Silent Vows (MacCoinnich Time Travel Trilogy #2)(58)
Author: Catherine Bybee

Myra purposely directed her gaze to anywhere but Todd. She really didn’t want her father questioning anything right now.

Lizzy hugged the book to her chest, and encouraged everyone to get comfortable.

Tara waddled to the chair, the others sat on cushions.

Myra noticed when Amber smiled at Simon whose eyes grew wider when his mom started talking.

“Okay guys. I know you’re going to have questions, but wait until we’re done before you ask.

If you have a suggestion during, speak out but don’t come into the circle.”

“Why?” Fin asked.

“The circle is opened and closed by us, breaking it voids what we’re doing, not to mention it hurts”

“Hurts?” Duncan stared at his wife. “What hurts?”

“The energy shocks the one breaking the circle, and we fall.”

Todd scanned the faces of the women, “What do you mean fall?”

Myra smiled, more confident by the second.

“You’ll see.”

“But since you’re here, why don’t you and Duncan stand behind Tara.” The men exchanged creased brows, but didn’t question them.

“Ready?” Amber sounded anxious to start. With the others taking their places, Amber spread the lavender and cast the circle.

Lizzy started. “It’s time we peek and use our sight, and look within the other’s plight. Use our circle to hide our task, keep us silent, is all we ask. If the Ancients will it so, let us see so we will know.”

With hands clasped in one another’s, the candle flames reached five and six inches in height.

“Since Tara and I are the only ones who have seen Grainna, you both will have to open your minds to retrieve the image.”

They closed their eyes, took slow breaths. Myra felt Tara squeeze her hand harder. Her pulse quickened, and the memory of Simon within Grainna’s grasp merged with Myra’s mind.

“I see it,” Amber said.

“Me too.” The image made her nauseous, which was probably a memory of either Lizzy or Tara.

When they started to elevate above the floor more than one gasp came from the men in the room, but none of them said a thing.

“Do you have it?” Lizzy asked.

“Aye,” Amber said.

“Aye,” Myra agreed.

“You okay, Tara?”

“I’m good.”

“All right, let’s find the witch.” Myra glanced over, saw Lizzy opened her eyes, and stare at the paper where she had written down the spell. “Take our minds across the land, to find the witch and the man. Let us look so we can see, what will be our destiny.”

“Clever,” Myra told her.

“Only if it works.”

It was only them in the room. Even though the family watched in fascination, the women only saw one another. “Which way?”

“The village first. We can all picture it.”

As if they were astride a horse galloping at a fast speed their minds soared over the land. A small gust of wind brushed Myra’s hair back from the center of the circle. As quickly as the image of the village wiggled into focus, it soared past.

Myra kept her eyes closed and asked, “Who’s doing that?”

‘Not me’ was the collective answer.

“Just relax, go with it.” The green hills dotted with sheep rushed past them, another village swept into view, not the village outside MacCoinnich’s Keep. “Where is that?”

“Lancaster,” Myra told Lizzy.

Their minds traveled farther, then turned toward the forest. The imagery came so fast it felt as if an eagle soared above the clouds, complete with dips and turns.

As fast as they raced, they stopped. Myra noticed a blur of a rundown home before their journey suddenly ended.

Grainna peered into a glass sphere in front of a fire. The room had the stench of death in every corner.

Amber gasped when the vision of a blood soaked table emerged.

“Stay calm.” Myra held her sister’s hand tighter.

“Is that her?”

Tara’s hand trembled in hers. “Yes, but…”

“Younger,” Liz finished Tara’s sentence.

“Yeah, a lot younger.”

Duncan finally spoke up. “Can she see you?”

“I don’t think so.”

“What do you see?” Ian asked.

“She watches. She watches Steel in her sphere.”

“She’s angry,” Amber told them.

“I think you’re right, but why?”

Myra felt Tara’s mind wander the room in which Grainna stood. “Oh, God.”

“What?” a choir of voices asked in the room.

“Don’t look, Tara. There is nothing we can do for them.” Myra knew the minute Lizzy saw the dead, at least two of them. Liz felt Tara’s pulse start to pound too fast. The thought shifted into Myra’s head quickly. Worry and fear made her open her eyes.

“We have to end this.”

“I’m okay,” Tara assured them all. “What else is she seeing in the crystal?”

Myra tried to look, but the image in the cloudy glass became distorted. “Can you feel anything, Amber?”

“Anger. Violence. Peace.”

“Why peace?”

“She sees her redemption, but the image angers her.” Suddenly, Grainna swiveled away from her crystal ball and looked around the room.

They grew still, held their breath. She waved her hands over the sphere, which grew dark. Her eyes pierced the orb as she started to chant.

Tara felt the hair on her arms start to stand on end. “We have to get out of there.” The chant was familiar.

“Fast.”

They opened their eyes removing the image, but not the link. “Okay, Duncan, get ready to catch.” Liz told him.

“Catch what?”

“Your wife. Myra?”

Myra acknowledged Lizzy’s request. “Thank you for our link and inspection. Close our circle and our connection.”

From Myra, a gust of wind blew out the candles, but not before Grainna squealed.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, that’s a first.”

“Ready?”

“Grab the chair, Duncan.”

“Why?”

“Help him, Todd.” Myra nodded.

Once the men were in position the ladies let go breaking their link and fell.

Tara braced herself, but instead of falling, the men caught her weight, although somewhat off guard, and placed her gently on the ground. “That was better.”