“Thank you!” I gasped. “I thought… Oh God, I thought—”

“You thought you would die, and you almost did!” Will exclaimed. “Why are you even out on a night like this? Can’t you see it’s not safe?”

“My sister!” I gasped. “She’s missing, and I have to find her!”

The other hunters had noticed me by then and hurried over, all wearing concerned expressions.

“There are people!” I gasped. “Out there in the fog! I saw them!”

Then the fear and the panic got the better of me, and I burst into tears. 171

“For Chrissake, lassie!” Cailean exclaimed. “You can’t be wandering around at night in this weather. You’ll dive straight off the edge of the cliff! What were you thinking of?”

When I tried to tell them about the people in the fog, they all insisted there was no one else on Bird Rock.

“What about my sister?” I asked, wiping my eyes on my sleeve and trying to pull myself together. “Have you seen her?”

The hunters were already shaking their heads. “We haven’t seen anyone,” one of them replied. “If you’ve got any sense, then you stay put when the fog comes.”

I shivered. “I have to get back to the lighthouse.”

“You’re not going anywhere right now, missy,” Cailean said firmly. “I won’t have your death on my conscience.” He patted my arm and his voice was gentle. “Look, it’s easy to see shapes in the fog. Easy to get turned round and confused. Why, I bet it was the cairns you saw! Damn eerie they look in the moonlight too. There’s not one of us here who hasn’t been spooked by them at one point or another. Isn’t that right?” 172

He looked to the other hunters for support, and they nodded in agreement – all except Will, who stood with his arms folded, watching me closely.

I groaned aloud. “I know the difference between a person and a cairn!”

“Soon as the fog clears, someone will take you back to the lighthouse,” Cailean said. “In the meantime, you might as well sit down and have a cup of tea.”

I tried to argue but Cailean absolutely refused to budge. When I made to walk away, he gripped my arm gently but firmly. “Soon as the fog lifts,” he said. “And not a moment before.”

It seemed I had no choice. Part of me was glad because the thought of going back into the fog alone and coming across those strange, silent people filled me with the most unspeakable dread, so I let them steer me to a seat beside the fire and accepted a hot mug of tea. It did taste good, and my hands gradually stopped shaking as I held it.