Lachlan swallowed and watched Synne out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t reply, not because he didn’t have a response, but because he chose not to utter it.
Her mare came to a sudden halt and tossed her head back. “Either you think I’m daft and you’re humoring me, or…you already know about the Coven.”
He blew out a breath and pulled at the reins to halt his steed. Lachlan briefly closed his eyes before he turned his mount around to face Synne. “I doona think you’re daft.”
“So, you know.”
He gave a single nod. “I know about witches and magic. You can no’ live in this land, especially this forest, and no’ know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Synne asked with narrowed eyes.
Lachlan swept his arm around him. “Take a look. This forest is massive. Do you no’ think that beings take refuge in such a place?”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
There was a bite to her words now. She had been distrustful before, but now she was even more so. Not that he blamed her. Lachlan pointed to the side. “There is a Witch’s Grove in that direction.”
Synne glared at him for a long, silent moment.
He lowered his arm. Then, he spoke the words he’d never said aloud to another soul. “I know because my grandmother was a witch.”
Still, Synne said nothing.
“It’s a secret kept from everyone,” he said. “No one in my clan knows, except for my family.”
“Not even your laird?”
“My father is the laird.”
If it was possible, Synne’s eyes became even icier. Lachlan ran a hand over his jaw. “My grandmother had the gift of healing. No one questioned her knowledge of herbs. Only rarely did she use magic. The last time was when my mother had difficulty while birthing me. My grandmother used magic to try and keep my mother alive, but it wasna enough. She died that night.”
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
“Mine isna the only one to die in childbirth, nor will she be the last, I wager.”
“Did your grandmother mention the Coven?”
Lachlan glanced at the ground and nodded. “About a year before she passed, she got a visit from two women. They wouldna talk to anyone but my grandmother. They didna stay long, but after they left, my grandmother ordered my father to never allow them anywhere near the castle again. A few months later, reports came in of strange happenings. My grandmother said only three words. ‘It’s the Coven.’”
“Usually, when they come for a witch, asking for them to be a part of the Coven, they kill her if she declines.”
“Grandmother was an old, frail woman by that point. Perhaps they knew she wasna worth killing.”
“Or she joined them.”
Fury rose up in Lachlan with such intensity that it startled him. He fought not to reach for his sword. “If the Coven is what you say they are, she never would’ve joined.”
“Or she would’ve to save her family.”
Lachlan didn’t want to believe it. Then again, how could he be sure what Synne told him about the Coven was even true?
“You know about magic. You know about witches and Witch’s Groves, and you’ve even heard of the Coven,” Synne said. “There are few places that haven’t been hit by the Coven. Their witches thrive on hurting the innocent. It’s why we Hunters began. When we hear of such things, we track down the witch or witches and kill them. It’s what I’ve trained for my entire life. And I intend to continue doing it. Because someone has to stop the Coven.”
Synne rode past him without looking his way. Lachlan remained where he was, thinking over her words. It was true that many strange and inexplicable things happened to the surrounding clans. But never his people. Could it be because his grandmother had joined the Coven? She had never done anything evil, and he knew that she wouldn’t have joined the Coven if they were as Synne said. Then again, he was only guessing. He had no idea what his grandmother had done because she refused to discuss it with anyone.
Lachlan turned his horse back around and nudged it into a canter to catch up with Synne. He slowed the gelding when he pulled up alongside the Hunter. While he hadn’t grown up with magic, he’d known his grandmother had…unique…gifts. It wasn’t until he was much older that she’d told him she was a witch.
“I understand why you don’t believe me about the Coven,” Synne said into the silence. “I wasn’t keen on taking your word for who you were at first, either.”
“Magic isna something that is talked about. When it is, there’s always a thread of fear with it.”
Synne turned her head to him, meeting his gaze. Her amber eyes held no anger or wariness. “The majority of people don’t know about witches. They’re the lucky ones.”
“I wouldna say that. I knew a witch, and I loved her dearly.”
“True,” Synne said and looked forward. “I loved a witch. Thought of her as my mother. Edra was an amazing woman, but my life would’ve been much different had I not known what I do.”
Lachlan made a sound in the back of his throat. “Anyone can say that about anything in their lives. I wouldna be surrounded by so much war and death if I hadna been born a male and become such an adept warrior. This is my path. I’ve accepted it. You must accept yours.”
“I thought my path was as a Hunter.”
“Why has that changed? Because Edra and Radnar died? You think to stop being what they trained you to be to help yourself and others, simply because their lives were lost?”
Synne cut him a sideways look, her lips flattened. “When you put it that way, nay.”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have a gift, one that they saw in you. It’s now up to you to keep others safe from the Coven. And to teach others what you’ve been taught regarding weapons and witches.”
“You make it sound so easy, but I can’t infuse weapons with magic to give the Hunters an edge against the Coven.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Perhaps no’, but there are other witches out there who will want to fight against the Coven. No’ all of them will so readily join the Coven’s ranks. And did you no’ tell me about the Heart?”
“Helena,” Synne said and glanced at him. “She could use her magic for the weapons.”
“There you go, then.”
Synne rolled her eyes while shaking her head. “This isn’t something that I can do in a month or even a year. Radnar and Edra spent many years fortifying the abbey and teaching us to become Hunters. We don’t have that kind of time. Sybbyl has already attacked us. She’s going after the Varroki next.”
“Aye. The warlocks.”
“And witches,” Synne added.
Lachlan patted his horse’s neck. “They sound powerful.”
“They are.”
“But you’re worried.”
She nodded slowly. “Edra was powerful as well, and she wasn’t the only witch there. But…the Varroki are something altogether different. Do you know of them?”
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“They’re very secretive.”