Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Liora
“Welcome to the Order of Caledonia,” Archie repeated again, two hours later. Sophie and Hilda had joined us as we’d walked the castle grounds, going to each cardinal direction point, where a small plaque lay almost covered by moss in the ground.
I’d taken an oath at each plaque, the words reverberating through me as I looked out across the hills and down to the loch, where the Stone was nestled on the island.
“I accept the responsibility of protecting the Clach na Fìrinn and promise to restore the Order to its fullness. In doing so, I show myself worthy of the magick of Clach na Fìrinn.”
I’d even chosen a weapon, though I had to admit, as weapons went, it was probably fairly useless.
I glanced down at the brooch in my hands.
I almost always carried it with me, as it had been my great grandmother’s.
A gold brooch, with two dragons twisting together in a Celtic pattern, surrounding the stars and moon.
From the bottom, three pearls dripped. It had a long pin, which I supposed in a pinch, I could stab someone in the eye with.
But other than that, I wasn’t sure what kind of weapon it would make.
Hilda had assured me it was a symbolic choice, and that my weapon would likely come out in my magick.
“Thank you,” I said, clutching my brooch tightly in my hand.
It did make me wonder what weapons the other women in the Order had.
Surely something useful and … frightening perhaps.
The wind whistled down the hills, carrying something ancient and unheard with it, and I shivered as the surface of the loch kicked up, the white caps forming across the water. “Now what?”
“That was pretty much my question too.” Sophie laughed, and hooked an arm through mine, and dragged me back toward the castle.
“I’d like you to meet the other women, when you can.
I’m not sure how busy you are or what you do, but it helps to meet the others.
We’re a team, really, but it’s also just nice to have friends in a new town. ”
“It’s not new,” I admitted. “But it has also changed. I lived here once before, and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly wanting to come back.”
“Oh, is that right? Why?” Sophie turned to me, her eyes wide and curious.
Friendly. Not judgmental. Could I trust her with my past?
Did it even matter anymore? I couldn’t change what had happened and I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Um, there was some drama around when I left. I gave a reading to my friend that didn’t go well.
She, um, kind of freaked out, broke up with her boyfriend, and then the whole town thought he was cheating on her with me. ”
“Och, I remember that nonsense.” Hilda turned to me, rolling her eyes. “That’s why you looked familiar to me. Och, that was a whole bunch of kerfuffle for no reason. Torin’s a good lad, and I never could see him being a cheater.”
“He wasn’t. At least not with me. Or anyone else that I’d heard of.
” I bit my lower lip. Would I be able to be open with these new friends?
Could I tell them about how I’d screwed up and enchanted him into not being able to tell lies?
Indecision warred. I know Zara had said to trust them, but I also didn’t want them to immediately regret asking me to be a part of their magickal Order.
“I don’t think I’ve met Torin,” Sophie said, scrunching up her nose as she thought about it.
“He’s a forester. He’s done some work here, though not recently,” Archie said. “Good lad. Fair prices.”
“I’m renting from him,” I said, unable to bring myself to tell them that we might be even dating?
Maybe not. He hadn’t quite taken to my fake dating idea.
And his kiss had felt real. Confusion roiled through me.
I probably needed to talk to my sister about it first before the rumor went around town.
“He’s given me a fair price for rent as well. ”
“See? A good lad. Not a cheater.” Hilda made a tsking noise with her mouth. “Such a shame really. Nasty rumor. Your friend moved away, didn’t she?”
“Aye, she did. Not that we speak anymore.”
“Let me get your number. I’ll get something together this week.
Just us girls. You can give us readings,” Sophie exclaimed, pulling out her phone.
It all seemed so innocuous and normal, and not like I’d just taken part in an ancient ritual to protect a magickal Truth Stone.
The dichotomy in situations was giving me mental whiplash.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I began, but she waved my concerns away.
“Oh, hush. It will be fun. Plus, you said you loved astrology. If your powers are there, don’t you want to work with it more?”
“Maybe? I guess.” My stomach twisted. I hated turning my back on astrology and even speaking poorly about something I loved made me feel ill. “But I’d love to meet the others. Honestly? I could use some friends right now.”
It grated to admit it, but I had always been a creature who craved companionship.
