Courage of a Highlander

by Katy Baker

  Idiot! she chided herself. He’s a sixteenth century warrior for pity’s sake! You’re a twenty-first century journalist! You come from different worlds and you’ll soon be returning to yours. Get a grip!

  She sucked in a deep breath and marched over to her horse. “Looks like it might snow again. Let’s get going shall we?”

  ***

  Aiden yanked on the reins, keeping the spirited stallion under control. Smokey had been Aiden’s horse for years and carried him into battle in the name of King James many times over. He was a loyal and dependable companion. But he was also a trained warhorse who hadn’t had enough exercise in the past few weeks. With the coastal trail stretching out in front of them, the stallion longed to stretch his legs.

  “Easy boy,” Aiden said, patting his neck. “Easy.”

  He glanced over at Kara who sat on the plodding mare by his side. Her riding was improving although she still sat straight-backed and rigid, as though she didn’t trust the rolling gait of the horse not to pitch her from the saddle. Aiden had enjoyed teaching her. She was an attentive and quick student, always asking questions, always wanting to improve. Lord, he wished all his new recruits were as attentive as she. Right now though, she was staring straight ahead, a look on her face that suggested her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

  The biting sea breeze had put a pink tinge into her cheeks and tousled her hair, blowing it around her face in tangled locks. Aiden felt something shift inside him. Lord, she was beautiful. More beautiful than any woman he’d ever met. Being near her did strange things to Aiden. He found he couldn’t concentrate when she was around. When she was close, his thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind and all he became aware of was her scent, her warmth, her nearness.

  It was maddening and invigorating at the same time. What was happening to him? What was this twenty-first century woman, this woman from such an alien world, doing to him?

  He wondered what she was thinking. About her home? Wishing she could go back there? Was she disappointed that Irene hadn’t been found? Was she desperate to return to her own time and leave Dun Arnwick—and him—behind?

  He didn’t like the feelings that thought evoked. Pushing his musings away, he forced himself to concentrate on the road. The castle still lay several miles distant but Aiden knew these lands like the back of his hand. He’d explored every inch of this coastline as a child, driving his mother to distraction by disappearing for hours with the other castle boys and coming home late in the evening, usually wet and dirty and thoroughly pleased with himself. Then later, as a youth, he’d ridden with his father on patrols and border inspections, and finally as an adult, led companies of his own on behalf of his father.

  Spotting a path that branched off to the left he pulled his horse up suddenly. Around him the others halted their mounts as well.

  Drake looked at him quizzically. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  Aiden suddenly grinned. “Nay, Drake,” he replied. “There’s naught wrong. Ye three head back to Dun Arnwick. We’ll follow after. There’s something I want to show Lady Kara.”

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “Out here? I can’t see anything but moorland and sea.”

  “Ah, that’s because ye dinna know where to look.” He nodded to the three guards. “Go on ahead and tell my father what the crofters said. We’ll return to Dun Arnwick anon.”

  Drake nodded then the three guardsmen nudged their mounts and carried on along the road. Kara watched Aiden.

  “You’re grinning like a Cheshire Cat,” she said. “Am I missing something?”

  “I havenae been this way in years,” he replied. “But when I saw that trail I remembered something, a place I used to visit when I was just a lad. I reckon ye’ll like it. Come on.”

  He swung his leg out of the saddle and dropped easily to the ground. Kara was a little more ungainly and slid out of the saddle like a sack, only keeping her footing by grabbing onto the cantle.

  “Don’t say a word!” she said, pointing a finger at Aiden. “I’ll master this riding thing yet, you’ll see.”

  Aiden held up his hands. “I wouldnae dare say a word! I value my head too much for that! This way.”

  Leaving the horses to crop grass, he led Kara over to the cliff-edge. A narrow trail wound its way to the beach below, winding through brush and around boulders. Below them the tide lapped at a narrow strip of beach.

  “You want me to climb down there?” Kara asked.

