Page 17 of Bond of a Bewitched Highlander

Most selkies were left-handed. All the men present carried a leather-wrapped sword in their dominant hand and a sheathed dirk and targe in their non-dominant.

They'd enjoyed learning lunges and feints, such as how to distract an opponent with the sword's tip while stabbing toward the foe with a dirk hidden behind a targe. They thought it clever. But he warned them that all Highlanders fought that way.

He had taught them the inside and outside guard stances early on, and they had been pairing up and practicing switching between the two, plus blocking each other's strikes with the sword's basket hilt. Now, he taught them how to come out of that block to execute a cut to their opponent's head or neck over the top of their blade.

Brodie had been learning these skills for a lifetime, and he knew the selkies couldn't master them in a matter of weeks. To their benefit, they were dedicated and determined.

A few minutes later, a movement near the huge black rocks protruding from the beach drew Brodie's attention. The creature had been larger than a bird. Had it been a seal or a human? Was something hiding behind the stone? He rushed forward to check. The storm petrel darted from the ground and flew out over the sea. What the devil? They built nests in rocky crevices in spring, but nay in October. In fact, they should've already migrated south by now.

Chapter 4

Wilona, still in storm petrel form, hurried from the cave ahead of Brodie and the selkie males. When she took off, flying low over the sand, panic bombarded her. The shifting was imminent. Frantically, she searched for a hiding place among the massive rocks jutting from the beach.

Abruptly, her body transformed to human, and she slammed painfully onto the sand. Forcing herself to suppress the yell of pain, she cringed and opened her eyes a crack. Fortunately, she had been out of sight. The icy ocean wind chilled her bare skin. She gritted her teeth, trying to stop them from chattering. Her magical abilities had grown weaker since Gavin and Torr had destroyed their curses. Damn them. She did not even have enough strength to make herself invisible right now.

The need to dispatch them all gored her. And she would. She simply had not yet devised a new plan, but Talnaroch would be a part of it.

Having rested for several minutes, she grew stronger and peered around the massive stone. Where were the men? Brodie turned to face her. She drew back. Had he seen her?

Rattled, she whispered the spell, shifted into the storm petrel again, and flew from her hiding place. Rising over the sea, she sailed east toward the mainland, determined to arrive at Talnaroch's castle on the shore. After the last raid, she had followed him and his men to a derelict castle called Dunrhyne and eavesdropped on them.

Now, she was already growing tired but hoped she could make it the few remaining miles to the castle before she shifted to human again, otherwise she might drop into the ocean and drown. Or 'haps she would have enough strength to transform into a fish. But then a seabird or shark might eat her.

When the charcoal gray, crumbling stones of Dunrhyne came into view in the distance, Wilona was relieved. She had visited this place a few times as she'd made her plans. The castle appeared deserted today.

Her late husband's brother, the current MacRae clan chief, had stolen everything from her, including her home at Raeglen, claiming it was the clan's property, not her dower castle. Anyway, she would have a watertight roof over her head soon.

If all else failed, she would spend the winter here. Even though the castle was in a terrible state, it retained a few rooms in good repair with roofs over them and fireplaces. Did the earl own it? He must, or 'haps he was renting it. He came and went when he pleased.

He and his soldiers had only snagged a few selkie wenches during the last raid. They would be eager for more. When she'd eavesdropped on them, they'd mentioned returning in a fortnight, and that time was rapidly approaching.

She alighted on the battlements and scurried through the fragmented door into the tower room, relieved that the shifting had held off until now.

Once in her naked human form again, she shivered in the icy wind.

She had stockpiled clothing here, which she had stolen from Farspag Tower along with other castles and manor houses in the area. That entire process had been challenging and time consuming. But she needed the wool garments, especially as the autumn weather had grown so cold.

She'd found some of the clothing hanging outside, drying in the wind. For others, she'd had to shift into multiple animals, slip inside the bedchambers and drop the garments out the windows. Then put them on in human form, make herself invisible, and walk away with them. She'd almost gotten caught a few times. She had also taken some jeweled pendants and brooches. After all, she must dress to a high standard.

Finding a finely woven, thick cloak had been especially difficult, but she'd obtained one at Farspag, probably Brodie's mother's new one. Who had gotten the blame for stealing it? One of the servants? Wilona laughed as she pulled a smock over her head, then belted the wool plaid arisaid. Boots that fit her perfectly had also been difficult to locate, but she'd stolen some right off a lady's feet while she'd slept, riding in a carriage.

Would Talnaroch remember Wilona from the time she'd helped him lure a bonnie lass into his bed? She'd heard he'd sent the wench back to her clan. Mayhap 'twas a bad memory for him, and he might be annoyed with her over it. Hmm. Maybe 'twould be better if he couldn't remember her.

Eager for more magical spells, Wilona had visited the old crone, Dolag, high in the mountains a few weeks ago, her third time studying the ancient books. The old woman was a helpful mentor. This time, Wilona had learned three new spells, including the incantation to make others forget things. She had not experimented with it yet. Dolag had told her the spell might take considerable effort to maintain the forgetfulness and could drain her just as shifting into a large animal did.

Wilona descended the spiral tower steps and strode through the castle again. Even though she had visited a few times, she had never stayed here overnight. She had already figured out which rooms the earl used and which ones were ruined, closed off, and ignored. She might use one of these for a few nights if the chimney still worked.

Finding a bedchamber to her liking, she wrapped up in her cloak and lay on the bed. All the sifting and flying had worn her out.

The pounding of dozens of horses' hooves woke her. The room was dim. Was it evening? She must have slept for hours. After pushing herself up, she rushed to the window and peered out through the wavy glass. She could not see clearly, but the man in front did indeed resemble Talnaroch.

She glamoured her hair into a beautiful style and smoothed her hands down over her finely woven plaid arisaid, hoping she appeared aristocratic and influential enough. He must take her seriously. While she waited, she practiced the words of the forgetting spell.

Footsteps and male voices echoed from the great hall as they entered.

Making herself invisible with the whispered spell, she quietly descended the spiral stone steps. At the bottom, she hid beneath the stairs just in case her strength suddenly waned and the invisibility wore off. The earl drank whisky and paced near the fireplace as he muttered and talked to another man, his second in command or a guard. A different man was building a fire.

She breathed the forgetting incantation too low for the men to hear.