“I bestow upon Ada the power to make a king,” she said, shaking her fingers above Ada’s forehead and heart. Silver specks fell through the air to land upon the bairn and then disappeared.
The words triggered an avalanche of whispers from the clan. “King Maker,” they muttered, one after another, sounding like a swarm of bees.
“Silence!” MacQuerrie boomed. Then to Hortense, he said, “What do ye mean ye will give my daughter the power to make a king?” Such a gift sounded as if it would attract great danger.
Hortense smiled at him. “Notwill give, Laird. I have already done it.” She placed her hand over Ada’s heart. “Yer daughter now possesses the gift within her.”
“Ye’ve done it now,” Portense announced, slapping a palm to her forehead. “Ye’ve given a curse, nae a gift!”
“A curse?” MacQuerrie bellowed.
“Och!” Hortense scoffed, her silvery-blond brows dipping together. “I gave a great gift. Yer daughter will wield immense power.”
Fear spiked his blood at the notion of such a thing.
“See there?” Portense exclaimed, pointing at him. “See how his eyes are wide and his nostrils flare? See how pale his face has become? He kens yer gift is an ill-conceived one.”
“How?” Hortense demanded, her jaw setting. The fairy set her hands on her hips and glanced between him and her sister.
“Ye nae ever have the clarity to see yer own foolishness,” Portense grumbled. “Men will hunt the lass and use her for her power,” she said slowly as if her sister were a simpleminded child.
Hortense’s face flushed. “Ye always wish to appear so wise, so superior.”
Portense gasped. “What?”
“Here.” Hortense yanked open her pouch and tilted it above Ada, who was now quiet, as if she were under a spell. “The sweet lass will nae wield the power until the day she weds.”
An uproar of chatter came from the clan, and the sisters scuttled backward from him with Ada. He struggled to hear the rest of what the sisters said. Yet, from how they argued and the way Esther’s mouth parted with shock, he did not think it could be good. The fairies faced each other now, and Esther stood behind them, gawking. Hortense’s lips moved as she once again said something and tilted up her pouch. One lone silver speck fell.
He wanted to snatch his daughter away from Hortense, but he found he could not move once more. “Esther,” he bellowed. “Take the bairn!”
“Stillande!”Hortense and Portense pronounced in unison, blinking at each other with surprise.
“Laird, I kinnae move,” Esther cried out.
“Nor I!”
“I kinnae move, either!”
The calls came fast from MacQuerrie clanspeople behind him.
Father Dorian said, “Nor can I, Laird.”
“Ladies,” MacQuerrie said, looking at the fairies. “Release me.”
“Just a moment,” they answered, voices sweet and once more in unison.
“Dunnae fash yerself, Laird. I’ll make this right,” Portense said. And with that, she shoved her sister, who went flying forward, and then Portense quickly turned over her own pouch and dumped the contents on Ada.
The bairn let out her first laugh, and MacQuerrie could not help but stare at his daughter in amazement and pride. “She laughed!”
Portense did not spare him a glance. As Hortense charged toward her sister and Ada, Portense quickly rushed out words as she shook her fingers. “Yer gift will only activate if ye willingly choose yer husband.” With that, she shot her sister a triumphant grin. “There. I’ve fixed yer mess.”
“Oh, Sister!” Hortense wailed. “We are both fools, but ye remain the biggest. I had already set things right with the second part of my words.”
Second part?MacQuerrie frowned. He had not heard the second part.
“Please tell me ye have some fae dust left,” Hortense wailed, snatching his attention back to her.
