Page 86 of Kilted Hate

As Enya left, Katherine’s eyes dropped to her hands, and she suddenly shuddered. That was not her blood. That was the blood of the man she had murdered.

Suddenly, she started rubbing at the stains frantically, panting when they would not come off.

“Hey. Hey,” Magnus said, striding towards her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

With wide eyes, she looked up at him. “It won’t come off. It’s not my blood, and it won’t come off,” she cried in panic.

Magnus looked down at her sadly for a long moment. “It will, Katherine. Come.”

He led her across the room to the water jug, and pouring some into the bowl sitting beside it, he gently took her hands and placed them in. As he slowly rubbed her skin, he said, “Sometimes we are forced tae dae things we could never imagine we are capable o’ doing. It’s a survival instinct within all o’ us, Katherine.”

She still trembled as she let him continue washing between her fingers.

“I cannae say it will be something ye will forget with ease. But nor can ye hold ontae regret. A bird doesnae regret killing a fish, a spider doesnae regret killing a fly.”

“It’s not the same,” she whispered.

“It is, and it isnae,” he said, taking the linen towel and drying her hands with the same gentleness. “The bird and the spider dae it tae survive. Just as ye did. The difference is, the bird and spider are nae under threat. They dinnae fear death. Ye did what ye had tae dae tae make it out o’ there alive.”

She understood what he was trying to say, but it made little difference. Maybe it would at a future time, but not now.

When they returned to Domhnall’s bedside and joined Kai, Katherine asked them something she had been wondering about since they had entered the cellar.

“How did ye find us?”

“Neither o’ us were happy when Domhnall decided tae come after ye alone,” Kai began.

But Magnus put his hands up to stop Kai. “She needs tae ken the reason why Domhnall was coming after her in the first place.”

“Och, right,” Kai nodded with a slight smile. “Well, tae cut a very long story short, after ye left, Domhnall began doubting himself, and between us, we came tae the conclusion that ye hadnae wanted tae help yer braither tae, ye ken, murder Domhnall and destroy the clan.” He smirked.

Katherine’s face flushed and heat rushed to her cheeks.

“Kai,” Magnus said in a warning tone.

“Och, come on. We killed the guy. We’re allowed a little light relief,” Kai quipped.

“Anyway,” he continued, “Domhnall was determined tae come and speak tae ye on his own, but Magnus and I were nae too keen, so we followed him. When we arrived at Drynoch, we discovered the guards who had been sent tae escort ye had been killed, yer braither had escaped, and Domhnall was on the way back tae the castle tae get reinforcements tae search fer ye.”

“But we hadnae met him on the road,” Magnus said, “so we concluded he had decided tae forgo returning tae the castle, and had gone tae find ye. Kai then came across a trail of severalhoof prints and we decided tae follow it. And upon seeing the abandoned house surrounded, we kent he was there.”

“It was lucky that you got there when you did,” Katherine replied. “Any longer, and I’m certain both Domhnall and I would be dead.”

The three of them looked over at Domhnall as he lay there, his breathing still a little labored.

Later, after Thora had washed Domhnall clean of all the blood and dirt on his body, Kai and Magnus helped their sisters dress him in clean garments, and then, surrounding his bedside, the five sat watching and waiting.

There was simply nothing more any of them could do.

Hours passed, and eventually, the siblings convinced each other that some of them ought to sleep. After much discussion, Kai and Thora agreed to get some rest.

“Perhaps ye should go too, Katherine,” Magnus said, glancing across the bed at her, for her chair was positioned close to the head of the bed on Domhnall’s left.

But Katherine shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving his side.”

Whether it was the determination in her voice, or the fixed expression of her face, neither Magnus nor any of the others pressed it, and bidding them goodnight, Kai and Thora left.More hours passed, and Katherine felt her eyes drooping. But even as gritty as they felt, she forced herself to stay awake.

As time went by, however, she felt her head loll against the side of the chair she was tucked up on, and as hard as she tried, she could not stop her lids from closing. Not long after that, sleep slowly overtook her.

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