Moyra Caldecott by The Eye of Callanish

Author:The Eye of Callanish [Callanish, The Eye of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-03T17:43:09+00:00

The Healing

Having established that Mairi was safely sleeping in Durston’s cell, Neil returned to the house. There was a hush over it; everyone moving quietly and talking in whispers.

Neil strode straight to Fiona’ s room and found her lying on her back, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. She did not even turn her head to see who had entered.

He stood beside her, looking down at her for a long while in silence. Apart from an occasional blink there was no sign that she was conscious. He could not believe that this shadow was his sister, who for years had been given her way in everything and had stamped her foot or tossed her red-gold hair if there had been the slightest hesitation in granting her wishes. He remembered racing her to the high pasture only a few weeks before and being hard pushed to keep up with her.

He had wondered how she would settle to being a court lady among pale women who talked of nothing but their husbands and their clothes, and had tried to persuade her to stay among her own people. She had always seemed to him like a wild, restless mountain stream, full of life and sparkle. It broke his heart to see her now, so still and passive – like a stagnant pool.

‘Fiona,’ he whispered. He could not bring himself to speak aloud in the oppressive silence of the room. She gave no sign that she had heard. He stooped closer to her and repeated her name a little louder. She still did not move. He put his hand on her shoulder and at last she turned her eyes to his. There was something in them he could not read. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’ he whispered.

Her mouth twisted bitterly and her eyes seemed to say: ‘Have you not done enough?’

‘Fiona,’ he said urgently, ‘I really do not believe …’ But he was not allowed to finish the sentence. His mother came bustling in and told him to let his sister rest.

‘Where have you been?’ she scolded. ‘We have been looking everywhere for you. And that hermit too! We needed him and he was nowhere to be found.’

‘I will fetch him now if you like,’ he said, backing towards the door, wishing that he had never come.

‘What do you think my darling,’ Ingrid said to her daughter. ‘Will you see him now?’

‘No,’ said Fiona in a cold, hard voice that Neil had never heard her use before.

‘She refuses to see him,’ Ingrid said with a sigh. ‘I am sure his prayers will help. If the witch is not to be found to remove the spell, surely such a holy man would be able to do something?’

‘I will fetch him whether she wants to see him or not,’ Neil said.

‘I will not see him,’ snapped Fiona.

‘You seem to want to stay crippled and miss your wedding!’ Neil said impatiently, angrily.

‘Neil!’ gasped Ingrid, horrified.

Fiona’s lips tightened and her eyes returned to the ceiling. Neil turned on his heel and left.

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