Page 69 of The Rowan's Stone
We follow her to the castle grounds. She points at me, then to the castle.
I glance at Theron, then turn back to the woman. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Did you know Catriona?”
She nods her head yes.
“Did she live here?”
She mimes something, but I can’t tell what she’s trying to get across.
Cormal slides up to us. “No one in the village can speak. The current dark Elven king cut out their tongues and had a warlock spell them so they wouldn’t heal.” He signs something to the woman, and her face shines with relief, then she nods.
Shocked, we stare at him. “Why?”
“They wouldn’t tell him where to find the old king’s son,” he explains after the woman signs the answer. “The old king was murdered, and the son disappeared. When the villagers refused to give up any information, he decided they should lose their right to speak.”
The woman points at me and signs something new to Cormal.
“She says her name is Liana and Catriona MacAllister was her friend. She hid here for several years.” He pauses while he waits for her to sign more. “They both worked in the castle and lived in the village, until Catriona met the king’s son, who was her mate. When his father, the old dark Elven king, was murdered, they left.” He looks at me speculatively.
“Where did she go?” I ask her.
She shrugs, then signs something.
“They took the name of the castle’s blacksmith, but I don’t know where they went. She gave me this medallion to remember her and told me someone would come searching for her one day,” Cormal says, translating for her.
Smiling, I clasp her hand. “Do you know the name?”
She shakes her head no, then her hands fly while she signs to Cormal.
Cormal waits until she finishes signing, then states, “She says the old steward would have written it in the castle records, but the records were taken to the new king’s castle.”
Theron steps up beside me. “We’ll have to petition the new king to see the records. His archives are not open to everyone.”
I catch Astor’s eye. “Is there anything you can do?”
He shakes his head sadly. “I’m sorry, no.”
Reaching out, I hug the woman. “Thank you for wearing the medallion and remembering her. It means more than you know.”
She pats my hand and smiles.
Stepping close to Cormal, I murmur, “If I gave you payment, could you find a way to ease their lives?” It’s heartbreaking how they’ve been treated for their loyalty.
Cormal gives me a hard stare before turning to view the devastated village. “Yes.” He ushers us back to the square. “We’ve stayed too long. If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss our portal.” He signals to the villager in the square to open a portal.
Waving to the woman, I step through the portal and walk out in front of The Abbey.
Cormal quickly creates his own portal, but before he steps through, he jerks his chin at me. “Send me the payment, and I’ll make sure they get supplies. Don’t forget what I said about Meri, and if you hear from Callyx, tell him to text me.”
I indicate my agreement and watch him leave. “He’s one scary man,” I muse softly. After all, who knows if he has any spies nearby. “And unfortunately, he’s now aware I’m a royal descendant and a MacAllister witch, which is very dangerous information for him to know.”
The cadre says nothing, but their expressions tell me they agree.
41
ARDEN
After stripping off my shirt, I peer in the mirror behind me, trying to catch a glimpse of the Elven symbol tattooed on my shoulder. The thick line looks like an exaggerated seven, with another line crossing through the middle and a small circle above it. Theron told me all high Elven families, both light and dark, have a unique symbol which magically appears as a tattoo and signifies their heritage. Now I know what Fallon’s father was referencing when he tried to look at my shoulder and it’s a good thing I didn’t have it at that time. And given my heritage is a dead king, I should probably keep it hidden.