  “It isnae as steep as it looks from up here,” Aiden replied. “And it will be worth it. I promise.”

  “Okay,” Kara said, dubiously. “But if I fall and break my neck I’ll come back and haunt you, Aiden Harris.”

  “Ye willnae fall, lass. I willnae let any harm come to ye.”

  She met his gaze and Aiden felt a surge of protectiveness swell within him. He wouldn’t let anything hurt this woman. He would die first.

  He cleared his throat and stepped forward. “This way.”

  True to his word, the path was easy to traverse and they made their way down to the beach without incident. Down here the wind was not quite as strong but the tang of salt-spray filled the air. The churning sea stretched to the horizon.

  “What now?” Kara asked.

  Aiden scanned the cliff, searching. Then he spotted what he was looking for and grinned at Kara.

  “Come on.”

  She followed as he led the way along the base of the cliff for about a hundred meters or so. A large outcrop of rock stuck out of the cliff, covered in clinging, scraggly bushes and with a hardy coastal pine growing out of a crack in the rock. He halted in front of it.

  Kara looked over the outcrop and then fixed him with a quizzical look. “What am I looking at? Seems like an ordinary cliff to me.”

  “So I thought, until I tried climbing that tree when I was ten years old. A branch snapped under me and the cliff revealed its secret. This way.”

  He strode in amongst the hanging branches of the tree. He held them aside so Kara could duck beneath their scratchy fingers. Once inside, a cleft in the rock was revealed, leading into the depths of the cliff.

  “Careful,” he warned Kara. “The rocks can be slippery.”

  She nodded and followed close behind as he carefully picked a way through the cleft. They soon entered a narrow tunnel. It was dark and dank, smelling of seaweed and from up ahead came the sound of the lapping sea. Aiden reached out and clasped Kara’s hand to steady her. She looked at him gratefully and curled her fingers through his.

  Together they made their careful way through the near-darkness, slimy rock walls close on either side. Then suddenly they rounded a bend and a huge sea-cave opened up before them, brightly lit by both a rounded entrance through which they could see the sea and a crack in the roof which let sunlight stream down from above.

  Kara gasped. Her eyes widened as she took it all in. The cave was almost perfectly circular with clear calm water filling most of it, far more serene than the churning sea outside. Minerals sparkled in the walls and high overhead a cluster of stalactites hung from the ceiling, glittering like tiny diamonds.

  Kara ran her hands over the wall. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

  “Aye,” Aiden agreed. Like ye, the thought came unbidden to his mind. “Like I said, I found it by accident when I was just a lad. After that, I used to come here when I needed to think.” He smiled wryly. “Or to sulk after I’d had a hiding for some misdemeanor or other. Here, let me show ye something.”

  He led Kara over to the opening that led out to the sea. Here the rock wall had been weathered over time into a ledge that provided the perfect seat. He knelt down, running his hand over the wall. There, carved in crude, childish letters, was his name.

  Kara grinned in delight, running her fingers over the letters. “So ten-year old Aiden used to come here,” she said, taking a seat on the ledge and staring out over the sunlit cavern. “I bet you were a true little devil.”

  “I wasnae!” Aiden said in
mock outrage, taking a seat by her side. “I’ll have ye know I was adorable!”

  Kara laughed. “I’ll bet you were. And I’ll bet you were the darling of everyone’s eye—just like now!”

  Her words sobered him abruptly. Not if they knew the truth, he thought. He looked away from her, staring out over the gently lapping pool. When he was younger this place had always soothed him. It was a place he’d come when he wanted to be alone, to think, to work out exactly what he wanted in life. He’d come here when he’d been deciding whether to leave and join the king’s banners. He’d hoped it would soothe him now but found his thoughts churning worse than ever.

  They’d failed to find Irene MacAskill. That should have disappointed him. After all, the sooner they found her, the sooner Kara could go home and Aiden could get on with his life. Wasn’t that what he wanted? Hadn’t that been the plan since the moment Kara had come back to Scotland with him?

