“A protective sign, the sign Giann the prophetess would make on entering and leaving our home.”
“Why would she do that?” Tarr asked.
“I assumed to protect us.”
“Where can Giann be found?” Tarr asked.
“I do not know. She travels the land and goes from village to village. I have not seen her in many months, though,” she said, startled by her own realization, “it is said she favors the Wolf clan.”
“Not a friendly clan,” Tarr said.
“But Giann is a generous woman. She goes where her skills are needed, perhaps if we let word out that her skill is needed here in Hellewyk, she would appear?” Aliss suggested.
Fiona stood and shook her head. “It could take time to reach her. We need information now.”
“True, but it is worth a try,” Tarr said. “Anya, who in your clan sought Giann’s skills?”
“Many went to her.”
“Anyone more than another?”
She thought, nodded, then slowly shook her head. “Odo spent much time with her, though it was more because he favored her, and not for her skills.”
“Still, he may be able to tell us something that would help,” Fiona said. “Was Giann around when we were abducted?”
“Nay, she had left before you girls were born, though she predicted the birth of twin girls for me.”
“Did you seek her skill to help find us?” Aliss asked.
“Odo did. Giann confirmed it was the slave Shona who abducted the twins, and she said they were taken far away. That was all she could tell us before she took her leave. I had hoped for more and wished she would remain with us just in case she was needed. But she had other matters to tend to, and she was a free woman; we could not force her to stay. When next I saw Giann she told me you girls were safe, but refused to say any more.” Anya grew upset. “You do not think she had something to do with the kidnapping, do you?”
“She knew more than she told,” Tarr said.
“Why keep it from me?”
“That is a good question,” Tarr said. “I will leave so that you three may talk.” He hurried out of the room.
“Such a sudden departure,” Aliss said, curious.
“I agree,” Anya added.
“He is up to something and I intend to find out.” Fiona fled the room.
Tarr braced himself against the wall at the top of the stairs and waited. He did not expect it to take long; Fiona should be following him in mere minutes. He heard her approach, though he had to admit she was quiet. Most would probably not hear her gentle footfalls, but his father had trained him to hear not only in the chaos but in the silence as well.
As she rounded the corner, his arm reached out and caught her around the middle.
“You set a trap,” she accused, and shoved his arm away. “You knew I would follow because you are obviously up to something.”
“You are angry that I caught you, not that I set a trap and I realized Giann is the key to this mystery? I wanted to speak with Odo about her.”
“I have not been snared since I was young, and father taught me the skill of avoiding capture. You should have told me that.”
“Why would he teach you such a thing?”
“It was a game to us, nothing more, and do not change the subject.”
“Forget that for now, I think I have discovered something more important. It was much more than a game,” Tarr said. “He was preparing you.”
“Preparing me?” Fiona glared at Tarr. “That would mean—”
“He knew this day would come.”
While the news surely must have shocked Fiona, she remained calm. “Why would he not have told Aliss and me?”
“You were probably too young to fully comprehend the situation.”
“Keeping us ignorant of it certainly was not wise.”
“Preparing you to defend and avoid capture was definitely wise,” Tarr said, “and if you think back to what your parents taught you girls, they prepared you well for the future. One of you defends and the other heals.”
“Then it can be assumed that the slave Shona confided the truth to my parents.”
“I would agree with that. Raynor spoke to me of the love the slave had for him and the twins. She would do whatever was necessary to protect them,” Tarr said and took her hand. “Let us see what else he can tell us of Shona.”
“And Odo, we must speak with him about Giann,” Fiona said.