by Jane Stain
She squeezed him back, but her voice went up. “But ye agreed we would dae all together from nae on.”
“That was afore I kenned the druid child wanted ye for a sacrifice, Sarah.”
“Meehall, I can sit inside a boring room back at Celtic. I came tae the wild Highlands for adventure. I kenned the risk. A mayhap shortened life filled with excitement is my choice, ower a long life o’ tedium!”
Two Murray men walked in front of them to block their way to the inn .
Meehall followed their gaze.
Searc stood there with his arms crossed. The look he gave Meehall brooked no disagreement. “If the lass is the ainly one who can see the evil spellcaster, then we need the lass along, Meehall.” He gestured.
One of the young Murray warriors rode up leading Snow and Smoke.
The smile Sarah gave Meehall as she climbed up on Snow’s back was meant to reassure, he was fairly certain.
He rushed to help her, whispering when his mouth was close to her ear, “Keep the bracer handy, aye? Use it if ye feel at all in danger.”
“I wull,” she assured him as he climbed up on Smoke and settled in.
They all rushed down the mountain. At first, the sacred grove looked like a peaceful place, a thicker bit of green in the middle of the forest.
But when they got close, they could hear screaming. The desperate fearful screaming of two women.
Framed by the lacy branches of an oak, Sarah's face was ashen when Meehall checked behind him. But she didn't rush ahead. Nay, so far, she was keeping her promise to stay behind him.
He gave her a grim smile to acknowledge her restraint as everyone split up to urge their horses between the tree trunks, over the roots, and under the branches on their relentless rush to rescue the lasses, whose screaming grew louder and beckoned them onward.
Bit by bit, the passing trees revealed the scene ahead.
The Cameron clan circled around the flat stone, on which sat red-haired Ellie and grey-eyed Nadia, tied up and screaming.
Thunder boomed overhead.
The very earth shook.
On hearing their approach, the Camerons all turned about on their horses to meet the Murrays in battle.
Sarah yelled out, "Tahra is at 3 o'clock on the edge of the stone! Get her! She has a sword in her hand though, get her! She's chanting!"
Eoin was busy fighting, as was his wife, but Meehall moved toward the spot where Sarah said the druid child lurked. Baltair and Ciaran followed him.
But Meehall couldn't get there. He couldn't even get close. Apparently, Tahra’s magic was very strong. He looked up at the trees, searching for one he could climb. There. He turned to go to it.
And then three things happened at once: A rock landed at Meehall’s feet, one of Baltair's sword swings got through and was parried with a loud clang by a woman in a hooded white robe, and Sarah yelled an exultant "Yes!" indicating it had been she who threw the rock.
Now able to see Tahra, Meehall signaled for Ciaran and Baltair to flank her with him.
They nodded their agreement and did so, and then the three of them ran in at once, swords raised.
Tahra turned her attention on Sarah.
The next thing Meehall knew, Sarah had been flung by invisible hands up into the very tree he had intended to climb. She didn’t remain there, but fell screaming, her head lined up to hit cold hard stone.
Baltair and Ciaran kept attacking the druid child.
Meehall ran for all he was worth and caught Sarah barely in time, sick in the knowledge that one of his hands had grasped his love’s wound. "I'm sae sorry, Sarah! Sae, sae sorry. Please say ye forgive me." He searched her eyes for the forgiveness he needed.
Her anguished face couldn't make any words, but she nodded her forgiveness.
He set her down gently in a bed of oak and rowan leaves. She was so beautiful, his Sarah.
Her eyes widened, and she pushed him away!
Meehall’s world spun away from him, and he howled in anguish. He had only just gained his Sarah back, and she was rejecting him. What was the point of going on?
To add insult to injury, now she grunted and kicked at his leg, making him stumble to the side.
A sword whooshed over his head.
Meehall’s reflexes made him duck, and on top of the stumble, it took his head right into the trunk of a rowan tree …
Meehall’s mind snapped back into reality. The druid child had spelled him! He fought off a Cameron warrior on his way back to attacking the evil spellcaster, and for an indeterminate time, he was all hack and slash as he made his way over to help his cousins cut the druid child down.
