by Donna Grant
The idea of possessing a second bone of the First Witch made it easy for Sybbyl to leave the Grove. Only a handful of Gira followed her, but it didn’t matter. They could stay behind for all she cared. Then again, the nymphs did come in handy at times. If they wanted to help, she wasn’t going to stop them.
As she moved through the forest, each step brought her closer to her destiny. There wasn’t anything she feared, no one to deter her from attaining her goal of ruling all. She smiled, knowing that she was doing the right thing. No one who had come before her or after would ever know, without a doubt, that they were on such a sure path.
Sybbyl found a road and traveled it. A few hours later, she came upon a small village. She walked through it alone and didn’t hold back her smile when she saw men, women, and children darting for cover. They might not know what she was, but they knew enough to be fearful. That’s just what she wanted.
As she neared the outskirts of the village, four burly men stepped in front of her with menace in their eyes. The Gira remained with the trees, but Sybbyl didn’t need them against men without magic, who thought they could make her cower.
“A beautiful woman such as yerself shouldn’t be travel’n alone,” the largest of the men said.
The other three smiled and leered at her.
Sybbyl raised a brow. “I’m not alone.”
“Ye must be touched in the head,” another said. “Look at ‘er. She be wear’n a crown.”
The men laughed and, behind her, others joined in. Sybbyl returned their smiles. “You should be on your knees before me.”
Their laughter grew, but she didn’t mind. It was a great place to show everyone her power and what awaited the world. Sybbyl felt the magic of the staff mix with her own. She held up her hand, palm out. The ancient spell formed in her mind. Before the staff, she would’ve had to say the words. Now, she just had to think them.
As soon as the spell was complete, magic shot from her hand in red light toward the four men, straight into their hearts. They screamed in pain, a sound that was cut off suddenly as they fell to the ground, unmoving.
Sybbyl then turned to the crowd behind her. “Anyone else want to laugh at my crown?”
One by one, the townspeople dropped to their knees, their gazes downcast. Satisfied, she slowly turned and resumed her walk, stepping over the dead men.
9
Lachlan was pleased with the amount of ground he and Synne had covered that day. What didn’t sit well with him was the fact that they hadn’t encountered anyone else.
He felt Synne’s gaze as she brushed her mare, and he scanned the surrounding area. They had chosen a secluded spot for the night, making it difficult for anyone to spot them. However, it also hampered their view and hindered their awareness of anyone approaching. But he had purposefully remained in the forest for Synne and her connection to the trees. Tomorrow, they wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Does it ever stop snowing?” she asked from behind him.
Lachlan glanced at her over his shoulder and shrugged. “It’s Scotland.”
“Since I’ve never been here before, I’m not sure what that means.”
“It means that the winters are harsh. The farther north we go, the worse it’ll get.” He turned and looked at her clothes. “We might need to get you a warmer cloak.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s better if we steer clear of any villages.”
That made him frown. “Why?”
“The last thing I want is to bring a witch to a village. The Coven is tracking me. No one else needs to be killed.”
Lachlan flattened his lips as he realized the truth of her words. “I didna think of that.”
Synne finished with her horse and came around to stand next to him. “We made up a lot of time today. At this rate, we could find Blackglade sooner than I’d hoped.”
“Those witches found you quickly. Do they use magic to travel?”
“The stronger ones do. Sybbyl can transport places with the staff. Other witches?” She shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. I’ve no idea how they found me, and it doesn’t matter. We need to remain on guard no matter what.”
He gave her a dry look. “That much is obvious.”
That made her smile, her amber eyes crinkling at the corners. “Are we still on your clan’s land?”
“Near midday, we crossed onto Campbell land.” Lachlan walked to his gelding and removed his saddle and bridle. The horses were tied to a tree to keep them close. He rubbed his hands over his horse to brush the day from the gelding’s winter coat and met Synne’s gaze. “Any tips for the next time we run into witches?”
“Don’t underestimate them.”
Lachlan snorted. “I assumed as much. What type of magic can they do?”
“Anything. Everything,” she answered with a shrug. “Some can do a little of all, while others can only do specific types of magic. One of the witches that attacked us this morning had yellow that sparked in her palm.”
“I saw that.”
“Not everyone can. Her magic was yellow. Had she done more, you would’ve noticed it more.”
That made him frown. “So, magic can be seen?”
“Sometimes. Helena’s magic is purple. She can use it so that it sinks into a person like coils and kills them. Great when battling other witches.”
Lachlan finished with the horse and nodded. “That would come in handy.”
“If you’re with me, the witches of the Coven will assume you’re a Hunter. That’s good because they’ll be wary of you.”
“The two this morning were no’ wary,” he pointed out.
Synne twisted her lips. “They wanted us dead. They didn’t care.”
“Then neither will any others.”
She blew out a breath and looked off to the side through the trees and the blanket of snow that covered the ground. “Everything is changed now. I need to remember that. For so long, we were the ones doing the hunting. Now, Sybbyl has changed that. They’re hunting us. I’d hoped she would believe all the Hunters had been killed at the abbey.”
