isle?”
Nessie’s brows drew together. “He did not want the isle, but desired the power that came from it after he had a chance meeting with your mother when she left her protected home to explore the world beyond.”
“She was curious.”
Nessie nodded. “But that curiosity cost her everything.”
“Then my father did not allow my mother or her family to return to the isle?”
Nessie shook her head. “In an effort to keep your mother with him, and control every aspect of her life, he forbade them all from ever going back. He allowed the isle to fall into ruin. It is mostly occupied by seals and birds to this day as far as anyone can tell.”
“Did my father know about my mother’s m—” Mariam looked up at Cameron for a heartbeat before continuing. “Her abilities?”
“I cannot say for certain, but I do believe he suspected something was different about both her and her mother.”
“My grandmother had abilities as well?” Mariam asked, surprised.
Mistress MacInnes nodded. “I believe all the women in your mother’s line had abilities some might call magic.”
More excited than she dared let on, Mariam turned toward Cameron. “If that is so, then the answers we seek are on the Isle of May.”
He frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“It is where they’re all from.” She locked her gaze on his, unblinking, unafraid. “What better place to start our search for answers than to go back to the beginning?”
Cameron’s eyes lit with admiration. “Sounds like a sensible plan. I have the means to get us there on one of my smaller ships. I can have everything ready in a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?”
“I’ll need to gather a crew since the last of my men sailed out yesterday on The Sarpedon. And we’ll need supplies since we must assume nothing will be available to us on the isle.”
Disappointment went through Mariam at the realization she had no choice but to wait. Cameron was being generous to offer a ship and a crew. Once they had the means to travel, it would take less than a day to sail there, she reasoned as she nodded her agreement.
“Until then—”
The doors of the great hall flew open and thudded against the walls on either side. “Laird Sinclair!” Ian Griffin, the captain of his guard, rushed forward. “My apologies for the interruption, but we have a situation.” The warrior’s presence filled the chamber. Concern was etched into the lines of his face.
Cameron stood. “What is it?”
“The villagers are approaching the castle, m’laird. But this is no social call. They’re armed with torches and weapons. And they’re chanting ‘give us the witch.’”
Mariam’s heart jumped to her throat. Her dream.
Cameron’s hand gently touched her arm.
Ian continued, “The men are preparing for battle, and we’ve closed the gates against them. We are waiting to engage until we have your approval.”
“We will not engage the villagers,” Cameron announced, his voice firm. “Open the gates. Let them in. I’ll not fight my own people.”
Mariam’s eyes widened in horror. “Nay!” she whispered.
“Aye.” Ian nodded grimly as he moved away.
Mariam sprang to her feet and followed. “Cameron, please take heed. Remember I told you they would come. This will not end well.”
He turned. “I was wrong not to believe that you had dreamed this before, but you said it yourself, no one was harmed in your dream. I must talk to them first before we take any more aggressive action. These are my people. They will listen to what I have to say.”
Mariam watched him walk away as any excitement she’d felt moments before faded. She clutched the fabric of her gown in her hands. Fear gnawed at her stomach.
“I haven’t known m’laird for very long, but I can tell from what I’ve seen, he knows what he’s doing,” Mistress MacInnes said as she came to stand beside Mariam. “He won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Mariam turned toward Nessie but averted her face, allowing the bright fall of her hair to conceal her distress. “The villagers, and so many others, can hurt me in ways he could never protect me from.”
“Aye, but you are capable of protecting yourself. You could stand up to them. Show them who you truly are.”
“And be burned at the stake.”
“There is more to you than your magic.”
Mariam looked up as heat rose to her cheeks. “I’ve spent my whole life hiding who and what I am. I’m not certain I can change that. People make assumptions about me before they ever come to know me simply because I