“I can hear ye weebrooniesskittering up there!” the unknown woman said, climbing the stairs—her steps heavy and uneven.
Heather rushed to stand beside Kali as the door crashed all the way open, revealing a haggard creature with wild white hair, bronzed skin, and a pair of black eyes that Kali guessed would miss little.
“Broonies,” the woman said, crossing the threshold, staring intently at Kali.
“What are ye doing here, Raini?” Heather asked. “Dinna Master Adam ask ye to stay away until further notice?”
“Doona chastise me, ye slip of a girl. Adam is softer on the inside than raw dough.” The woman hobbled over to the padded chair by the fire and invited herself to sit. “Me bones are aching today from the chill outside.”
“Lass.” She looked to Kali. “Bring me wine.”
Surprised by the demand, Kali glanced at Heather, who shook her head. But Kali would not deny the old woman. She couldn’t. Anyone who could live that many years and still find her way, deserved service. Kali went to the table across the chamber, picked up a clean cup, and filled it halfway with the sweet wine. Then she brought it to Raini.
Raini plucked it from her fingers and gulped it down like a man would. “Thank ye.” She burped and then set the cup aside on the table next to the chair. “Stand before me, lass.”
Unafraid, Kali did as bidden—standing proudly before the venerable lady.
Raini leaned forward and reached up, taking Kali’s chin in her hand, turning her head left, then right, examining her closely. “Ye are no spell caster, no’ a witch.” She released her, reclining in the comfortable chair once again. “Ye must have powerful enemies, someone who hates ye to the core to send ye here.”
Kali didn’t move from her spot but stared down at the woman in amazement. “How do ye know so much about me?”
“I know only what I feel, what I see.”
“Is there more to tell?” If Raini was a seer, might she glean information about her sisters? Perhaps, if lucky, about her own future?
The woman chuckled. “Ye crave more words?”
Kali nodded.
“Men covet ye. Desire ye above all women. But yer sire refuses to allow ye to be happy.”
Ashamed of such a notion, Kali’s shoulders slumped.
“Doona despise yerself, lass. There are other beautiful lasses in the Highlands. But ye…”
“Aye?”
“Ye are special.”
“In what way?”
“That’s enough,” Heather intervened. “Ye are making me mistress anxious.”
Raini laughed. “Ye are no lady’s maid, Heather MacKay. Ye are a nuisance.” She hissed at the girl and then returned her attention to Kali, taking her hand and turning it palm up. “Aye.” She ran her calloused fingers over the soft skin of Kali’s palm. “The lines of yer life are undecided yet. Undisciplined. Transect here, then shoot off in every direction, like ripples in a loch. Do ye see?”
Kali gazed at her hand, seeing exactly what the woman had pointed out. “What does it mean?”
“Ye are rare, and the gods have no’ chosen a place for ye in the world yet. A fortunate circumstance for some, a cursed fate for others.”
“W-What am I to do about it?”
Raini released her hand and shrugged. “I am hungry and tired. Unwelcome in the great hall to break bread with the clan. But mark me words, the moment someone falls ill or a new expectant mother feels the pangs of birth, the laird will send for me before anyone else.”
“Ye are a midwife?” Kali asked.
“Some consider me such. Others a healer. Then there are the ones who fear me.”
“What do they call ye?” Kali asked, fearing she already knew the answer.
