the sun was beginning to set. They’d been here longer than she thought — they rose to their feet, saying their goodbyes to Maggie and Darter, promising to come by to visit again soon.
“No obligations, of course, but if Blair happens to be making shortbread any time soon…”
“Say no more,” Niall said solemnly, sketching an oddly formal little bow to Maggie as they lingered on the porch.
Their horses were tethered to the tree that stood in Maggie’s front yard, and Helen eyed them thoughtfully, picturing them with wet manes and tails, with black eyes and mouths full of sharp, serrated teeth…
“Thanks again, Maggie. I’ll share all this with the Laird, and with any luck we’ll have no more disappearances.”
They rode in contemplative silence, the warm light of sunset bathing them both in its glow. Helen glanced over at Niall, who was deep in thought, a frown on his face. “This was a good day,” she told him firmly, recognizing the signs of someone who was overthinking their duty. “We found those hoofprints, we have a solid theory about what’s doing the damage, and a plan of action.”
“A plan of action?”
“Well, Donal’s still got the guard patrols doubled, right? We tell them all to keep an eye out for horses, to stay close to one another so they can’t be picked off by the herd, to carry iron weapons… and would it be worth telling the villagers what to look out for too?”
“Aye, that’s a good point,” Niall said, his expression clearing a little.
She smiled secretly. Niall was a lot like her, it seemed — he thrived on having something to do, some task to focus his restless mind on so he didn’t lose it worrying about whether he should be doing more to protect his people.
“Will the villagers do what they’re told? If you ask them to stay inside at night, will they obey?”
“Some of them,” Niall said, frowning. “Some of them for sure. The others… well, the sensible ones follow the instructions of the Sept. But there’s no accounting for the foolish arrogance of men. Father Caleb will help,” he added, unexpectedly.
Helen blinked. “He will? How?”
Niall chuckled. “I know he seems a little… young, and insecure, but Caleb’s got a lot more mettle than you’d think. And for all his faults and foibles, he’s very good with the villagers. He’s won them over in the last few years — they trust him and listen to him. It helps, of course, that he doesn’t openly acknowledge his friendship with the Sept — he treads a fine line between the villagers and the Sept, which means even the ones who oppose our work trust him. He’s a valuable ally. I imagine Donal will want to speak to him about all this once we tell him what we know.” Niall urged his horse forward, clearly keen to get back to the castle. But before they reached the gates, he turned back to look at her, a smile on his face. “Helen — I wanted to thank you for your work. Without you, we wouldn’t have any idea that we’re dealing with Kelpies. I’m incredibly grateful the Sidhe brought you to us.”
Beaming, Helen followed him through the gates of the castle, her heart pounding in her chest. Kelpies or no Kelpies — it had been a very, very good day.
Chapter 25
As the night drew in, so too did the people of the Castle, drawn to the central point that was the dining hall. There was something deeply significant about this ritual, the evening meal, everyone coming together to talk and laugh about the day, to gather where it was warm… and something about the lack of technology made it more meaningful, somehow. Out here, everything was a lot closer to the dark and to the cold, and Helen found herself feeling deeply grateful for the company of the castle folk at dinner.
She and Niall were invited to dine with the Laird again — he and Anna were seated at the high table, Brendan and Malcolm also present, though their wives were elsewhere — something about Elena not feeling well as a result of her pregnancy. Eamon, it seemed, had already been given his dinner, and was tucked up fast asleep in Anna’s quarters — a surprisingly early night for the usually energetic four-year-old, but as Anna explained, it seemed her daughter Gwyneth had kept the little boy on his toes all day.
“I honestly don’t know where they get the energy from,” Anna said,