Though it wasn’t a question, she answered as if it were. She reached for a piece of the meat and took a bite. It was a bit chewy and reminded her of jerky.
He seemed a little shaken by the idea she saw his past. It was likely a power he didn’t understand or want. Perhaps he was wondering what other past events she would be able to see, what other things he had done. Things he may not be proud of or want her to know.
“I promise I won’t do it again,” she said in jest.
His face broke into a bright smile. “Good.”
“I didn’t mean to do it in the first place,” she added. “When you came into the room, you asked if I was talking to the tapestry. Well…I was.”
His brows rose as he looked at her. She huffed out a breath.
“You must think I’m—”
“Daft? Aye. A wee bit.” He picked up the tankard and guzzled the rest of his ale.
She wanted to object and tell him she wasn’t daft, but what good would it do? His eyes glinted with humor as he looked at her over the rim of his cup.
“If I dinnae ken any better, I’d say ye’d been in the cups. But…” He paused, then shook his head. “Ye dinnae drink enough ale to be wrecked.” Then his mouth quirked into a grin and she realized he was poking fun at her.
“No, I wasn’t wrecked.” She grinned as she said it, finding the humor in it. “So, do you believe me?”
“I dinnae disbelieve ye,” he said. “I’ve seen the tapestries move myself. Tell me, lass, what ye saw there.”
“The dark-haired goddess is named Bridget. She spoke to me. In my mind.” Remembering made her shudder. She placed her tankard on the table and reached for the bread, tearing off a piece.
“What did she say?”
“She told me to guard the keystone with my life. That there are those who will try to take it by any means necessary. She said I was the guardian now and…” She paused as she thought of what she’d said to her next. She gulped in a breath. “She said I possess all the power of the stone.”
“Like yer sister possesses the power of her stone,” he said.
She nodded, her stomach fluttering and twisting into knots. She shoved a hand through her tangled hair. If she possessed this power, and Evie did, then…when Brianna arrived she would possess the power of the future. And what did that mean? WouldBrianna, her wayward, free-spirited beachy sister, understand the power?
Hell, neither she nor Evie understood the power of the stones they possessed. How could she expect Brianna to? Now that she thought about this prophecy that was thrust upon her, forever altering her life and her destiny, she was angry. She frowned, her brow furrowing with her displeasure.
“What is it, lass? Ye look a wee bit scunnered.”
She shoved up from the chair and spun away, the frustration edging through her. “I don’t want this power. I never asked for it.”
“Well, ye have it now. There’s no going back.”
She looked down at her bandaged hand. Evie was right. Itwasblood magic, though it hadn’t worked right away. At least, not until she had been drawn to the room with the enchanted tapestries. When the stone had decided to come alive and hum. She didn’t recall when it had stopped. Was it after her memory walk inside Malcolm’s head? Perhaps that was what had made Bridget come alive. Maybe even have given her the power. She didn’t understand how it worked. She would never understand.
But Malcolm was right. She had it and there was no going back.
She heaved a sigh. “What do I do now?”
“Och, lass, I dinnae think there is anything to do but accept it.”
She frowned again, thinking of everything she had left in her future. Her job, her flat, her very existence. But thinking of that made her think of Bruce. He was still out there, somewhere. Was he looking for her? Would he find her? Would he come after her again for the stone?
Bridget’s words haunted her.
There are those who will try to take it from you. They will use any means necessary to get it.
She sucked in a breath.
“Bruce,” she said, his name a whisper on her lips. She turned to face Malcolm who still sat in the chair watching her with interest in his keen eyes. “He’s going to come for it, isn’t he?”