  But he found that was no longer the case. Far from being disappointed they hadn’t found Irene, Aiden was glad. It meant Kara would be here a while longer. With him.

  “What’s wrong” Kara asked, laying a hand on his arm.

  Her touch sent a thrill through him and Aiden sprang to his feet, staring out over the still pool. Kara stood and stepped up next to him. “Aiden?”

  He turned to look at her. Her lips were parted slightly, her eyes large and round, deep enough to drown in. Desire swept through him, so hot and fierce that his thoughts shattered. Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped forward, gathered Kara into his arms and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips were soft and warm, as sweet as he’d dreamed. Her scent filled his nostrils, intoxicating him, sending lust raging through his body. She melted into his arms, her arms going around his neck, her lips parting to let him inside.

  He kissed her wildly, passionately, all the built-up desire he’d kept inside since the moment he’d met her exploding out in an uncontrollable tide. He yanked her hard against him, his hands in the small of her back, feeling her breasts crushed against his chest.

  For her part Kara answered with equal passion, her tongue cavorting with his, her fingers tangling in his hair. Before he realized it, he’d pushed her up against the wall, his hands gripping her waist.

  Some deep part of himself screamed a warning. If he went any further, he would be lost. He would lose himself in this woman, a woman who would soon leave him. This could be nothing more than a brief liaison and that would never be enough for him. He owed himself more than that. And, more importantly, he owed Kara more than that.

  He broke the kiss but didn’t let her go. Instead he stood looking down at her, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his raging desire making it difficult to think straight. She stared up at him, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair tousled around her shoulders. Lord help him, but it was all he could do not to grab her, kiss her into submission, and take her, right here, right now.

  It took all his battle-trained discipline to take a deep breath and say, “We shouldnae let this go any further, lass. It would be a bad idea.”

  He wanted her to disagree. He wanted her to give him an excuse, any excuse to taste her again. She breathed deeply through her nostrils and he could see her fighting with herself.

  “You’re right,” she said eventually. “Bad idea. Maybe we should head back before we do something stupid?”

  “Aye,” Aiden breathed. For a moment he remained where he was, his body touching hers, his hands resting on her waist, savoring of the feel of her against him. It felt right. Natural. And when he stepped back he felt suddenly cold, as though he’d stepped away from the warmth of a winter’s fire into a cold night.

  “Come then,” he said gruffly, not looking at Kara. “I hope the horses havenae wandered too far.”

  They left the cave in silence. They emerged onto the beach and made the climb back up to the top of the cliff. Aiden went first and helped Kara up the steeper bits, holding out his hand and supporting her as she climbed. She smiled her gratitude and Aiden felt his insides twist every time. If he’d thought he was hyper-aware of her before, now it was even worse. Every touch of her hand sent his skin tingling. Every look she gave him sent a thrill through his body.

  He was glad to reach the horses and mount up. He set a brisk pace back to Dun Arnwick which precluded much talking. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when the castle came into view. They rode into the bailey and dismounted, two stable-lads running to take the horses.

  “Aye, well, I’d best go report to my father. He’ll want to know what the crofters said and I promised to lead a training session,” Aiden said, shifting his feet awkwardly.

  “Yeah, you’d better,” Kara replied. “And I’d better go see Lucy. I said I’d help out in the infirmary again this afternoon.”

  “Then I’ll bid ye good day,” he bowed formally then turned on his tail and strode towards his father’s study. He told himself he wasn’t running away.

  Chapter 12

  “Very good!” Dougie said with a grin. “Now, one more time so I can check ye have the intonation right.”

  Kara concentrated and said the sentence again, pronouncing every word with care. “Conas atá tú inniu?”

  Dougie nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect, lass. If I didnae know any better, I’d say ye were a native speaker.”

  He sat propped up in his bed in the infirmary with an array of books laid out on his lap. His chest infection had improved considerably and Lucy predicted he’d be able to leave the infirmary soon.

