Page 38 of Fallen
“Are ye Sister Coira?”
Coira scowled. A long moment passed, before she nodded.
The man let out a gusting breath that she guessed was relief. “Just as well … I’ve not been able to get near the abbey gates to ask for ye.”
“MacKinnon’s here,” Sister Mina spoke up.
“So I’ve gleaned,” the stranger replied, his gaze never leaving Coira.
“Who are ye?” Coira demanded, her temper fraying.
“My name’s Farlan … I’m part of Craeg’s band. He sent me here.” The outlaw paused, his lean face tensing. “Two of our men are sick … we think it’s the plague but have no healer to attend them. Craeg asks that ye visit them.”
Coira stiffened. “The sickness is here now too … I’ve just come from a mother and daughter afflicted with it. They’ll likely die … as will yer men.” The words were harsh, and yet Coira’s nerves had been stretched to breaking point of late. She didn’t have it in her to soften her answer.
However, Farlan didn’t appear offended. He continued to hold her gaze, his own steady. “All the same, Craeg has asked for ye … will ye come?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, to send the outlaw away with a sharp reprimand.
But then a strange sensation settled over Coira—one that made her pause.
She looked away from him, her gaze settling upon the grey stone walls of Kilbride in the distance.
For years, the abbey had been her refuge from the world, but not anymore. Her past had finally caught up with her. If she returned to her life amongst the sisters, it would only be a matter of time before MacKinnon made her choose: her life or theirs.
Coira glanced over at Sister Mina. The nun still had her knife raised, her young face screwed up in consternation as she glared at the outlaw. “Ye go on ahead, Sister,” Coira said softly.
Sister Mina’s attention snapped to her. “Ye are going?”
Coira nodded, her belly fluttering as she did so.
If ye do this, there’s no way back.
But did she actually want to go back? For years she’d lived contentedly as a nun, yet in the past days something had shifted within her. A restlessness had surfaced, a yearning that would not be quietened.
Craeg had been the catalyst. The hours she’d spent in his company while he’d been recovering, and then that intense exchange in the moonlit clearing, had ignited something inside her. She wasn’t sure what the future held, but the urge to go to him grew with each passing moment.
She wouldn’t ignore it.
“But ye can’t go alone … I’m coming with ye.”
“Ye can’t, Sister,” Coira replied with a shake of her head. “I’ve gotten myself into trouble with both the abbot and MacKinnon now. This will be one step too far. If I go to the outlaws, I won’t be able to return to the abbey … and so neither will ye.”
Sister Mina stared at her, realization dawning. “Ye are leaving the order?”
Coira favored the young woman with a soft smile. There was so much she wanted to say to Sister Mina; her chest felt tight with the need to unburden herself. Yet she held herself back. “It seems that way, doesn’t it?”
Silence fell, and then Farlan cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but if we linger out here in the open much longer, someone’s going to see me. We need to go now.”
Still holding Sister Mina’s eye, Coira gave a curt nod. “I’m ready.”
The novice’s eyes gleamed, and she started to blink rapidly. “This isn’t right. Ye mustn’t leave.”
“I’m afraid, I must,” Coira replied, her throat tensing. The determination in her voice surprised her, as did an overwhelming sense of relief. She didn’t actually want to return to Kilbride. “Peace be with ye, Sister Mina. Please tell the others I’ve gone to collect herbs and will be back later.”
Sister Mina’s throat bobbed. She lowered her blade and resheathed it at her waist. “Peace be with ye, Sister. Worry not, I will not betray ye,” she murmured.
Coira forced a smile. “Thank ye.”
