Adam slapped his friend’s head in jest, then pushed him away. “What else can ye tell me about the lass?”
“Nothing more,” he said. “But I will follow her again tonight if ye want me to.”
Adam decided he would assign himself nighttime guard duty so he could follow Kali. His curiosity and guilt for letting his sire treat her with such disregard had kept him up half the night.
“Now,” Sam said, yawning, “I will eat and go to bed.”
“Aye.” Adam slapped him on the shoulder, wishing his friend deep sleep before he turned in the direction of the tower, determined to see what was going on there this morning.
The tower door was unlocked, which made him very unhappy. Even though the MacKay keep was heavily guarded, there was always the fear that attackers could go unnoticed in the deep night. He would speak with Kali and Heather about it. In fact, to prove his point, he walked soundlessly up the stairs, and as he neared the landing, a chorus of happy voices made him stop in his tracks.
The tower had never known happy times, its long, dark history the reason why it sat mostly unused today. Though he rejected the idea of spirits and curses, he recognized that people were deeply affected by the past—that’s what haunted his clan— and it made them victims of superstition. He wanted to liberate his clan from such nonsense, but the task was impossible while his father remained laird. And Adam was torn between tradition and the desire to change his clan’s future for the better.
“…and the monster of Masterly, not a true monster at all, was simply a poor disfigured soldier from the king’s guard who had disappeared once the war ended. The dear man wished no one to see his burned face, for he had been an incredibly handsome lad before the war…”
Adam recognized Kali’s soothing voice. She was telling the children an old Highland tale about an unfortunate man who had fallen in love with the most beautiful lass in Scotland. A romantic story about how love could overcome adversity.
“But…but,” a tiny lass’s voice sounded. “Why did he doubt the lady’s heart?”
“Some women,” Kali replied gently, “are known to be vain creatures.”
“Vain?”
“Caring about only themselves,” Kali added so the girl would grasp the meaning of her words. “The beauty on the outside instead of what’s in a person’s heart.”
“Oh!” Several children crowed in unison, as understanding dawned.
“But the soldier had misjudged the brave lady, for once she met him, love and admiration blinded her to his physical injuries. She saw the man for who he was inside.”
“His own doubts made him blind to the excellent qualities his ladylove possessed.” Evan spoke with such confidence, Adam nearly chuckled out loud. The boy had shot up like a great oak over the last year, strong and intelligent. He would make an excellent soldier one day. But for now, he remained the leader of this outcast group of orphan-thieves.
Adam’s father had banished them for stealing food and clothes, but nobody adhered to such a cruel mandate. For the children were doing only what came naturally to anyone—survive as best they could in a cold world. Many in the clan, including Adam, aided the children—leaving food and drink, blankets, and other necessities to keep the wee ones alive. Yet Adam was ashamed it must be done secretly. Two men had lost hands in the last year for getting caught giving the strangers food. His father had ordered their left hands severed, marking those men as thieves for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, he must warn Kali that if his father found out she was aiding these children, her situation would only get worse. Adam needed to find a way to help the orphans and Kali without hurting her position in his household, which was already precarious. For the women of the clan were highly suspicious of her sudden appearance, because the men who’d seen her had talked, spawning jealous gossip: nonsense such as the flame-haired enchantress had come to wreak havoc on the MacKays.
He crossed the threshold and watched quietly for a long moment before he cleared his throat loud enough for everyone to hear him. Kali went silent immediately. The children stared, the two youngest dashing for the closest hiding spots. And the old woman in the chair by the hearth didn’t need to see him to say, “Adam MacKay. What are ye doing here?”
Raini’s uncanny ways still made him uncomfortable sometimes. “Mistress Raini,” he said, walking deeper into the chamber and bowing.
Heather dropped into a deep curtsy before wringing her hands in her apron.
“Have I arrived at an inconvenient time?” he asked.
“Ye always were a nosey one,” Raini said, twisting in the chair so she could see him better. “Running here and there, hiding in the women’s solar as a wee lad so ye could peek at the women in their unmentionables, and terrorizing the kitchen maids until they’d give ye sweet treats in payment to leave them alone.”
Adam’s cheeks heated with embarrassment, but he’d not deny his youthful ways. Weren’t all lads naughty? “I am quite reformed, Mistress.”
“Reformed?” She struggled to her feet, relying on her cane for support. “Or just better at hiding yer misdeeds?”
Well… “We can discuss me morals later. I am here to talk to Lady Kali.”
He gazed at her, and her eyes met his without hesitation, pride emanating from her. The lass could never be a witch. Her father must be as spiteful as he’d heard, hateful to his own daughter because she’d dared to challenge his authority.
“What about the children?” Kali asked.
“What children?” he said, winking at Evan.
Evan beamed at him, aware he meant no offense by refusing to acknowledge their presence.
