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Moira’s heart ached as she rode away from the main building. Part of her thought she should tell someone where she was going in case she fell foul of the Kelpie, but then she also knew that nobody cared. If she could find out the truth, no matter how grim or unbelievable, then Niall would have no choice but to believe her. She wasn’t sure what this meant for the alliance or her marriage, but at least Niall would have to admit that he was wrong. She only hoped that she was there to hear it. Given what she had learned about the Kelpie, she might well be heading into danger, and a Kelpie didn’t seem the type of creature to show mercy.

She alighted from her horse when the forest became too thick to ride through. She weaved from side to side through tall trees and tried not to let the fear get the better of her. The day was a bleak one, with a fine mist lingering in the air. As the wind whistled through the trees, it sounded like whispers. Grizel had described how the spirits often cloaked their words in the wind, and Moira wondered if they were speaking about her. She clasped her wrist and the band of flowers that Grizel had given her, hoping that it was enough to protect her from the spirits. Her eyes darted in all directions for fear of landing on anything, but she could see nothing but fog. How she wished that she had stayed at home and never ventured on this path. How she wished that she had been more adamant with Marcas. If she had just protested that little bit more, she never would have had to come here, but she had wanted to be the dutiful girl, the brave girl, and look where it had led her—in the midst of a forest with nobody by her side. Was this truly what was meant for her life?

It wasn’t long before she reached the edge of the loch. She gulped as she passed through the thinning trees, using a trunk to hide. She peered around the tree and gazed out at the loch. The fog was thicker over the water, hanging like a cloud. As she stepped forward, she wondered if this was what it was like to walk through the sky. The loch was clear and still, wide and expansive. She thought about all the souls who might have been dragged down into the depths and left for dead by the Kelpie. Her gaze drifted across to the other side. The lightness of the day was enough for her to peer through the mist if she strained her eyes hard enough, and then fear clutched at her heart and her throat ran dry.

Across the shore, on the other side of the loch was a stallion whose coat was the color of midnight. The ghostly fog swirled and made the air shimmer, giving the horse an ethereal quality. Its mane seemed to flow like serpents. Moira backed away in fear. Her first instinct was to return to the castle and confirm that Jamie had not been delirious, but she knew that by then the Kelpie might disappear. She was here now, and she had to learn what the Kelpie wanted, and if there was any way to stop what it was doing.

18

Moira had to summon all the courage she could muster to move her feet one in front of the other and make her way around the loch. She remembered what her father used to tell her about being brave—that she could only be brave if she was scared because bravery was about overcoming fear, and that just because she was afraid didn’t mean that she was useless or could do nothing. No, these were the moments that would truly define a person’s life, and Moira was never going to be known as a coward. The Monroes were not cowards. The fierce blood of warriors surged through her heart, and she was not going to forsake her ancestors. She whispered to herself reassuring words that she hoped would convince her mind that she was not in any danger while her body wreaked havoc with the sensation of panic.

She gripped the tough bark of trees, reminding herself that she was on firm ground even as the mist drifted around her, enveloping her. She wasn’t sure she had ever felt this alone or felt farther from home than she did in this moment. She spoke a prayer for Marcas and the rest of her family, for Jamie and Isobel, for Grizel too…even for Niall. Yes, even though he had treated her horribly, he was still her husband, and she wished that he could have found it in his heart to give her the trust that she thought she had earned.

If this was to be her last day on Earth, then she was going to make sure that she did something noteworthy. If she could find the Kelpie and prevent it from continuing this punishment, then at least she would have done something notable with her life, something that would live on in stories and that might go some way to bolstering the peace between the clans. Her sacrifice might well be the only way to ensure a lasting alliance, bonding the two clans together in grief rather than war. She had set out to the Calbraiths to do her duty and bring about peace. If this was the way to ensure it, then so be it. She would meet her end as bravely as her father had, with her head held high and her heart filled with pride.