“Canna… Keep… Fighting," Ciaran gasped before he collapsed on the ground.
A frightened and puzzled Baltair shrugged at Meehall, indicating he didn't have any idea what was going on with Ciaran. But Baltair kept hacking and slashing at Tahra.
Meehall ran to help him beat the witch down.
19
Sarah took stock of her body. She could move all her limbs. She hurt like hell, but nothing was broken, thanks to the copious pile of leaves no one raked. She at last saw her chance to help her friends.
She got the bracer out of her backpack, threaded a spare shoelace through it, and tied it to her belt, then draped her arisade over it, to hide it. She could easily put the bracer on at a moment’s notice if the need should arise.
The leaves sure did crunch a lot as she crawled over to the other side of the stone slab from the sorceress. Every once in a while, Sarah peeked up over the stone and saw Nadia and Ellie’s frightened screaming faces while she checked to be sure Tahra was still occupied with Baltair and Meehall. So far, so good.
When Nadia and Ellie noticed Sarah, they stopped screaming and looked hopeful.
Sarah herself screamed in their place, frantically gesturing for them to join in, lest Tahra notice their silence, see Sarah, and fling her up against another tree.
They complied, but their screams weren't as bloodcurdling as before.
Sarah climbed up on the stone slab to get close enough to do something about the ropes that bound her friends. All the while, she kept screaming herself, to show them how it should be done, and stealing glances at Tahra to make sure it wasn’t time to just grab her friends and put on the bracer.
Finally, they got their screams just right.
She gave them a thumbs up.
At first, Sarah felt daunted at the idea of untying the knots —but then she remembered the small dirk integrated into the side of her backpack. She drew it and cut her friends’ bonds, freeing them to crawl down behind the stone with her. Nadia hugged Sarah as Ellie hugged her from the other side. In this relative safety, they whispered and planned.
"How can we help?" Nadia’s gray eyes burned with gratitude, but also with vengeance. Horror lurked behind them as well, but not nearly so strongly, thanks be to Heaven.
“Think o’ someaught we can dae tae distract her,” Sarah said while looking around for ideas, “get her attention elsewhere sae Meehall can kill her and we can get away.”
The wheels were turning behind Nadia’s thoughtful stare into the trees as she combed her long brown hair back with her long fingers. “Druids get their power from the plants, right?"
Sarah looked up at the trees as well. "Aye."
“Hae ye the means tae start a fire?" Ellie’s voice sounded hopeful, yet ready for disappointment, as always.
Sarah hugged them again. “As it happens, I hae just the thing.” She dug around in her pack. “While I find it and get it ready, push all the dead leaves away from the Murray side o’ this stone slab onto the Cameron side, toward Tahra."
Even as Sarah finished whispering this, Nadia and Ellie hiked their skirts up out of the way into their belts and crawled around pushing the leaves over to the Cameron side of the grove. Nadia’s movements had a grace to them, as always, and her piles of leaves were regularly spaced. Ellie’s movements were surprisingly violent, however. Had her meek little f
riend found aggression during her captivity? Good.
When they finished moving the leaves, they had cleared a six foot by ten foot rectangle. In so doing, they had created a huge raised row of oak and rowan leaves that had not been rained on for some time and were crackly and dry.
Sarah had her signal flare out. “See that white horse over there?”
Her friends looked at Snow and back.
“She’s mine. Once the fire gets going, I wull walk ye tae her. Until ye are up on her back, keep a hold o’ me. That way, I can get ye oot o’ here if some aught happens.” She gave them a glimpse of the bracer under her arisade.
“Let’s just gae haime nae!” Ellie pleaded when she saw it, her freckled face looking ready to cry.
Sarah slashed out in front of herself in a ‘definitely not’ hand gesture. “I wull nae leave Meehall unless we hae tae. I wull get the both o’ ye up on Snow.”
"What aboot ye?" asked Nadia, full of concern.
