“Me?” I squeaked. “What can I do?”
Fiona gravely met my eyes as she reached for my hand. “Ye’ve experienced waking visions of Jamie and dreams regarding our kingdom, have ye not?”
I nodded, the vision of the witch in the king’s chamber flashing in my mind as she placed the gold and ruby ring in my palm. “Ye’ll need this.”
Regardless of the things I’d seen, I was skeptical, but I’d do anything to help Jamie. So I let Fiona lead me toward the flickering light of the journal.
“Dinna be afraid.” The violet flames reflected in Fiona’s eyes, turning them an eerie purple. “Put the ring on and focus with all yer heart on overcoming the witch’s evil—and finding yer true love.”
I slipped on the ring, and squeezed my eyes closed as Fiona raised our joined hands over the burning book. My terror morphed into a living thing breathing down my neck, my thoughts ricocheting between Jamie’s blank stare after he took the journal to Addie’s gloating face to Jamie lying dead at my feet. Clenching my teeth, I squeezed Fiona’s fingers. My pulse accelerated, forcing rapid breaths from my lungs. I would not allow the witch to win.
I lowered my hand and peeked at the burning book; the flames danced before me, taunting me. Nothing had changed. In desperation, I turned to Fiona. “It’s not working! I can’t do this.”
Fiona’s calm voice urged me on. “Ye have ta let go of yer fear and be a vessel. Let yourself believe, Veronica.”
Believe. I stopped focusing on the witch. Instead I focused on my love for Jamie … the joy I felt every time he laughed, the warmth in his eyes meant exclusively for me, how his unguarded smile refreshed my battered soul. No matter what happened in the future, whether we ended up together or not, I would do everything within my power to save him now.
I believe.
The pages of Aunt Gracie’s journal began to flip wildly as the violet blaze turned to ice and shattered with a heart-stopping explosion. Shards of frozen flames blanketed Fiona and I with frigid purple debris as we rocked backward. Fiona’s wide eyes radiated shock as she steadied herself. “The witch’s curse has shattered. It’s broken.”
Instead of feeling relief and a sense of accomplishment as I leaned over the book and examined the unmarred pages, dread bloomed in my chest.
“That’s a good thing, right?” Kenna moved closer to stand beside me.
My hand trembled as I reached out and touched the journal. In a flash, I could see Jamie—bound, his face slack in unconsciousness, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The vision faded, but the image stayed imprinted on my mind’s eye.
I blinked away the horrifying picture and answered Kenna’s question. “I don’t think so. It means she doesn’t need it anymore … because she has something better. She has Jamie.”
Duncan swore and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “All she has to do is keep him until the Brig o’ Doon closes. If the ruler o’ Doon fails to return by the end of the Centennial …” His words faded out.
Fiona finished the terrible truth as Fergus reached for her hand. “… the Covenant will be broken, and Doon will vanish inta the mists of oblivion forever.”
“And she wins.” Rage pumped through my veins, screaming for an outlet. I closed the journal with a bang. “But we’re not going to let that happen. Are we?”
On cue, they snapped out of their collective despair. “Nay!”
“Of course, not!”
“We fight—to the death if need be!”
“For Doon!”
As they spoke over one another, their actions became focused and decisive. Fiona said a short prayer, Duncan and Fergus quickly inventoried their weapons, and Kenna met my gaze, resolution blazing in her eyes.
“Let’s go!” I grabbed the journal and led our ragtag rescue team back down the aisle of the chapel.