“Speaking of school, let’s get to the point of this reunion,” Henry said. “The curse.”
King groaned, and Rory wished he still had that glass of brandy.
“Did you two bring your parts of the counter-spell?” Henry asked. The men nodded, and Henry rose and moved to a round table. “Let’s have a look at it all together.”
King and Rory followed him to the table. King pulled out his yellowed piece of parchment. He had the largest section and the first lines of the counter-spell. He laid it on the table, followed by Rory’s lines. His had obviously been ripped from the same paper as King’s. The two pieces fit perfectly.
Finally, Rory withdrew his slip of paper and laid it beneath Henry’s. “A perfect fit,” he said.
“What does it mean?” King asked. He looked at Rory. “You always believed in witches and magic far more than Henry and me. What do you think? Can the curse be undone?”
“I don’t know. The spell doesn’t say the curse will be undone. It saysclear the smear. Perhaps that’s some sort of black mark against us that can be wiped away.”
“A black mark against us,” Henry said thoughtfully. “Have we been marked in some cosmic reckoning book?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to return to where it all started and see what we find.”
“I, for one, am not looking forward to seeing St. Andrew’s again,” King said.
“It’s abandoned now,” Henry added. “The school closed a few years after we left. Apparently, one boy was beaten so badly he almost died, and Cameron fled the country. The students were withdrawn, and the school closed.”
“I had no idea,” Rory said.
Henry nodded. “I looked into it a couple of weeks ago, when I knew you two were coming. So at least we won’t have to see Cameron.”
“I hope the bastard is dead,” King said.
“So do I.” Rory picked up the counter-spell. “We should put this somewhere safe.”
Henry held out a hand. “I have a small box that will do. It will be dawn in a few hours. We should go to bed.”
“One more question,” King said. “When do we leave for Scotland?”
“As soon as possible,” Rory said. “I suggest we rest and pack tomorrow and leave at first light the next day. How long will it take to get there?” He raised his brows at Henry.
“If the weather is good, four or five hours,” Henry answered.
“So we’ll arrive in daylight, then,” King said. “I rather thought we’d ride in at midnight with thunder booming and lightning flashing.”
“Sorry to spoil your grand entrance,” Rory said, “but we may leave the dramatics to the witch.”
“If she’s still alive,” Henry said.
“Well, someone is alive.” Rory gestured to the counter-spell in Henry’s hand. “I didn’t imagine the old woman who put that paper in my hand.”
The three men stared at the paper for a long moment.
“Do you think she’s waiting for us?” Henry asked.
“Yes,” King said, and Rory agreed.
*
They didn’t leavequite at dawn two days later. Rory knew it was no small feat to organize three coaches, six couples, three children, and assorted outriders, coachmen, and cattle, but at least they were well on their way before noon. As was typical, Henry’s estimate of four to five hours’ traveling time was generous. He was always overly optimistic, and Rory’s watch read quarter past seven by the time the coaches entered the courtyard of an inn situated in the Scottish town where the school had been located.
“It’s grown a bit,” Rory observed as they drove through the town. “I don’t remember this many buildings.”
“Let’s just hope the inn has enough rooms and hot water,” Genevieve said.
