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Her eyes flew open with the memory of the last few days

Tara shot up in bed and looked around the rooed on the outside of a house instead of inside it The fireplace across the rooave off little heat, and the sain, she sht patter of drops behind the curtains

She tossed back the blankets and clie bed When her bare feet touched the carpet covering the stone floor, she realized how cold and daown dropped to her heels when she stood Tara had never seen the gown before and couldn’t re it on

Her breath started to come in small pants She closed her eyes and wondered if she was still asleep and drealass

Shutters kept out some of the cold, but not much

Tara raised a shaky hand and opened the wooden frareen hills, like she had never seen before, stretched out as far as she could see Although it was ray clouds blocked the sun and filled the sky with aped down from where she stood and sahat had to be a three-story drop To her right a stone turret pointed toward the sky with a flag of a from the top

She let the drape fall back in place and atte she saw

A knot of panic took form in the back of her throat

“Duncan!”

She screamed his name at the top of her voice

Her strides took her to the door of her room Mad as hell, she threw open the heavy wood and yelled his naathered with Fin and his parents to explain their tale because they’d arrived too late last night to do so then Tara’s voice bellowed through the Keep, just as the bulk of the story had been told Duncan dared a look up the stairhere he heard her cursing hihed in the face of Duncan’s pain “I don’t envy you, brother”

Tara rounded the corner of yet another hall, walking in circles She bellowed his naain, positive he heard her She followed her instincts, and headed down another corridor

“Duncan!” She wanted to add a very colorful expletive, but found herself at a loss “Dairl peeked around a door “Where is he?” Tara sniped at the child

The girl shrank back and pointed down yet another hall

Tara uttered her thanks and marched in the direction the child indicated Her path led her to a ser hall Once there, she saw a light flickering and heard reat hall was massive Five people could walk side by side and never so much as touch one of the others It curved in an arc Tara hardly noticed as she flen the steps in a fury

Duncan sat with his brother and two other people, a reat roo at the base of the staircase stood, stared, and then scurried out of her way as she passed

Duncan—” Dammit-to-hell, as his last name? She wanted to throttle him

“MacCoinnich, Duncan MacCoinnich,” he answered her unasked question

“Duncan MacCoinnich, what the hell is going on? Where arabbed a handful of the ht from one foot to another