For the story so far, click here

“First of all I had to make sure my friends were safe.”

“After some practice I found that, if I concentrated, I could move things inside the cottage.  Donnan lay down by the door, watching, waiting for my return.  I draped a shawl across his back which startled him and he whined as he looked around for me, confused.  The shawl slipped to the floor and I lifted it and draped it over him again, this time slowly dragging it across his back, stroking him with it.  He rubbed his face against the shawl, breathing in its smell, my smell.  Then he rolled around on it, wrapping himself in it and howling.  Somehow he sensed me.  He knew I was there.

“The others watched Donnan’s strange performance and gradually they too became aware of my presence.”

“I needed to let them know that it wasn’t safe for them here, that the Viscount’s men would be coming back.  There was a cave at the foot of the mountain where they could hide until the danger passed but I didn’t know how I was going to explain that to them.  I repeatedly tried taking the shawl so that I could use it to lead them there, but Donnan thought it was a game and kept pulling it back and rolling around, barking and wagging his tail.  Eventually I got so frustrated that I screamed with vexation.

“My friends were suddenly still and alert, their ears pricked up.  They had heard me!  I looked at Donnan and Brighde and Beathag and the wee bird, and realised that they were all looking back at me.  They could see me!

“There was a small sack of oats in the basket by the hearth.  I pointed to it and told Donnan to ‘bring’.  Then I moved to the doorway and he followed me, and the others followed him.  We all made our way to the foot of the mountain and I told them to wait in the cave while I went back to the cottage to wait for Faulkner’s men.

“I didn’t have to wait long.”

To be continued …