Page 173 of First Light

“Why?”

Cadell kept his eyes on something in the distance. “Have you spoken to Duncan?”

“Since we rummaged around the ruins of his house yesterday? No.”

“But he knows you are returning to the Brightlands?”

“You said he was coming with us.”

“Yes.” Cadell looked up. “He said he’d be ready at midday.”

She looked up at the sky, which told her… absolutely nothing. There was no sun. “What is going on?”

“I feel very strong magic.” Cadell pushed Carys behind him and walked through the hedges that led to Duncan’s cottage.

“Hey, at least there’s not an evil mage making a giant hill that we have to climb, right?”

Cadell kept a hand on her, forcing her to stay at his back as he walked through the alley of trees that guarded the house. The lane was narrower than it had been, and Carys noticed there were thorns on either side of the path, mixed in with the flowering bulbs and wildflowers.

“I think Auld Mags has been at work,” Cadell said.

They walked under the green archway and into the small meadow in front of Duncan’s home.

“Yeah.” Carys tried not to gape. “I think so.”

The cottage that had been ruins two days before was nearly rebuilt. The thatch on the roof needed to be trimmed and the stone was fresh and bare of moss, but the garden around the cottage was as verdant as ever, the wattle-and-daub walls were freshly painted, and a pile of old house timbers was neatly stacked along the side of the garden shed to use as firewood.

“Oh my God.” Carys blinked. “How did he?—”

“Not Duncan. Auld Mags.” He looked down. “I told you bwbach have strong magic.”

“But…” Her head swung from right to left, taking in the house, which looked brand-new. “How?”

“Angus helped.” Duncan stepped out the front door and leaned against the log holding up the front porch. “Hello, Carys Morgan.”

“Duncan.” She suddenly felt… shy. “Hi.” She was unsure of herself. She’d said goodbye to Lachlan but had no idea how she was going to bid farewell to his brother. “Cadell said you’re coming with us.”

“Angus and Auld Mags are keen to get me out of their way.” He hoisted a backpack over his arm. He was already dressed in his Brightlands clothing. “I’ve your clothes in here if you want to change.”

Carys looked down at her comfy wool leggings, long tunic, and cloak. She suddenly realized how much she was going to miss the clothes here. They were warm and comfortable.

“But not the shoes,” she muttered.

“What’s that?”

Carys walked over and sat on a stone bench. “Maybe just my hiking boots.”

“Done.” He took the pack from his shoulder and dug around. “I woke up in the shed this morning, walked out the door, and saw all this.”

“In one night?” Cadell leaned against the cottage wall. “She’s very powerful.”

“She finished the bones of the cottage yesterday after you left. Said she’d been healing well enough and didn’t want to ‘let that hairy-eyeballed witch win.’” He glanced at Carys. “That’s a quote.”

“You’ll need to bring her a cow for all this.” Carys took the hiking boots Duncan held out. “A bowl of milk isn’t going to cut it.”

“She’s already put in an order for a ‘nice wee coo with ruddy hair’ for the garden.”

Carys couldn’t stop her smile. “Am I ever going to meet Auld Mags?”