“Malcolm? The women?” he demanded of Ulfr. “Where have they gone?”
The captain shook his head. “There were none here when we arrived but those you see now, my lord. Only you and Lady Christiana, and we have not been able to awaken her from her sleep.”
Torquil strode to the spot where his half sister lay.
Little wonder they hadn’t been able to awaken her; it wasn’t sleep that claimed her. Though her body was present, her spirit was gone, flying on the wings of one of her Visions. The red blotches staining her cheeks, the darting of her eyes beneath the delicate sweep of her lashes, the almost imperceptible movement of her full, soft lips were sure signs that Christiana inhabited a vision of the future.
She wouldn’t awaken until Skuld released her back into this world.
Her ability to see the future was the one gift she’d inherited from their ancient ancestor, Odin. The one gift he wanted for himself above all others. It was the reason he allowed her to live, and the reason he would never allow her to leave Tordenet Castle.
“Bring her,” he ordered, fisting his hand as he turned away, fighting the impure thoughts that plagued him each time he looked upon Christiana.It was her gift—andonlyher gift!—that he wanted from her. Anything else was unacceptable. “We return to Tordenet.”
There was no use in following his brother Malcolm now. He would wait, preparing himself, building his strength. In time, with proper planning, he would have his revenge. Malcolm and all the MacGahan would fall to him, as would everyone else. With his powers and Christiana’s Vision to guide him, he would one day return the world to the way it should be. The way it had been when the Ancient Ones walked the land.
And he, Torquil of Katanes, heir of Odin, would take his rightful place as ruler of all.
OceanofPDF.com
Two
Why?”
Torquil’s voice rang loudly off the high stone ceiling of his solar. Christiana had known this question was coming from the moment she’d made the decision to remain behind in the clearing. She only wished her thoughts weren’t so muddled, so she could better reply.
Her body felt as weak as a newborn lamb and her mind was dull, as if it were wrapped in layers of freshly shorn wool.
Her eyes flickered up to meet her brother’s angry glare before returning to the floor at her feet. She needed time to gather her wits. Time to find the words that might satisfy Torquil. The words that might save her life.
The stones beneath her feet seemed to shift and roll as she stared at them, and she lifted her arms out to her sides to maintain her balance.
“Might I ask my laird’s indulgence to allow me to be seated?”
It was difficult enough to deceive Torquil on hermost clever days, without the distraction of wondering whether her legs would stop supporting her at any moment.
“I’ve no inclination to provide for yer comfort. No with treachery such as yers hanging heavy over yer head. Now answer my question. Why did you betray me?”
As a child, Christiana had often spied on her father’s warriors as they’d trained, admiring their skill and dedication, envying their freedom to come and go as they pleased. The words so often intoned by the old listmaster returned to her now.
You canna depend on defense alone, lads. That’s a ploy what leads to a sure death. Distract and attack. That’s the path to victory. Distract and attack.
Praying the old warrior had been correct, she gave in to the weakness dragging her down and crumpled to a heap on the hard stone floor. Behind her she heard a flurry of movement, but the steps halted as quickly as they’d begun. None here would defy her brother’s will to come to her assistance.
“How long was I...” She paused, lifting her gaze to again meet Torquil’s glare as she allowed the words to linger in the air around them. “How long was I lost to the—”
“Clear the chamber!” Torquil bellowed, lurching up from behind his table as his startled men rushed from their laird’s solar.
She’d suspected that her brother didn’t want to share the knowledge of her Visions with everyone.
“Have a care to yer tongue, Sister,” he warned in a low growl as he loomed over her.
Christiana nodded, waiting until the door closed behind the last man before speaking again. “I canna seem to put my mind in a straight line, Brother. I dinna even ken how I came to be here. My last memory is of a quiet forest clearing where I lay down to seek guidance from the Visions. Then, in the next moment, yer men were pulling me from my room and bringing me here.”
“Hardly a moment,” Torquil snorted. “We’ve waited three days for you to awaken.”
“Three days!” Little wonder she felt so weak and disoriented. “The Visions have never kept me so long.”
“That little fact has no escaped me. Along with an explanation of yer behavior, I’ll be wanting a full accounting of what you saw as you traversed Skuld’s world.”
