The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea - Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,127

table. “Have a seat and I’ll try to explain.”

“Ye’re not giving up on Brody, are you?” Gwen asked as she took a seat.

“Ye’d better not,” Brigitta added. “It would break his heart.”

“Shh.” Luciana hushed them as she sat down. “Let her speak.”

The four sisters watched her expectantly as Maeve moved behind a worktable filled with books, pages of notes, and several lit candlesticks. She straightened a stack of papers. “I haven’t given up on Brody. I’m fighting for him.”

“How?” Sorcha demanded.

With a tired sigh, Maeve sat on a stool.

“You look exhausted,” Luciana said softly. “Have you had anything to eat?”

Maeve motioned toward an empty bottle. “My mother had some wine stashed away in the cupboard. Would you like some?”

“No, we’re fine,” Gwen assured her.

Maeve took a deep breath. “Then I’ll tell you what happened. About a week ago, when I was traveling to the Isle of Moon, the Seer passed away on the Isle of Mist. That night when he died, a strange sensation came over me in my sleep. And then I had a dream. Later on, I learned that it had come true. And since then, I’ve had other dreams that have come to pass.”

Luciana leaned forward. “Are you saying that somehow the Seer’s power of foresight was transferred to you?”

“Aye.” Maeve nodded. “It was. Because the Seer was my father.”

Her sisters gasped.

“Yer father was the Seer?” Brigitta asked.

“And now ye have his power?” Gwen asked.

Sorcha inhaled sharply. “Ye’re the new Seer.”

Her sisters all exchanged shocked looks, then Luciana muttered, “I think we’ll have some wine after all.”

Maeve opened the cupboard and set four glasses on the table. She pulled the cork from a wine bottle and poured a little in each glass. “When my mother died in the throne room, another strange sensation hit me, although this time it was much more intense. More painful. So much power surged through me, I thought my head would explode! And that was why I fainted.”

“Ah.” Sorcha reached for a glass. “Now that makes more sense. All the men think ye simply fainted from shock.”

Gwen snorted. “She’s much tougher than that.”

“Exactly,” Brigitta agreed and took a sip of wine.

Maeve retrieved another glass and poured herself a drink. “When I woke up in bed, my first thought was how devastated Brody must be.” She set her glass on the worktable. “And I thought about how easy it would have been for my mother to lift the curse on him and Gavin. But she refused! And it makes me so angry!” She waved a hand, and her wineglass exploded.

Her sisters gasped.

Maeve winced and grabbed a towel to sop up the mess. “Sorry. I’m not very good at controlling it yet.”

“Controlling what?” Gwen asked.

“My power,” Maeve replied. “When I woke up in bed and felt so much rage for my mother, the windows in my room cracked. I suspected then that I must have inherited my mother’s power. So I rushed here to see what I could learn from her books and notes.”

Luciana gulped down some wine. “And what have you learned?”

“Quite a bit.” Maeve swiped the broken glass into a rubbish tin that was nearly full. “As you can see, I’ve been practicing. It wasn’t exactly safe in here, so I didn’t want anyone coming in. And I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I tried anything on a person.”

“So ye’re a witch now?” Brigitta asked.

Maeve nodded. “And a Seer, a shifter, and a siren. My father said I would be more powerful than my mother, and he was right.”

“So what happens now?” Gwen asked.

Maeve took a deep breath. “Magic.”

* * *

Brody was in his bedchamber, sitting on the window seat, staring out the window. Everyone was busy around the castle. Leo had buried the Chameleon in the back garden. Rupert had returned with the three eldest sisters and their children. Maeve had allowed her sisters inside the workroom with her. Nevis and Elinor were off somewhere getting better acquainted. Brody snorted.

Everyone had something to do but him. He was supposed to be resting, actually, since he had a wounded leg, but he felt utterly useless. He wasn’t even himself. He’d reverted to the guise of the Seer so he could save his allotted time as Brody in case Maeve came to see him.

But of course, she wasn’t coming.

His door swung open, and for a second, he hoped it was Maeve. But no, it was Nevis. And of course, he had Elinor in tow. “What do you