them, although his face was not visible. The voluminous hood of his cloak had been pulled forward till only a narrow gash of black could be seen. A breeze caught the hem of his brown cloak and fluttered it around long legs encased in brown breeches.
Was this really the Seer? Maeve had always heard that he was very old, but something about this man seemed young, healthy, and strong. Was it the way he was standing? His back was straight, his broad shoulders squared. With one hand, he gripped a long staff, but he didn’t appear to be leaning on it for support.
But as quickly as she noticed these things, they disappeared. The man hunched over, and with a shaky arm, he planted the staff on the path in front of him, then shuffled slowly toward it. Staff, step, step. Staff, step, step.
With a groan, Nevis set the bell back into the box. “At the speed he’s going, we’ll meet him in a week.”
“Aye. The bread will have grown mold,” Maeve muttered, causing Nevis to snort.
“Let’s go.” He handed her the basket, then strode across the meadow, calling out, “Greetings, Great Seer, we have come to—”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” the Seer replied with a deep, grumbly voice. “Colonel Harden.”
Nevis halted with a jerk. “You know who I am?”
The old man shrugged his shoulders. “I am the Seer.” He continued his slow journey down the hillside. “You are Nevis, son of General Harden, best friend to King Leofric of Eberon.”
Nevis gulped audibly, then whispered to Maeve, “By the Light, he’s good.”
Maeve curtsied. “It is an honor to finally meet you, Great Seer. I have brought you a gift from the Convent of—”
“The Two Moons,” the Seer finished her sentence. “Where you grew up with your four sisters, who are now queens.”
“Whoa,” Nevis whispered. “He does know everything.”
Maeve winced. He knew who she was, but only because of her sisters.
The Seer reached the base of the hill and paused. “You are Maeve. The most beautiful of the five sisters.”
Her mouth dropped open.
The Seer walked slowly toward her. “You are special. A selkie. And a siren. When you sing, men will cross oceans to hear the sound of your voice. When you laugh, they will lose their hearts to you.”
Maeve was so stunned she was speechless for a moment. “I—surely you are exaggerating, Great Seer.” She turned to Nevis. “Would you cross an ocean to hear my voice?”
He shook his head. “No. Though I might if you made a cherry pie.”
She snorted. Nevis and his priorities.
“You have a long line of suitors at Ebton Palace,” the Seer continued in his grumbly voice. “That is where you should be.”
Her back stiffened. Here was yet another person who was trying to order her about. And get her married off. “Begging your pardon, Great Seer, but I did not come to have my future told. I came—”
“Because you are looking for Brody,” the Seer muttered. “And the Embraced army.”
Her mouth fell open again, while Nevis cursed under his breath.
The Seer picked up his staff and planted it hard on the ground between them. “What you seek is dangerous. You must go home to Ebton. I have seen your future, and that is where you belong.”
She swallowed hard. “I appreciate your concern, but I prefer to make my own decisions.” A chill ran down her spine as she felt the Seer glowering at her through the dark gash of his hood. “Do you know where the Embraced army is hiding?”
“Would I be foolish enough to tell you that?”
She winced inwardly. She’d always heard that the Seer was a kindly old man, but this person was decidedly unfriendly. And overbearing. “Will you at least tell me where Brody is?”
The Seer’s bony hand tightened around the staff until his knuckles turned white. “He is fine. There is no need for you to be concerned—”
“I will be concerned until I can see for myself that he is safe.” She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I have reason to believe he was here on the Isle of Mist.”
The Seer tilted his head. “Why do you think that?”
“I—” She shifted her weight. “I saw him in a dream. He was burying someone on a bluff overlooking the ocean.”
The Seer flinched. He turned away for a moment, his hand flexing around the staff. When he finally spoke, it sounded as if his teeth were gritted together. “You are mistaken. There is no one here but me.”
“I told