The last girl he’d taken had been the most difficult, but it had been worth it. If she hadn’t screamed as she had, Torcall would not have heard. If he hadn’t heard, he wouldn’t have tried to save her. Torcall was so predictable that it was pitiful. He had known in that instant that Torcall would let him go to try to save the girl. He had been lucky, no doubt. It was a sign that the gods were with him. Yes, he hated Torcall, but he hadn’t planned to let him die by another’s man’s hands. It was supposed to be by his own hand. He had wanted to stab him repeatedly and coat himself in his blood. But this way was better. He would die in disgrace like a criminal, and when his innocence was discovered, it would be late—too late.
He laughed again. He didn’t have much to do yet but to sit back and let the pieces play out. When it was time, he would reenter the scene and take control. The power was exhilarating and addictive. He hadn’t ever expected to feel so powerful. He had been used to others making decisions on his behalf. Never had he been in the seat of power as he was now. He liked it. He liked it very much.
There was not much to be done. He would watch his next victim for now. When Torcall was dead, she would follow suit.
* * *
Memories of what had happened between herself and Torcall filled her head, and Ceana felt a blush on her cheeks. He had kissed her—nay, he had done more than kiss her. He had touched her in private places and had made her yearn for things she hadn’t imagined. It would be hard to forget, but she knew that she must. Even more, she must never let it happen again.
When Ceana stepped into her home, she realized how it felt empty going home without her sister by her side. Never had she and Alina gone so long without talking, Ceana realized as she stepped undisturbed into her chamber. Usually, Ceana would have been at her door or in her chamber waiting patiently for her to come, but that wasn’t the case. Alina barely acknowledged her presence and did the same for her absence. It wasn’t Alina alone, she admitted fairly. She hadn’t said a word to her mother, either, who carried just as much blame as her sister. They merely coexisted—each taking pains to avoid the other.
While Alina chose not to speak to her out of anger, the same was no longer the case for Ceana. Seeing her father in so much pain and guilt had made her understand that it wasn’t just she who was suffering. If Alina had seen Torcall try to save the girl, she would have tried to speak up, and her life would have been endangered. If she had chosen not to speak, the guilt would have eaten her up. She didn’t wish the burden of the truth on her sister. It was enough that she bore it. Her sister had no business with it and would be spared. Ceana wondered how her parents would react if, after Torcall’s death, the killings continued. She had no doubt that it would break them. But, at the very least, it would not endanger them, and that mattered a lot.
She would no longer attempt to convince her sister and mother. Rather, she prayed that they would leave her be as they had begun to.
There was a knock on her door.
“Come in,” Ceana said nervously.
Her mother stepped in with a worried look on her face. “Ceana. I must speak to ye.”
Ceana forced back a sigh and pasted a smile on her face. “What about, ma?”
“‘Tis about ye and Alina.”
“Or about Torcall?” Ceana offered her mother a pointed look.
“Torcall is nae me child. ‘Tis ye and Alina that choose to live like strangers in yer own home and ‘tis all because of Torcall.”
Ceana resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Ma, it does nae matter what I feel or what Alina feels,” Ceana stated. “The Laird will decide him guilty or innocent and pronounce a punishment. I have nae interest in convincing ye and Alina anymore. It does nae good. It changes naught.”
With a look of bewilderment in her eyes, Ceana’s mum threw her hands up in the air. “Then why do ye nae speak to her?”
“Does she speak to me?”
“But—”
“Nay, ma. I would like to be left alone,” Ceana said.
Her mother stood to her feet, observed her with sad eyes and shook her head before walking out. Finally, alone, Ceana lay in bed and had her first nightmare-free dream in days.
* * *
When next Ceana woke next, the sun was already high. The noon heat was present, and she found that she was hungry. She rushed through her bath and then her lunch. She had no chores that day, and so, she headed to the loch. Once at the loch, Ceana realized soon that she wasn’t alone. Dirk was present.
“Would ye rather be alone?” she asked innocently.
“Nay,” he said to her. Then, he paused. “The hollowness is gone from yer eyes,” he said. It wasn’t a question but a statement.
For some reason, Ceana felt she could trust him. “Aye, and from me heart.”
“What has it been replaced with?”
“Hope,” she said.
“Founded?”
