Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The morning seemed to come about five seconds after Jocelyn fell asleep next to her sisters. The girls were just starting to wake up, and though Jocelyn didn't want to get up, she knew there was no real good way to explain to her sisters that she was up too late daydreaming about the man that had saved their lives. So, she stretched her arms out and pulled her tartan over her shoulders as she sat up, looking around the room. The first thing she noticed was Lachlan's absence, and though she didn't know where he had gone, she wasn't going to inquire.

"Have fun in the grass last night?" Agatha asked, setting the table.

Jocelyn could immediately feel her cheeks reddening, wondering if Agatha had seen her and Lachlan out there. Agatha nodded toward the end of the pallet and Jocelyn looked down to see her feet sticking out, dried grass along the sides of them. She quickly tucked them up under her billowing underskirt and chuckled. "I couldnae sleep last night so I went out tae look at the stars. Lachlan watched over me and said it was safe."

"It was a beautiful full moon last night," Agatha said with a sigh. "Beautiful, clear night. It made me think about nights that I had visited yer father and mother at the keep. There were moments where the big fluffy gray clouds would part and beneath them were so many stars. The moon would cast a glow over the whole clan."

Jocelyn smiled. "That sounds so nice. I wish I could remember things like that."

"Wait until yer older, ye willnae remember anything," Agatha said with a laugh. "I do remember bein' a little girl and gettin' caught by me mother dancing naked as the day I was born out there in that very patch of grass. I'd just dance with the stars."

Jocelyn chuckled. "That sounds amazing, actually. Though, I'm nae sure I would ever have the courage or comfort tae do somethin' like that, even by myself."

"Well, ye better start findin' it, because ye are gonna be free, one day," Agatha said.

Jocelyn didn't like the way she said "one day" but before she could ask anything about it, Deirdre popped up from her pallet, stretching and yawning. "That was the best night's sleep I have ever had."

Aoife groaned. "It would have been, if some little monster weren't kickin' me in her sleep like she was fightin' a bear."

Deirdre giggled as Aoife tickled her. Jocelyn immediately remembered her thoughts from the night before. She wanted her sisters to be relaxed and to enjoy their time there before they headed back into danger, with a future unknown. Whatever worries there were, Jocelyn planned to carry them on her shoulders and she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by Lachlan or anything else. She almost felt silly without the flippancy she had shown the night before, acting like a young girl with no worries. The truth was, her job wasn't over yet. She still had a long way to go before the girls were safe and didn't need her protection anymore.

"Did ye sleep good, Jocelyn?" Deirdre asked.

Jocelyn smirked, kissing Deirdre on the cheek. "Like a rock, if a rock was used tae gettin' smacked in the face by a small monster every few minutes."

Deirdre screamed with laughter before getting up with her blanket wrapped around her. Aoife groaned to her feet and walked over, reaching her hands down for Jocelyn. With a smile, she let Aoife help her to her feet. But before Aoife could walk off, Jocelyn wrapped her arms around Aoife and hugged her tightly. "I love ye, sister."

Aoife frowned, pulling back and looking at Jocelyn. "I love ye too, sister. Is everything alright?"

"More than alright," Jocelyn replied. "We are getting tae be normal for a bit, even if it's temporary."

Aoife snorted. "I wouldnae necessarily consider ye normal but…"

Jocelyn rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ye are truly the worst at sweet moments, ye ken that?"

Aoife grinned. "I ken. I pride meself on it."

The girls picked up their sleeping area and took turns cleaning up a bit more and putting on some clean clothes that Agatha had given them. Jocelyn tried to ignore the fact that every time a shadow passed through from the window, or the wind clipped the wooden cottage, her heart would flutter wondering if it was going to be Lachlan.

"Come on and sit down fer breakfast," Agatha said, pouring each of the girls a hot cup of tea.

There were breads and meats spread across the table, and Jocelyn wondered where Agatha got everything from, or even where she kept it. But that was the least of the questions she really wanted answered. She wanted to know about her family, about the vision, and about everything from a time she really couldn't remember herself. She knew bits and pieces, even bigger things that weren't the most kind about her father, but it felt like something more had to be there.

Of course, she didn't want to be rude and ask during breakfast but waiting made her fidgety. After about twenty minutes of chattering and feasting, Agatha set her napkin down and stood up, untying one apron and replacing it with another. She nodded to the girls. "Let's go gather some vegetables and herbs fer supper tonight, get some sunshine and fresh air."

The sisters looked around at each other before Jocelyn wiped her lips and nodded. "I'm nae sure when was the last time we were able tae go outside without fear."

Agatha took a long deep breath and gave a small smile. "It saddens me every day tae think of what ye lasses have been through. But ye got away, and in a day or so we'll get ye tae yer sister's."