As Moira made her way around the loch, she began to see and hear different things as her perspective changed. She heard deep, gruff voices travel across the loch, and she saw more figures moving. At first, she saw more horses, which made her even more scared because she was convinced that there was a whole army of Kelpies, but then she noticed something larger behind them. Eventually, she came to realize that they were pulling a carriage, and that the townsfolk were around them, speaking in their rough tones. Suddenly it dawned on Moira that she had been wrong to think that this was a Kelpie at all, and she shook her head, enjoying a laugh at thinking that a beast like that could exist. She shouldn’t have been so foolish or so prone to believing the first thing that came to mind. But just because a Kelpie wasn’t by the loch did not mean that she was not in danger. She kept low and quiet in case anyone was looking out for an intruder, but it seemed as though all the people were busy with what they were doing.

Moira reached a point where she could see them clearly, and recognized some of them from when she and Isobel had ventured into the town. She remembered how Isobel had been so surprised that the place was clean. Moira hadn’t thought much of it because she had been preoccupied with other thoughts, but now things were beginning to make sense. There were five men who were hauling things out of the carriage and dumping them in the loch. They seemed to be making a game of it. As Moira drew closer, she gagged at the smell. The men were throwing all their waste and rotten food into the loch. No wonder people were getting sick from the water they were drinking! Just the thought of having water tainted by these things was enough to make Moira gag. She thought about returning to the castle immediately, but she wanted to fix this herself. She had willed herself into a frenzy, thinking that she was going to have to encounter a Kelpie, and all that throbbing, thrumming energy had to go somewhere. It erupted in burning anger as she strode towards the men, thrusting an accusing finger towards them.

“Ye lot! What dae ye think ye are daeing! Ye cannae dump yer waste in the loch. Ye are mad! People are becoming sick because of ye,” she shouted. The men were suddenly silenced as they realized that someone had caught them. They muttered to each other, and when Moira emerged from the mist, they laughed and relaxed, evidently not finding her intimidating. She walked to the edge of the loch so she could see the kinds of things they were throwing in. A few items lingered on the surface of the water, and one man held a sack that he was dumping out. There were peelings from vegetables and apples, dead flowers, old boots, dead animals…the list went on. The water here had a slimy, slick coating to it, as though it held death within its grasp. It made Moira gag, and her face was twisted in fury.

“I cannae believe that all this trouble is because of ye! What are ye thinking?” she shrieked. Her voice was shrill and it carried over the loch. The man nearest her scowled. His features were swarthy, and he didn’t look impressed at all.

“Look, lass, I dinnae know where ye came from or why ye are here. If ye want a swim, the loch is big enough for all of us. Just gae on round tae the other side. This here is our part. We’re nae harming anyone, sae mind yer own business and let us get on with ours.” He turned away from her and picked out a dead rat, tossing it into the water. The rat landed with a plop, and Moira shuddered.

“A swim?!” she said incredulously. “I am nae here for a swim.” Then, she drew herself up to her full height and puffed out her chest. “I am Lady Calbraith, and I demand ye tell me what ye are daeing here.”

At the mention of her title, the men’s demeanor shifted. They glanced at each other uneasily and suddenly realized that they were in more trouble than they realized.

“We’re just throwing away our waste. Ye know, people were complaining that our town was tae dirty and we didnae want tae live like that any longer. Sae we thought we’d toss it in the lake, ye know, it’s big enough tae swallow anything, even a man’s secrets. We didnae realize we were daeing anything wrong.”

“Well, ye are,” Moira said bluntly. She pointed at each man in turn as she spoke. “Because of ye, people are getting sick. We drink from this water. Did ye never think that putting all this waste in here was gaeing tae be a bad idea? Would ye want tae drink water from this lake?” The silence was deafening. “Aye, I didnae think sae. I hae a good mind tae get ye tae dive in there and pick out everything ye hae thrown in. People are dying because of ye,” she said in a harsh voice, almost not believing the source of the sickness hadn’t been some malevolent force of some spirits or some nasty scheme by men, but that it was simply the product of fools.

