Page 33 of The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain
Logan said, “Listen, Magni. We have many resources to help us, but I need you to tell me everything you know. Start at the beginning. Where did she find you? And where are your parents?”
Magni let out a deep sigh, but his shoulders relaxed, telling Connor he had calmed a wee bit. “Take your time, lad. Logan will wait.”
“My parents were killed, and I was stolen away. The bad people brought me to Ulva, but I escaped.”
“Good job, lad,” Logan said.
“So, I hid in the forest on Mull and one night I was crying and that’s when she came to me.”
“She?”
“Lia. She was hiding under a leaf.”
“A leaf?” Logan nodded but gave Connor one of his doubting looks. Connor motioned with his hand to let the boy continue.
“When I first saw her. You see, Lia is a faery of the woods, of the green meadow. And she can appear any way she wishes. She made herself bigger, but not quite my size.”
“Why is Lia here? Faeries usually have special powers, special purposes.”
“She does. She told me this in the cave after Meg saved us. She said that she had to take care of a few things, to help fix them, but she promised she’d come back to me. She said she can’t change things herself, she has to push people to do things. I don’t understand what that means, but she said people needed her. I begged her not to go. She promised not to leave me until we were safely on the boat. And when Lennox came, she said he would save us all, the five of us. So, she went to the docks with us, but then she said she had to leave for a bit. And then…” Magni peered up at Logan, then at Connor.
“Go ahead, Magni. Tell Logan everything.”
Tears fell down the lad’s cheeks and he said, “But you’ll never believe me.”
“We will. Tell us what you saw and what she said. Take your time.” Logan set his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and he nodded, then wiped his tears.
“She turned into a woman with a scarf and said, ‘I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time. Now I must go, Magni.’ Then she kissed my cheek and said, ‘I’ll be back.’”
He stared into space, transfixed. But then he broke into a wide grin. “Then she told me she would always be my sister. And I made her promise because I don’t have anyone anymore. Just Thane.”
Logan cleared his throat and looked up at the stars. “Lad, I’ll be needing a grandson here. Connor, he’s got a daughter, a grandson, and a granddaughter. And I have a granddaughter…”
“Who’s that?”
“Eli is my granddaughter, but she spends all her time with Alaric, her new husband. I have grandsons far away, but I miss them. I wish to adopt one here.”
Magni looked up at Logan, the hope in his eyes nearly causing Connor to look away, but instead he broke into a wide grin. Logan had a way with bairns unlike anyone else he knew.
“Me? You’d pick me?”
Logan shrugged. “Only if you wish to be my grandson and if Thane agrees.”
“Aye. I would. And Thane will agree. I told him I never had a grandda or a grandmama.” Then he paused, scowling a bit before he lifted his head again. “But only if you promise to find Lia first.”
Connor laughed and patted Magni on the back. “Ramsay, he must be yours. He’s already conniving.”
“I’m conni…con…what?”
“Never mind. I agree to your conditions.”
“So how will we find Lia?”
“Did she tell you where she was going?”
“Nay, but she told Meg! She did. I heard her.”
“What did she say?”
