Page 35 of Highlander Redeemed
When he drew near, he climbed the tree once more, and had to search to make out her hide, right where it had been when he’d left her. As far as he could tell nothing had changed. Relief swept through him, loosening the muscles in his back that he had not realized were tense.
“You can come out now,” he said, as he neared her place.
“Of course,” she said from behind him.
He spun and found her standing within striking distance of him, a second hide scattered around her feet and a grin of triumph upon her heart-shaped face.
Anger and pride fought within him. She had not followed his order as a good warrior should, but she had hidden herself so well, even he had not discovered her true hiding place.
“You were not to move,” he finally said.
“But this was better, aye?”
Duncan fought the desire to return the grin that lit up her entire countenance. He fought the desire to sweep her up in hisarms in celebration of her excellent ruse that would serve her well in battle, if not her fellow warriors.
He clenched his teeth and pressed his lips together until the urge to smile was under control. “Nay,” he said. “Following orders is better.” He watched as the delight sparkling in her eyes dimmed. “If you cannot do that simple thing, I can never recommend you to fight among the clan’s warriors. In order to defend the clan together, you must be relied upon to follow the orders given you. Everyone’s life will depend upon you doing what you have been told.” He looked away to the west, hating that he could not tell her also how proud he was of her for thinking for herself, but as hard as this was, ’twas a necessary lesson.
“This was a test, Scotia, and you failed.”
SCOTIA WATCHED ASDuncan strode away from her. Her mind was reeling at his harsh words. She had seen the surprise, and the instant of pleasure that had made Duncan’s dark eyes shine, but then it had been replaced with an awkward anger, or maybe just disappointment.
Failed? She had not failed! She had surprised him, Duncan, the best tracker in the clan. She had hidden herself even better than he had asked her to, waiting patiently until she knew when he had climbed out of that tree and gone to find a watcher. She had already noted where more branches, vines, and bracken lay nearby before she’d even completed the first hide, so it took only moments for her to construct the second one and take her place beneath it. From that point on she had followed Duncan’s orders, awaiting his return while staying alert for any passing English.
Anticipation of his appreciation for her ingenuity had made it easy to crouch, weapons in hand, her attention and senses fixed on the area around her for a long time. She had known themoment he had climbed that damned tree again, and it was only then that she found it hard to await his return.
Now she wished he had never returned. Damned man.
“Where are we going?” Scotia hissed from behind him, still picking leaves from her hair.
Duncan sliced a hand through the air, his sign for silence, and kept going, irritating her beyond her ability to keep silent.
“Duncan!” She knew better than to yell at him, which is what she would have done even a fortnight ago, but she was determined to explain why she did not follow his instructions exactly but that shehadfollowed what he had intended by them.
When he kept moving without even that stupid hand signal for silence, she said his name again. “Duncan!” This time she let her voice be a little louder. “I did nothing wrong.”
Still he ignored her, though his pace increased, making it harder for her to keep up with his long strides.
“What is wrong with you?!” she asked. “I did—”
“Haud yer wheesht!” he said over his shoulder, but he didn’t look at her.
Stupid, idiotic, bothersome, irritating, silent man. Scotia let the litany of angry descriptions swirl in her head, over and over again, until she could barely contain her anger at his dismissal and withdrawal from her. She had done almost exactly as he had required, so she would not endanger his agreement to train her. That one small change had not put her in any more danger than she might already have been in, and it made her position even more secure. Duncan should be proud of her for making his order even better.
“Duncan,” she tried again, “stop! You know as well as I that I did not fail to follow your orders.”
The only sign that he even heard her was that stupid hand signal once more.
Irritation turned to ire. She was not wrong. He was, but he would never admit that to her. He would never admit that shemight have done something strategically better than what he had told her to do.
Something snapped in Scotia’s head, or maybe it was in her gut. Either way, she charged Duncan, racing up behind him and leaping on his back, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, her lips at his ear ready to demand he stop, but before she could form the first word the world flipped around on her. She flew over Duncan’s back and landed hard on hers. Her left arm was wrenched at a painful angle in Duncan’s powerful grip, his foot on her neck. Thankfully, the waterskin she carried had pillowed her spine, though the cool wet that she lay in told her it had not survived the impact.
And then Duncan released her as if he had been burned.
“What were you thinking, Scotia?” he demanded, though he kept his voice hushed. He stepped back from her. “I could have killed you.” And then his face went from anger to shock, and he knelt beside her. The similarity of their positions to the much more intimate moments of yesterday seemed to hit them both at the same time, and the awkwardness she’d been trying to ignore burst to life between them.
“Och, lass, did I hurt you?” His words were soft with concern.
“Not as much as I shall hurt you,” she said, pushing herself up to a sitting position, “once I get my breath back.” She glared at him, intent on returning their relationship to what it had been before ... before it had changed. “At least I got your attention,” she snapped at him.
