“You’ll see.” Maggie turned her back on the horses and speaking softly to them coaxed them into following her. She looked like the pied piper as the horses fell into line behind her and followed her back through the gate into the courtyard, where she turned and headed toward the stable. The doors were already open wide in anticipation of the return of the horses and Maggie walked down the center aisle, opening stall doors as she went. Each of the horses obediently entered their own stall as they came to them and Dylan and the stable boys closed and locked the doors behind them. Finally, the last horse was settled into his stall.
“Are you some kind of horse whisperer?” Dylan asked. He had one brow cocked over his beautiful, deep brown eyes.
“Let’s just say I have a way with animals,” Maggie answered, trying not to make eye contact with him. She got all fluttery in the belly when he spoke to her, which was not good. She turned to walk away, but Dylan grabbed her arm firmly. The feel of his warm skin through the light material of her shirt got her mind wandering to places it shouldn’t.
“I’d say you have more than a way with animals, Alec. I’ve never seen anything like that. The boys and I were out there for more than an hour, trying to catch even a single horse with no luck and you walk out and stand perfectly still and they come to you. What’s your trick?”
“I have nae trick,” Maggie lied. It was her secret and she was not about to share it. “I must go. Irene may need me help.” Shewrestled her arm out of Dylan’s grasp and attempted once again to walk away.
“Wait. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I haven’t had much chance since the other day, and I know you told me you don’t know Maggie, but it sure seems like you do. I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me about her. Anything Edna or Angus might have mentioned to you?” Dylan was watching Maggie intently, and she quickly glanced down, rather than risk giving herself away by mooning over him.
As usual, whenever she was anywhere near him, her heart began to race and she found herself hyperventilating. She concentrated on getting that under control. “Why do ye continue to ask me?” she snapped. “I’m afraid I dinnae ken much about yer Maggie. I’ve only just met her.” That wasn’t a lie. She had just met Brielle, but she did know more about her than she could safely share. Maggie wished she could show Dylan that she was the real Maggie, but she had been sworn to secrecy. Why, she still didn’t ken, but she hoped for Dylan’s sake that soon he’d understand the truth. “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I must go.” Maggie raced off toward the great hall. She hadn’t seen Brielle since the water incident and Maggie hoped that she was done causing trouble for the day. It was exhausting, continually trying to set things straight. At the last minute, she decided to change course and head to the soldier’s barracks. Maggie needed to clear her head and take a few minutes to sort through everything.
***
“Ye look like ye’ve been to war,” Angus announced to Maggie as she entered their chamber. Angus was relaxing on one of the beds and Maggie settled wearily on the other.
“I feel like it too,” Maggie responded. “This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.” She glanced over at Angus, who was giving her that fatherly look he saved for allhis lasses.“Actually, that’s not true. I had no idea what it would be like. One of the many things I don’t understand is why the MacKenzies are putting up with Brielle.”
“The MacKenzies are a very welcoming and hospitable clan. No matter how Brielle behaves and no matter what they think of her, they will be kind to her. Now, as for ye, yer doing an amazing job of keeping Brielle under control. Yer Aunt Edna would be so verra proud of ye. She had faith in ye and yer proving she was right to believe ye could do this.”
“But what exactly am I doing? I know I’m putting out fires and stopping floods and a dozen other things, but what is the end goal? That’s what I don’t understand. I’m frustrated beyond belief, because no one here knows who I am! They all believe thatwitchis me, and I can’t say I’m happy about it. She’s rude and inconsiderate most of the time and yet smiling in their faces as she turns away to cause more trouble. I’d like to wipe that smile right off of her face.” Maggie had built up quite a head of steam as she continued to vent her frustrations. “She could destroy them in a heartbeat, yet she doesn’t. She’s playing with them—like a cat with a mouse. What is she up to? Why is she even here? And why is she after my Dylan?”
“Are ye through with yer ranting, Maggie?” Angus shook his head. “I agree with ye. Brielle gives witches a bad name, but yer Aunt Edna is the only one who can answer those questions for ye and if she doesnae wish to, well, ye ken it’s like requesting answers of a brick wall. A very lovely brick wall, but a brick wall, nonetheless.” Angus chuckled at his own analogy.
