bloody steam.
A half hour later, after sledgehammering a section of the old wall that Archie had been moaning about needing replaced, I finally straightened. Sweat dripped down my body beneath my shirt, and I headed for the burn to cool off.
