next to Greta, whose name I couldn’t recall, paused mid-bite. “Like Harry Potter?”
Greta and her friends had discovered Vee’s copies at Dunbrae Cottage, and after reading the first book, the series had spread through the Crew like wildfire. If she’d been here, Vee would’ve been geeking out right along with them.
Fiona pushed aside her plate. “Ches, would ye and the other girls give me a moment in private with Mackenna, please?”
As the table cleared, I indicated Fiona’s full plate of uneaten food. “Feeling okay?”
“Aye,” she said, taking another bite of cracker. “Jus’ a wee bit of a tummy ache. It’ll pass.”
Seconds later, Fiona and I were alone. In my experience, private hardly ever equaled good. With Duncan’s recent dismissal and Vee’s absence casting a shadow over me, I didn’t think I could handle anything else tonight. I just wanted to eat my stew in peace, and then slink back to Dunbrae Cottage and collapse into bed.
“I’ve been thinking about something.” Attempting to redirect the situation, I leaned in and asked in a hushed tone, “Do you think the boy from Sofia’s Calling is one of the Destined? Like maybe Jeremy?”
Fiona smiled. “I’ve been wonderin’ the same thing.”
“I hope so,” I replied, truly meaning it. “She deserves to be happy.”
“Aye. She does.”
We lapsed into silence. But as Fiona continued to scrutinize me with her shrewd, hazel eyes, I knew I wasn’t going to get off that easily. For several minutes, she let me eat in silence. Then she asked, “What’s on your mind, Mackenna? Besides Sofia’s love life. You’re not yourself this evening.”
If my bestie was sitting across from me, I would have spilled my guts. That’s how easy it was between us. Tired of feeling alone, I replied, “Duncan and I are having some issues. I mean—I’m having issues with him. I have no clue whether he’s having issues back. Which I guess is part of the problem. Ever since he took over my training, we don’t seem to be in sync.”
*NSYNC . . . I smirked down at my plate, remembering just how much Vee loved JT. “And I miss Veronica—so much that she’s practically all I think about. She shows up in the middle of my training to crack jokes, and every night we’re together having adventures in my dreams.”
“What kind of adventures?”
“Crazy stuff, like visiting parts of Doon I’ve never been to.” That reminded me of the most recent episode in the nocturnal escapades of K & V. “Is there really a cattle entrance at Castle MacCrae off the lake?”
“Aye. Ye didn’t know that?”
“Not before last night’s dream. Vee and Oliver and some other dude were going to storm the castle like something out of Princess Bride—it’s a movie. Anyway, when they got to the castle, they couldn’t see that Addie had placed a spell around the lower level. Vee touched it and got zapped and then I woke up.”
Fiona bit at her lip. “When did these dreams start?”
“The first night we returned to Alloway.” I remembered because I dreamed that Vee was sharing a teepee with Sofia and Gabby Rosetti.
“And they’re regular occurrences?”
The more I talked, the better I began to feel. “Pretty much every night. It’s not always the castle—first it was in the woods near the bridge, and then it was a different part of the woods near the witch’s cabin—where, I assure you, I’ve never been before. They’re so vivid—the smells, the textures—it’s like I’m almost there. And they seem to last all night. Which is crazy, because the way Duncan is training me, I ought to be sleeping like the dead.”
As I unburdened myself, Fiona’s eyes grew wider. She stared at me open-mouthed, and for the second time since entering the dining hall, I felt like a total weirdo. “What?”
“Mackenna. I dinna think those are merely dreams. I think you’re havin’ a Calling with Queen Veronica.”
“Aren’t Callings usually—uh, romantic? I’m not having those kinds of dreams.”
“Nay. You misunderstand. Callings can be romantic in nature, and traditionally have been, but they all serve the will of the Protector and are for the good of Doon. Like Doc and Mags Benoir, who were called ta Doon together because the kingdom had need o’ them—and o’ course, all of the newly arrived Destined were called to save Doon. Those Callings aren’t romantic.”
I hadn’t thought about the newcomers as having a Calling, but she was right. “So Vee and I are having a Calling? Cool.”
She continued to gawk at me as if I were the village