Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“ I dinnae see why I cannae walk the grounds,” Ciara protested. “Ye’ve got yer bleedin’ guard shadowin’ me every step.”

Magnus quirked a grin at her. “Because I dinnae fully trust anybody tae watch ye but meself. I have an appreciation fer just how resourceful ye are that others dinnae.”

She flashed him a grin. “Ye say the sweetest things.”

“I’ll come fetch ye when it’s time fer supper.”

Ciara sighed heavily and folded her arms over her chest, staring at him crossly. Magnus had gone out of his way to tell her she wasn’t a prisoner, but an honored guest, and yet he knew that wasn’t exactly true. So did she.

“How much longer is this goin’ tae go on? This may nae be one of the cells below yer castle, but it’s a cell all the same,” she growled.

“I hope ‘tis nae much longer,” he replied sincerely.

“Aye. Me too.”

Magnus gave her an awkward smile and a nod then walked out of his chambers, issuing instructions that she was not to be let out of his chambers to the pair of men outside the door. That done, Magnus walked briskly through the corridors and to the hall where the rest of his siblings had already gathered.

“Kai,” Magnus said. “What did ye learn?”

“I didnae learn much of anythin’,” he said. “Me contacts dinnae ken where the rumors started, but they swear ‘tis the truth of what they were told.”

“Told by whom?” Domhnall asked.

Kai shrugged. “Loose tongues around the tavern common rooms,” he replied. “But nobody’s been able tae say where the information came from originally.”

Domhnall sighed and his chair creaked as he sat back, a frustrated look on his face. He turned to Magnus.

“What about ye?” he asked.

“What about me?”

“Ye’ve been with her all day. Learn anythin’ new?’

Magnus shook his head. “Nothin’ I didnae already ken.”

Thora gave him a long, even look. “What are ye nae sayin’, braither?”

“I’m nae nae sayin’ anythin’,” Magnus replied.

“Speak yer piece, braither,” Domhnall said.

Magnus frowned and put his thoughts in order. “’Tis just… The fact that we’re havin’ trouble findin’ out where that information came from bothers me,” he said.

“It bothers me too, but sometimes these things happen. Ye ken that,” Domhnall agreed.

“If she was nae a spy, why would somebody put that information out there?” Enya asked.

“So, when she was taken in, whoever was lookin’ fer her would ken right where tae come.”

It was something Ciara had mentioned earlier when they were out on their walk, but it wasn’t something Magnus hadn’t already been thinking about on his own. Strategically speaking, it made a lot of sense. The Highlands offered a lot of places to hide, and if Fairfax and her father were searching for her as she said, the fastest and most efficient way to find her would be to have others doing the work for them so all they had to do was swoop in and take her back once she had been found and taken into custody.

“And if all that is true, if that information was planted tae get us tae dae their dirty work fer them, that puts us all in danger,” Magnus said. “We all ken the sort of monster Lord Fairfax is, eh? And if this is his plan tae get us tae hold Ciara for him, telling them where she is, he could be marchin’ on us right now.”

Kai shook his head. “I’ve heard nothin’ of an army on the move. And that’s somethin’ I would have heard, I’m certain.”

“Nae yet, perhaps,” Magnus said. “But ‘tis possible word that we’ve got Ciara hasnae gotten back tae Fairfax and Laird MacDougal just yet.”

“If I might say a word,” Katherine said.

“Please, love,” Domhnall replied.

“I had a long and lovely conversation with Ciara at breakfast, as you all know,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I found her to be charming and kind. I did not sense any sort of guile or deception from her. So far as I can tell, she is what she claims to be— a young woman on the run. I know you would say that is what a clever spy would make me believe, and I do not disagree. But I did not get the sense that Ciara has any sort of agenda save escaping her father and a marriage to a terrible man.”

Domhnall purses his lips. “So, what are ye proposin’ then, wife?”

“I propose we take her into our protection,” Katherine replied. “We cannot return her to the sort of marriage that would await her at the hands of Lord Fairfax. I know better than most just how monstrous he truly is.”

“’Tis noted,” Domhnall said with the same soft expression he had every time he looked at his wife. “Thank ye, Katherine.”

