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The Monroe clan had been the first ones to settle in the area and so they must have been the people Grizel talked about in the past. Was it possible that her clan was responsible for these things? She supposed that would be the case only if spirits actually did exist. But something else caught her attention as well.

The attitudes Grizel described between the spirits and men were exactly the same as those between the Calbraiths and the Monroes. This feeling of enmity was like a song that echoed throughout the years.

Why were people so prone to war rather than peace? It didn’t make any sense to her, and she felt a responsibility to stop it because with the Calbraith name and the Monroe blood, she was an amalgamation of the two. It was only she who could bring the two clans together.

Moira was so focused on the words in front of her that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Her head was bowed and her eyes were focused on the page. She did not notice the quiet footsteps that drifted into the library, nor the presence that loomed over her. In the darkness, she would not have been able to see the shadows dancing against the walls even if she had looked up, so when a throat was cleared behind her she jumped out of her skin and shrieked.

Her heart raced and she spun around, grabbing the unlit torch to use as a makeshift weapon, although as the fear gripped her, she was certain that a spirit had come for her, and she wasn’t sure how well a torch would protect her.

Panting, she saw the man who had come into the room, and he looked just as shocked as she did about her reaction.

“I apologize for scaring ye, my lady, I’m a healer, and I’m looking for a botanical book,” he said gently, bowing his head to try and show Moira that he was no threat. Moira had to take a few moments to compose herself.

She took deep breaths and rested her head in her hand before telling herself that everything was going to be fine and that there was no need to be scared of spirits. Despite what she had been reading, there was still no need to leap to conclusions just yet.

“I am sorry for my reaction. I was sae lost in these notes that I didnae pay attention. What is yer name?”

“Bryn,” the man said. He was short of stature and had a moon-shaped face. He was bald, and his eyebrows were so blonde it appeared as though he didn’t have any hair at all.

“Well, Bryn, I’m sure ye can find whatever ye need. Would ye like tae borrow my torch, or one of my candles?” she asked. He pressed his hands together and thanked her. Apparently, he had not brought his own torch and had instead been guided by the flickering light that emanated from the room thanks to her candles.

He took her torch and used the candles to light it and then set about his business, holding the torch as close as possible to the shelves so that he might be able to see the books more easily.

“Hae there been any updates?” Moira asked.

Bryn sighed and shook his head as he pulled a book down from a shelf. It was high, and he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach it, but he managed to get it down without any trouble at all.

“Unfortunately nae, and unless we find a cure, it’s only gaeing tae get worse. Some of the other healers hae been stricken with the illness as well, sae there are fewer tae help.”

“Dae ye hae any idea what is causing this?” Moira asked, glancing at Grizel’s notes. “Dae ye think…dae ye think it could be spirits?”

Bryn tilted his head and shrugged, offering a light laugh. “I wouldnae care tae speculate on that. One thing I learned a long time ago is that there’s a lot I dinnae know about the world. I just try tae treat sicknesses and make people feel better. That’s as much as I can dae.”

“And a noble thing it is,” Moira said, nodding in respect.

“But if there is a curse then I believe I know what haes been cursed,” Bryn went on. “As more and more people came down with the illness, I spoke tae them and asked them about what they had been daeing and eating, just tae see if there was any common pattern. As it sae happened, they were all drinking from the well just recently.”

“The well?”

“Aye, perhaps the spirits hae put a curse on that,” Bryn said, chuckling as he examined the shelves for any other books that might be useful.

Moira turned back to her notes, but she was not reading them any longer; rather, her mind was focused on the well. In a matter of moments, Bryn was ready to leave and asked if she wanted her torch back.

She took it, but said that she was going to leave with him. They blew out the candles and then left the library. Moira wished Bryn well in his endeavors and hoped that he would be able to find a way to make people feel better. Bryn thanked her and then left Moira to herself, holding the torch, her thoughts focusing on the well.

14

With her face set in determination, Moira left the castle and went outside to find the well that Bryn had described. The moon was high and cast a silver pallor over the world. The grounds of the castle were quiet; a stark contrast to the usual bustling atmosphere during the day.

Even though her torch provided a bright glow and offered some heat, Moira couldn’t help but feel a chill pass through her. The forest around the castle attracted her attention. The longer she peered into its depths, the more she was certain there was something looking back at her. She shuddered and tried to shake the feelings away, although she was not entirely successful.

She thought it was funny how the usual manner of life could hide a lot of the natural noises of the world. The night was alive with the rustling of leaves and the small squeaks and hisses of animals, trying to get all their business done before dawn came.

The castle loomed behind her, its towers so tall, they blotted out the stars. Suddenly Moira felt very small and wondered if she could even help at all. But no, she must try. She owed it to both her families, and it was the only way to alleviate the pangs of guilt that stabbed in her stomach.

When the scandal had happened with Roderick, she had stood by and let her friend be thrown in jail. She had been so scared of going against her uncle and so afraid of losing her brother that she hadn’t spoken up strongly enough to protest the unjust events, and she vowed that she was never going to be like that again. If it was in her power to do something then she would do it, consequences be damned.

Her thoughts turned to Niall. Moira wondered if he had had second thoughts about their marriage, or if he had the wherewithal to feel guilty about what he had said to her. She supposed she would find out in time, and she knew that things would go much more smoothly if she was able to find the cause and bring him a way to help. It wasn’t that she wanted to prove her innocence to him because she shouldn’t have had to, but she did want to prove him wrong.