Page 2 of Kilted Sins

“Aye,” said Enya, nodding. “We shall send her a letter from Jura.”

“Nay. I have tae go tae her.”

Frowning, Enya asked, “But how will ye dae that? We are supposed tae be on the boat, headin’ tae MacDonald Castle. We’ll send her a letter an’ explain⁠—”

“Ye ken I cannae dae that.”

Thora’s words silenced Enya and she swallowed nervously in a dry throat. She supposed her sister was right. They had long decided they would never do anything that would risk revealing their gifts to anyone they didn’t implicitly trust, and so even a letter would be too much of a risk. If Thora wanted to warn Ava of the upcoming catastrophe, she had to visit her herself and tell her face to face.

But how could she, when she was supposed to be meeting Laird MacDonald?

“I’ll go,” said Enya. “Tell me what ye saw an’ I’ll go tae her an’ warn her.”

“I dinnae ken precisely what I saw,” said Thora, despair tinting her words. Her gift wasn’t always precise, as the nature of the future was fluid. Even the smallest decision could change what she saw, and though many of her visions were accurate, some of them were more obscure, their real meaning hiding in the shadows of time. “An’ I dinnae ken what else I may see. I must be the one tae go tae her, in case somethin’ else is revealed tae me.”

The two sisters stared at each other at a loss for what to do. Thora had to warn Ava and she also had to be on that boat, and nothing Enya could do would help her.

“Ye’ll go in me stead,” said Thora then and as Enya watched her, uncomprehending, she began to undo the plait in her hair.

“What dae ye mean?”

“Ye’ll pretend tae be me,” said Thora, as though it was a plan that had any merit at all. “We’ll simply tell the guards that… that ye’re nae feelin’ well because ye are sufferin’ yer monthly courses an’ ye will come tae Jura in a few days. But it will be me who goes back with them.”

“Thora… this will never work,” said Enya. “An’ besides, I dinnae think they will let ye head back tae the castle because o’ this.”

“They will be too embarrassed to argue,” Thora pointed out. By then, her dark hair was flowing freely down her shoulders, just like Enya’s, and she began undressing, pulling her tunic off. “An’ nae one can tell us apart, so nae one will ken anythin’ is different.”

“Our siblings can tell us apart!” Enya said. Being twins meant that most people confused them all the time, unable to tell who was who, but their family had known them all their lives. No one would mistake the one for the other, especially if they spoke to them.

“I will leave afore anyone sees me,” said Thora with such confidence that it was easy to believe her. It was a hasty plan—a mad plan, one that Enya never thought would work, but Enya was already being swayed, pulled along by Thora’s enthusiasm. “This is the only way, Enya. Come, give me yer clothes.”

Enya hesitated for a moment, but then she removed her tunic and the two of them swapped their clothes, dressing again quickly. Enya hastily plaited her hair for good measure, making sure it looked similar to the style Thora had been wearing, and by the time the two of them headed back to the path to meet with their guards again, Enya was confident none of those men would be able to tell the difference.

Still, the plan was terrible. Enya was plagued by the irrational fear that the moment Laird MacDonald would lay eyes on her, he would know she was a fraud, even though he had never met her or Thora.

What happens if we’re found out? Domhnall will be so angry with us!

“Are ye alright?” the leader of their small group, an older guard named Bram, asked Thora. So far, it seemed that no one had suspected a thing. None of the men questioned them; none of the men even gave them any strange looks.

“Nay,” said Thora, shaking her head. “I’m afraid I am in terrible pain.”

As she spoke, Thora curled in on herself, clutching at her stomach, and Bram rushed to her, holding her upright with a hand on her arm. “What is wrong, me lady? Are ye hurt?”

“Nay, nay,” said Thora. “Me monthly courses… I didnae exp⁠—”

“Alright!” said Bram, quickly putting an end to the conversation. Enya would have laughed had she not been paranoid their plan would be uncovered. “Is there anythin’ we can dae about it?”

“I must return tae the castle,” Thora said and her performance of a weak, sickly girl was so convincing that even Enya began to feel for her. “I will join me sister in Jura in a few days. I dinnae think I will be able tae go on the boat.”

“I understand me lady, there is nay need tae say more…”

Bram glanced back and forth between the two of them, clearly not knowing what to do. Jumping in before he could to and argue, Enya said, “That is alright, Bram. I will be fine on me own. An’ I’ll have ye an’ the men tae look after me. Th—” she took a deep breath, correcting herself, “Enya should return tae the castle.”

There was only a moment of hesitation before Bram nodded and gave his men orders to split into two groups—one of them would go to Jura and the other would return to the castle. Once everything had been arranged, Enya said goodbye to her sister and watched as the party left, heading back to the castle, before she was taken to the boat.

“Ye will be alright, me lady, dinnae fash,” Bram said as they finally reached the boat. The wind had picked up again and here, in the port, brine whipped Enya’s cheeks. She could taste salt on her tongue, the sea a stormy grey. “We are here with thee.”

“I ken, Bram,” Enya said with a soft smile, even as her chest tightened at the thought that she was deceiving them all. Those were good men, loyal men who would do anything for her and her family. Enya couldn’t think of anything worse than blatantly lying to them like this, even though it was necessary. “Thank ye. I’ll be fine, I promise ye.”