Gene of Isis

worry about.’ Did I believe what I was telling him? It didn’t matter. Cingar needed some positive persuasion and it seemed to work.

‘An excellent point, Mrs Devere,’ he smiled, appreciatively. ‘Wish me luck.’ He headed into the turbulence that had erupted in his absence.

I need not have worried about breaking Cingar’s heart. Not an hour after I had broken the news of my marital status to him, he was romancing one of the new arrivals through his heart-capturing talent on the violin. Unfortunately, the girl who had captured his interest was not the captain’s intended—his bride would be arriving on the morrow, once her parents and Chavi had settled on a price for her.

The woman who had our good captain so enchanted was the younger sister of his bride and her name was Jessenia.

Even though a female, I could appreciate the beauty of this woman: she was strong and independent, chaste and level-headed. She was doing a marvellous job of appearing to be unimpressed with Cingar’s grandstanding, but I could see how her heart centre flushed with pink light and sparkled at his attentions. It was clear to me that Chavi had a whole new problem on her hands.

On the subject of new problems, it seemed I had one of my own the next morning when I awoke. My head was pounding and for a moment I had no idea where I was or what I was doing there. ‘Oooh…ouch…’

Let me congratulate you on your first hangover.

It was Albray who spoke and yet his voice was very faint, as if he was a vast distance away. I rolled over onto my back to look for him. ‘Albray? Where are you?’

I’m right in front of you.

My eyelids really didn’t want to venture too far apart, but I strained the burning eyeballs beneath. All I saw was the inside of the caravan. ‘What am I thinking?’ I saw Albray with my third eye, not my physical eyes, and closing my eyelids to focus my inner eye I perceived my knight, arms folded, staring down at me, unimpressed. ‘You’re very faint,’ I observed.

I’m not the one who is vague today, he lectured. Please do me the courtesy of removing the stone from your person, so 1 do not have to tolerate YOUR splitting headache.

‘I’m so sorry.’ I felt guilt and remorse for having drunk so much last night. Watching Cingar romance another, and feeling nothing but happiness for him, had made me feel all the more that Devere had got the better of me again—I still loved him. I slid the stone’s chain from around my left wrist.

And as I can be of little use to you at present, you may as well dismiss me until you’re feeling more yourself.

‘You’re angry with me.’ I hadn’t played the reprimanded child for some time.

Yes, I am angry with you . .. the caravan is at leisure today. We could have finally had some time to work on your tuition, but no, you had to go and drown your senses in alcohol!

‘And you have never done that, I suppose?’ I mumbled in my own defence.

Albray got down off his high horse and sighed. I just hate to see you make the same mistakes I did.

‘Then why didn’t you say something last night?’ My query sparked another. ‘Where were you last night?’

Scouting, he said.

‘Scouting for what?’

For whom, rather.

‘For Devere?’

Albray gave a vague nod.

‘And did you find him?’

Albray shook his head, but I felt that he was either lying or not telling me the whole truth. Still, he had asked me not to handle the stone, so I couldn’t psychically check—not that my psychic senses were up to the challenge this morning anyway.

There was a knock on my caravan door. ‘Miss Winston. Are you awake?’

It was Cingar.

I looked at Albray who rolled his eyes and again requested to be dismissed.

I obliged my knight ahead of opening the door.

The sun was blinding. I had never known sunlight to be painful. I eventually focused on Cingar, and noted his dejected expression. ‘Is something the matter, captain?’

‘I am in love,’ he announced, as if it were the end of the world.

‘Jessenia?’ I took a guess, which Cingar confirmed with a grave nod.

‘What am I to do?’ he appealed. ‘You must help me.’

‘But what can I do?’ I raised a hand to support my throbbing head and shield my eyes from the light.

‘You must help me convince my grandmother that she has brought me the wrong sister,’ he said, knowing he had little chance of accomplishing the feat himself.

‘How can you know that Chavi is wrong, when you are yet to meet your bride?’ I attempted to reason with him.

‘No! It is not possible that I could feel this way for another,’ he insisted passionately. ‘I know you must think me fickle, but I swear to you, I have never felt such fire for a woman that I should wish to forsake all others for the