“Well, you were,” Marion said,wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. “We need to depart. We’ll have torun back to the castle to get there before it’s black as pitch. I just praythat Iain doesn’t come for me before then. I don’t think trying to tempt a manwho is angry with me will be very effective,” she finished, thinking ofBridgette’s earlier advice.
“Ye’re likely right,” Bridgettesaid with a giggle. “Let’s away, then.”
Just as they started to leave, theold seer called out from within the cave. “Wait! I’ve something to say to theMacLeod’s wife.”
Marion glared at Bridgette. “Youtold her my name was the MacLeod’s wife?”
Bridgette’s eyes were wide as sheshook her head. “Nay. I did nae tell her who ye were. Just that I had a friendwith me.”
The hairs on the back of Marion’sneck prickled, and her skin tingled with fear as the seer emerged from thecave. Weathered lines and crevices marked the woman’s face. Her hair was starkwhite, her eyes bright blue. She had high, sharp cheekbones and thin, crackedlips. She was very small and hunched, and appeared almost frail. The capedraped over her shoulders didn’t look as if it would keep her warm, either, andMarion was filled with the sudden desire to bring her back a warmer one.
The woman smiled, showing teethdarkened with age. “Come closer, Sassenach.”
Marion exchanged a nervous lookwith Bridgette. If her friend had not told the seer who Marion was, then theonly explanation for the woman knowing these things was that she trulywasa seer. But that was impossible! Yet, if it wasn’t…
Marion found herself moving towardthe woman as she considered the possibilities of what she would want to ask ifthe woman really could see her future. When she was standing directly in frontof the seer, she clutched Marion’s hand in her cold,bonyone. And no wonder her hands were freezing!
As the seer’s fingers squeezedMarion’s harder, she wanted to tug her hand away, but she forced herself tostand still. The woman’s penetrating blue gaze held Marion’s.
“Ye’re nae sure ye believe in me,”the seer stated as a fact.
Marion wet her lips. “It does notseem possible that someone could tell the future.”
The woman tapped one of her long fingersagainst the back of Marion’s hand. “Ask me what ye wish. I could sense that yedid nae believe from inside my cave. Ye’ll see ye’re wrong.”
Marion’s mind raced with all shewould love to know, but what if the woman told her something she didn’t want tohear? And how would Marion even know if it were going to truly happen or not?Still, she blurted out the thing she wanted to know the most. “Will my husbandever love me?”
Suddenly, the seer grasped Marion’sfingers so tightly that it felt as if her bones were being crushed. Mariongasped and tried to pull away, but the womanjerkedher close with a surprising show of strength. Her blue eyes grew cloudy, andshe stared through Marion rather than at her. “Thrice he’ll stare how he feelsfor ye in the face, and thrice he’ll deny it. But if the Fairy Flag fliesagain, then the love that is now but a seed in his gut will have found a way tohis heart and will grow into a vine that stretches to the heavens. It will be anew love. Nae the same as any that grew afore it, but strong, true, and ablessing.”
“Old lady,” Bridgette hissed, “whymust ye always speak in riddles that dunnae make sense? Will the man love heror nae? Will Lachlan love me or nae?”
The seer cackled. “Maybe, maybenae. I ken the possibilities from what I read of yer actions up to the moment Ihold yer hand. But after ye part with me, if ye change the course I saw, Ikinnae say for certain that yer future will remain the same.”
Bridgette growled in response,grabbed Marion’s elbow, and pulled her away from the seer. “Waste of timecoming here,” Bridgette snapped. “We must go.”
The seer reached out lightning-quickand clasped Bridgette by the hand. “The Sassenach will save yer life. For it,she’ll demand a favor, and ye must give it to her or ye’ll nae get the man yedesire.”
Marion was in a daze as she turnedto follow Bridgette, but the seer grabbed her arm once more, stopping herdeparture. Marion looked over her shoulder to find the woman very close andstaring up at her. “Find a warm cloak and bring it tometomorrow.”
Marion sucked in a sharp, stunnedbreath but nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Nay. Ye must. It will bring aboutthe first denial of his feelings for ye. There must be three denials afore hewill accept how he feels.”
Bridgette tugged Marion away beforeshe could reply. Once they were a few steps from the cave, Bridgette paused.“I’m sorry I brought ye there. The woman has gone mad, I think. As if ye’d eversave my life! I’m much stronger than ye.”
Marion ignored Bridgette’saccidental affront. “She knew my thoughts,” Marion replied, her voice wobbly.
“What?” Bridgette gasped.
Marion could hardly see Bridgette’sface it had gotten so dark, but she could see the whites of Bridgette’s eyes,and she knew by how big they were that the woman was stunned by her words.
“The seer knew my thoughts,” Marionsaid again. “I thought about how thin her cloak looked and how I wished I couldbring her another, and then she told me to bring her a warmer cloak tomorrow.”
“I dunnae ken,” Bridgette said.“Perchance she saw pity in your eyes when ye looked at her, or yer gazelingered on the garment and she seized the opportunity to get a warmer one.”
“Yes, perchance,” Marion replied,not really believing that was what had happened. She wasn’t sure she believedwhat the seer had said, either, but she wasn’t sure she didn’t. But she knewwithout a doubt that she’d find a way to bring the woman a cloak tomorrow.
“We need to run,” Bridgette said,interrupting Marion’s thoughts. “We’re starting back much later than Iintended. Do ye think ye can match pace with me?”
