With these words, she pinched off a piece of bread from a sandwich and extended it towards the bird. The raven shifted its gaze from Megan to Glenn, looked at her intently, but stayed put. Then, she threw the bread towards it, thinking the feathered creature was simply afraid to come too close to people. But it simply looked at the offered treat then fixed its gaze back on Megan.
“Try feeding it; it's looking at you. Maybe it will take food from your hands,” Glenn suggested.
“Indeed, perhaps yours tastes better,” added Duncan with a playful smile, and he winked at Megan, as if teasing Glenn.
“I don't want to, I'm scared of it,” the girl said, looking at the raven in terror.
“But this is a different raven. Not the one from Castle Mal. It wouldn't have flown so far from home. Try giving it some bread,” Glenn persisted.
“Alright. Only because you're asking. But I really don't like these birds being near me,” Megan said, displeased.
She pinched off a piece of sandwich and cautiously extended it to the bird. She was scared it might peck her hand or attack her. The raven looked at her intently for a long time, then approached slowly and carefully, taking the bread from her hand…never taking its eyes off her face.
“Look at that, you're more to its liking than Glenn,” Craig laughed.
“Megan, maybe you did inherit something from Margaret after all? See how the creatures come to you! Can you, by chance, hear its thoughts? What's on its mind?” Warren joked.
“No, I can't hear them! And I wouldn't want to be able to,” she said, feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't bitten.
The thought that the raven wouldn't harm her greatly calmed her fear of it.
For the next fifteen minutes, each took turns offering food to the unexpected guest, but it accepted treats from no one other than Megan. After some time, it lost interest in the crowd and flew away, leaving them to continue their picnic.
Having fully enjoyed and admired the local scenery, the travelers returned to the boat, and soon landed back at the pier from where their sea journey had begun. After saying goodbye, they headed home. Megan was thrilled about her day and eagerly awaited her meeting with Derek. At dinner with Glenn and Warren, she only drank tea, claiming she wasn't hungry. She didn't want to mention the dinner invitation. Thanking her friends for a wonderful day, she wished them a good night and went to her room.
Ensuring the corridor was empty, at precisely 10pm., she left the castle. He was standing in the same spot as always, waiting for her. Black trousers and a black shirt made him almost invisible in the dark. Megan was unaccustomed to seeing Derek dressed like this; he always wore a kilt before.
“You look great in that style. I like it,” she said admiringly.
“Thanks for the compliment, you look great too.”
Derek embraced her and they began climbing the hill to the restaurant.
“How was your day? What did you do?”
“We went to the Orkney Islands. Such a beautiful place. Scotland is full of surprises. In just a few days, I've come to love this country. I don't understand why I hadn’t visited earlier. You’ve been to the islands, right?”
“Yes, several times. I like it there too. I think those places have a special allure, even magic: tranquil silence, enchanting nature, and powerful energy from the ancient stone giants,” his eyes lit up with the warm glow of memories.
