“Ye kent her,” Moira stated.
Kayden nodded jerkily. “It was So-Sorcha.” His voice cracked in the middle.
All three of them gasped.
“How could it be?” Moira whispered in disbelief.
Kayden took another deep breath. “She wasnae dead. She married into Clan MacNairn and served as their healer. She thought we abandoned her and sought to destroy us all by poisoning the water.”
Fergus grunted, shaking his head. “Och, what a mess,” he said quietly. “How did she meet her end?”
Kayden made a sound in the back of his throat, and Lilliana hastened to answer for him.
“She tried to kill me.” She touched her neck briefly, where the blood had thankfully dried. “Kayden stopped her.”
Jacob made a sympathetic sound deep in his throat. “That is very unfortunate. I cannae imagine the pain ye both must have felt. I’ll get the wagons and go and fetch them.”
Kayden nodded, swallowing hard.
Fergus turned to Lilliana. “I should see to yer throat.”
Lilliana cast a glance at Kayden. She did not want to leave him alone. He returned her look.
“I’ll come with ye,” he said and offered his arm.
They followed Fergus to the healer’s chambers.
He busied himself with gathering herbs and lighting the fire while they sat quietly on a bench, waiting. They gave each other occasional glances, loaded with too much meaning to articulate. Lilliana held tightly to Kayden’s hand, knowing he needed the comfort but also knowing that he would not ask for it.
Finally, Fergus was ready, and he beckoned to her. She went up to the table, where he carefully wiped away the blood on her neck with a warm cloth soaked in aloe juice.
She was careful not to wince, since Kayden was watching so closely. She did not want to cause him any more distress. Once the wound was clean, Fergus spread a ginger and garlic paste on it before tying a bandage around it.
“That should do for now. Make sure to change it before bed and then again when ye awaken,” he said, handing her the paste.
She nodded. “Thank you, Fergus.”
He turned to Kayden. “And ye, Me Laird, are ye hurt?”
Kayden shook his head.
Fergus sighed, picking up a cup. “I made ye some tea, nonetheless. It’s a tincture of chamomile and lavender. It’ll soothe yer mind some.”
Kayden looked at the cup, hesitated a moment, before he took it. “Thank ye,” he said and took a sip.
Fergus nodded once, before turning to Lilliana. “About the poison she was using, did ye learn anything?”
Lilliana dug into her pocket. “I took this from her when she was dragging me away.” She handed him a bottle. “I think she was headed to add more poison when Nigel accosted her.”
Fergus took the bottle from her, examining it closely. “Are ye certain this is it?”
Lilliana nodded. “I believe so. We can wait for Jacob to return and see if she carried anything else, but I fear I know what that is.”
Fergus examined the bottle again, squinting as he brought it closer to his face. His eyes widened. “Dust,” he murmured softly.
“Yes. It’s dust that can be sprinkled in thebucketsused to fetch water from the well. That’s why it only spread to a few families, and that’s why they didn’t die immediately. Because they only got small amounts spread over time.”
“Explains the symptoms too,” Fergus replied, looking impressed.