“Of course.”

Magnus knew Katherine to be an intelligent woman who had a good sense about people. And Domhnall knew it too. If she was saying she didn’t get the feeling that Ciara was anything but what she seemed to be, her words carried weight. It wasn’t an opinion Domhnall was going to blow off without thinking about it. And Magnus was glad to hear that somebody else had the same opinion about Ciara that he was staring to come to.

“Kai,” Domhnall finally said. “We need to find out if the stories we heard are true or nae. We need tae ken quickly. We need ye tae get back out there and find out what ye can. And also find out if Fairfax is marchin’ on Dunvegan.”

“Aye. I’ll learn what I can.”

“That’s all well and good, and I agree, we need tae find out,” Thora said. “But I think we’ve got another problem we need tae address.”

“And what is that?” Domhnall asked.

“I think we need tae be worried about why this lass can resist our gifts,” she said. “Magnus cannae hear her thoughts and Kai cannae influence her emotions… why is she immune?”

Domhnall stroked his chin as he seemed to consider the question for a moment. He sat forward and clasped his hands together.

“’Tis a good question,” he said.

“And? Dae ye have an answer?” Thora pressed.

“I admit, I dinnae have an answer.”

“Anybody?” Thora asked as she looked around the circle.

Magnus shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, and I have nothin’. I dinnae have the first clue how she’s immune tae our gifts. It’s bleedin’ irritatin’, is what it is.”

“Maybe she’s wearin’ a charm of some kind,” Enya offered.

“A charm?” Kai asked.

“Aye,” Enya said. “She might have a charm that’s been bewitched that protects her from the sort of things we can dae.”

“’Tis but children’s tales,” Domhnall said.

“’Tis nae,” Enya replied. “Charms and bewitchment are real, braither.”

Domhnall rolled his eyes, bringing a dark frown to Enya’s face.

“Are ye serious?” she snapped. “Given our own gifts, ye cannae believe in things like charms and bewitchments fer other people? Are ye bleedin’ daft?”

Magnus chuckled. “She’s got a point, Domhnall.”

“Aye. I suppose she does,” he admitted grudgingly. “So? How dae we prove it?”

“Well, we obviously need tae search her and see if she’s got a charm on her,” Enya said.

All eyes turned to Magnus, and he stared back at them, his eyes widening slowly as comprehension dawned on him.

“Oh, uh uh,” he said. “I’m nae saerchin’ her.”

Thora grinned. “Ye’re the only one who has that kinda relationship?—”

“Ahh dinnae give me that,” Magnus cut her off. “She got on better with Katherine than she ever has with me. Have Katherine search her.”

Domhnall shook his head. “Magnus, Thora is right. Ye’re the one tae dae it.”

“That woman will stick a bleedin’ knife intae me before she lets me search her.”

“Dinnae be such a bairn, Magnus,” Enya teased. “We all ken ye’re keen on gettin’ yer hands on her body. We’re givin’ ye the chance.”

That got a good laugh out of everybody, making Magnus grind his teeth as he glowered at them. He shook his head and grumbled under his breath. “I’m glad yer all gettin’ a good laugh out of this.”

“Thank ye,” Kai said. “We are too.”

Domhnall sat up straight, the laughter dying on his lips. He looked at Magnus with a serious expression on his face.

“Honestly, braither,” he said. “We need ye tae dae this. She has trust in ye.”

“I think ye’re wrong about that.”

“He’s not,” Katherine says. “She does trust you.”

“She said that?”

“Not in so many words, but she said enough.”

Magnus frowned. It was the last thing he’d expected to hear, but he couldn’t deny that on some level, it felt good. Strangely good—for reasons he didn’t understand. Something else he didn’t understand was that he found himself looking forward to spending more time with her. As frustrating as that woman was, Magnus felt drawn to her. Not that he would ever admit it to his siblings. They would never let him hear the end of it.

“Fine,” Magnus said. “I’ll find out if she’s got a charm.”

“Good lad,” Domhnall said, drawing more chuckles from the others.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Laugh it up, ye bleedin’ mules. Laugh it up.”