  “You’re just being kind,” Kara replied. “Beth says I sound like a bear with a sore tooth.”

  Dougie barked a laugh. “Ha! Our Beth likes to tease. Ye are a natural, lass, take it from me!”

  Kara smiled and reached out for another book. She’d been spending a lot of time in the library learning everything she could about Dun Arnwick, sixteenth century Scotland, and anything that might lead her to Irene MacAskill.

  “How’s yer reading coming on?” Dougie asked.

  Kara made a face. “Not well. Reading Gaelic is much harder than speaking it.”

  Dougie frowned, his bushy eyebrows pulling together. “Nonsense! Tis practice, that’s all, just like everything else.”

  Kara sighed dramatically. In truth, she was enjoying learning Gaelic from Dougie but they both enjoyed acting the part of impatient teacher and recalcitrant student as well. Kara picked up one of the books she’d brought from the library. The tome had caught her eye immediately. The script inside was ornate and looked very old, the pages brittle with age and carefully decorated with beautiful illuminations. In her time, such a book would be priceless and historians and curators the world over would be falling over themselves to get hold of it.

  She propped the book on her knee and opened the cover.

  Dougie pointed at the book and his tone took on that of a teacher addressing his student. “Ye can start by reading the first few pages. It’s a child’s book—perfect for a beginner!”

  Kara rolled her eyes at him. He’d taken to his role as teacher with alacrity but Kara kind of enjoyed it. Dougie was fun to be around and was like the kindly grandfather she’d never had. Lucy said that Dougie had been improving more quickly since he’d taken on teaching Kara and she was more than happy to do anything that might aid his recovery. So she pulled her chair closer to Dougie’s bed and angled it so he could see the book in her lap. Then she began to read.

  Like she’d said, her reading of Gaelic was very rudimentary and she found herself having to stop and be corrected by Dougie three or four times every sentence. But she persevered and as she continued, she found it becoming easier.

  The book appeared to be a collection of fairy stories. The first one talked about a stone circle high on a lonely hillside. According to the story it was a portal between worlds and each full moon the Fae would come forth and kidnap any mortals stupid enough to wander into the circle.

  Kara paused suddenly. Something tickled the back of her mind.
A memory, faint and slippery like a dream. She frowned, trying to remember. Something...

  Suddenly she remembered cold air on her skin, branches clawing at her as she climbed. Tall, dark stones rising up around her like jagged teeth. And voices. Voices calling, Ye are ours. Ye have come home.

  “Are ye well, lass?”

  Kara jumped as Dougie laid a hand on her arm. She hadn’t realized she’d been staring into space, or that the book had slipped from her knee, forgotten. She blinked, forced herself to focus on Dougie. “I...I’m fine.”

  “Ye dinna look fine,” the old man said, concern creasing his weathered face. “Ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost.”

  A cold overcame her, a cold so bone chilling it seemed to sink right into her soul. Shadows danced on the edge of her vision...Ye are ours. Come to us.

  Kara shivered. A fire roared in the hearth but cold seeped through Kara’s veins and with it came a sense of dread. Of foreboding. As though something terrible was about to happen. She looked around quickly. Sunlight poured through the windows and on the other side of the infirmary Beth was changing sheets, humming as she worked.

  Kara breathed out slowly. All was as it should be. There was nothing to worry about.

  You’re being ridiculous, she told herself. Get a grip.

  The door opened and a maid burst in. Beth and Lucy looked up from where they were working.

  “What is it?” Lucy asked.

  “My lady,” the maid said. “Laird Andrew requests yer presence in the Great Hall immediately. There’s been another attack.”

  ***

  Aiden bent his knees, careful to keep his back straight, and got his arms around the big block of stone. He straightened his legs, grunting at the effort, and slowly lifted the block before carefully carrying it over to the wall foundation and laying it on top. He crouched, checking it was in the right place whilst Ceardach measured it and gave a grunt of affirmation.

  “Aye, that’ll just about do it,” Ceardach said.