His tears turned to sobs, something he couldn’t stop. His nightmares were getting worse, and he hated it when he woke up in the middle of the night scared, but he would go lie in bed next to his mother and all would be fine.
Now he wouldn’t be able to do that.
“Magni, your mother’s back is hurting her verra badly. Brenna came to check on her and said if she didn’t find a better place to sleep that she might not be able to walk in a few moons. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you? Your mother wouldn’t be able to hug you from her bed if she had to stay flat all the time.”
“Nay, I don’t want Mama,” he said with a hitch, “to be hurt so bad. But why can’t she get fixed here?”
“Because she needs a solid bed like Thane has. She’s going there for a while. And you don’t have to be alone. You may go with them right now. You and Tenney can climb in the boat.”
“But Tenney doesn’t want to go either.”
Simone arched a brow at him. “He doesn’t? Are you sure about that?”
Magni let out a huge sigh. “Nay, but I don’t want to leave, and I don’t wish for Tenney to go. I’m too afraid. God is here on Iona.”
Lia leaned over and kissed his cheek. “God is everywhere, child. I’ve told you that before, but I promise to return. You take care of Tenney. We have to go now.”
Simone gave him a big hug. “Artan and I will return before darkness descends. I promise.”
“Will you stay here with me?”
His father yelled, “I’ll be back on the morrow, son. Beatris, Geva, and Emma are all here too, Magni. Henry will be back soon.”
“Would you and Tenney like to sleep in our hut this eve?” Simone asked.
“All right.”
Simone waved and headed toward the boat.
Magni’s biggest fear had come true. He was all alone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Drew
Drew Menzie made his way down to the tavern. It was late at night and poor Lina had suffered from another bad headache.
The kind of headache that told him something bad was about to happen. The only thing he could think to do was go outside the walls of Duart Castle and find out what else was happening on the Isle of Mull.
Because something was definitely brewing. They could all feel it.
Connor would go to MacVeys and Rankins. Dyna would go to MacQuaries and MacLeans, but he knew where the best place was to gain information from the undercurrent of the world—the local tavern.
He stepped inside the tavern at Craignure, not surprised to see it nearly full. He took an empty seat at the bar, ordered a drink, tossing the man a coin while he crafted his story in his mind.
“Where you from?” the man behind the bar asked.
“I just came across the ferry this eve. I heard there was someone paying good coin for warriors. Know you of who I could see about it?”
“Aye, I might,” he said, nodding to a man leaning against the wall.
Drew stayed where he was, waiting to see if the man would approach. He had unkempt brown hair with a beard that appeared to be new. He wasn’t tall, but he had broad shoulders and carried a sheathed small sword.
And he had a strut that tried to impress everyone.
It didn’t impress Drew.
When he finally approached, Drew gave the man the same story. “Are you the man hiring?”
