of town square, she supposed, though she didn’t know the layout of the place well enough to call it that for certain.
He leapt down from his horse, then moved over to help her down from hers — she was still a little embarrassed about how clumsy she was at getting on and off, though Niall assured her it was only a matter of practice. While Niall unwrapped the Kelpie’s corpse, she lead the unsettled horses over to the fence that surrounded the church, finding a good spot to tether them where they wouldn’t be close enough to see or smell the dead Kelpie. By the time she headed back, a crowd of villagers had already formed around Niall, the villagers all speaking in low, shocked murmurs about the corpse.
The mane and tail still looked dripping wet, she noticed with fascination, moving to stand at Niall’s side as the villagers approached to study the creature. It wasn’t long before Father Caleb was there, bustling out of the church with a worried look on his face that soon gave way to surprise… before returning like clockwork to worry. She couldn’t help but smile a little at the priest. He was a neurotic young man… but she knew, now, that he had a good heart under all that slightly sanctimonious worry and fussing. She realized with a shock that she was looking forward to seeing what kind of priest he would be as he got older… did that mean she was thinking about this place as a permanent home? That was a thought that could use some exploration, she thought with a frown. For so long, she’d been living in the short and medium term, with very little consideration given to the distant future… even when it came to thinking about her relationship with Niall… this consideration of the longer term had taken her by surprise.
But for now, she had to focus on what was happening in the present, not the future.
“This is a strange creature indeed,” Father Caleb pronounced after a few minutes’ study of the Kelpie. Using a stick, Niall had lifted the creature’s lip to demonstrate its sharp, serrated teeth, and gently pressed open one of its dead eyes to show that they were black, not brown like a regular horse’s. She realized with surprise that the group of villagers gathered around Father Caleb were listening to him intently. How did he hold such sway over them? He’d earned their trust and respect, she realized with a smile. Just like he’d earned hers.
“What is it?” one of the villagers demanded.
“An abomination,” Caleb said firmly, and an uneasy murmur rippled through the crowd. “An ungodly creature, fit only for death. Laird Donal and the good people of the castle call these beasts Kelpies — as good a name as any, I feel. It seems they are what is responsible for our terrible losses.”
“These are the bastards that ate four of my best dairy cows?” demanded a gruff-looking man who had given the Kelpie a discreet kick in the ribs.
“Aye, this one or one of its fellows,” Niall explained, and the villagers nodded — she could tell that Father Caleb’s tacit support had guided them to listen to Niall.
“What can we do about it?” asked a lean, fierce-looking woman who was eyeing the Kelpie as though daring it to get up. “What’re their weaknesses?”
“Iron and fire,” Niall said. “If you lack iron weapons, send word to the Castle — we’d be more than willing to supply you until such time as these creatures are no longer a threat. It seems there’s a herd, and they hunt in groups, so be careful about going out at night without an armed escort. And whatever you do — don’t touch them or attempt to ride them.”
“That’s a nice little fairy story,” came a familiar voice, ugly and drawing.
Niall looked up, a furious look of recognition on his face. Sure enough, there stood Perry, a handful of the men who supported him standing behind him with identical looks of scorn on their faces.
“Perry,” Niall said, forcing himself to sound calm. “I was hoping you’d come.”
“Is that so?” he sneered. “I suppose you’re wanting to show me this dead horse.”
“It’s not a horse,” Niall said, frowning. “It’s a Kelpie. It’s one of the creatures that killed your brothers, Perry —”
“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Perry snarled. “You’re really going to ride in here dragging the carcass of some old nag from your stables and expect me to believe