She lagged behind Donnan and Mairi, allowing distance to grow between them.
“You thought you could help them,” said Tam. “This wasn’t your fault.”
She felt a lump in her throat and couldn’t reply, not that she was sure what she’d say.
“You read Meraud’s thoughts back there,” he said. “You asked her about a stone. What did you mean?”
Kaetha described the stone and explained how Meraud’s thoughts indicated that it had been used for the murders at Longmachlag Bay. For Meraud, the stone had seemed to carry authority too, like a crown worn by a monarch.
“What does she want?” said Kaetha. “To rule people? To control them? And what on earth is this thing that holds such power?”
Confusion was written across Tam’s face. “Meraud? You saw Meraud with a stone like elf-shot?” Kaetha could tell he was thinking hard. “I think what you saw was an elemental stone.”
“What’s that?” She turned to him but he looked away, out to the horizon.
“I thought they only existed in myth.” He paused. “Fiadhain tell tales, stories of ancient times when the Calliack was even more wrathful than she is now. It is said that she punished great numbers of Fiadhain.”
“Why?”
“Different tales give different reasons. Perhaps it was for befriending humans, or encroaching on her sacred territories, or for disobeying her rules against intermarriage between different kinds of Fiadhain.”
“Fiadhain marry?” she asked, gaping at him in amazement.
“Fiadhain are as capable of love as of hatred.” He touched the elf-shot which he wore on a string around his neck. “Perhaps we’re not so very different from your kind,” he said thoughtfully.
“Perhaps,” she agreed. “But what did the Calliack do to punish the Fiadhain in the stories?”
“Stripped them of all their powers. Transferred their magic into four jewels which she wore about her neck. A jewel of Fire from the Faydrakes, Earth from the Baukans, Water from the Fuathans and Air from the Annisiths. She thought that if they had no power, they were no longer a threat to her rule. Then came a battle. Fiadhain joined forces against her, stealing back the jewels of power. But their victory was empty. Nothing they could do could release the powers from the jewels. They were lost to them. However, to spite the Calliack, they hid them from her, Baukans changing the jewels to look like the elf-shot they were making for humans to hunt with.”
“Did she find out?”
Tam shrugged. “The story doesn’t say.” He squinted at her. “Perhaps it isn’t even true. But, however they came to be, if these stones of power are real and you saw one in Meraud’s possession, that should mean—”
“That there are three more,” she said.
“So there may be a way to oppose her, before she gets too powerful.”
“Except that we’ve no idea where to find the others, if they exist at all.”
Tam gripped her shoulder, making her jump. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
“Here what?” said Kaetha. But Tam didn’t answer, instead, he took on the form of a dog and raced down the road, shaggy brown fur shaking out in all directions.
“What was that about?” said Donnan.
“No idea,” replied Kaetha, catching up with them.
Eventually Tam returned. “There are guards ahead or officers. Armed men anyway, riding north on the road towards us. I think we’ll be safer cutting across moorland.”
“But it would take longer,” said Donnan. “And how do we know these men are a threat?”
Tam turned to Donnan. “I don’t know they’re a threat. I simply think we should be cautious.”
“For once, I agree with Tam,” said Mairi.
Evening fell along with drenching rain.
“There’s an outcrop of rocks a little way off,” said Tam, returning from another scout ahead. “I think that’s our best chance of a shelter tonight.”
“But it’s still hours before dark,” said Donnan.
“Aye,” said Tam, “but we may not come across another shelter as good if we kept walking all through the night and the rain looks unwilling to stop. Better shelter from it and set off tomorrow rested than struggle on needlessly in the wet and the dark.”
Kaetha noted Mairi’s stilted, stooping walk. “We’ll follow you, Tam,” she said.
When they got to the tumble of tall rocks, Kaetha walked around them to look for the most likely spot for their shelter. Turning a corner, a cold gush of water spilled into her boot and she cursed the stream she’d stepped into. “At least we won’t go thirsty, I suppose,” she said.
Donnan and Kaetha stretched out blankets, tying them between boulders to form a roof of sorts. Mairi put a hand on her stomach as if to hide the sounds of her hunger.
“We’re so close to Feodail now,” said Kaetha. “We can eat most of the food the Murchads gave us, as long as we leave a little to break our fast with in the morning.” She handed them all some bread and dried fish and set to work making a ring of stones for a fire.
“In this rain?” said Donnan. “Won’t it just go out?”
“Not if I don’t want it to,” said Kaetha with half a smile.
Tam had wandered off, despite the drizzle and Mairi took herself into the shelter to sleep whilst Kaetha and Donnan warmed themselves a little longer by the fire. Kaetha kept the flames alive with a thin, steady flow of energy from the motion of the wind. She could do this almost without thinking now. She sat silently staring into the flickering glow, lost in thought.
Donnan had been sitting beside her and now drew closer. “We still might find him, Kit. We might be able to do something. Don’t lose heart.”
“You actually caught me thinking of something else. Though, of course, I’m worried about Pa.”
“Is it anything you want to talk about?”
For a
