Page 55 of Highlander Redeemed
“Do you think so? I was sure she was nearly there until yesterday.”
“We are lucky you and the lads silenced the soldiers without injury to yourselves. ’Twas a stupid thing of her to do.”
Duncan took off this time. “And yet you sound like you have forgiven her already,” he said over his shoulder.
Uilliam was silent for a long time as they made their waytoward the entrance into Glen Lairig at the far western end of the loch.
“I think Scotia wants to change, lad,” Uilliam said, startling Duncan as much by speaking in the silence as the words themselves did. “She panicked yesterday when she thought you, the one person she has always depended upon to protect and champion her, broke his promise, and in that panic she reverted to her old behavior, but then she realized what she’d done and did her best to warn us, to limit the damage her actions might bring to the clan. She took control of the situation by admitting her mistake in front of everyone. She even allowed herself to be bound like a common thief without word, tear, or any attempt to avoid her punishment. ’Twas most unlike her. In fact, she acted like an honorable warrior, though she had to know her revelations would only push everyone away from her even more.” He cocked his head and listened intently, then he stuck a finger in Duncan’s chest just where Peigi had. “Especially you.”
“I do not ken what to do about her. One minute I want to ... kiss her.” What he wanted to do with her was far more intimate than kissing, but he would not say something like that to Uilliam, who was like an uncle to her. “The next I want to throttle her, though until yesterday throttling had not entered my thoughts for quite a while. What should I do about her?”
“First, that is between you and the lass,” Uilliam said with a quiet laugh. “Second, I certainly have no right to give advice on women,butif her changed behavior is evidence at long last of your good influence, then I think for the entire clan’s sake, ye’d best ask the lass to wed with you.”
Duncan knew the idea of marrying Scotia should have sent him running into the wood like a deer with a wolf pack on its heels, but it didn’t, and that alone was an interesting thing to know about himself. Could he marry the lass when he did not ken if he could even trust her? That was supposing she would consent to be his wife, which he had strong doubts about.
For the first time since Uilliam had shown up, Duncan wondered what was happening at the Story Stone. Was Scotia a Guardian? And if she was chosen, did that mean she really had changed? Did it mean she had finally learned the one lesson he had tried to teach her for years? Could she be a Guardian and not think of others before herself?
The questions galloped around his brain unanswered as he followed Uilliam to the edge of the forest.
ROWAN RAISED THETarge stone heart high as she and Jeanette prepared to lead Scotia into the Targe’s power. Jeanette placed the fingertips of one hand on the Targe stone while settling the fingertips of her other hand on the lip of the cup of water settled on the ground in front of her.
“Touch the Targe stone and the Story Stone,” Jeanette instructed. “It might help if you close your eyes. Do not try to do anything, rather let Rowan pull the power of the Targe through you.”
Scotia did as instructed, but her mind would not quiet, so instead she imagined herself drawing the broken-arrow symbol in the air in front of her with each curled line that embellished the zigzag shape as a way of both focusing her mind and keeping herself from trying too hard again. She fervently hoped that Jeanette had the right of it.
All of a sudden the goose bumps were back, racing over her skin, lifting every hair on her body this time. Her breath caught in her throat, and then it happened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
IT WAS NOTlong before Duncan and Uilliam found evidence of the English, and not just a party of outriders. The entire detachment, at least the soldiers, for there was no sign of carts, and only a few horses had passed by this point sometime since sunup. The two men looked at each other, then back at the clear evidence that the English had made it into Glen Lairig already, well ahead of when they were expected.
“The bastard must have left his supplies behind,” Uilliam said, scanning the beaten path.
“Aye. ’Tis what I would have done, and what Bryn suggested he might do, but I did not think the English would leave behind their comforts to be taken by Highlanders in order to make better time.” Duncan also scanned the clear evidence of the English force’s march through here. “Even so, they travel the trail along the lochside, as if they head to the castle.”
“How many, would you say?”
“Not the two score Jeanette saw, but not many less. It seems our allies were not able to carve away enough to give us an even fight.”
“The Sassenachs will be tired from their march from the sea.” Uilliam was still scanning the tracks.
“They will be. We must engage them soon, then. We cannot give them time to recover.”
“We must get back and warn everyone,” Uilliam said. “The Guardians must get to a safe place, and the warriors must return to their posts and prepare to attack.”
Duncan was thoughtful for long moments. “You warn them,” he said to his companion. “I will track the Sassenachs to make sure they are going where we expect them to. It would seem this Lord Sherwood may be better at tactics than Nicholas gives him credit for. I would not care for us to be taken unawares by underestimating him. Get the Guardians and Scotia to safety, and I will return to our rendezvous camp as soon as I am able.”
“’Tis a wise plan, Duncan. Take care, and do not engage them on your own.”
“The same to you, my friend.”
Uilliam quickly turned to retrace their steps while Duncan took off at a ground-eating lope, following the English into Glen Lairig.
AS IF Adam broke within Scotia, a deluge ofknowingspressed against her, vying for her attention. They came so fast and so furiously that she could not pull one from another to make a coherent thought. Sheknewso much that she knew nothing.
“Try to think of Da.” Jeanette’s voice filtered through the torrent, and Scotia grabbed onto it like a lifeline in a storm.
“Da?” She wasn’t sure her voice worked, but she felt a hand give her knee a squeeze in answer—Rowan.