“Was there a list of the Hunters, perhaps? Maybe she saw that.”
“Anyone at the abbey would know how many Hunters there were. Leoma, Ravyn, and I are the only ones I know of who weren’t inside. Then there’s Helena. As well as Asa.”
That was the first time he’d heard that name. “Who is Asa?”
“Another witch who lived with us. She can speak to animals, and she was the one who marked our skin.”
He wanted to ask what exactly Synne meant about marking her skin, but he was too caught up in the fact that Asa could speak to animals. “Can you find Asa?”
“Unfortunately, no. She wasn’t at the abbey, though. And she rarely leaves.”
“Did Sybbyl take her, perhaps?”
Synne’s face scrunched up with exasperation. “Asa never would’ve allowed that to happen. She’d die first.”
“You speak of Sybbyl’s power with the staff. Is there a chance that she was able to take Asa prisoner?”
“Of course, there’s a chance, but I don’t see that happening. I know you’re asking questions, and I’m doing a poor job of giving specifics. But Asa hated the Coven as much as Edra and Helena. Few witches were able to get away from the Coven once discovered. The Coven gives the witches they encounter two choices. Join or die. Those who refuse the Coven are generally killed instantly. There are a few—Edra and Helena—who managed to get away. There are even more, like Asa, who remained hidden from the Coven.”
Lachlan shook the snow from his head. “The Coven wanted to swell their ranks with members. The more witches they have, the stronger they are.”
“Exactly. Witches hid anyway because regular folks feared them. Once the Coven began searching for more members, they had to make a decision: remain where they were and hope the Coven didn’t find them, hide, or stand and fight, knowing they could die.”
“Anyone can die at any time,” Lachlan said. “Yet, it was smart of the
witches to hide those who didna want to join the Coven. Because anyone they found who refused would be killed, which meant one less witch to stand against them.”
Synne nodded, smiling sadly. “That’s why Edra and Radnar began training us. At first, it was simply so we could take care of ourselves, but also so we’d recognize a witch and be able to protect not only ourselves, but others, as well. The more we trained and learned, the more we wanted to hunt the Coven as Edra did. That’s when our training intensified. Edra and Radnar said that if we were going to face witches, we needed the skills to do it since we didn’t have magic.”
“You have magic.”
Synne laughed wryly. “I don’t, even though I wished for it.”
“You converse with trees. I’d call that magic.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Radnar said the same thing.”
“Why did you no’ believe him?”
“I thought he was humoring me.”
“Do you know of anyone else who can speak to trees?”
She shook her head.
Lachlan smiled. “It’s magic, lass. Plain and simple. It might no’ be the kind you wanted, but it’s magic.”
“I can’t do anything else, though.”
“You can do more than most of us.”
“For so long, I’ve been caught up in the fact that I wasn’t a witch, that I never thought of it that way. Edra always kept me in the forest near the abbey. Only when Coven members came close did I get to fight. It used to anger me terribly that she didn’t let me loose as she did the others.”
Lachlan walked to her and brushed a snowflake from her cheek. “Edra understood your connection to the trees and kept you there to foster that.”
“I think she did. Why didn’t she tell me that when I asked?”
“The same reason a mother or father doesna always give their child direct answers. So the child can learn.”
Synne shook her head and briefly closed her eyes. “I wish I would’ve realized this sooner.”
“You know it now. That’s what counts.”
She didn’t answer him, lost in her thoughts. Lachlan looked around again. The forest was silent. Usually, he loved it like this, but the knowledge that the Coven was tracking Synne put him on edge. To those with an untrained eye, there weren’t any signs of animals, but he had grown up in the forest and knew how to hunt.
“I’ll be back with some food.” He glanced her way to find her nodding her head.
Lachlan walked deeper into the forest. He was soon swallowed up by the trees. When he glanced back, he couldn’t see Synne or the horses, just as he wanted. Though his tracks were easy to spot in the snow, there was nothing he could do about that. Luckily, with the way the snow was falling, it would soon cover his path.
Would that be enough to stop the witches? Probably not. He wished he had known to ask his grandmother more questions while she was alive. There was much he could’ve learned from her to ready him for this day. Then again, how could he have known he would be fighting against a coven of witches?
It took him longer than he wanted to find food. When he returned to the camp with a pheasant in tow, a fire roared in greeting. But there was no sign of Synne. His gaze immediately moved up to the branches around him. That’s when he spotted her sitting upon a thick limb with her eyes closed and her hand on the tree.
He didn’t call out to her. The trees had no doubt told her of his approach. Instead, he made use of the time and cleaned the bird to get it ready to roast over the fire. Once that was seen to, he scouted the area, looking for fresh tracks—be they animal or human. As far as he could discern, nothing had disturbed the snow.
When he got back to the camp, Synne was waiting for him. She didn’t look up as she turned the bird over so it didn’t burn. He removed his sword and scabbard from around his body and set it against one of the trees and then drank deeply from his waterskin.
“It’s not too late for you to return to your clan.”
