“Och, lass. Settle down. It’s nothing to be stomping off over. We’re all magick here.”
I stopped, my back to the others, myheart thundering in my chest. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the whole room watching me, smiles on their faces.
“You are?”
“Well, some of us are.” Lachlan crossed his arms, an annoyed look on his face.
“He’s just grumpy that I got the power.” Sophie squeezed his arm, laughing, and I turned fully around, my eyes widening.
“Come, sit down, lass. Have your wine.” Archie waved a feather at where I’d just been sitting. “Welcome to the Order of Caledonia.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Faelan
It turns out, the Order of Caledonia was made up of women with power, all different from mine, but each unique and powerful in their own right. Sophie was the first Knight of the Order, tasked with finding the others and completing the final ritual that would protect the Clach na Fìrinn, the Stone of Truth that lay buried deep in the ground on the wee island in the middle of Loch Mirren. I’d been right to be fascinated by the loch, as it was highly magicked, and until the Order of Caledonia was complete and the protective wards had been restored, the Clach na Fìrinn had unleashed its Kelpies as a defense against any suspected predators that would seek to steal it from its resting place.
I was on my second glass of wine, nodding along with everything that they were explaining, trying to soak it all in.
A magickal order of women.Had Mum known about this? Especially given it was passed down through generations.
Dangerous Kelpies that were intensifying in their behavior the longer it took to lay the wards for protecting the Stone of Truth.
A sentient truth stone that knew the secrets of the universe and could destroy anyone who sought to keep it.
And me, Faelan of the Flowers, a direct descendant of those who had served on the Order before me.
It was a lot to wrap my head around, but at the same time, it wasn’t difficult at all. I’d cut my teeth on magick, and though Eriska had told me many a fantastical story through the years, she’d never once mentioned the Order of Caledonia. What could have kept her from telling me about this? Or was this what she’d been running from all along? Would it bring harm to me to join this order of women?
“You don’t seem all that surprised by this,” Hilda observed, as I’d sat quietly, soaking in parts of my family history I’d had no clue about.But why?That was the question I was wrestling with.
“I’m not,” I admitted, but then shrugged. “And yet, I am. Magick doesn’t surprise me. My ancestors’ involvement in this Order does.”
“So you already know you have power then?” Sophie bounced on the couch, lightly clapping her hands. “Oh goodie, that makes life so much easier. It’s kind of wild to try and accept something when you’ve never had magick in your life before.”
I smiled at her, amused. She was from California and hadn’t been raised with all the myths and legends ofScotland seeped into her bones. Raising my hands, I held them palm forward in the air.
“I’m a healer.”
“Ohhhhh.” Sophie slapped her forehead. “That’s what you meant when you said a healer by heart. I thought you just meant you were compassionate.”
“I am.” My lips quirked. “But I can also lay hands on an injured patient and repair ripped tendons and knit skin back together or expunge illness.”
“Badass.” Sophie gave me an approving nod. “Hilda, can we do a cheese platter? I’m a bit peckish.”
“What about a few leftover pizzas from last night?” Hilda stood and I gaped at them as they casually discussed food after I had bared my secret to them all.
A secret that had kept me running for years now.
I cleared my throat.
“Um, doesn’t that bother you?” I asked, bewildered.
“Do you not want pizza?” Sophie’s eyebrows shot up.
“No.” I laughed softly. “The healing with my hands. My magick. That doesn’t bother you?”
“Why would it bother us, lass? You’re an asset to Loren Brae,” Archie barked, and I pursed my lips, honestly confused on how to respond to this.
