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grandchildren,” Ronan
said.
    “She needs more or so my wife tells me,”
Artair said.
    Cavan nodded. “Honora tells me the same.”
    “I stopped Alyce before she told me too much
of what I didn’t want to hear,” Lachlan said.
    “Carissa made me listen to what she had to
say about mum and Hagen,” Ronan confessed.
    “I think we all agree that mum is happy and
we want her to stay that way,” Cavan said. “And that Hagen is a
good man and treats her well.”
    “He better,” Ronan said with a raised fist
and Artair and Lachlan nodded.
    At that moment Hagen entered the hall, a big
man with not a hair on his head but a joyous smile on his face. He
hurried over to Addie, wrapped her in a huge hug and gave her a
sound kiss. Their mother blushed, laughed and kissed him back.
    “Mum certainly is happy,” Ronan said.
    “And she’d like us to be happy for her,”
Cavan said. “I think we should give her that.”
    With some reluctance, the three nodded.
    A servant rushed in from the kitchen and
spoke rapidly to Addie. She along with Hagen hurried over to her
sons. At her anxious approach they all stood.
    “A bit of a mishap with Roark and Ryan,”
Addie said, “though I’m assured it’s nothing serious.”
    Lachlan and Ronan got to their feet just as
their wives carried the two boys into the great hall, tears still
wet on their flushed cheeks.
    The fathers’ hurried to their sons and Artair
and Cavan followed along with Hagen and Addie.
    “A fall and a bump nothing more,” Alyce
assured Lachlan as he reached for his son.
    “The same here,” Carissa said.
    Ryan’s little arms reached anxiously out to
his father and wrapped tightly around his neck once Ronan took hold
of him.
    “Where’s Zia?” Artair asked. “I assume she
saw to the lads.”
    “And Honora, where is she?” Cavan asked.
    Before anyone could answer Neddie came
running into the hall screaming, “He took her. He took her. The
giant took Honora.”
    Cavan ran over to Neddie who had collapsed to
her knees, the root plants spilling from the basket clenched
tightly in her hand. He bent down beside her. “What do you mean?
Who took my wife?”
    Addie stooped down, wrapped her arm around
Neddie, who trembled uncontrollably, and helped her to stand. She
guided her over to the table before the hearth and placed a tankard
of hot cider in her hands.
    “Zia needs the roots. You must get her the
roots,” Neddie pleaded.
    “Do not worry, we will see that Zia gets the
roots,” Addie said softly and motioned to a servant to take care of
it. “Now warm yourself with the cider and tell us what
happened.”
    Cavan was relieved his mother had handled
Neddie so well. He would have simply shaken her senseless trying to
get answers. As it was, his heart was pounding so hard that he
thought it would burst from his chest and his stomach twisted with
fear.
    “We were finished collecting the root plants
that Zia needed right away. We turned to leave the woods—” Neddie
turned silent.
    What was his wife doing in the woods and why
hadn’t she told him she was going there? He would have never let
her and Neddie go alone. But then she was familiar with the woods,
her mother having taken her there often when she was young. Still,
she should not have gone alone. If she was in front of him now he’d
throttle her. No, he wouldn’t. He would hug her tight and not let
her go.
    Neddie finally continued. “He just stood
there, he did. He was broad as he was tall, a giant he was. Wore
mostly furs. His hair the color of the sun on the brightest day and
a face—” She blessed herself. “Sinful features that caught the
breath.” She shook her head. “He scooped Honora up, tossed her over
his shoulder and was gone in a flash.”
    Cavan glared at her knowing there was more
than she was telling.
    Neddie shuddered and reluctantly met his dark
brown eyes. “Bless her soul; she called out for you, as if you
would hear her.”
    And he had, good lord, he had heard her.