Touch of Eternity(81)

“How are we to find this daughter?” Cathal asked.

“According to our information,” Payton said, “Vanora was imprisoned by a clan that was a neighbor to the Cameron clan. That is why she fled to the Camerons and then stayed there with them.”

I was starting to feel hope that they could actually settle things peacefully. Cathal was listening carefully to what Payton was saying. Even Nathaira had not raised any objections for the last few minutes. She seemed to be deep in thought.

I myself was so captivated by what I was hearing that I hardly thought of the danger I was still in.

The next sentence that Blair said changed everything.

“But maybe the witch was wrong. She claimed that her own daughter would kill her. But as we all know, it was Nathaira who killed her.”

Cathal’s expression fell in horror. But before he could say another word, Nathaira burst out in hysterical laughter.

“You idiots!” she shouted. Her face had contorted into a sneering mask as she pulled out her dagger and came closer to me, step by step. “Of course the witch was right! I am her daughter!”

Cathal shook his head. “You?”

“Yes! Do you want to hear how I know?” She looked her brother in the eye. “Your mother told me when I was ten years old. She said she hated me. She said I was a monster of wickedness and that my real mother was a dirty devil’s bride whom my father had taken whenever he had wanted.”

Nathaira’s anger was now aimed directly at Cathal, who seemed to hardly believe his ears.

For me, though, the pieces of the puzzle were slowly fitting together. The pendant was burning hotter than ever, and I was not going to ignore it. Slowly and inconspicuously, I tried to move closer to the door. Payton also seemed to sense the danger, and he shielded me a little bit more with his body. But Nathaira was no longer paying any attention to us.

“I knew that your mother had told me the truth,” she said. “I could feel Vanora’s power inside me, even if I didn’t inherit any of her abilities. I was but a child, Cathal. Do you understand that? And she told me that she hated me. The only mother I’d ever known. That’s when I knew what I had to do. That’s why I poisoned her. Everyone thought she died of consumption.”

Cathal turned as pale as the white wall behind him, and his whole body shook.

Blair intervened. He grabbed Nathaira and slapped her with all his might.

“Shut up! What has got into you? Do you know what you are saying?”

Nathaira’s cheek turned blazing red where she’d been hit. Her black hair fell into her face; her eyes were full of hatred, and her nostrils flared with every hectic breath. She looked like an animal in a trap. But if I had expected that Blair’s intervention would silence the woman, I was wrong.

“You,” she now attacked Blair. “You failure!” She shook her hair out of her eyes and pushed him away.

“If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have had any other choice than to play husband to one of those Cameron women. Just like your father had planned on.”

“That is rubbish!” Blair said. “My father wouldn’t ever have wanted an alliance with the Camerons after Kyle’s death. That cold-blooded murder had to be avenged and that is exactly what we did.”

A triumphant expression set itself on Nathaira’s face. She was almost smiling. Slowly, she let her hate-filled eyes wander—first to the giant Alasdair, who looked strangely indifferent, and then to her brother Cathal.

“Brother, don’t think that I don’t love you. For you I gave up Alasdair and would have even married Blair. And the Camerons, well, that was also my gift to you. Without me, that night would never have ended that way.”

The atmosphere in the motel room was getting more and more heated. Blair was darting angry looks at Alasdair; Cathal looked like he might collapse. Sean had stepped up to Blair, seeming ready to jump in to prevent his big brother from doing anything rash. He was also keeping an eye on me.

I had already gotten quite a bit closer to the door. But just one step farther and it would be pretty clear that I was intending to run. Payton let go of my hand and took a stance nearer to his brothers. Being so close to me was probably draining too much of his strength. Without him by my side, I felt more vulnerable. On the other hand, I could react more quickly on my own.

Cathal shook his head, confused. “Nathaira, sister, what does all this mean?”

“Think for yourself! If Kyle hadn’t died, the McLeans wouldn’t have fought. They would never have taken part in the massacre of the Camerons if they hadn’t had a personal reason to join in. I killed Kyle for you!”