“Are you sure?” Tara allowed Amber to take Briac from her arms.
“Of course.”
Liz couldn’t be more pleased with the support her sister received from the MacCoinnich family.
Her thoughts briefly shifted to her own experience as a new mother. At seventeen, with two parents more disgusted than disappointed with the unexpected pregnancy, she had little, if any, support. Simon’s father was whisked away by his parents as soon as they found out he’d knocked her up.
When Liz turned eighteen, she and Simon were kicked out as well. That was the hardest year of her life. She’d saved a little money, moved into an extra room at one of her recently divorced neighbors, and found a position at a daycare center where taking care of Simon and earning enough money to live on worked hand in hand.
But it sucked. Big time.
She held no regrets. Simon was her world.
Liz glanced at him while he tickled Briac’s fingers, soliciting a smile from her nephew.
Unlike her, Simon was happy living in the sixteenth century. He adored the unity of this family. Fin sat at the top of his list.
“Simon.” Fin licked the grease from his fingers and nodded toward her son. “Elizabeth told me you’ve been experiencing changes in your gifts.”
Simon’s eyes shifted to her and then to Cian who sat on his right. “They seem to be changing.”
“I understand it is you who are changing.”
“Is that true, son? Is your body making changes when you see through the animals?” Ian said from the head of the table.
Simon nodded once. “Yes, a little.” Simon’s eyes lowered to the table, obviously uncomfortable.
“That’s wonderful.” Lora beamed a smile his way. “I think so too, Simon.” Amber patted his shoulder with support.
“You’re a brave lad. This gift is rare, only those with deep wisdom have ever been known to have such power.”
“You knew someone else who’s had it?” Simon asked.
“I’ve only heard of it, never seen it with my own eyes. Well, except when Grainna…” Ian didn’t finish his sentence. They all knew the battle he thought of.
Grainna had murdered the man responsible for her return of powers and then shifted into a bird to escape her death by the MacCoinnich’s hand.
“It would be best for you to master your new skill. Practice.”
Ian nodded. “Aye, I agree.”
“Elizabeth has come up with a suggestion, one I think we should all consider.”
Fin seldom came to her side in any discussion.
To hear him doing so now gave her heart a small jump.
“What is it?” Myra asked.
Liz glanced at each family member before she spoke. “We need to find a way to practice all our skills. Daily.”
“But—”
“Wait, hear me out,” she told Ian. “Grainna isn’t playing by the same rules we are. She’s practicing her powers, using them, mastering them. We’re hiding them. I know the position we’re in and the secrecy needed, but we need to do something to enhance our gifts to have a fair fight against her.”
“The Ancients did say it would take all of us to defeat her.”
Liz would never forget how the Ancient, Elise, daughter of Cameron, floated around the room, telling them of their destiny. The ghost-like woman, arrived on the eve of their face-to-face battle with Grainna and told them to band together to defeat the immortal witch. Elise also said that their battle had just begun. Now, so many months later, Liz felt the weight of those words. Grainna ruled Scotland, or attempted to now.
“How do you propose we practice under the eyes of my men? Men who are not Druid, who fear all magic?”
“You guys were able to come up with a silence spell to keep the servants from knowing when you came together in Lizzy’s room.” Todd, the only non-24
Druid in the room spoke up, “Maybe you can come up with something similar, bigger.”
Myra clasped her husband’s hand. “I don’t know if we have the power it would take to do that.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
“Which is my point,” Lizzy expressed. “Practice makes perfect and all of that. Tara, outside of helping out the vegetable garden, have you used your active powers to do anything?”
“Not really. I removed the path to the cottage where Grainna took me.” Tara shivered. Duncan put his arm around his wife.
“Amber, have you attempted to read objects? I know reading people is easy for you, but what about things?” Liz asked.
Todd snorted. “You’ve watched too much CSI.”
“I’m not so sure, Todd. As a cop, did you ever hear of psychics helping an investigation? Missing kids?” Liz referred to the author of Seventh Sense.
“I’ve not tried, Lizzy. I could.” Amber’s enthusiasm matched her youth.
“How would reading objects help?”
“If we came across something that belonged to Grainna, maybe Amber could feel or learn something about the woman we don’t know, a weakness maybe.”
“Perhaps.”
The private conversation ceased with the arrival of a kitchen maid. The family switched topics so fast that if Liz hadn’t noticed Alice’s arrival, she would have thought Myra was a little crazy when she blurted out something about the pheasant she ate.
“It is delicious,” Tara chimed in.
“I’m still not completely convinced tomatoes aren’t poisonous.”
“We ate them all the time growing up, didn’t we, Lizzy.”
“Ah, yeah, all the time.”
Alice walked away from the table and through the back door to the kitchens.
“Did you see that?”
Fin cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“Everyone switched gears, just like that.” Liz snapped her fingers. “No one missed a beat when Alice came in. That is what needs to happen with our powers. They need to be a part of our existence, daily.”
Ian set his hands beside his plate. “I think ye’re right, lass. ’Tis time we find a way to work with all our gifts. Even I’ve noticed my aim off with my lightning strikes.”
A rumbling of laughter spread among the family.
“Thank God for small miracles.” Todd glanced at his father-in-law. “What? Myra warned me about your powers. You can imagine the nightmares I had thinking you were going to strike me down for…”
For deflowering his daughter before they were married. Liz mused.