“The Zealots. You know I’m not much for waiting. They wanted me here”—he glanced at his kin—“they wanted us here. Let’s find out why.”

“If you know they want you here, why are you here?” Fearghus asked.

“Don’t you know me yet, boy?”

“I know you, Daddy,” Gwenvael said, putting his arms around his father’s chest, and gently resting his head on his father’s shoulder. “And I love you despite that.”

“I could have thrown his egg over the side of that mountain,” Bercelak said as everyone attempted to hide their laughter at his expense. “But I never did. So stupid.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Brannie woke up to the face of fear and terror. She tried to move as far away as possible, but she was trapped between that face and Aidan’s big body on the other side of her.

“What are you doing?” she finally asked.

“Are you feeling better? Can we leave now? I want to leave now.”

Not knowing how to answer any of that, she jabbed the body next to her.

“What?”

“You deal with him.”

Aidan raised his head and rested his chin on Brannie’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Uther?”

“We want out. The witches are trying to poison us—”

“You sure that’s just not seasoning you’re looking at?”

“—we think the Riders are dead somewhere—”

“Or just relegated to the stables.”

“—and Keita is meaner than we ever thought. We want to go.”

“We have to wait until Brannie’s better.”

“She looks better.” Uther suddenly leaned in close. So close, if it had been Aidan, she’d assume he was trying to kiss her. “Tell him you’re better!”

The door opened behind Uther and several of the witches walked in. One came over to the bed. She held a large bucket of steaming water.

“We thought you’d like a bath,” she said to Brannie while staring at Uther.

“That sounds lovely.”

The witch pointed at Uther with her elbow. “Is he bothering you?”

“No,” Uther said.

“Yes,” Aidan said.

The witch pulled one hand away from the bucket and flicked it.

Fascinated, Brannie watched a panicked Uther slide backward out the door and into the hallway.

“That was wrong!” he yelled, but he didn’t come back into the room.

Smiling, the witch joined her sisters and together they filled up the metal tub. Oil was added to the water and the smell was so delicious that Brannie didn’t even wait for the witches to leave before she made her way to the tub and lowered herself in.