She saw to Claray’s mantle while Grandsire wrapped her up in two long furs and settled her on a rocky ledge near the fire. Grandmama continued to fuss, just like she always had, and Grandsire followed her with his eyes as if he feared what would happen if he lost sight of her.
“Grandsire? I miss you so.”
“Ah, Claray, I know how it pains people to be left behind, but you needn’t worry about us. Maddie and I have much work to do, and ’tis most rewarding.” He smiled at her, that old look that she’d tried but failed to capture in her drawings.
“Smile again, please?”
He did, coming closer to kneel in front of her. “Look, I can kneel again. My bones are working as they should.” He chuckled,his face lit up like a wee bairn’s. “And I spend all my time with our other loved ones who have passed.”
“Grandsire, wait. Stay and keep that smile. Please.” Her hand came up to his cheek, and to her surprise, he felt solid. “I must remember exactly how you looked. I’ve tried to draw your picture, but something has eluded me.” She ran her finger to the slight crinkles near his eyes. He looked like a young man once more, but his smile had always transformed his whole face. “Your smile. I must capture it. What do you do all day now?”
Once she dropped her hand from his face, he stood up, moving over to Grandmama’s side again. “Maddie still has much to teach me. We’ve been watching this trip, making sure all is well with everyone. Once we get you settled, we’ll have other work to do. Will we not, Maddie?”
“Aye.” She looked over at Claray. “You see, we try to guide all of you to do the right things.”
“You do? Then why did you allow my mother to get hurt? Her leg is broken, and she is in so much pain. Why didn’t you stop it?”
“We did what we could,” Grandsire said, wrapping his arm around his wife. “Didn’t we, Maddie? Explain it to her. I don’t know exactly how to make her understand yet. I have much to learn.”
“We cannot change destiny, but we can encourage you to do certain things. Put suggestions in your head, give you a wee push or feeling.”
That gave her an idea. If her grandparents knew so much, perhaps they knew what had become of Thorn.
“Why did Thorn leave me? Is he hurt?”
Grandmama came forward and patted her arm. “We gave him a wee nudge. We cannot explain it to you, but you’ll understand when this is all over. He has something he needs to settle within himself, so we hope he’ll be successful in his quest.”She gave Claray a serious look. “Promise me that if you ever get an inkling that you should do something, you’ll listen.”
“If you say so.”
“Grandsire and I will be the ones doing the nudging, helping you along. Some of our descendants will listen, others will not. That is out of our hands. We couldn’t stop your mother from falling, but Grandsire did what he could to help because he was right there.”
Eyes rounding, Claray said, “You were there? What happened?”
“I gave her a nudge in the air so she would land on the sack full of fabric. If she’d landed on the stone, it could have killed her. I’m sorry she broke her leg, but it will mend.”
Midnight poked his head inside the cave and snorted.
As if on cue, Maddie handed him an apple. “You did a fine job of finding her and getting Alex back here, Midnight. You’ll get two. Here’s your first one.”
“But how could you do all those things… How did you find me?”
“Never mind, Claray,” her grandmama said. “I didn’t save you many years ago to have you die in a storm. You have bairns yet to be born. You must find Thorn. He is your soulmate. We would find him for you if we could, but we’ll not be allowed to stay for long.”
Her dearest beloved grandparents, who had saved her from the evil men of the Channel of Dubh, had saved her yet again.
“You are such a lovely young lady with a big heart,” Grandmama said, leaning into Grandsire’s arm. “’Tis what we love most about you. I’m afraid we must move on, sweeting.”
“Nay, please don’t leave me.” She lurched to her feet and attempted to grasp her grandmama’s hand, but it slipped out of her grip. “I’m all alone, and I know not how to get to Cameron land.”
“You’ll be fine here. Your grandfather found your sack and put it right over there.” She pointed in the corner. “Everything in it is dry. There are apples and oatcakes in that sack next to it, enough to feed you until they find you. And they will. Just promise me something.”
“Anything, Grandmama.”
“Promise me you’ll stay put. Do not move from this cave until the storm is over, other than to take care of your needs. They will find you. Your sister is devastated they lost you, so she will come before too long. You brought your drawing tools, did you not?”
“Aye, they’re in my sack if they’re not ruined.”
Grandmama patted her cheek. “They’re not ruined. Just sit and draw pictures until they come. You remember how I taught you? You became quite skilled after all your practice, and you have those new tools Aunt Jennie brought you.”
