Page 87 of Kilted Hate

The sound of soft whispers brought her out of her slumber, and given she was not fully awake, the voices sounded so very far away.

“… she hasnae moved all night,” someone murmured. “Shall I wake her?”

“Nay. Leave her be.”

And then, there was no more sound as sleep overtook her again.

She dreamed about her father.

Wanting to see her, he had travelled from England to the Isle of Skye, and met her wonderful husband, Domhnall, and all the family. Her family, now. She heard his laughter and saw his smile once more. She listened to his soft voice, and watched as he and Domhnall enjoyed each other’s company.

There was dancing and much gaiety, and everyone was happy. In the great hall, people cheered and laughed and sang. A great circle gathered, and in the middle, her father and she danced together. But then, his face looked sad, and Katherine was worried. As her father looked down, blood poured from his stomach. When Katherine looked down, she held a bloody knife in her hand. And then, the laughter and gaiety stopped, and everyone pointed their fingers at her.

“No!” she cried.

Suddenly, Katherine woke with a jolt, her heart thumping in her chest. Panting with fear, she opened her eyes to find Domhnall sitting up in bed and gazing at her.

“Oh, thank god,” she cried, jumping from the chair and throwing herself onto the bed beside him.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Bad dream?”

And then, from nowhere, Katherine felt a sob catch in her throat, and with no way of stopping it, she burst into tears.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

From the cellar to his bed, Domhnall had slipped in and out of consciousness. Partly it was to do with the pain, particularly travelling back on the horse with Magnus, for clearly his brother had been worried and had thus travelled at speed. But each thud of the horses’ hooves hitting the undergrowth had sent agony through his body, to a point where he could clearly take no more and passed out.

He remembered a point where many hands were upon him, and then the softness of the bed beneath. He recalled soft whispers, and the sensation of warmth running through his body, until he finally slipped into darkness completely.

But as the blackness surrounded him, he ventured to a place he had never before seen. It felt familiar and at the same time, strange and unknown. There was mist, like that of the early morning across a glen, but this mist did not clear, and he could not see further than a few feet. What he could see only appeared as nothingness, for there were no trees, nor buildings, nor people.

Just the mist.

Beyond it was a light glow simmering on the horizon. If he continued further, the mist would clear, and thus, he moved toward it as one might, to discover what was there. But even as he ventured forth, the distance of the light remained the same, as though it were always moving away from him.

When he woke, he took a sharp intake of breath and a second later, Kai and Thora were at his side.

“Och, thanks be tae all the gods,” Thora cried, her eyes glistening as she gazed down at him.

“Welcome back tae the land o’ the living, braither,” Kai said, standing behind his sister.

Domhnall cracked a small smile.

In his peripheral vision, Domhnall noticed something to his left, and turning to look, he saw Katherine curled up on a chair at his bedside, fast asleep. The daylight spilling in through the windows illuminated her from behind, making her look almost angelic.

“She wouldnae leave yer side,” Kai said. “She hasnae moved all night. Shall I wake her?”

Domhnall shook his head. “Nay. Leave her be.” He looked back at Thora and Kai, his brow a little furrowed. “How is she?”

Thora’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Ye should be more concerned with yer own wellbeing.”

Domhnall looked at her with a solemn expression. “Katherine did, saw, and experienced things nay lass should have tae suffer. Battle has become second nature tae us men here, but nae tae her.”

“We ken,” Thora said sadly. “Magnus told us she killed a man.”

“Aye,” Domhnall nodded, “and that’s nae even the half o’ it.”

“Then, when she wakes, we will all have tae mak’ certain we tak’ good care o’ her,” Kai said.

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