Allegra Fairweather_ Paranormal Investigator - Janni Nell [19]
Jenny Clark fell silent.
“It’s a very sad story,” I said, wondering how much was true and how much embellishment. There was no way Jenny could have known what Vanora had said to her captor. I decided to test Jenny. “How do you know so much detail?”
She didn’t answer. Her eyes were glazed and unseeing. Her face was unnaturally pale. Uh-oh—this looked bad.
“Jenny?” I waved my hand in front of her eyes. She blinked but her expression didn’t change. I took her cold hands in mine and began to rub.
I had seen this sort of reaction before. Usually it occurred when a living person identified very strongly with one who was dead. It wasn’t the same as possession, which was very rare and best dealt with by an experienced exorcist.
Continuing to rub her hands, I said, “Come back, Jenny Clark. You are in your cottage in the village of Beag Glen. You are sitting with Allegra Fairweather.”
Jenny blinked rapidly. Her plump cheeks twitched. “Allegra?”
“I’m here.”
She gave me a startled glance. “Did I lose control? All I remember is telling you about Vanora McDougall.”
“You became very involved in your tale,” I said. “It was almost as though you were living it yourself.”
“Sometimes I feel very close to Vanora.”
“Have you ever seen her?”
She shook her head. “But I’d like to. Sometimes when I’m at the cairn I feel she is very close.”
Casper interrupted us, depositing a load of freshly cut firewood into the basket beside the hearth. “Is everything all right, Allegra?”
I nodded.
“Would you like to see Leith’s Cairn now?” Jenny asked.
“Before we do,” I said, “Do you know a man named Angus McEwen from the village of Furness?”
She shook her head. Then she repeated, “Do you want to see the cairn now?”
Noting her pale cheeks, I asked, “Do you feel up to it?”
“Not only do I feel up to it,” said Jenny, springing to her feet, “I feel as though I absolutely must go there this instant.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. A compulsion to visit the cairn could mean Jenny was more closely linked to the shade of Vanora than was good for any of us. On the other hand I did have my guardian angel with me. What could go wrong?
I was about to find out.
Chapter Five
We hiked out of Beag Glen and continued upward until we reached Glasbrae, the site of Leith’s Cairn. To my eyes the small pile of weathered stones was unimpressive. It was hard to believe a malevolent spirit lurked somewhere within them.
“How close can I go without disturbing him?” I asked Jenny. Douglas had said a hundred yards, but when you’re dealing with homicidal spirits it’s best to double-check.
“As close as you like,” said Jenny. “Leith won’t harm you. He needs a male heart. The heart of a warrior.” She glanced at Casper. “You’d better stay right here beside me.”
Casper didn’t look worried. As a guardian angel he was immune to shades like Leith, but Jenny didn’t know that and we didn’t tell her. It was best if she thought Casper was a mere mortal. He kept up the pretence, sticking close by Jenny as I moved toward the cairn.
A little breeze ruffled the grass. Birds flew overhead. The scene was as peaceful as any I’ve witnessed…until I stopped beside the cairn.
The stones were mottled with moss. They smelt of old battles and metal and blood. I thought I could hear the screams of fallen men. They chilled me to the bone.
I had an odd compulsion to touch the stone at the top of the cairn. Splaying my fingers, I laid my palm against the rough surface. It was colder than it should have been.
I stood there feeling the texture and hardness of the stone. Suddenly it began to vibrate, sending a tremor up my arm. My first instinct was to pull away, but I couldn’t. Something was clamped around my wrist, anchoring it place. I looked down. There was nothing to see but I could feel invisible fingers digging into my flesh.
Casper