Walter said, “I’m verra good with gardens. I was able to feed most of our villagers with food from our land. I made a special mix using sheep … I made our garden flourish with a special recipe that I put on the plants to make them produce more.Beans and peas, oats, carrots. I even transplanted some berry bushes so we had more. And I’m handy at fixing things.”
Beatris said, “Geva’s husband is out hunting with a few others from the isle, so I would love to have you meet him. They’ll be back soon.”
Magni said, “I like it here. It’s magical.” He twirled in a circle, taking in the beauty and the wide expanse of the isle and the land the group lived on. “I can run everywhere, and no one would see me.”
Ella’s gaze scanned the large area, stopping on one lad, her finger pointing toward him. “Walter? Look at that wee laddie coming towards us. Is he not adorable?”
Magni took one look and raced over to the toddling lad. He said, “Greetings. I’m Magni. What’s your name?”
As soon as the boy’s gaze fell on Magni, he called out, “Manee, manee.”
Beatris asked, “Do you know him? We call him Tenney. That was all we were told. They tried to sell him, but the ship overturned. The boy washed ashore here attached to the oddest-shaped floating object we’ve ever seen.”
“Mama, can we adopt him?” Magni carried the lad over to his parents, grinning and kissing the boy’s cheeks. As soon as he gave Tenney to his mother, Magni ran over to Lia and hugged her. “You saved him and sent him to me, did you not, sister?”
“I might have had something to do with it.”
Geva said, “And the oddest thing was that the object he floated on disappeared when we turned our backs. It must have washed out into the sea.”
Magni whispered, “It is magical here.”
Beatris smiled and said, “We think it is, but tell me why you think it’s magical, Magni.”
“Look at my sister.”
Lia stood a distance away near the abbey, her hands overhead pointing to the sky as she basked in a ray of sunshine, her green light brighter than they’d ever seen it.
Simone said, “Lia is a faery who adopted Magni as her brother.”
“Wonderful. I would love to meet the faery when she arrives,” Beatris said. “But who is the young lassie?”
Simone chuckled. “That’s Lia. She talks like an adult, but she is six summers. She found Magni and stayed with him until his parents were rescued. And she obviously protected Tenney too. She was quite a help when it came to protecting all of our bairns from the kidnappers.”
Magni proudly announced, “She’ll never leave me. She said she could live here for a while. She’s my protector.”
His mother asked, “Magni, are you sure you like it here better than at Clan MacQuarie or Clan Grantham? They’ve all grown quite fond of you.”
Magni smiled. “I know. I’m cute. But I can visit them anytime. I have a new brother, and he lives here.”
And off he went, running toward Lia, his new brother in hand.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Alasdair
A fortnight passed, and Alasdair and his family sat around a fire under the stars near the beach south of Duart Castle. It was just the five of them, something they wished to do before they returned to the mainland.
“I know you think I’m daft, Emmalin, but this place was calling to me. I had to come. We will return in a few days, but I had to spend one more night on the coastline. No sandy beaches on Grant land.”
“It is lovely here. I’ll agree with you, though the nights are surely getting cooler.” She tugged the plaid up over her lap, covering her hands.
Alasdair and Emmalin sat against a tree farthest from the water, Emmalin leaning against her husband so he could wrap his arms around her to keep her warm, the flames from the roaring fire not far away.
“But that chill is in the air to stay. We need to get back before the snow begins.”
Their three bairns, John, Ailith, and Coira, spent their time combing the edge of the water for shells or anything else interesting, a pail set out to hold their best findings, the light from the fire helping them sort through their treasures.
“It’s been a wonderful trip, but it’s time to return,” Alasdair said. “I thank you for your patience.”