Jocelyn and the others took baskets from Agatha and followed her out into the garden. Jocelyn stayed with Agatha, picking tomatoes from the vines as the girls were close by, finding herbs for seasoning. Agatha reached for a tomato, and though the wise-woman's eyes sparkled like those of a young woman's, her hands shook with age. Jocelyn felt for her so she reached and touched her arm. As her skin touched Agatha's, Jocelyn had a flash of fire and anger in her mind.

"Are ye alright, child?" Agatha asked.

Jocelyn pulled her hand slightly away. "Uhm, aye, I'm alright. Why dinnae ye let me do the pickin'?"

Agatha smiled and nodded, standing back. "Why nae? It isnae often I have help around here."

Jocelyn picked a couple of tomatoes, finally deciding to ease into her questions, questions her sisters had too. "So, our sister tells us that ye kenned our father. That ye told our father about the vision ye had."

Agatha nodded as if she knew the questions were coming. "When ye and yer sisters were just bairns, yer father came tae visit me. The first time, I was actually right here in the gardens. He was a kind man, and I could tell he was here fer a reason, but too noble tae state it at first. Young and alone, I was happy tae have the company, even if it were just fer a little while. He came back many times."

"What was he looking for?" Aoife asked, a row behind them.

"What is anyone really looking for?" she said. "Answers, hope, protection, I'm nae really sure. I do ken that he wanted a glimpse into the future, and he had tried all other options. Someone had spoken about me tae him, told him of the…gifts I had received from me mother, grandmother, and the many women who came before me."

Jocelyn shook her head, asking the same questions as her sister. "Why would our father need tae ken so badly about our future? It was a time of peace fer our clan."

Agatha chuckled. "Yer sister asked that very question and I will tell ye the same thing I told her. Why do Highland men ever worry over the things they do? Yer father loved ye and yer sisters more than anything in the world, but also wanted tae make sure since he didnae have a boy tae inherit the clan, his girls would be given the clan if anything were tae happen tae him. He had planned the leadership of the clan on Blair and he just wanted tae ken that she was ready fer it, and that she would get it without a fight. He wanted tae ken if there were any troubles or dangers he should see ahead."

"And the omen is the vision, right?" Deirdre asked, poking her head above the herbs.

Agatha nodded. "Aye. But at the time I wasnae ready tae fully breach the veil tae see intae the future. Kenning what I ken now, yer father's insistence was fer a good reason. I just wish I had waited a bit longer, and had gotten stronger. The look in his eyes though, as the days passed, felt like a sign from the ancestors, or maybe that's what I needed tae tell meself tae justify tryin' something I kenned I wasnae ready fer. Either way, I did. I sat with the ancestors next tae the full moon fires, and walked through the door they opened fer me. Inside it was the vision yer father was lookin' fer." Jocelyn placed the last of the tomatoes in the basket and followed Agatha over to a small rock that had been placed next to the row of vegetables. The wise-woman sat down, looking up at Jocelyn and over at the other sisters. She sighed, shaking her head. "When I entered, I found meself in the dark, stumbling through this very forest. Ahead, I could hear a tempered growling. Creeping forward through the brush, I found two wolves, battling for control. They fought without restraint. I watched as one killed the other and then turned on the pups. They devoured the baby wolves, leaving nothing but fluttering rose petals where they had once slept."

All three girls frowned and Aoife shook her head. "That's terrible."

Agatha nodded. "Indeed, it was. It was something I will remember me whole life. Unfortunately, things began tae change fer yer father. He wrestled with it. It wasnae long after that, right before a big storm was blowin' in, I was standing out there in the clearing and lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the ground in front of me. I bent down tae touch the hot grass and another vision hit me. Well…I think ye ken what that one was."

Aoife stepped around, chewing the inside of her cheek. "So if the wolf ate the pups, meanin' more than one, how would it be me uncle? He only has Bram."

"Your uncle had Bram, aye, but he also had two other sons, ones that died very young," Agatha explained, surprising all of them.

Deirdre, with a furrowed brow, sat back on her heels. "Were those the boys in the painting hung in me uncle's keep? The ones with curly black hair?"

Agatha nodded. "Right. They died from fever nae long after your father's death. I went tae stop him, kenning what he had planned but I was too late."

Jocelyn let out a knowing sigh. "But when it came down tae it, Father couldnae do it. He couldnae kill Bram. There was a fight between him and our uncle, and that's when Uncle stabbed Father. He made it all the way home, but died in the entryway. The same entryway that Bram now stands on."

"Yer uncle ultimately took over the lairdship, as ye lasses were too young fer yer father's wishes fer a women-led clan tae come tae pass. He moved intae the keep with yer cousin, and that was the end of yer father's lineage as leader."

Deirdre shook her head. "Wait, I'm confused…"

Agatha smiled at her. "It wasnae yer uncle fighting yer father, winning and eating his young, it was the other way around. I saw what yer father would dae and instead of stoppin' it, I helped the prophecy come true, somethin' I'm nae sure how tae make up tae ye."