I loved going to parties, making friends, and being in the thick of things.
Living in Glasgow had been fun, but I’d also found it tricky to make new friends at my age.
Without a shared interest like being in school together, it was harder to meet groups of friends to join.
“Aw, I get that.” Sophie casually looped an arm over my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze. “I know what it’s like to be a stranger in a strange land and all that. I’m more than happy to help you meet people.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. I just got a job at the pub, too, so I’m sure that will help.”
“No way!” Sophie said, tugging me toward the castle. “Are you bartending? Serving? You should ask Lia. I’d bet she’d put you on some shifts too.”
“Why would she need to? Brice seems to be able to do the work of twenty,” I pointed out, laughing.
“Yeah, but he can’t be seen by regular people,” Sophie said.
“I think I just need a little time. I’m happy I got the job at The Tipsy Thistle, but a lot has happened in the last two days, and I really just need to process for a moment, I think.
Get my feet under me.” I still didn’t have it in me to tell her that I’d screwed up a spell and made it so Torin couldn’t tell a lie.
Well, technically I hadn’t screwed up the spell—it had worked, hadn’t it—but it was just not for the intended recipient.
Which was the problem, really. I’d picked a random spell and had just jumped into it without bothering to think about needing to have a recipient for said spell. So, yeah, I guess I had screwed it up.
“You’ve only been here two days? Damn girl, yeah, you need a little time.” Sophie shook her head at me, and then her smile widened as she looked at something over my shoulder. “Though, I’ll admit, things do tend to move fast in Loren Brae.”
I glanced behind me to see a handsome man dressed in a kilt and a thick woolen jumper striding across the lawn toward us.
“Oh my,” I said.
“Hands off. This one’s mine.” Sophie blew him a loud air kiss, and he detoured to us, and grabbed her around the waist to dip her low in a steamy kiss. When they came up for air, Sophie’s face flushed, and eyes dreamy, I almost sighed.
“Sorry about that. This one gets a little demanding when she sees me in a kilt if I don’t immediately pay attention to her.” The man grinned at me, and I felt a little woozy myself.
“This is Lachlan. He tried to kick me out of the castle when I first came here. But we sorted that out, didn’t we, honey?” Sophie fluttered her eyelashes at him and he just laughed and poked her in the side.
“I’m Liora.”
“She’s Zara’s sister. Faelan’s new assistant? And, she’s just joined the Order.”
Lachlan’s mouth dropped open. “Och, lass. Congrats to you. That’s fabulous you found the next one so fast.”
“I didn’t. It sounds like Gloam did, actually.”
“Smart little fox.” Lachlan held out his hand and I shook it. “Welcome to the Order, Liora. If you need anything, just let us know. There are a whole lot of us around, and we are all tuned in to what’s happening in Loren Brae. You’re not alone here.”
“Oh, thanks.” For some reason, those words made tears prick my eyes and I had to turn away for a moment and collect myself as Sophie chattered something about marketing photos to Lachlan.
I wasn’t alone here. I’d known that, when I’d decided to come back to be closer to Zara, but it meant even more to hear it from someone else. Particularly because I still wasn’t entirely sure what to do if a Kelpie attacked me. Clearing my throat, I turned back around.
“And if a Kelpie attacks?”
“Reach for your power,” Sophie said, automatically.
She brought a fist to her solar plexus. “You can feel it. In here. You might not know how it will manifest. Mine is my voice. I’m the Knight.
So I’m one of the most powerful against the Kelpies.
I try to be available and as close as I can be at all times, but it’s a large loch and there’s only so much I can do. ”
“You do a great job, darling.” Lachlan brushed a finger under Sophie’s eyes where I now noticed the dark smudges, presumably from lost sleep. “More than is expected of you.”
“I accepted the duty, didn’t I? When I became Knight?” Sophie shrugged him off. “Liora, is your car here, or do you need a ride?”
“Nope, I walked. All good. I’ll head on back now and I think the walk will clear my head.” I nodded to Lachlan. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same to you.”
I waved goodbye and squatted to pet Sir Buster and Lady Lola, who had come charging around the house after Lachlan but had been distracted by chasing a bird across the lawn.