By the time Raudrich and I finished making the plans for our big surprise, it was too late for me to go to the library to do any research. So, I went to bed, got a few hours of shut-eye, and got up with the sun to head to the library.

I was shocked to see Maddock inside, sitting at a large table with three huge books spread out before him.

He was so engrossed in the material that he neither heard nor saw me when I walked in.

“Good morning. What are you working on?”

He jumped at the sound of my voice, and when he looked up, I could see that once again, he’d gotten very little sleep.

“Good morning, lass. Ye are the first person to ever come in here while I’ve been inside.”

There was a large seat on the opposite side of the table, and I moved to join him.

“How often do you come in here?”

“Hardly ever before Laurel arrived.”

I laughed. “Has her love of writing inspired a love of reading in you?”

“Not exactly. But her presence here on the Isle has made me question beliefs I once thought immovable.”

“Such as?”

“For years I believed that our duty to this Isle was one that would last a lifetime, and for much of my life, I dinna mind it. But then yer sister arrived, and with wit and courage alone upended Machara’s plans. It has made me wonder if mayhap we havena tried hard enough to rid ourselves of her.”

I crossed my one arm over my chest and leaned back in the chair.

“I thought you said that mortal women could have no power over Machara.”

He sighed and gave me a little grin. “Nicol is the last person I would wish to discuss any of this with. While he must be alerted to dangers, ’twould be cruel to give him hope until I have something truthful to tell him.”

It made me much less concerned for the sanity of the members of The Eight to know that at least one of them wasn’t content with living his entire life under Machara’s thumb. It also made me wonder if since we both wanted the same thing, he might be more likely to help me.

I still believed that Brachan was somehow related to Nicol, but I was no closer to knowing how than when I arrived at the castle. The day after my intimate encounter with Maddock, I’d tried to broach the subject with Laurel, but she’d shut me down quickly—not that I could blame her. Until the wedding, she didn’t want to speak or think about the evil faerie that had nearly killed her and the man she loved. After weeks of being on edge, she just wanted a short time of peace.

“Maddock?”

He placed his finger on the text to hold his place and looked up at me. “Aye, lass?”

“She can be defeated, but if she is, it won’t be because of The Eight.”

With his eyes still on me, he closed the book in front of him and leaned forward on the desk. “How could ye possibly know that, Kate?”

“I told you before. I’ve read about you guys. I did a lot of research in the days and weeks before coming here.”

For the next several hours, I told Maddock everything I knew. He listened patiently, his eyes widening and narrowing at varying intervals. When I finished, he let out a big breath and shook his head. “We are all fools. Why dinna we seek more answers? Why did we all settle in and accept our lot here?”

“You’re not fools. It’s just…it’s easy to get comfortable. Once you are, it’s really difficult to change. Trust me. I should know.”

“Lass…”

I cut him off. I’d not meant for my admission to lead to a conversation about us, and I wasn’t sure I could take him telling me once again that he had no intention of pursuing anything else with me. Maddock was right. Of course, I wanted him. I wanted him so badly that each night falling asleep in his bed, without him there, was a dreadful sort of torture. I just didn’t know how to change things now that he seemed so set on just being friends.

“There’s something else. You remember the healer from the village? Brachan? I think he must be related to Nicol. Is that possible? They look so much alike.”

Maddock smiled. “O’course ye noticed. There is no doubt in my mind the lad is related to Nicol.”

“Could it be his cousin, or perhaps a nephew?”

“No, lass. If Brachan is not Nicol’s son, then I shall never trust my own eyes again.”

His son. Some small part of my mind had wondered, but it was a thought I’d dismissed quickly. I knew he bore no children with Freya. Was it possible that Brachan was half-fae? Could he be one of the children Nicol bore with Machara? Had she truly not killed them all?

Maddock could guess the questions running through my mind.

“I doona know, lass. I tried to tell Nicol about the lad the day we arrived, but he wouldna hear it. He ordered me to say nothing of it until after the wedding.”

It seemed everyone in the castle, save Maddock and me, was on the same page in regard to Machara.

“Laurel dismissed me, as well, when I tried to ask her about it. So, what do we do?”

“For now, we read to see if we can learn more, but we listen to everyone’s wishes and do nothing until after Laurel and Raudrich are wed.”

“What then?”

“Then I take ye to Machara whether ye wish to see her or not. From everything ye’ve told me, ’tis ye that will have to face her, and we need to know if Brachan is part of her plan to harm ye and break free. If he is, then I shall find the lad and kill him.”

“Maddock.” A sudden rush of defensiveness sprang up inside me. Brachan had saved my life, not harmed me. “What if Brachan doesn’t even know who he is? I really think he’s innocent in all this.”

“He knows, or at least the woman who raised him does. She dinna care for it when I brought up how much he resembled Nicol. How can ye assume he’s innocent? Ye doona know him.”

“I know that he saved my life. Maddock, he was kind. I just didn’t get that sort of read from him.”

“Regardless, lass, I doona want him near ye.” He stood and flattened his palm against the top of the desk. “For now, I must put all of this aside. It seems I should thank ye for the hard work we must put in today.”

I grinned guiltily. “It’s going to be wonderful when it’s finished.”

“Aye, lass, ’tis. Let us send Nicol and Laurel away so we may set to work.”