“We didnae know,” the man nearest her said. Moira shook her head and pursed her lips, wondering what she was going to do with them. She thought she should at least be grateful that it was not a Kelpie. But before she could speak again, another man came up to her. His speech was slurred and he moved wildly, like a baby animal who was not in control of its full movement. He stank of alcohol as well, and Moira quickly realized one of their other habits of coming out here.

“What dae we care about ye rich people who live up there? Ye never care about us anyway. We live in squalor while ye hae all we want. I dinnae care what ye drink. Ye are making a mistake. Anyway, ale is much tastier than water,” he said with a belch, and then a mocking laugh. His was the only one, though. Moira backed away, not liking how aggressive this man was. “Ye think ye can just come down here and shout at us like we’re wee children? We deserve some respect, lass. If this loch is that important tae ye, then perhaps ye should gae for a swim yerself. If ye want all this out then ye can fish it out!” he cackled with laughter and then thrust out his arms, pushing Moira, perhaps with more strength than he intended. Moira was already off balance, and she couldn’t do anything to steady herself as she tumbled backward. There was a look of horror on her face as she saw the dirty, grimy water, and thought about all the things that had been thrown in there.

She closed her eyes and descended into the water.

19

Moira kept her eyes and mouth shut as she felt the water take her. She flailed, trying to return to the surface, but the water was heavier than she suspected, and the bottom was deeper. She kicked out with her feet in an attempt to find the bottom and rise back to the surface, but there was nothing below her. The dress she wore was heavy and didn’t help in her effort to rise back up. She knew how to swim, and she knew how disorienting the water could be, so she had to open her eyes.

The water was murky, but she saw things floating in it, as though they were suspended there. Empty-eyed cats and lifeless rats floated towards her, and she kicked away. A stream of bubbles cascaded from the corner of her mouth as she tried to fight her way away from them, but they seemed to be everywhere. She flailed her arms in a panic, and her lungs burned as she tried to make her way back to break the surface of the water. She screamed instinctively as something brushed her arm, and then two strong hands gripped her and helped her emerge, bringing her gasping to the surface. Drenched and slimy, Moira wiped her eyes and looked up, expecting to see that one of the men had taken pity on her and saved her, but it was actually Niall.

Moira was relieved to see him—amazed to see him, in fact. She briefly forgot that she was covered in slime and waste and smiled, grateful that he had come to rescue her when she was in need. She searched his eyes for any sign of compassion, but she was afraid that she would not be able to believe what she saw. She had already deluded herself before, and she wasn’t ready to dare hope again. Niall held out his hand and helped her up. Moira hesitated for a moment before she took it, telling herself that what had transpired between them didn’t matter right now; what mattered was that he had turned up when she needed him.

Niall turned to the men and shook his head. The men cowered. The one who had pushed Moira in had made his way to the back of the crowd, standing beside a horse in the hope that it could shield him from whatever Niall was going to say. Niall looked impressive with his sword hanging from his waist and his stern visage. He looked every inch a laird, and Moira couldn’t prevent a flicker of desire from entering her heart.

“How dare ye hurt my wife! This is Lady Calbraith, and I amnae gaeing tae stand for anyone wounding her. I saw what ye did, and I cannae let it stand. I will figure out a way tae deal with ye later. What ye hae done here is thoughtless.” He beckoned for his guards with a snap of his fingers. They emerged from the forest like phantoms and took the grumbling men into custody, leading them away. As they did so, Niall turned to Moira.

“Are ye well?” he asked.

Moira looked down at her soaked body. “About as well as I could be given the circumstances. What are ye daeing here?”

“I was worried about ye when I heard that ye haed gone looking for the Kelpie. After what ye said last night, I thought I haed better hae a word with Grizel, and she told me that you were going to face the creature. Ye were mad tae come out here alone, Moira,” he said, his words an equal part of frustration and concern.

Moira smiled sheepishly. “Well, I didnae think ye would come with me if I told ye I was gaeing tae hunt a Kelpie.”