Page 44 of Dark Side of the Laird
“Dead?” he whispered. “Nay. He canna be dead. And ye dinna see him. ’Twas a nightmare. Nothing more.”
Ewan paled, his jaw tightening as he stormed toward the window and fidgeted with the shutters.
I sensed he knew something, that it had to do with the Grant warrior who I saw before falling down the stairs. “Tell me.”
He glanced back at me and I could see his hesitation. I widened my eyes, encouraging him to continue.
“Do ye recall what ye saw before ye fell?”
I nodded.
“The warrior, Gregor, came to tell us of an attack on Logan’s men by the MacDonald warriors.”
I nodded, having surmised this much already. “And…” I urged.
“They made it out fine. Two of our scouts were killed, but no other casualties other than the MacDonald men.” Ewan crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly looking very stubborn. “He is fine. By now he’s made it to the king.”
“Ewan, in my vision, he was in a dungeon. He’s… it was real. Very real. I swear it, he’s in trouble. We have to go and save him.” I was frantic now, trying to stare Ewan down, sending mind-control vibes toward him, but they weren’t working. If anything, Ewan only frowned all the more.
“Ye’re not leaving, my lady. There is nothing ye can do about…your vision. Laird Grant is fine. The king respects him, honors him with his position as Guardian. He wouldn’t harm him.”
“How can you be so certain?”
His frown deepened. “I canna, but I know if there was trouble amiss—”
“What? You’d feel it? See it in a vision? I saw him, Ewan. He needs me.”
I dare not tell him it looked as though I held the key to Logan’s freedom.
“Ye’re not going anywhere.” Ewan turned and stormed toward the door.
“You’re no better than the enemy,” I called out.
That stopped him in his tracks. He turned back slowly toward me, and for a moment I wished I hadn’t uttered those words.
“I know ye only speak from fear, lass. I love Logan as though he were my own flesh and blood. I would never see harm come to him.”
“Then we must go to him.”
He shook his head. “Nay. We remain here. As he instructed.” And then he was gone, closing the door behind him with no further thought to my fears. No further thought of Logan’s safety.
But I didn’t give a shit about his denial. I wasn’t going to leave Logan to rot in a dungeon. Not when there was something I could do to save him. What exactly that was, I had no clue, but I figured when I arrived, I’d know. Fate would lead me as she had so far.
I threw back the covers, the sudden chill of the room paralyzing me for a moment. When I’d recovered from the shock, I pulled my legs over the side of the bed, feeling my muscles scream from lack of use. How many days had I laid in this bed, under the influence of whatever was in the tea?
Putting my feet on the floor, I wiggled my toes, clutched the edge of the bed and pushed myself up. My legs were weak, and it took a few moments to feel as though I could hold myself steady. Taking a tentative step forward, tingling prickles shot from my unused feet up to my hips.
I managed to make it to my wardrobe without falling, feeling my muscles grow stronger with each step. I opened the doors and rummaged around the bottom for a bag, finding a leather satchel at the bottom. I pulled it out, tossing it behind me onto the bed, then grabbed a gown, a chemise and my cloak.
I must have turned too quickly, because I was suddenly weary and my vision blurred, little black dots floating before my eyes. No! Not now! Why couldn’t Fate make me immune to such base human responses?
I stumbled toward the table, hoping a sip of ale might help to steady me. When I reached it, I clutched the edge to steady myself, and then I saw the tea cup, little black bits of something on the bottom. I picked it up and sniffed it. What was that? It wasn’t tea leaves.
I wasn’t an herbalist in the least, but it smelled spicy, sweet and tangy. Not at all what I thought the usual medicinal herbs smelled like.
My knees buckled, and I caught myself on my elbows on the table’s rim, dropping the tea cup and hearing it clomp against the floor.
Was it possible I’d been poisoned?
