One week earlier…

Magnus gathered in the hall with his siblings. Domhnall was in his usual spot in the laird’s chair with Kai to his left. Magnus sat to his right with Enya and Thora. The mood in the hall was tense, heavy. The somber and pensive mood was reflected on all their faces.

As he sipped his wine, Magnus felt a strange lightening in his heart. The heaviness began to fade and he felt the urge to smile and even laugh. He sighed heavily and turned to Kai.

“Knock it off, ye bleedin’ idiot,” Magnus snapped.

“What?” Kai asked, feigning innocence.

“We dinnae use our gifts on each other. Ye ken that,” Domhnall grumbled. “Stop, Kai.”

“Everybody’s so tense. Just tryin’ tae help,” he muttered as he sat back in his chair.

The MacLeod children had all been born with gifts that defied belief. Kai had the ability to influence people’s emotions. Thora had the gift of sight. Her clairvoyance proved to be a tremendous asset to Domhnall, the clan laird, who himself was gifted with a strength that seemed like something out of the tales of the old gods. Magnus recalled reading a tale about a mythical figure named Hercules that reminded him of his older brother.

Enya was Thora’s identical twin, but she did not possess the same gifts. It was something that never failed to interest Magnus. Enya and Thora were alike in almost every other way but that. Instead of foresight, Enya had the ability to heal others and to take on their pain. Sometimes, it exacted a heavy toll on her that always worried Magnus. Like everyone else, her powers had their limits. She could not heal mortal wounds. As it had been explained to her, saving the life of one fated to die would cause an imbalance and would threaten her own life.

As for Magnus, he had the ability to read the minds of others. He recalled that when he was a child, it had terrified him. The cacophony in his head was deafening and he thought he was going mad. But his father had explained to him that the MacLeods had been chosen to receive these gifts. He had somebody teach him to harness his power and how to use it. It had taken time and many tears of frustration, but eventually, Magnus had learned to drown out the overwhelming chorus and to use his gift properly.

To be true, Magnus had spent most of his life wondering whether these were actually gifts or curses. They could not share them with anybody else. If others knew, they would fear the MacLeods, and fearful people did irrational, even violent things. Their father had made them promise to speak to nobody save each other of their abilities. He had impressed upon them the necessity of secrecy, but had also shown them how those gifts could be best used to serve the entire clan. To help one and all flourish and thrive. And that much had proven true.

But for Magnus, unlike his siblings, it had also led to a life of loneliness and solitude. Burdened by this gift, he’d always felt like an outsider. Between his gift and the responsibility it gave him within the family, Magnus found that he couldn’t relate to people without the sort of weight he labored under. His siblings didn’t seem as affected as he did by their secret and it was always something he was envious of, but he just never felt as if he fit in fully.

Magnus had long known he would never be favored with a normal life or relationships. He had accepted the fact that he would likely never marry, nor find genuine happiness. He had embraced his role within his family and the world, committing himself to his duty. That was all that mattered to him. He accepted and followed the orders of his brother, doing all that was necessary to protect his family and the clan. His siblings teased him for his usually serious disposition, but he bore it as he bore everything—silently and stoically. His duty was all that mattered.

“Why have ye summoned us, Domhnall,” Magnus asked.

“We have a problem,” his brother replied.

“’Tis all we seem tae have sometimes,” Thora said.

Domhnall smiled darkly. The MacLeods had long been known for their fierce independence and unwillingness to bend their knee to anybody. While that inspired fierce loyalty among their clan, it also inspired a seemingly never-ending line of challenges from without. They always seemed to be in conflict with somebody seeking to take what was theirs or to impose their will upon them. But they would not be bowed nor broken.

“What is the problem this time, braither?” Kai asked.

“I’ve gotten word that there is a spy among us,” he replied. “Or at least, that a spy will be among us soon enough.”

“What is their objective?” Magnus asked.

“What else? Tae undermine us from within. Tae weaken us,” Domhnall said.

“Tae make us easy pickin’s fer somebody who wants what’s ours,” Enya said.

“Aye,” Domhnall replied.

“’Tis nae the first time,” Magnus said.

“’Tis nae. But somethin’ about this feels strange tae me,” Domhnall replied.

“Thora?” Magnus asked.

She shook her head. “I’ve nae seen anythin’. Nae yet. And I may nae. I cannae control me sight. I dinnae ken what I’ll be shown.”

She was upset and agitated, frustrated that she did not have the answers. Her clairvoyance had foiled more than a few plots to weaken them from within over the years. But unlike the rest of them, she was unable to focus and control her gifts. Her visions came when they came and there was no way to force them to come. It frustrated her and sometimes left her feeling despondent. Especially when something bad had happened and she hadn’t been able to foresee it.

“What dae we ken about this spy?” Magnus asked.

“Nae much. ‘Tis a lass, from what I hear,” Domhnall replied. “Golden hair, green of eye, and deadly with a blade and a bow.”

“Dae we have a name?” Thora asked.

Domhnall shook his head. “We dinnae.”

“’Tis nae much tae go on,” Magnus mused.

“Agreed. But ‘tis possible, if nae likely, she is headed tae Seabridge.”

“Tae the Highland Games?”

Domhnall nodded. “Aye. ‘Tis what I’ve heard.”

“Why would she go tae the Games?” Enya asked.

“I dinnae ken. Maybe she’s meetin’ confederates,” Domhnall said. “A lot of our clansmen will be there, so it’s possible she’s meetin’ with somebody who kens us well.”

“Ye cannae believe our clansmen would ally with our enemies,” Kai said.

Domhnall fixed him with a level gaze. “Wouldnae be the first time, now would it?”

Kai pulled a face. “I suppose nae.”

“So?” Magnus asked. “What are we goin’ tae dae?”

Domhnall’s chair squeaked and popped as he sat back and steepled his fingers, staring into the fire. The tension in the hall was thick as everybody seemed to be pondering the likelihood they were probably going to have to fight to protect their home and their people once again. Domhnall finally raised his head and took a drink of his wine. He met Magnus’ cold blue eyes and held his gaze firmly. He’d decided on their course of action.

“Magnus, I want ye and Kai tae go tae Seabridge,” he said. “Find this spy and bring her back here so we can question her. I want tae ken who’s pullin’ her strings.”

“Aye, braither. We will solve this together, as we always have”.

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