Name: The Fourfold Cord

Members: Morag Kirkpatrick, Annis Kirkpatrick, Eilidh MacRae, Sorcha MacRae

Alias / Known As: The Watchers on the Shore; The False Witnesses

Age Range: 10 (Annis) to 17

Origin: Irvine, Ayrshire

Affiliations: Daughters of local farmers and fishermen; unwed girls of the parish

Summary:

They weren’t witches. They were girls—bored, emboldened, and out past curfew. That night began with stolen drink, swiped tobacco, and whispered dares about devils and dancing in the dark. What they saw at the shore—Maggie, Elspeth, John, the black colt—they never understood. But fear makes stories, and stories become weapons when adults are hungry for fire. They lied to save themselves. Or perhaps they lied to feel important. Now their testimony is law, and their guilt is growing teeth.

Notable Traits:

— Bound by fear, pride, and sisterhood

— Each girl played a role: theft, suggestion, embellishment, silence

— Annis, the youngest, is the most fragile—and the most believed

— Their lie may damn Maggie. Or damn them all.

Status: Protected witnesses; spoken of in reverence and suspicion; none yet brave enough to unravel the cord