Page 79 of Once Upon A Haunted Castle
Chapter Nine
They remained forone more day, enjoying the lull before the next coming storm that had little to do with the weather on Skye. Isabel remained at the cottage while Alex rode out to see if they were being followed. And to find additional food for the rest of their journey. Once rested, Isabel felt as though nothing could stop them.
“I have never been past Edinbane,” she admitted as they set out for that small village.
“Never to Uig then?” he asked as they left the village and headed north and to the west now.
“Nay.”
Isabel had traveled over the sea to one or two of the outer islands where her father held power, but never to this other side of Skye. These were heavily contested lands that switched back and forth, from clan to clan, every few generations depending on the whims of chieftains and kings. For now, that part belonged to the MacLeods.
“You have been here before?” She glanced at his face and saw guilt in his gaze. “What did you do?” He seemed surprised by her question, but then laughed.
“My brother asks me that question in the same way you just did—expecting me to confess my sins readily.”
“Do you have sins to confess?” The words escaped before she could stop them. “I have no right to ask that, Alex.”
“Do not look so distressed,” he said, tugging his reins to slow his horse. Coming next to her, he shook his head. “I may have committed many youthful transgressions, but I assure you, nothing compares to my current crimes of debauching and then stealing a chieftain’s daughter.”
She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks at the memories of his debauchery with her.
“But, to answer your question, aye, I have been to Trotternish lands before. My brother and I went on a quest in response to a challenge by our cousins.”
“How old were you?” she asked as they continued along the road. Alex was a wonderful storyteller and she could not wait to hear this tale.
“I had about twelve years and my brother three more when we crept through and around your father’s lands to visit the places that used to belong to our family. Have you heard of Duntulm?”
A shiver raced along her skin at the mention of the ruined castle that faced the Minch. It had fallen out of use and into disrepair many years before because of several mysterious deaths and the stories told about ghosts that now haunted the place.
“I see you have,” he said. “My cousins laid bets that we could not spend a day and a night there.”
“And did you?” Curious because she had heard others who had tried and failed.
“Nay!” He laughed loudly then and shrugged. “Two brave lads, even my brother and me, could not stand up to the spirits that inhabit that place. The shrieks, the cries? Nay, we lasted until sunset before we pissed ourselves and got out of there.”
Isabel laughed at his honesty over his failure. She could picture two boys trying to be brave and being scared witless, instead.
“Were your cousins there? Did they witness your... failure?”
“Oh nay, they wisely remained back in Sleat.”
“And they won the wager? You told them the truth of it instead of embellishing what had happened?”
He frowned then, an attractive mix of horror and insult and humor, and shook his head at her, denying her accusation.
“I am a MacDonald and we stand by our word. We may have left out the pissing part, but we admitted our failure.” Another laugh followed. “We made the same wager to them, but our fathers found out. We did not return to Duntulm or, alas, sit much for a long time after that.”
They continued along the road and reached Uig late the day. As they had in Edinbane, they sought refuge in a secluded place off the road to keep away from prying eyes. For Isabel, it was a chance to become more familiar with her husband before they were forced to meet their fates. As the days passed and as Kilmalaug neared, she wondered if her father would catch up with them before they escaped.
For now, they were simply two travelers along the roads of Skye.
The weather that had gifted them with clear and chilly days changed as they reached the place where the road would turn north. A thick fog rolled into place around them and it was nigh to impossible to see but a few feet ahead of themselves. After a few hours of attempting to get through it, Alex brought them to a halt.
“We have but another hour or two of light anyway,” he said. “I like it not, but we will camp here this night.”
Instead of being secluded, they were near the road and could see no place to shelter in the mist. The sound of the sea was louder here, so they were close to it.
“I have no wish to walk over the edge of a cliff,” she said, nodding in agreement.
