Highlander's Winter Tale by Donna Fletcher Page A

hole going through it. When the stone is held in front of a witch, the hole draws the power out of the witch and into the stone. The stone then must be broken, breaking the witch’s power forever.” Flanna shook her head. “It is not only difficult to find such a stone, but even more difficult to break it and both must be done by the person who found the stone.”
    Dawn tapped her head, pointed to Flanna, then shrugged.
    Flanna shook her head. “I do not know of anyone who has found such a stone.” She paused a moment, a look of fright in her eyes. “Do you think—”
    Dawn once again pressed a finger to her own lips, warning Flanna to remain silent, then hurriedly gestured that she was going to join Cree in his solar.
    Flanna nodded. “Be careful.”
    Dawn gave her a hasty hug and hurried off.
    “Lady Dawn!” Bessa called out, stopping Dawn before she reached the solar. “Old Mary is crazy with fever.”
    Dawn flew past the lass and up the stairs to Old Mary’s room. She paused a moment upon entering, staring at the scene before her. Neil, his face wrinkled with fear, stood with his eyes fixed on Old Mary thrashing around in the bed, her arms swinging wildly and though she talked, she made no sense.
    Dawn hurried over to her, hearing prayers on Neil’s lips as she passed him that Elsa would not suffer a similar fate. With some difficulty, she got hold of Old Mary’s thrashing hands.
    Old Mary glared at her. “No sense. Nothing.”
    Dawn tapped her chest gently, letting her know it was all right.
    “No! No!” Old Mary insisted her eyes wild with fear. “Evil.” She gasped. “Cree must save us!”
    Bessa started wailing. “We are doomed. We are all doomed. The devil will get us all.”
    Dawn looked with pleading eyes at Neil and he hurried over to the lass and slipped his arm around her, comforting her enough that her wailing subsided. Try as she might, Dawn could not calm Old Mary and as she continued her tirade, it grew more senseless.
    “You know! You know! Hurry!”
    Dawn let go of her arms, afraid her old bones would break if she kept tight hold of them. Instead, she bathed the old woman’s head, fighting to get the fever down.
    Finally, Old Mary calmed and seemed lucid for a few moments. “No time left. No time.”
    Dawn stared at Old Mary as she fell into a restful slumber. After seeing that she would remain so, Dawn turned to Bessa.
    “That is our fate...to go mad,” the young lass cried.
    Dawn was grateful that Neil silenced her. “Hush now. That is not our fate. Lord Cree will keep us safe.”
    Dawn nodded in agreement, then gestured to Neil that she was going to speak with Cree.
    He gave her a brief nod and kept his arm wrapped around Bessa, speaking soothingly to her.
    Dawn closed the door behind her and was about to hurry to the stairs when she saw Alexander standing in front of them.
    “It is time to meet your fate, Dawn,” he said with a smile and started walking toward her.

Chapter Eleven
    Dawn waited until he was a few feet away from her before she pulled out the talisman she had tucked in the shoulder of her tunic and held it out in front of her.
    Alexander stopped abruptly, his smile fading. “You discovered my secret.”
    You are a witch!
    “I am, but how did you know?”
    Dawn spoke as she always did...with her hands. She refused to let him into her head, and she purposely gestured rapidly to see if he could follow her.
    Alexander’s smile returned. “You have a strong mind. You lock me out of your thoughts and you realize what others have failed to see all these years. Some believed it was revenge I was after, but from whom when the woman who cursed me was dead?” He shook his head. “No, it was not revenge I wanted.”
    Dawn gestured again.
    “Aye, you are right, it is power I searched for and gained through the years. You truly do have a wise mind; we could do very well together.”
    Dawn posed another question to him.
    “Of course you would be curious to know the