"I wull ride with Meehall. Dinna fash, just let me get ye up ontae Snow."
Finally, Ellie assented, her voice a raspy whisper. “Verra wull. And I dae thank ye for coming for us.” She shuddered.
With a ‘this one’s for you’ look at first Ellie, then Nadia, Sarah snapped the signal flare to light its blue-hot chemical flame, then tossed it into the raised row of dry leaves.
The flare was so hot that it lit the row within seconds. In no time at all, the whole floor of the grove behind Tahra was burning.
Sarah ran her friends over to Snow, helped them mount, and looked for her man.
Meehall looked stricken at first, but his face filled with relief when he saw Sarah.
She indicated where her friends sat atop Snow.
He nodded encouragement, but he didn't back down from his attack on the druid child.
Ciaran had recovered from the druid child’s spell and jumped on his horse when the flames filled the grove. He rode over and offered his hand to help her up behind him.
But Sarah wouldn't leave Meehall. She looked around the forest floor for a stick she could use as a quarterstaff in order to help her man make a last stand.
But Tahra, nearly engulfed in flames, backed down. Waving her arms in the air, she yelled out, "Camerons, tae me!" A blue door opened behind her, and during the brief time it was open, she took what Camerons were still alive and escaped, the portal closing with a pop behind her.
“We allowed her tae get away!” Eoin railed, along with a dozen angry curses.
Sarah was sure he would have tried to follow. Fortunately, though, the forest fire made fleeing the only sensible course of action. Rather than ride back up the mountain toward the inn, Searc led them toward home.
***
When the horses slowed to a walk again, Meehall gently nudged her side.
She looked down to see two pills in his hand.
“Take them,” he urged. “Drink from the water straw sticking oot from the side o’ yer pack.”
“Let me guess,” she said after she had swallowed them, “you spiked my tea with these. Will they make me sleep?”
“Guilty as charged,” he said with a chuckle, “but nay. They wull merely numb the pain from that flight ye had, intae the tree.”
“Pretty powerful stuff, and they can dae all that. What are they?”
“Eoin gets them from the druids at Celtic, sae ’tis na a certainty ye would find them elsewhere, ye ken?”
***
Once the pills kicked in, riding in front of Meehall was utterly wonderful now that they had admitted their love for one another and committed to staying together, even with the uncomfortable subject they had to discuss.
His breath whispered through her hair as he spoke. “Apparently, portals can open FROM the sacred grove, just nae TAE the sacred grove."
She moved her head the slightest, nuzzling his chin. “Aye, Tahra got away. Howsoever, we did what we came tae dae. Nadia and Ellie are safe."
"Aye, but my brother is angry. And he does hae the right o’ it. This feud with the Camerons is na ower. He is thinking o’ how Tahra wull keep on trying tae gain the ultimate power ower Scotland. How we had her in oor grasp and could've ended this, but we let her slip away." This was what Meehall said, but meanwhile, all of him tenderly hugged all of her. His affection was overwhelming.
Her cup ran over. She wriggled around in the saddle, to make herself more comfortable, you understand. "And is that what ye are thinking?"
“Are ye daft?” He chuckled, a deep rumble in his throat that, at these close quarters, made her back tingle with the vibration. “I hae other plans in mind than confronting the Cameron clan."
She relaxed into his embrace, content to let Smoke’s spirited walk jostle them together. "Good. And I intend tae see that all yer plans include me."
Nadia and Ellie rode nearby, thanking Ciaran and Baltair for their rescue and talking on and on about being kidnapped and almost killed and burned. But Meehall and Sarah let the young people's banter fade into the background so they could enjoy being in each other’s company.
Meehall’s mouth drew close to her ear. "Just sae oor understanding is clear, ye intend tae live here in 1706 with me in the Highlands, aye?"
She couldn’t resist turning her head and stealing a kiss, which drew cat calls from her friends.
Meehall kissed her back for a long moment, but then he drew away, his warm blue eyes looking expectantly into hers.