“Well, that goes a long way towardsnotmaking me feel better.” Maggie flopped back onto the bed with her arm covering her eyes.
“Rest awhile before we go in for the evening meal. I believe I’ll take a nap as well,” Angus yawned and closed his eyes.
Maggie ran through the day’s events in her weary head and had to admit that despite her frustrations, she was pleased and proud of the way she had handled everything. When Edna had told Maggie she wanted her to take care of Brielle, Maggie had been terrified that she would fail, but so far everything had been relatively easy to fix. The one thing she had no control over, was what Brielle would do next and Maggie feared that this was just the beginning of her troubles with that one.
***
At the evening meal, everyone chatted about the unusual day it had been. Dylan was singing Alec’s praises and telling how amazed he was, to see Alec gather all the horses and bring them back to the stables singlehandedly. Irene thanked Alec again for his help with the flooding and further down the table, Jenna was relating the story of the dough as she shared a piece of the bread, made from the same troublesome batch, with Cormac.
Maggie was sure to put up a protective barrier around herself and Angus. She wished she could cover all of the table’s occupants, but Brielle was thwarting her efforts at every turn and casting a steely gaze her way, in an effort to intimidate her. As Dylan continued to sing Alec’s praises, Brielle was getting more and more irritated and Maggie worried that she’d do something to hurt him. The thought no sooner came to Maggie, than Dylan’s voice grew hoarse and he sounded like a croaking frog. He tried clearing his throat by coughing, but to no avail.
“Are ye alright, my love?” Brielle cooed. “Here, drink something, it should help.” She handed Dylan his tankard of ale, which he drank from, but his voice did not come back to anything more than a whisper. “Don’t speak, love. Rest yer voicefor now.” She smiled triumphantly towards Maggie. She couldn’t have been any plainer regarding her intentions. Maggie got the message loud and clear.
Conversation picked up around them once again and Maggie gazed down the table, to see Brielle kissing Dylan’s cheek and rubbing his back. Maggie ate the rest of her meal in silence and kept her eyes focused directly in front of her. She knew that if she saw Brielle touch Dylan one more time, she’d be tempted to break her arm and since that would be a verra bad idea, it was best to turn towards Angus and ignore the other end of the table.
“I believe tomorrow will be a day of celebration and feasting, Alec.” Angus finished the last piece of food on his plate and poured himself another drink.
“Really. What are they celebrating?” Maggie asked distractedly.
“Samhuinn, of course. Where is your head at, lad?” Angus raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot.”
“It will be a good time. Ye’ll see. First thing we’ll do is go apple picking. And then we’ll return here to a feast, music, dancing and end it all with a huge bonfire in the courtyard.” From the gleam in Angus’ eyes, Maggie could see how much he was looking forward to the next day’s events.
“I don’t know if a bonfire is a good idea. Not with you know who here,” Maggie tipped her head in Brielle’s direction.
“I see what ye mean, but we cannae ask them to ignore tradition without good cause.” Angus took another sip of his cider. “Ye’ll have to be extra vigilant.”
Maggie was feeling overwhelmed. “It’s exhausting keeping track of that witch,” she muttered. “I wish she’d go away and leave us all in peace.” Her anger and frustration were showing and she wasn’t certain how to deal with it. Never in her life had she needed to deal with a situation like this. Up to this point, herlife had been mundane. She had enjoyed a happy childhood, had good parents and the love and support of everyone around her. The only remotely difficult thing she’d had to deal with was her parents’ divorce, and even that had been done in such a way that it caused little heartache in the family.
The MacKenzies were all finished with their meal and were slowly leaving the table, heading off towards their chambers or to seats in front of the fire. It had been a relatively quiet meal, Brielle had seen to that. Maggie had gotten her nerve up again and was about to peek down the table when Dylan walked right up to her. Casting a quick glance around, Maggie noted that Brielle wasn’t with him and seemed to have already left the Great Hall. Dylan was trying to say something to her, but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Maggie couldn’t stand to see him suffer from the effects of Brielle’s magick, so she focused on his throat and with a few quick words spoken silently to herself and a wave of her hand, his voice was back. No one seemed to notice and Dylan, after clearing his throat a time or two, realized he could speak again.
