anything changes, let me know,” Father Caleb said. “Oh — that was a concern a few of the farmers raised. It seems some livestock have been going missing — cattle here and there, a couple of sheep. It’s been the case for a few weeks, and usually a farmer wouldn’t pay much heed to one or two animals going astray, but — well, one found bloodstains.”
Helen’s heart sank. That sounded uncomfortably familiar.
Donal was nodding grimly. “It seems in the absence of human victims to prey on, the Kelpies have been taking livestock.”
“Indeed,” Father Caleb said. “What should I advise the farmers to do? Some have been speaking of posting guards around the clock with torches —”
“Definitely not,” Donal barked, the alarm clear on his face. “That would be all but inviting the Kelpies to eat them. I’d strongly advise a curfew — get everyone safe indoors by nightfall, and don’t leave home until after dawn. And as for the animals…” He sighed. “Until we can get these creatures under control, I’d advise moving them to higher ground. As far from the shore of the Loch as possible. It seems these creatures have some connection to the water — it’s likely they are unwilling to travel too far from it.”
Father Caleb was nodding. “In terms of the patterns of the animal losses, that would make sense. I’ll advise the farmers to favor fields that lie further inland.”
“Thank you, Father Caleb. For all you’re doing, and all you’ve done.”
It was a pleasant evening, and Helen found herself thinking much more affectionately toward the priest as they parted ways. But she could tell from the drawn look on Niall’s face as he carried the sleepy Eamon down the stairs towards their quarters that he was worried — very worried — about the impact these creatures were having on the village. The people were safe — for now.
But it was only a matter of time until that changed.
Chapter 34
When she rose in the morning, she was surprised to find Niall sitting at the dining table, lost in thought. It was unlike him to still be in the house at this hour, and she tilted her head, a little concerned as she padded over to join him. He gave her a distracted smile as she sat down, which reassured her a little that nothing was drastically wrong… but still, the look on his face worried her.
“Why aren’t you on the docks?”
“I’ve been out,” he shrugged. “I’m back in for now. Trying to think of something we could try with these Kelpies.”
“Niall — we’re doing everything we can,” she said softly. She’d suspected this was what he was worrying about — he’d been withdrawn since the night before, clearly worrying about the villagers and what the priest had said. “There have been no more deaths since we took action — Donal said it himself, the Kelpies are wary of iron and fire and steering clear of the guards —”
“Aye, but for how long?” Niall said abruptly. “All we’re doing is… keeping them at bay. It’s only a matter of time until they find a way around our guard… someone will get careless. And then we’ll lose another man. Or maybe not — maybe the guards will stay vigilant — in which case the Kelpies will take to picking off unwary travelers who don’t know that this area is under attack. Or they’ll eat all the villagers’ livestock and leave them to starve when winter comes. Or they’ll get hungry, and desperate, and bolder, and start attacking houses.” He rubbed his head with his hands, the frustration in him a palpable presence. “I just… everything we’re doing is great, but it’s not a solution.”
“I know.” Helen sighed, her own mind ticking over what he’d said. He was right — they couldn’t just accept that there was a herd of flesh-eating horses living in the forest now. “Everyone’s safe for now, but we need a next step.”
“And I don’t know what that is… short of rounding up all the guards and going on a hunting trip,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It would help, of course, for the villagers to believe in the threat…”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Helen said firmly. “Let’s both of us put our heads together and figure out what the next step is, okay? I’m having lunch with the women — maybe we can figure something out between us.”
“Ah, the meeting of the wise women,” Niall said, his eyes twinkling with a smile