as he frowned down the hil side at Peg’s house, undecided

if he liked what Alec was tel ing him or not. “Ye hired Peg’s

mother and aunt to cook for us?” he repeated, sliding his

gaze to Alec. “Before I gave my approval?”

“I tel ye, those two women can cook,” Alec said, looking

to Robbie for support. “Tel him how I caught you licking

your plate clean.”

Robbie shot Duncan a grin. “They definitely can cook.

And they both seem to understand the number of calories a

working man needs at the end of a day. I swear the steaks

they served us were a pound and a half each. Sam Dalton

ate two.”

Duncan snorted. “More like they understand how much

butter to spread around a job interview to get hired. So,” he

said, looking from one man to the other. “Is Peg’s mother

anything like she is?”

“Ye mean smart and capable,” Alec drawled, “or sassy-

mouthed trouble?”

“I mean, am I going to have to put mittens and blinders on

my crew three times a day?” He shook his head. “I hadn’t

planned on having females in camp.”

“I’m certain Jeanine and Bea can handle our crews,”

Robbie said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find

a shotgun standing in the corner of your camp kitchen,

along with a bottle of liquid gold.”

Alec sat up. “I thought I saw Bea dosing the beans with

something, and I swear I tasted a hint of Scotch.” He looked

at Duncan and grinned. “Ye suppose Peg told them you like

a little nip in the morning?” He suddenly sobered. “I’m afraid

there’s a bit of a problem with my hiring them, though. It

seems Peg’s not al that pleased.”

It was Duncan’s turn to sit up. “Why?”

“I overheard her tel ing her mother that some people in

town are targeting anyone who’s working on the resort

road.”

“What else?” he asked when he saw Alec’s face darken.

“Did Peg tel you what happened to her van?”

“She said it was taking a long, wel -deserved nap. And

she told me to tel you that if anyone gives her mom or aunt

any trouble, she’s ripping up your agreement and chaining

off the pit.”

“So she was threatened.” Duncan looked at Robbie. “Did

ye find the van?”

Robbie shook his head. “Nay, I even drove several tote

roads between here and Turtleback Station, and quietly

asked around in both towns while keeping an eye out for

the car that brought her to Inglenook, but I couldn’t find any

trace of the van using conventional methods.”

Duncan gazed into the fire. “And unconventional

methods?” he asked quietly.

“Apparently this is a no-magic zone,” Robbie said just as

quietly.

Duncan lifted his head in surprise. “Is that even

possible?”

“I hadn’t thought so. But no matter what I tried, I couldn’t

do a damned thing. Hel , I had to use a lighter to start our

campfire tonight.” He canted his head. “It’s as if the energy I

kept trying to cal forth was—and apparently stil is—

sleeping. It’s here; I can definitely feel it, but I can’t seem to

roust it.”

Duncan stiffened. “Do you think it’s just in this area, or

everywhere?”

“I final y grew frustrated enough to cal both Ian and

Winter yesterday, and they’re not having any problems.”

Robbie gestured toward the fiord. “It only seems to be

around Bottomless.” He shrugged. “Maybe Mac turned it

dormant.”

“But you’re a Guardian; you’re immune to a drùidh’s

magic because it’s your job to protect us from them.”

“Mac’s a theurgist, not a drùidh,” Robbie thought to

explain. “With Providence’s blessing thousands of years

ago, Titus Oceanus built Atlantis on which to cultivate his

Trees of Life to protect mankind from the warring gods. He

then trained a handful of men to be drùidhs to protect the

Trees he eventual y scattered al over the world, only to

realize he needed to instal Guardians to safeguard the

people from the drùidhs. Titus and Maximilian—and

eventual y Henry—are at the top of the hierarchy.” He shook

his head. “Even de Gairn would be powerless here.”

“For Christ’s sakes, why would Mac turn off the magic

and then walk away?”

Robbie’s deep gray eyes looked directly into Duncan’s. “I

doubt he walked away without leaving some means to

awaken it. Mind explaining to me why he suggested I tel

you to go see your mountain before al hel breaks loose?

And that you remember to bring along someone with less

broad shoulders and smal er hands?”

“You have a mountain?” Alec asked in surprise. “Like Ian

has TarStone now?”

Duncan dropped his head in his hands. “It appears so.”

“Which one?” Alec asked.

He gestured toward the fiord without lifting his head.

“That one over there.” He final y looked up, his gaze going

from Alec to Robbie. “The other day when we were up the

mountain, Mac told me to pick one and its power would be

mine to command.” He gestured across the fiord again.

“And being an angry idiot at the time, I pointed over there

when Mac threatened to choose one for me—in whatever

century he decided.”

“Sweet Christ,” Alec murmured, looking at the dark

shadow looming into the night sky across the fiord. “He just

up and gave you a mountain?”

Robbie turned his fire-lit gaze to Duncan. “Did he say

why?”

“I didn’t exactly dare ask at the time, but he was muttering

something about my refusal to acknowledge my cal ing

eventual y destroying me.”

“What cal ing?” Alec asked.

Duncan snorted. “Hel if I know.”

“What do you suppose Mac meant about your needing to

take along someone with less broad shoulders and smal er

hands?” Robbie asked, even as he looked down the

hil side at Peg’s house. He looked back at Duncan and

smiled. “Does our resident wizard have a matchmaker’s

heart?”

“Doesn’t every newly married bastard want every

bachelor he knows to join him in wedded bliss?”

“But if you do claim your cal ing, how are you going to

explain the magic to Peg?” Alec asked. He suddenly

grinned. “Ye might want to have a length of rope with you

when ye do. I believe Hamish has one that he no longer

needs.”

“You should at least make sure she’s not armed,” Robbie

said with a chuckle, only to sit up when Duncan eyed him

speculatively. “Nay, ye wil not.”

“Didn’t you tel me that when ye took old Uncle Ian back

to his original time and spent several weeks trying to steal

the taproot of de Gairn’s Tree of Life, that you were only

gone overnight in this time?” Duncan asked. “Sunset to

sunrise, right, which is what … a little less than eleven hours

this time of year?”

Robbie suddenly relaxed, folding his arms over his chest

to lean back against the log. “You’re forgetting that Mac put

the magic to sleep.”

“But what if I can wake it back up? Ian told us that he was

able to take Jessie back to the night she was nearly

murdered; what if I find my power and then use it to buy

myself several days alone with Peg? That would give me

time to work some of my own magic on her,” he said with a

grin. “And she’d only be away from her kids overnight.”

“But she would feel as if she were away from them for

several days,” Robbie growled. “And it was al she could

do last Wednesday to be separated from Pete and Jacob

for a couple of hours.” He shook his head. “Ye can’t

manipulate the magic like that, Duncan—assuming you can

get hold of it.”

Duncan lay back on his sleeping bag with a heavy sigh.

“Wel , gentlemen, it appears I need a boat.” He folded his