“Then what will you do?” Dylan was curious as to what was motivating Sir Richard.
“I’ll go back to my own home and live my life. I’ve spent far too many years, blaming others for my own mistakes. I’d like to become the man I was meant to be, but who lost his way when he lost his first love and spent far too many years seeking revenge.”
Dylan could see that Sir Richard was genuinely sad as he discussed his past. He didn’t know all the particulars, but he could tell there was sincerity in the words being spoken. “Sounds like you’re doing the right thing.”
“That is my hope. I am not a wise man, and I have a lot to learn, but I will give you this one piece of advice with regard to your young lady, Maggie. If you truly love her, and she loves you, don’t make light of her feelings. She seems a good woman, who deserves your respect. I believe you may owe her an apology for sharing your secret with me.”
“I believe you’re correct. I’m going to go find her. Thanks for the words of wisdom.”
Dylan left Richard behind in the cottage as he set off to find Maggie.
***
Maggie sat on the ground just outside the cottage door. She had been listening intently through the door, to everything that passed between Dylan and Sir Richard and she wasn’t sure whatto think. She had been led to believe Sir Richard was a very bad man. Now she wasn’t so sure that impression was accurate.
“I guess I didn’t have to search too far for you. Were you sitting right here all along?” Dylan asked when he pulled open the door.
Maggie couldn’t help but giggle at his disheveled appearance, with his damp hair and sopping wet kilt, he resembled a drowned rat. “Sorry about the water. I guess I let my temper get the better of me.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” Dylan suggested. “We need to talk.”
Maggie took Dylan’s hand and followed him, as he walked towards the river. She glanced around and found a large, flat boulder for them to sit on. “Over there,” she said, pointing it out to Dylan.
Once they were settled together on the boulder, Dylan took Maggie’s hands in his. “Maggie, first I want to apologize for telling Sir Richard what I did. I didn’t realize it would embarrass you like that.”
“I know. I understand now, it was the perfect thing for you to tell him under the circumstances. It made complete sense and it worked. So, you’re forgiven.”
“You heard everything, right? What do you think of his story?” Dylan asked.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t sound anything like the evil monster Aunt Edna told me he was. Do you think he’s putting on an act for our benefit?” Maggie questioned doubtfully.
“I suppose it’s possible, but I’m reasonably good at reading people, and I don’t think he’s lying.” Dylan picked up a stone and skipped it across the creek.
“That was pretty good,” Maggie commented. She picked up a rock of her own, and tried to mimic what Dylan had done. It skipped, but not nearly as many times as Dylan’s.
“I think we should just play it by ear. Maybe we should stick with Sir Richard and see what he’s up to, if anything. If we can convince him to stay here with us for another day or two, maybe we can come up with some reason to head back to Breaghacraig. What do you think?”
“How will we get him to stay here with us? I’m sure he just wants to be on his way. And what about Brielle? We can’t just give up our search for her.” Maggie noted.
“Brielle! He says he’s trying to stop her. Maybe if you could find a way to get her to come to us, we could solve all our problems at once.” Dylan waited for her to answer, but Maggie suddenly found herself mesmerized by how handsome he was. She wanted this mess to be over and done with, so she could have him all to herself and stop worrying. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” Dylan asked.
Maggie was embarrassed to be caught daydreaming about Dylan in the midst of a crisis. “Oh… it’s nothing. If I can get her here, I think it might work. It would certainly be a way of confirming if Sir Richard is telling the truth before he goes on to Breaghacraig. You know, maybe we’ve been going about this the wrong way. I have her talisman. She surely wants it back, so instead of us searching for her, we let her find us.” Maggie smiled triumphantly. “That’s the new plan.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do to get Sir Richard to stay. Try not to get mad at me though, if I say something you don’t like,” he teased.
Maggie punched him in the arm and laughed when he feigned injury. Dylan scooped her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips and once again, Maggie was sad that they had so much to do before they could enjoy each other again. He put her down and they began walking back to the cottage. A chill ran down Maggie’s spine and she shivered.
“You cold?” Dylan asked, gathering her closer.
She wasn’t cold, but she didn’t want to alarm him. She could sense Brielle and she was nearby.
***
Surrounded by birds, sitting high up in one of the trees, Brielle had been observing the activity going on at the small stone cottage. “What goes on there?” she asked the birds. She received no response; the birds seemed content to ignore her, instead preening at their shiny black feathers with their strong, curved beaks. “I ken ye dinnae care,” she complained to her silent friends. “But they’re up to something. Sir Richard is with them. Why? Mayhap that will be to my advantage. He can deal with the man, while I deal with the witch.” A thought occurred to her, “But what if he betrays me? Hmm… No matter. If he does, he’ll pay for his betrayal right along with the rest of them.” Brielle kept watch as Dylan and Maggie went back inside. “That one senses I’m here,” she observed, pointing one gnarled finger in Maggie’s direction. Brielle cackled and the sound rang through the tree, scaring some of the birds into flight. “Don’t leave me, my friends.” She held out her hand and one lone bird hopped along the branch and then onto her outstretched arm. He tipped his head from side-to-side, intelligent eyes sizing her up.
“Caw, caw,” the bird cried.
“Yes, I must be careful. She is much stronger than I anticipated, but I will outsmart her, never fear. You’ll see,” Brielle spoke to the bird as if he could understand her. She stroked his soft feathers with her hand. “Yes, you will see and so will they. They’ll all learn they can’t win against me.” Reaching into her pocket, Brielle removed a piece of fruit, which she held out to the bird. He grabbed it from her fingers and fluttered off her hand, stopping further down the branch to eat. Some of the others came back, realizing that Brielle had food andnot wanting to miss out. She gladly shared what little she had with her feathered friends. She loved perching in the uppermost branches of the tallest trees. She could see for miles in every direction and rarely did anyone other than the birds know she was there.