His head jerked in her direction. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you have a family.” Her gaze lifted to his. “I’ve lost mine, but yours is still alive.”
“No’ all of your family is gone. And I’m here because of my family. I’m fighting to save them.”
“The Varroki are powerful, but none more than Malene. Despite that, there’s no guarantee that we’ll win.”
He drew in a breath and glanced at the ground. “Lass, there’s no guarantee with anything in life other than taxes and death. Everything else is a draw. I know that each time I wake up in the morn. I understand that every time I face an enemy on the battlefield. Whether it’s a weapon, disease, old age, or magic that takes my life, I will die. What I willna do is stand aside and let others fight battles for me.”
“I don’t want you with me because I’m a woman, and you don’t think I can handle myself.”
He gave a loud snort. “I might have thought that upon our first meeting, but that notion was quickly dispelled. I promise you that. Why no’ tell me what’s really bothering you.”
She refused to hold his gaze then and looked away. “I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“Do the best you can, and that willna happen.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Because it is.”
10
She didn’t want to let anyone down, but that’s precisely what Synne was worried might happen. Lachlan had told her to do her best. What if her best wasn’t good enough? What if—?
Synne halted her thoughts. She wouldn’t go down that road, questioning Edra and Radnar and anyone else who had taught her at the abbey. No, her problem was with herself. The fear that had never really left, the one that had been inside her for as long as she could remember. Had her parents abandoned her? Had there been something wrong with her that’d made her unlovable? Was that why they hadn’t wanted her?
Some of that apprehension had faded in the years she’d spent at the abbey. She had even thought it might be gone for good. But the destruction of the sanctuary had that fear rearing its ugly head, and there was nothing she could do to make it go away. It was there, and she was beginning to believe that it always would be.
“You killed those two witches this morn,” Lachlan said as he checked the pheasant.
Synne nodded and cleared a spot of snow so she could sit next to a tree to lean back against it. “That was only two of them.”
“Two more than I’ve ever had attack me. You make light of a serious situation. You were trained to fight against the Coven. Trust what you’ve learned.”
“You’re right, I know.”
Lachlan sat between two roots protruding from the ground that he’d cleared of snow. “You’re still grieving. And you will be for a while. Even killing Sybbyl and everyone in the Coven willna stop that.”
His words, spoken with such conviction, made her stop and think. “You went after someone for revenge.”
“My father warned me what would happen if I did, but I refused to listen to him. Just as you are no’ listening to me now.”
“I’m listening,” she argued.
He gave her a half-smile that made her stomach flutter in a way that had never happened before. It shocked her so much that it took her a moment to hear the words he spoke next.
“You’re listening, but you are no’ accepting my words. There’s a difference.”
She swallowed, still confused by the way her body reacted to him. “Maybe.”
He sat back and closed his eyes. He sat there in silence for a moment before he lifted one leg to plant his foot on the ground and then rested his arm on his knee. “It was for my eldest brother.”
She couldn’t look away from him. His words, spoken so softly she almost didn’t hear them, hit her square in the chest. He had mentioned an older brother who had died, but she hadn’t asked him how.
Synne drew her cloak tighter around herself and waited for him to continue. The silence stretched on for so long
, she began to think that he had gone to sleep. Finally, he spoke again.
“My parents met once before they were wed. Nine months after the wedding, my brother was born. It was another eight years before I came along. Nathan was loved by everyone. He was kind and smart and good at everything. Everyone wanted to be his friend, but he was my brother.” Lachlan suddenly smiled without opening his eyes. “We were verra close, despite the years that separated us. If Nathan did something, I had to do it, as well. He was always there to get me out of trouble, and many times, he took the blame for me.”
Synne heard the love for Nathan in Lachlan’s voice. It made her eyes fill with tears to hear him talk in such a way. She hadn’t had siblings, though none of the children Edra and Radnar had found had family. They became each other’s family. Still, it was different than having someone always there from the moment you were born, looking out for you.
Lachlan drew in a long breath and then released it. “Then, my mother’s clan asked for aid when they were attacked. My father readied his men and answered the call. Though there were plenty of men left behind to guard the castle, Nathan still wanted to go. Da agreed. I was furious. I even went so far as to try and sneak in with the others, but at only ten summers, I stuck out.” Lachlan’s eyes opened, but he looked into the fire, not at her. “Nathan came to me, but I refused to talk to him, much less answer him.” Lachlan swallowed hard. “He didna come home.”
Synne had the urge to go to him and touch him to give him comfort, but she stayed where she was. “I’m sorry.”
“It happens,” he said with a shrug. “For the next few years, I trained harder than anyone else. Each time I picked up a weapon, I saw the Frasier clan. I begged my father to retaliate. He told me they had been defeated and that everyone had lost someone in the battle. That wasna enough for me. When he refused to go after them, I tried to leave one night with a small band of my friends. My father, along with his strongest warriors, were waiting for us. Nothing was said as they herded us back to the castle. Only when we were alone did Da caution me about revenge and letting it consume me.