Jules came over to greet us as soon as he saw me He was holding his hat in his hands as if to apologize yet again for when he had almost run me over with his postal van Hello Mr Camas he whispered to my father Hey kids Hi Jules Doug answered patting Jules on the shoulder Got any mail for me My brother’s sense of humor was weird like that cracking jokes at a funeral But Jules smiled all the same Then he looked at me uncertainly the way someone does when they think they’re seeing a ghost I shook Jules’s hand firmly to convince him that it was really me and that I hadn’t died in the accident on the coastal road I finally got around to writing a will I said to him I’d meant it as a joke but Jules’s eyes widened in astonishment You too That’s when I realized the experience had affected
Jules as much as me I nodded and Jules left to take his place at the pyre The stack of wood in the center of our circle was a twelve-foot-tall pile of oak branches placed on a bunch of straw broom and heather As I began to ask my father about the pyre Reverend Prospero motioned for me to shut my mouth We waited in silence for the sun to set
CHAPTER TWO SIGNS STONES THE NIGHT Time passed slowly When the sun finally began to dip below the sea a strange murmuring spread through the circle of men They were watching two figures struggle up the stone path The moment I recognized them my heart jumped into my throat It was Aiby Lily and her father the owners of the Enchanted Emporium I thought I saw Reverend Prospero mouth a silent prayer as Locan Lily limped closer held up by his daughter with difficulty The two made slow painful
progress due to the nasty gunshot wound Mr Lily was still recovering from Across the fire Mr McBlack turned even paler than normal probably because he was the one who’d accidentally shot Mr Lily What are you waiting for you third-rate gentlemen Reverend Prospero boomed pointing at Aiby and her father Do you really expect a little girl to carry Locan all the way up to the top by herself Doug was faster than I was he ran over and offered his broad back as a support for Mr Lily’s other arm Mr Everett did the same on the other side taking Aiby’s position They were the only two to leave their positions in the circle The rest of the men shuffled their feet in the grass barely hiding their annoyance at the latest arrivals In my foolishness I figured their irritation was just standard Scottish mistrust But as my brother and Mr Everett accompanied Locan to the bonfire I realized there was something else annoying the other men It
