Chapter 17
Moira got up from the desk and rushed through the castle, moving so swiftly that she barreled into a number of servants and maids.
Most of them had the agility to react to her, but some didn’t, and she called out an apology.
By the time she reached Grizel’s chambers, she was panting for breath and her dress was damp with sweat.
Wild thoughts swirled around her mind, not the least that Grizel was right!
But she had to know more before she took any further action.
There was still much to be discussed, but she had to talk with Grizel before anyone else.
She was the one person in this clan who might know how to stop this thing before it went any further.
Grizel was awake rearranging some of the flowers in the guest chamber. She turned and smiled as Moira entered.
“Ah, child, a good morning tae ye. Ye look troubled,” Grizel said, her beady eyes twinkling as she cocked her head in much the same manner as a bird.
“Aye, but there’s no time tae tell ye about all my troubles,” Moira said in one breath. Grizel clucked her tongue and shook her head. She pulled Moira down and told her to calm down because she was going to be no good to anyone when she was in such a state.
“I learned a long time ago that there’s no harm in moving at a slow pace,” Grizel said as she leaned forward. “Now, tell me what is on yer mind.”
“I fear ye were right all along,” Moira said.
She was relieved her aching legs had some respite.
She wiped her brow and gathered herself, although her heart still raced with worry.
“I went tae see Jamie this morning and he told me that he saw a huge horse by the loch, and then when I looked at yer notes, I saw a?—”
“Kelpie,” Grizel said softly, finishing Moira’s thought.
“Aye, terrible beasts they are. I cannae say how many souls hae been lost because they hae been intrigued, either by the majesty of a stallion or the beauty of a woman. Awful, awful things they are, and they hae been in this area for years. Aye, slippery creatures as well. It’s hard tae capture one.
They’re like water: ye try tae grab one and it slips out of yer fingers.
” She shook her head and clenched her tiny, withered fist as if to demonstrate. ”
Moira groaned. “What are we gaeing tae dae? How can we possibly stop a Kelpie?”
Grizel furrowed her brow. “What makes ye think a Kelpie haes done this, lass? Haes anyone been drowned?”
“Well, no, at least, I dinnae think sae, but it all fits, dinnae ye see! Jamie haes seen one and then he got ill, followed soon after by all the others! The Kelpie must be responsible. It’s the only thing that makes sense!” Moira cried, her voice filled with a variety of emotions.
Grizel remained unconvinced.
“I hae never known a Kelpie tae influence things like this, though. Usually, men die because they drown, nae because of a sickness. If this is the work of a Kelpie, then they’ve learned some new tricks.”
“It cannae be a coincidence,” Moira said.
“Aye, on that we can agree, lass. But there is something strange afoot. I would be careful if I were ye. Perhaps the Kelpie is working with another spirit, but I wouldnae get tae close. The Kelpie will take a wee thing like ye just as well as it would any man. Yes, I must think on this.”
Moira nodded and rose to leave. Before she did so, Grizel got up and waddled to the far side of the room, using her cane to support her weight.
She picked up a few flowers of differing shades and tied them together in a bracelet, which she then placed on Moira’s wrist. The soft petals tickled her skin.
“It’s nae much, but this will help protect ye.
If I were ye, I’d take someone with ye. I cannae think of anything worse than facing a Kelpie alone,” she said as her last words of warning.
Moira nodded, but knew that she could take nobody.
Grizel was the only ally she had in this place, and given Niall’s reaction when she had suggested that spirits could be the cause, Moira knew that he certainly wouldn’t agree to go with her.
The way his mood was now, he would probably think that she was luring him into a trap.
She exhaled deeply as she left the room and made her way to the stables, where she took a horse and rode to the loch.
Moira’s heart ached as she rode away from the main building.
Part of her thought she should tell someone where she was going in case she fell foul of the Kelpie, but then she also knew that nobody cared.
If she could find out the truth, no matter how grim or unbelievable, then Niall would have no choice but to believe her.
She wasn’t sure what this meant for the alliance or her marriage, but at least Niall would have to admit that he was wrong.
She only hoped that she was there to hear it.
Given what she had learned about the Kelpie, she might well be heading into danger, and a Kelpie didn’t seem the type of creature to show mercy.
She alighted from her horse when the forest became too thick to ride through.
She weaved from side to side through tall trees and tried not to let the fear get the better of her.
The day was a bleak one, with a fine mist lingering in the air.
As the wind whistled through the trees, it sounded like whispers.
Grizel had described how the spirits often cloaked their words in the wind, and Moira wondered if they were speaking about her.
She clasped her wrist and the band of flowers that Grizel had given her, hoping that it was enough to protect her from the spirits.
Her eyes darted in all directions for fear of landing on anything, but she could see nothing but fog.
How she wished that she had stayed at home and never ventured on this path.
How she wished that she had been more adamant with Marcas.
If she had just protested that little bit more, she never would have had to come here, but she had wanted to be the dutiful girl, the brave girl, and look where it had led her—in the midst of a forest with nobody by her side.
Was this truly what was meant for her life?
It wasn’t long before she reached the edge of the loch.
She gulped as she passed through the thinning trees, using a trunk to hide.
She peered around the tree and gazed out at the loch.
The fog was thicker over the water, hanging like a cloud.
As she stepped forward, she wondered if this was what it was like to walk through the sky.
The loch was clear and still, wide and expansive.
She thought about all the souls who might have been dragged down into the depths and left for dead by the Kelpie.
Her gaze drifted across to the other side.
The lightness of the day was enough for her to peer through the mist if she strained her eyes hard enough, and then fear clutched at her heart and her throat ran dry.
Across the shore, on the other side of the loch was a stallion whose coat was the color of midnight.
The ghostly fog swirled and made the air shimmer, giving the horse an ethereal quality.
Its mane seemed to flow like serpents. Moira backed away in fear.
Her first instinct was to return to the castle and confirm that Jamie had not been delirious, but she knew that by then the Kelpie might disappear.
She was here now, and she had to learn what the Kelpie wanted, and if there was any way to stop what it was doing.