“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“If ye dinnae ken, then perhaps one of yer sisters will.” Rory snapped his fingers to get the attention of one of his men. “Fetch me one of the other lasses. It doesna matter which.”
The man nodded and started to hurry off.
“Wait.” The word came out on a breath.
The man halted, gave a questioning glance to his laird, who motioned for him to remain where he was. Her heart beat a wicked tattoo in her chest. She inhaled a deep breath as she gathered her courage.
“Do ye have something to share with us, then, lass?” he asked.
“They don’t know how to use it,” she said, lying to save her sisters from this monster. “I’m the only one who knows how.”
Her bluff would likely get her killed, but if she could keep them busy for a while, then maybe Jamie and the others could find a way out of the dungeon. It was a long shot, she knew but he was, after all, resourceful and in his own castle’s dungeon. With the help of his brothers, there was hope yet.
She thought of the tapestry. The one of her standing on the craggy hill in the white dress and she wondered if that was a premonition. She wondered if that was part of the puzzle. The missing piece that would allow her to shift the timeline. Maybe she had to be standing on that craggy hill, wearing that white gown, holding the keystone.
She would have to find a way to get it back from Jamie. At least, for now, it was safe with him.
“Do ye care to share with us how to use it?” Rory asked.
She bit the inside of her lip, trying to work out a plan while she tried to pull her wrists free. She needed more time. She needed a way out.
“The keystone drained my energy when we put it back together.” That, at least, was the truth. “I will need sometime to regain my strength before I can use it again.”
“How do ye use it?” he demanded, his patience wearing thin. She saw the glittering annoyance swimming in his eyes.
“Only my blood will make it work.” She hated telling him that.
His expression shifted as he realized he had to keep her alive and leave her sisters out of it. There was a long bit of silence as he continued to scrutinize her.
“At dawn, ye will use the stone again. Ye best have yer strength back by then, lass.”
*
Evie’s whimper inthe dank cell was the only sound. She tried to keep quiet, but it was difficult when she woke up to find she was a prisoner in her own home. Chloe had yet to come to, which left her to her own dismal, terrified thoughts.
What was happening to Brianna if she wasn’t in the same cell? Where were the men? Were they locked up, too?
“Eve?” Chloe’s tentative voice reached out to her.
Chloe emitted a faint moan. She stopped pacing long enough to check on her. Her sister pushed to a sitting position, her brows drawn together and her face creased with pain. She kneeled next to her.
“Are you all right?” Evie asked.
“My head is killing me. What happened?”
“There was a flash of light and then nothing,” Evie said.
She finally opened her eyes and gazed around the dark cell, confusion etched on her face. “Where are we, Eve?”
“I’d guess the dungeons. Chlo, they have Brianna.”
“They?” She jerked to a straight sitting position as she glanced around. “MacDonald?”
“I can only guess. She’s not here.”
“Where are Malcolm and—”