She put a hand on his leg. "I telt ye true. If I wanted tae stay inside all day, I would hae remained at Celtic. I came here for the adventure and excitement, and adventure and excitement I wull hae."
He tickled her back with that tingling chuckle once more. "Ye did na come here for me, then?"
She squeezed his thigh. “If ye had asked me that a week ago, I would hae denied it. But aye. Aye, I did come tae see ye agin. I ken that nae. ’Twas in this setting we fell in love, although at the time we did na ken how fake a version o’ this setting ’twas. The real Highlands put the faire tae shame, and 'tis the only waurld I want tae live in, sae lang as ye be with me."
“On that, we are in agreement."
He kissed her neck, and it was all she could do to keep from gasping out loud and disturbing the dignified propriety of the Highlands clan she would now call her family.
20
Sarah, Meehall, Nadia, and Ellie arrived at their Inverness inn room after a long ride full of questions about Ciaran and Baltair followed by disappointment that these young Highlanders wouldn’t ever be in the future.
"How many days did ye pay for this room?" Sarah asked Meehall as she got ready to put the bracer on and gestured for everyone to gather close and hug her so they wouldn't get left behind.
"'Tis paid for just two more days," he said, “sae if we are gaun'ae take longer than that tae get yer affairs in order before we return, I should gae doonstairs and pay for another, what? Another week? A month?" He looked at her with kindness, but it was strained.
She looked up into his soft blue eyes. "Nay, two more days wull be enough. I canna keep ye away from Alan, Keith, and Lyle any longer than that. Besides, I hae a generous man who wull let me gae see my parents at Christmas, aye?"
They were all huddled close together in the room at the inn, and Nadia and Ellie looked on with amusement.
"Aye," Meehall told her with indulgence, yet also with gratitude.
She kissed his chin. "Anything else we should get settled afore we gae back tae Celtic University and drop these two off?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Ye wull hae tae speak with Gertrude when we get tae Celtic, ye ken."
Sarah met Ellie and Nadia's enquiring stares before she looked back at Meehall and nodded resignedly. "Aye, and I am na looking forward tae that, na one bit, but I wull na make my friends break the news tae her. I wull face her myself."
Nadia and Ellie visibly relaxed and then put their arms around Sarah.
"Let's go then."
"We're ready."
Sarah put the brac
er on, and the room swam as if under water until the furnishings changed into modern versions, including the television, which was still on.
“Oops,” she said, looking for the remote. “We should have turned the TV off before we left. I bet it annoyed the people in the next room. I wonder why the maid didn’t turn it off?” She found the remote and aimed it at the TV screen.
Wait. Sarah took another look at the date on the TV screen next to the news announcer. She hit the guide button to bring up the menu of channels and today’s date and time.
She turned and looked to see if Nadia and Ellie were picking up on this.
Their eyes and mouths were round.
Ellie said what they all were thinking. “We didn’t miss more than the one day of work after all!”
They took a cab to Celtic, in which Ellie cracked joke after joke about trivial things. Sarah could tell that her friend was trying to get over the trauma of being kidnapped, so she let her cope how she did best. After they escorted Nadia and Ellie back to their dorm rooms and shared a tearful goodbye with much hugging and many promises to stay in touch when Sarah came home for Christmases, Meehall went with Sarah to Gertrude’s office.
Sarah's knock was feeble.
Her boss called out from her desk in answer, just the same. "Come in, Sarah, and bring Meehall with you."
Sarah met Meehall's eyes.
He looked just as mystified as she felt.
"Maybe someone called her and told her we were here together," she whispered to him.
"Maybe." But he didn't look convinced.
Clinging tightly to Meehall's hand, Sarah went into her boss’s office and sat down in one of the two chairs that faced Gertrude's large desk. Now she thought about it, why did Gertrude have a desk almost as big as Chancellor Stanley's?
The older woman was smiling at her as she made the last notes on something on her laptop, then closed it. “Can I help ye, Sarah?"
Sarah cleared her throat.
Meehall squeezed her hand below the line of the desk were Gertrude couldn't see. His touch was reassuring and comforting.