Jocelyn smiled kindly at Agatha. "Ye've started without knowin' it. Bein' here fer us has saved us. Lettin' our…guard grow stronger here, that's more than anyone else would do."

Aoife lifted both brows. "Wow. That's a lot. And I'm assuming that's why Bram was always goin' out lookin' fer ye."

Agatha chuckled. "Aye. They banished me after yer father died, but Bram believes I can undo what he calls "the curse". Some witch somewhere told him I could undo it by absorbin' the curse, performin' a sacrifice, but it's nae true. It's nae true because there's nae curse, just a vision."

"And Bram thinks me and me sisters want tae kill him, tae end him?" Jocelyn asked.

Agatha nodded. "Aye. He sees ye as some threat tae his survival and that fear has turned intae anger toward ye and yer sisters. He nae longer just wants tae eliminate the threat, he wants tae take ye down and teach ye a lesson."

Deirdre rolled her eyes. "Very dramatic."

They all chuckled a bit.

Jocelyn leaned forward. "So how do we stop him?"

Agatha smiled and put up her hands. "That is where my expertise ends, me dear. I am a Seer, nae a war captain. I will say that I see a strength in the three of ye that isnae easy tae break, even by someone evil like Bram."

A movement distracted Jocelyn momentarily from the mystic words that Agatha was saying, and her eyes flicked up as a looming shadow crossed the floor. Lachlan had returned, but he didn't look toward them, instead he was moving to sit in the corner of the room. Without a word, he took his blades from their sheathes and began to clean them, sharpen them, whatever it was that men did when they wanted to fiddle with their hands and look like they weren't paying attention to the world around them.

"We're strong," Aoife told Agatha with the extreme confidence that Jocelyn knew was so rare to find in a young woman, and it filled Jocelyn's heart with a flame of pride. "We are. Blair, as well. The four of us, there's nothin' we can't do if we put our minds to it."

"I'm the strongest," young Deirdre declared, and the two younger sisters fell into playful bickering over that.

Jocelyn watched them fondly, though her own emotions were in turmoil. She'd learned so much today, much of which she had no idea if it was for good or for ill. It was a blessing to know that her father had not been able to kill Bram–even if her cousin had grown to be evil, her father's reluctance to kill a child even in his own madness spoke volumes on his character. The prophecy had driven him mad, there was no denying it, but he was a good man. A man who had cared for his daughters so much that he had died for them, misled as he might have been.

She knew that they couldn't let their father's sacrifice, though it had been based on a faulty premise, be in vain. She and her sisters would live and thrive. Jocelyn smiled faintly as a memory of Blair floated into her mind, the older sister singing her to sleep. Yes, they'd survive. They'd live. And they'd be together again.

"Lachlan will see us back tae Blair safely," Aoife informed them, almost as though she'd been in tune with Jocelyn's thoughts. "And then everything will be alright at last, you'll see."

"Aye. He has a part tae play in all this, that much is sure," Agatha said, her voice taking on a deeper, richer tone. "When his family is?—"

A loud clatter interrupted the words. All four women looked up to see Lachlan staring, wide-eyed, his blades scattered on the floor from where he had obviously let them fall from his lap in surprise at the wise-woman's speech.

"Peace, Grandmother," he said, obviously attempting to be diplomatic, but Jocelyn was surprised to hear a layer of fiery anger suddenly in his tone. "Ye dinnae ken what ye're sayin'."

"I ken well what I'm sayin', Lachlan MacAndrew," Agatha admonished. "Yer family?—"

"Enough!" Lachlan snapped. He locked eyes with the old woman. "I dinnae have a family. That's all there is tae it, is that understood?"

There was a tense moment in the room then. Jocelyn could see her sisters wide-eyed with alarm and wondered if the same expression was echoed on her own face. She'd only known Lachlan for a short time, but she knew that he worked in the shadows. For him to react so strongly went against everything she'd learned about him so far.

But Agatha did not look upset. In fact, the wise-woman smiled a knowing, secret smile. "As ye say, lad," she replied genially. She caught Jocelyn's gaze and, bizarrely, winked. "And so that's me tale," she said, apparently choosing to pretend that the short exchange with Lachlan had never happened. "And the advice I have tae give ye as well. Ye must be strong. Until ye return tae yer sister's side, ye're the eldest. It's an awful burden tae place upon ye, I ken, but?—"

"I'm ready," Jocelyn said, surprising even herself with the determination in her voice.

" We are ready," her sisters chorused.

Jocelyn nodded, heartened by the knowledge that, no matter what, she'd have her family by her side. But her eyes wandered to Lachlan, who had collected his blades and had resumed tending them with more vigor than before. There was another mystery here, another kind of darkness even beyond her own.

And before all of this was over, she was sure that all of the darkness would rise to the surface. She just hoped they'd all be ready to face it, together.