Alex clenched his jaw.
“I know this isnae easy for ye to hear, but ye see the lass with your Aunt Iseabail and Lachlann. How could someone with so much compassion do such a thing? All I can say is this—give your wife a chance. If she takes the stone, ’tis another matter entirely.”
“I have John watching her every move.”
“And ye are laird. Ye do what is necessary to protect your people.” MacGregor poured himself another tankard of ale.
“I’ll be damned if I let my clan fall to the MacKenzie.”
“I would expect naught less.”
Alex sat back. “Do ye think me a fool for marrying her?”
“I think ye did what was necessary to better your clan. ’Tis what we all do.”
“But ye wed my cousin and she had naught.”
“Now that is where ye are wrong, MacDonell. Rosalia had everything I could possibly want.”
Nineteen
Sybella waited all day and nothing happened. No messenger. No Colin. No word of her father calling off this ridiculous quest to Lewis. She could no longer postpone the inevitable. She needed to remove the stone and place it back in its rightful place. If her clan wouldn’t stop this madness, she would.
Nightfall had arrived some time ago, and she was somewhat surprised that Alex had not come for her. She opened the adjoining door and saw a mound on the bed. When she heard a low rumble, she knew he slept.
The time was now or never.
She wore her dark cloak and kept to the shadows. The men more than likely had sought their beds since they wanted to take their leave before first light. And since it was a warm eve, she thought perhaps they slept out in the fresh air as they had done for the last several days. At least, that was her hope.
Lachlann had provided her with the perfect cover this afternoon. She had managed to sneak to the stable and show him the animals while conveniently finding a couple of tools, which she’d hid underneath her skirts until she could remove them.
With the main torches extinguished, Sybella was able to move stealthily to the great hall. For a moment, she stood still, listening for the sound of any movement. Because it was late in the eve, her chances of discovery were lessened. At least she silently prayed that was true.
There were only two torches lit in the great hall, and neither one was close enough to suit her purpose. She lifted a torch from the wall and walked across the floor. Her footsteps were the only sound heard next to her nervous beating heart. Lowering the light, she illuminated the MacDonell crest.
She spun her head around as shadows danced across the wall. Her nerves were on edge. Did she hear something, or was it her imagination? A cold knot formed in her stomach. There was no time to falter. Sweat dripped down her brow and she wiped it with her cloak. And once again she was drawn to the clan crest.
The black raven’s eyes mocked her. The stone was her future, perched on a rock with the words “Cragan an Fhithich.” The Rock of the Raven. And God help her, she needed to blind the raven in order for her clan to have sight. Relinquishing the stone was the only way.
Sybella placed the torch on the stone floor and knelt next to the crest. She fumbled under her cloak for the tools she had taken from the stable. Positioning the chisel next to the eye of the raven, she pounded the small hammer on top of it. When a loud bang shot through the hall, she froze.
Praise the saints. She’d never thought about the noise. Panic welled in her throat. At this rate, she would be here all eve and would surely be discovered. There was no time. She lowered the chisel again. After the third attempt, the stone was free. She quickly replaced the eye of the raven with the rock she had found at the loch.
To her dismay, that rock was too small. Of course, nothing could ever go the way she wanted. And worse yet, pieces of broken stone lay upon the ground. She couldn’t fret about that now. She positioned the eye, securing it in place and brushing the loose particles around the rock as best as she could. She stood, stepping on the eye of the raven and packing it down in place. That would have to do. She grabbed the torch and replaced it on the wall.
The time of reckoning could not be postponed forever. Her decision came down to two choices: deliver the seeing stone to her father to protect Alexander or simply take the rock out of the equation. After everything her father had done, Sybella realized she had already made up her mind. The stone would never be enough. Her father wouldn’t stop until Alex was dead.
She walked along the darkened wall of the garden. Fortunately, Aunt Iseabail had wandered out the garden gate so many times that Sybella knew where to find it. The sun would be rising in a few short hours and she needed to move. For a moment, she stood silently, watching and listening to the wall above. When she didn’t hear or see anything, she made her way through the gate.
Hastening her steps, she walked with long purposeful strides to the loch. The light of the moon made the path visible enough to guide her. When Sybella reached the edge of the trickling water, she stopped. She held the rock in her hand and traced the smooth surface with her finger. What secrets did this mere rock hold? If this was a means of predicting the future, the seeing stone would be a dangerous weapon for her father to possess. Her sire was ruthless, trying to kill Alexander and placing blame on the MacLeod for an attempt against her life.
She raised her eyes and studied the loch, confident in her decision and knowing that whatever she did next would change her life forever. There was no turning back. Before she had an opportunity to change her mind, she turned to the side and stretched back her arm the way Colin had shown her. With all of her strength and might, Sybella threw her clan’s sacred seeing stone into the cold depths of the loch.
“Ye throw as a lad, Lady MacDonell.”
Sybella whipped her head around and her jaw dropped.
The captain of Alex’s guard stepped from the shadows of the night.
“What?” she asked, her voice cracking.
He gestured to the loch. “I said ye throw as a lad. I donna know many lasses that can toss a rock the same as ye.”
“Aye…I practiced many times with my brother.”
John placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “And how will your brother feel about this?”
With an innocent tone, she asked, “About what?”
“There is nay need to be coy with me, m’lady. I know ye took the stone.”
Sybella began to shake as fearful images built in her mind. Would the man draw his sword and simply strike her down where she stood? She tried to keep her fragile control and her stomach was clenched tight. When she didn’t speak, he closed the distance between them.
“Come now, Lady MacDonell. I watched ye take the MacKenzies’ seeing stone from the great hall floor. I saw ye sneak out the garden gate, and I followed ye here to where ye tossed the stone into the loch.”
The silence lengthened between them, making her uncomfortable.
“Please, I beg ye, ’tisnae as ye think.”
He chuckled in response. “Then enlighten me.”
She bit her lip, and her eyes darted back and forth. This man was Alex’s friend and also the captain of his guard. What was she supposed to tell him? She must have hesitated too long for his tastes because he grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her toward the castle.
“Then mayhap I will simply take ye to my laird and ye can tell him what ye were doing out here so early in the morn. But I donna think he will be as understanding as me.”