At this moment a gaunt black cat sidled through the open door, spat at Fiona, and with a joyful yowl leaped right on top of Kelpie. This was unfortunate, since black cats were known to have a fondness for witches.
Fiona backed up to the door, crossing herself furiously, and Eithne looked awed. “Dhé!” she whispered. “Dubh has never done that before for anyone!”
Kelpie looked at Dubh with a mixture of pleasure and irritation. She liked cats, but this one had timed his appearance poorly.
Dubh looked back at her, great topaz eyes glowing into hers steadily and inscrutably, and his purring filled the room.
“He is wanting some food,” suggested Kelpie lamely. But Dubh didn’t show the slightest interest in her meal. Instead, he arranged himself comfortably on top of her legs.
“Animals are always liking me,” Kelpie went on with better success. Eithne’s face brightened and cleared. Of course! And if animals liked a person, it was a sure sign that the person was to be trusted. Eithne, like her brother, wanted to think the best of everyone, especially of those whom life seemed to have treated unfairly. Besides, Kelpie interested her.
Presently she was seated on the edge of the cot, listening to the lurid tale of Kelpie’s life and even being shown some of the scars and bruises on the thin shoulders and back. Eithne was hot and shaking with shocked indignation. It was perfectly dreadful, appalling!
And Kelpie, rising to great tragic heights, played up to the most sympathetic audience she had ever had. The long ringed eyes fixed on Eithne’s brown ones were soft and luminous and oh, so innocent.
But the “innocent” eyes reminded Alex of Dubh’s, as he entered the room and got a good view of both pairs. He hadn’t been easy in his mind about Eithne’s being in here so long. Ringed eyes like that weren’t canny. The lass might well be a witch, at that, though likely too young to be very dangerous. All the same, his foster sister must be protected.
“Come away from her and out of here!” he ordered Eithne brusquely.