“Barricade yourself in the chapel with the other ladies, Roslyn. Don’t let them see you.”
Brianna was impressed with the authoritative tone of her younger sister. Roslyn wrung her hands together in front of her.
“What about you, my lady?”
The lady of the castle took a moment to grasp the woman by the arms. “We’re going to the tapestry room. I need you safe in case something happens. I need you to be prepared.”
She swallowed hard, her throat working. Though Evie didn’t saywhatshe needed to be prepared for, the woman seemed to understand. She nodded.
“Stay safe,” she whispered.
“And you, too.”
They bid each other farewell. Roslyn exited the great hall, disappearing into the kitchen while the three of them made their way to the tapestry room. Once inside, Evie closed and bolted the door. Chloe clutched her elbows as she stood in the center of the room staring at the tapestries.
“Are you sure this is the best place for us?” Brianna asked. “Maybe we should be in the chapel with therest of the women.”
“Chlo, what is it?”
She followed her sister’s gaze and focused on the woven wall hangings. She understood then what Chloe stared at. The final tapestry revealed a new moving image showing Dundale under siege by the MacDonald army, led by Rory MacDonald brandishing his glowing great axe. Brianna moved to stand next to her as they both peered at it.
“It’s happening,” her sister whispered.
“We’ll be safe here for a while,” Evie said, unaware they were both entranced by the tapestry. “I’ll build the fire and…” Her words trailed off. “What are you two staring at?”
“Eve…look.” Chloe pointed at the wall hanging.
Evie moved to stand on the other side of Brianna. She sucked in a sharp breath when she saw it. The three of them were shrouded in silence as they peered at the horrific scene.
Callum, Malcolm, and Jamie stood on one of the curtain walls, each holding their sword. All the while a battering ram pounded the outer gate as a trebuchet flung massive boulders at the walls. One after another.
“Oh, God,” Evie whispered.
“You never saw this in one of your present visions?” Chloe asked.
She shook her head. “No.” She pressed her shaking fingers to her lips. “What are we going to do?”
“First of all, we’re going to remain calm,” Brianna said, trying to quell her own fear. “Panicking will get us nowhere. Have all the images in the tapestries come true?”
“Yes,” Evie said with a nod. “All of them.”
“Then we need a plan.” She paced the small area of the room.
“Maybe it’s time we figure out how to get this stone put back together once and for all,” Chloe suggested. She pulled her piece out of the pocket of her gown.
Evie was still focused on the tapestry. “All this shows is the castle under attack. It shows nothing else. No outcome. We don’t know that putting the stone back together will help.”
“Isn’t it worth a try?” Brianna held her own piece in the palm ofher still bandaged hand.
Evie retrieved her piece of the stone from the pocket of her gown. “Maybe. But it would require the blood magic again.”
At the mention of that, Brianna’s palm itched, as though her blood stirred beneath her palm, ready to perform. Chloe clutched her stone in her bandaged fist, indecision on her face.
“It drains all of us,” she said, still peering at the tapestry. “And I’d need Malcolm here with me to make it work.”
She was right. Having him close to her was the only way to activate her part of the stone. They were connected somehow. Her power was different from the two of theirs, which made Brianna wonder if she was able to harness the power of the future to put the stone back together once and for all.
She thought of the vision she’d had with her standing on the craggy hill in the white dress, her sisters flanking her. In that vision, she’d held the keystone, which was whole again. Had she somehow mended the stone with her power and then used it?
