in her face hinted at something else. Something monumental. “What do ye mean?”
“Four lasses an’ two lads. Two of the lasses are from a place called Toronto, Canada; one’s from China; and one from Pakistan. The girl from Pakistan is missin’ part of her face. She survived somethin’ known as an honor killing, but Fiona says we’re not ta ask her about it.
“The two lasses from Toronto are best friends, their names are Lee and Natasha. An’ the one from China is in trainin’ fer the Olympics. She does archery.”
In her excitement, Greta talked so fast that I could scarcely follow. “One lad’s from New Zealand—that’s near Australia. He’s an activist for the rights of humans. The other came from Central Park in New York City—he’s American, like Queen Veronica and Miss Mackenna. His name’s Jeremy an’ he does magick tricks. Not bad magick, like the witch, but illusions for television. He pulled a shiny coin, a quarter, from my ear.”
Despite her incredibly detailed account, most of the information she shared lacked relevance. “How did they get here?”
“Like Cheska, they crossed bridges in their own lands and suddenly appeared here.” Greta grabbed my hand. “They each claim they were called. The two lasses from Toronto crossed together—just like Kenna and Vee. Fiona says to come quickly!”
Alasdair rubbed his old hands together. His pale eyes gleamed almost maniacally. “Just like I predicted. It’s happenin’.”
“What’s happening?”
“Don’t ye see, lad? When Adelaide demolished the Brig o’ Doon and consequently the portal—it didn’t disappear, it splintered. Piece by piece, it’s returning ta Alloway, and as it re-forms it’s bringing a mighty army with it.”
For the first time since our exodus, my chest swelled with hope. An army? If that was truly what was happening, then we might stand a chance of taking back Doon. But surely Adelaide wouldn’t have been so reckless as to do the one thing that could give us an advantage over her.
“Go on, laddie. I’ll finish up here for ye.” Alasdair took the brush from my hand and turned toward the side of the stall.
I grabbed the auld man’s bicep, stopping him. “Why would the witch fragment the portal just so it could rebuild and amass an army?”
Alasdair blinked up at me, his leathery face still cracked in a toothy smile. “Because, m’Laird, she might not o’ known that splintering the portal was only temporary. She might have thought that the particular spell she used would demolish the portal fer good.”
In my experience, Adelaide had been careful, patient, and above all precise in her cunning. Her plans were carefully laid with centuries of planning to perfect them. I said as much to Alasdair. “So why on earth would she believe that the portal could be destroyed forever?”
“Because”—the old man crowed, clearly delighted by his own cleverness—“that’s precisely what I told her.”
MACKENNA
I filled Duncan in on the two brothers from Africa and he told me about the new arrivals everywhere else. They’d all crossed bridges in their hometowns and ended up in Alloway with visions of a phantom castle and an unwavering sense of destiny. If Alasdair was to be believed about the army, this was just the overture to the opening act. Many more were coming.
“So is the old guy working with Addie or not?”
“I dinna think so.” Duncan scooped a spoonful of stew into his mouth and made a blissful noise somewhere between a grunt and a groan. “Tha’s good.” Compared to Ezekiel and Jerimiah, who’d recently been escorted to the guys’ dorm, Duncan towered over the other side of the table, giving the impression that the kitchen at Dunbrae Cottage had been designed for hobbits.
Feeling more anxious than hungry, I toyed with my spoon. “Why would Addie listen to him if they weren’t allies?”
“He claims he spent centuries earning the witch’s trust and seeding the idea that if she returned to Doon, she could destroy the Brig o’ Doon for good. He called it a ‘long con.’”
“That makes no sense. What would Alasdair have to gain from lying to her—except her wrath? No offense to your great-great-great-great-great whatever, but I don’t see the old dude risking getting turned into a toad. He’s too wily for that.”
“Since the Miracle, Adelaide’s been obsessed with returning to Doon and taking her revenge. Alasdair felt his best chance of not only getting home, but also of the Doonians defeating the witch for good, was to play into it.
“According to him, shortly after being pulled into the modern world, he became despondent to