Page 10 of Kilted Abduction
“Fine. Dae that,” Magnus said. “Just be silent and let me focus.”
As Magnus centered himself and focused his mind, Kai did what he’d said and ordered another mug, using the time to flirt with the barmaid, of course. Magnus didn’t object simply because it kept his brother occupied. Once he had unlocked that door in his mind, allowing his gift to take over, Magnus used Mor’s teachings to narrow the scope of his ability.
He scanned the room, moving from face to face and giving a listen to what was happening inside their minds. He listened for mention of the one they had come to Seabridge to find. But he heard nothing more than inane ramblings as well as a few stray inappropriate thoughts as the men ogled the barmaids. There were no dark secrets or nefarious plans that he could hear. Magnus hadn’t expected anything more, but as he closed that part of his mind again, shutting out the voices entirely, he let out a breath of relief anyway.
“Well?” Kai asked.
“Just as I kent,” he said. “Naething.”
“Well, I wouldnae say naething,” Kai replied with a mischievous tone. “I’ll be meeting up with Isla the barmaid later, so it wasnae a complete waste of time.”
“Ye’re unbelievable.”
“Aye. I am. And I’m sure Isla will be sayin’ the same later.”
Magnus chuckled. “Come on. Let us go walk the grounds. Now that ye have yer plans fer later tonight lined up, maybe ye’ll actually be useful.”
“I wouldnae count on it, big braither,” he replied. “The grounds outside are of full of lasses.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Ciara emerged from the forest and paused, taking in the sight before her. She’d, of course, heard of the Highland Games before, but had never thought she’d actually be able to see them for herself. More people than she had ever seen in one place milled about and even from where she was at the edge of the forest, Ciara could hear the laughter and music. It looked and sounded like everybody was having a great time. And if there was one thing Ciara had always loved, it was a festive party. Of course, the reason she was there in the first place tempered her excitement.
She nudged the horse forward and approached the gathering warily, cutting her eyes left and right, doing all she could to see everywhere all at once. Ciara knew that her father and Lord Fairfax would stop at nothing to secure her return and that once they did, her life as she knew it would be over. No, they wouldn’t kill her. But they would force her to marry the Englishman, which would be almost the same thing. Actually, as Ciara thought about it further, she decided it would be worseand within a fortnight, would likely be wishing they had killed her.
Ciara found a stable at the edge of the town and climbed down off her horse. A boy who had seen just twelve or thirteen summers stepped forward and looked at her disinterestedly.
“It’ll be two coppers tae board yer horse here,” the boy told her. “It’ll be three if ye want oats and water.”
Ciara frowned and touched the purse attached to her belt, lamenting how meager it was. Of all the preparations she’d made prior to escaping her father’s keep, gathering coins for her journey had been the last thing she’d done. And she’d done a poor job of it. Not that her father had left many coins lying about for her to gather. She had taken what she could find, but those efforts hadn’t yielded very much. She barely had enough to stable her horse and feed herself.
But she had no choice. Ciara didn’t know how long or far her journey would take her and she needed to care for her horse to ensure it would get her there. She pulled three small coins out of her purse and pressed them into the grubby hands of the stable hand. She pulled her sword off her saddle and tied it around her waist, secreting it beneath her cloak. After that, she slipped her bow and quiver over her cloak, settling it on her shoulders. The boy watched her with an amused glint in his eye, obviously not believing she knew how to handle either weapon.
“Fine,” Ciara grumbled. “Make sure me horse eats and drinks well, eh?”
“Aye. Ye and everyone else.”
“Hey, one more question. Dae ye ken where I might be able to make some money?”
He shrugged, his face still amused. “If ye can actually use them weapons ye got, there are plenty of skills competitions that give out prize money.”
“Great,” she replied. “Thank ye.”
“Can ye?” he asked. “Use them weapons?”
She flashed him a mischievous grin. “I guess we’ll see, eh?”
He scoffed. “Lasses cannae fight.”
A scowl curling her lips back over her teeth, Ciara moved faster than lightning, and before the boy even knew what was happening, the point of her dagger was pressed to his throat. She stared down at him with a maniacal light in her eyes. The boy’s eyes grew wide, and he trembled so violently, Ciara was half-afraid he was on the verge of soiling himself. It would serve him right.
“Still think a lass cannae fight?” she asked.
“Apologies, miss. I—I didnae mean naethin’ by it,” he stammered.
She stared at him for another moment then removed her dagger and in the blink of an eye, slipped it back into the sheath on her belt and pulled her cloak closed. The boy stared at her with a mixture of fear and respect on his face.
“I—I’ll make sure yer horse gets some extra oats,” he said.
