Page 66 of Cottage in the Mist
“We’ve a decision to make,” Iain said, nodding toward the burn. “To the west liesTigh an Dromaand Alec Comyn. And to the north the pass that Frazier indicated.”
“I thought we’d decided to take the pass.” Ranald frowned. “Use the element of surprise.”
“We had,” Iain agreed. “But things have changed with Macniven escaping. There’s always the possibility that he overheard our plans and has shared them with Alec Comyn. While there can be no argument that using the pass is a good way for us to spring a surprise, ‘twould be just as easy for the Comyns to use it as a trap.”
“I dinna think Macniven had the chance to hear much of anything,” Frazier growled, his hand tightening around the hilt of his claymore. “We isolated him as soon as he was captured. And ye canna think that Collum would have told him anything.”
“Collum is no’ what I’m worried about,” Iain said. “But we dinna ken how long Macniven was following us. And we’ve no’ been shy about talking amongst ourselves. So there’s no way to know what he may or may not have heard.”
“I still say Frazier’s way is the best,” Bram urged. “Even if he did overhear us, he’s only just escaped and there’s no’ much chance he’ll reach Alec before we can get through the pass.”
“Which means it’s still our best hope,” Frazier agreed, his ruddy face flushed with anger. “If we attack head on, then Alec and his men will have more of a chance to best us. Particularly if he’s been warned. I say we stick to the plan. Surprise or no.”
“Ranald?” Iain asked, his gaze meeting his cousin’s.
“I dinna ken that there’s a difference in which way we go. If Macniven has the way of our plan, then Alec will be watchingfor us either way. He’ll know that we know that Macniven might have gleaned our strategy. So there is every chance he’ll believe we’ll change course because of it.”
“Which means the odds are in favor of our keeping to the mountain pass,” Bram said, reining in his prancing mare. “If Macniven knows nothing, then we will take Alec by surprise. And, as Frazier said, even if the man has news to impart, Alec shouldn’t have time to respond quickly enough to intercept us before we’re through the pass. So although we might lose the element of surprise, we’ll still be in place for the battle. I say we follow the mountains.”
Iain paused for a moment, his gaze drifting up to the harsh peaks. Then he nodded his acceptance. “The mountains it is then.”
Frazier grunted his approval, and then, with a grin, spurred his horse into the woods. The other men followed, Iain, Ranald and Bram bringing up the rear.
“We’re putting our faith in your man, you know.” Iain’s expression was grave.
“That I do,” Bram acknowledged. “But there’s naught to fear. Frazier saved my life at Dunbrae. He and Robby Corley. And he would have done anything for my father. Which means he has as much to avenge as I do. So, if nothing else, I believe in that.”
22
Despite the blue sky and bright sun, a cold wind swept up the narrow valley as they rode higher into the mountains. Lily pulled her borrowed plaid closer. They had been riding since sunup, moving as quickly as possible. The mist had evaporated, sliding back to wherever it had come from, but the placid countryside was deceiving.
The rushing stream, whispering leaves and plaintive calls of the birds might be heard in any century. What sent chills racing through Lily was the underlying quiet. It echoed across the forest and meadows—no cars, no airplanes, no machinery of any kind. In the entire time since they’d left Duncreag, they’d only passed one person—a crofter driving sheep across the narrow track they followed.
Above her a hawk screamed and her horse shied. Lily tightened her hold on the reins. Jeff and Fergus rode in front of her, the two of them deep in discussion. The older man’s face was ruddy and grizzled, a warrior through and through. By comparison, Jeff looked less seasoned, although he sat well in the saddle.
Reflexively, Lily reached back to touch the quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder. There hadn’t been time for practice, but bows and arrows hadn’t changed much over the centuries, and she felt certain if called upon she could do the weapon justice. She shivered, thinking about the potential battle to come. If they didn’t reach Bram and his cousins in time, there’d be hell to pay. Still, she was here, and that alone had to change the balance somehow.
Unless this was the way it always happened. And she was already too late.
She shook her head, banishing the thought. Behind her, bringing up the rear, Lily could hear the soft jingle of William Macgowen’s horse’s bridle. The young man hadn’t been all that eager to join their party at first. Apparently, he considered himself Katherine’s personal bodyguard, and it had taken both Fergus and Katherine’s considerable influence to convince William that he was needed as an escort.
Since leaving Duncreag, however, he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly into their quest. Actually spoiling for a fight, if Lily had to call it, with all the accompanying enthusiasm that only a young man could pull forth. And most surprising of all, he seemed to have transferred his allegiance from Katherine to Lily, staying close, determined to protect her from whatever might come. She allowed herself a small smile. Just a few weeks ago she’d felt all but rejected by men in general and now here she was with not one but two champions. More, she supposed, if one counted Fergus and Jeff.
Of course in truth, the jury was out when it came to Bram. He’d left her behind for a reason. And even if Katherine was right and he regretted leaving things as he had, it didn’t mean that he’d welcome her presence now. At least not here on the cusp of potential fighting. He’d made it perfectly clear that a battle was no place for a woman. And he wasn’t all that wrong.But this was an exceptional situation in every possible way, and Lily would be damned before she’d abandon him when he needed her most.
Squaring her shoulders, she spurred her horse onward as William rode up beside her. “Ye look as if you’re right at home on yer horse. Have you many then on yer holding?”
Lily smiled at William’s earnest expression. He understood that she, like Katherine, had come from the future. And like the others at Duncreag who’d been told the truth, he accepted her fantastical tale without question. But that didn’t mean he truly understood the vast differences between his world and hers.
“I don’t actually have a holding. I live—well, lived—in an apartment in a large city called Manhattan. There isn’t room for horses.”
“Then how do people get around?” he asked, frowning. Then, quickly, his face cleared. “I remember now. Katherine told me there are carriages that don’t need horses. A magical thing, that.”
“Indeed.” Lily smiled at his enthusiasm. “And in Manhattan even those carriages are difficult to deal with, so people do a lot of walking. And…” She trailed off, not sure how to explain subways. “…and whatever it takes.”
“And are there many people in this Man-Hat-Tan?”
“Yes. More than you can imagine.”
