by Terry Spear
“Godspeed, Avelina. Take care and I will wait here and learn what I can concerning the other three men.”
“Aye. Good idea.” Then Avelina left the keep and moved with purpose toward the gate, wanting to run, but not wanting to catch anyone’s attention. She glanced in the direction of the three strangers’, all seated on the ground where two men were guarding them.
A black-haired and bearded man smiled at her, and she switched her attention to the other two men—a redheaded man, sprouting fresh whiskers, and a man with dark brown hair and beard. All were bedraggled, their clothes tattered and damp, their hair still wet, the redhead wearing a bloodied cloth around his head, the black-haired man with his arm bandaged and bloody cuts on his face, the last of the men having a bandage wrapped around his chest.
The brown-haired man winked at her. Fenella hurried after her, and they walked together toward the gate.
“I didna think you could leave,” Avelina said to her cousin.
“I canna. But I wanted to come out and learn more about these men. The black-haired man is Griswold, Ivar is the redhead. The other man is the one I didna catch the name of,” Fenella said, her words hushed for Avelina’s ears only. “Och, Hamish is observing us. The other guards are watching to see what he will do, since he’s in charge. He will stop me for sure, but he might no’ let you leave either.”
“Then you need to convince him to allow me to leave.”
“As if I could do that.”
When they reached Hamish, Avelina was going to just smile and continue on her way, but he raised his hand to stop her.
“Where do you think you’re off to, lass?” Hamish said to Avelina, though he cast a look in Fenella’s direction as if reminding her she wasn’t going anywhere.
Avelina wanted to tell him that it was nothing of importance to him, but she knew he was only doing his job and concerned for her welfare. “One of the women in the outlying farms needs my help. I will return before supper.”
“More of these men who were on the ship might be out there,” Hamish said, motioning to the three men. “Some of our men are searching for any more of them along the beach. Your da wouldna like it if you were out there and ran into any more of these men.”
“Thank you. I dinna intend to go to the shoreline.” Avelina wasn’t lying. She would be at the cave that was above the shore. “Just to see the widow Judith.” She had planned to today before Fenella had warned her about the half-dead warrior on the beach. She would still do so, on her return trip.
Hamish glanced at her bundle. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was taking her brother’s clothes with her if Hamish asked her to reveal all she had inside her own spare plaid. Her da had wanted her to save them in case they had some great need for them. As far as she was concerned, she did. But she was certain her da wouldn’t feel the same way.
“All right, be quick about it then, lass. Dinna stray toward the shore where the shipwreck occurred. Stay inland.”
“Aye. I will.” She wouldn’t be able to return quickly. She had to move Quinn to another location, and once she had him settled, she had to see Judith. Both would take time. Judith was lonely and loved the company. Getting away from her was always a challenge, though Avelina enjoyed visiting her and making sure she was getting along all right. Yet, Avelina could use that to her advantage. Everyone knew how Judith was.
Fenella was wringing her hands and nodded to her. Then Avelina hurried off, her heart beating spastically as she eyed another guard who was standing near the gates, watching her in return. She was certain she looked guilty, rather than appearing to just go about her business like on any other day.
“Where are you off to, Avelina?” Dar asked. He had to have seen her speaking with Hamish and had to know the head of the guards had approved her leaving, or he would have stopped her from going any further with her bundle.
“To gather more herbs and see to one of the women who lives on an outlying farm.” Avelina added the part about gathering herbs in case anyone worried she was returning too late. “I must hurry so that I may return before the meal.”
“You are armed.”
“Always, and Wolf is waiting for me. I will be safe enough.” She did worry that Quinn might be real trouble. Or maybe the other men were. Maybe all of them were. At least the men guarding the castle were in charge of these men.
“Dinna tarry then.”
“Aye.” Relieved when the guard let her pass, she hurried through the gates and down the path through rocks and bracken. From there, she made her way to the meadows of gorse and heather. Once she was well out of sight of the castle, she turned in the direction of the cave, and began to run, worried now that the men searching for more shipwreck victims would find Quinn. What if they took him to the inner bailey and the other men killed him? She needed to move him to another location, far away from the beach.
Nearly out of breath, she finally reached the outcropping of rocks and saw the dark cave. The fire had gone out, and Wolf wasn’t sitting at the entrance like she’d ordered. Her heartbeat quickened, and her palms grew sweaty. What if Quinn had believed she would bring her kin to arrest him, either by her own will, or that she’d been forced to, and he’d run off? Or while she’d been gone, her men had found him? But where was Wolf?
She drew close to the dark cave and saw light streaming into it from up above. Quinn was lying on his back, Wolf sleeping against him, sharing their warmth with each other. She couldn’t be any more surprised to see Wolf’s actions. She’d never observed him reacting to a stranger like that, maybe realizing she was trying to help Quinn, and knowing he was injured.
Wolf raised his head, watching her, his eyes glowing a bit in the darkness, his tail wagging. She frowned at Quinn, hoping he was still alive. She drew close enough to hear his breathing, and relieved, she placed her hand on his chest with a gentle touch, not wanting to alarm him, but having to know if he was cool or hot to the touch. He didn’t stir, but she felt his heart beating and his skin was cool, not cold, thankfully.
She began to remove Quinn’s boots so that she could dress him in dry clothes, and he stirred. “Quinn? ‘Tis me, Avelina. I’ve come with dry clothes and rags to bind your wounds. But I must also move you farther from here.”
“Avelina,” Quinn said, a hand to his chest, his voice dry and raspy, his eyes half-lidded.
“Aye.” She brought out a flask of ale and helped him to sit, then pressed the flask to his lips. “Drink.” He needed to rest, but they couldn’t afford for him to stay here now that they’d found the other men.
He drank a few sips of the ale, and she closed the flask and set it aside.
“Some of our men are combing the beach for shipwreck survivors. I must move you to another location.” She placed her brother’s plaid over his lap, then pulled the damp one off him—trying not to look at his nakedness any more than she had to. Not that she wasn’t fascinated to see his manhood, but the poor man was shivering, and she was trying to ensure he didn’t get sick.
She removed his shredded shirt and the other bandages she’d made out of his shirt that were now wet with salty water. She applied a paste of herbs to his wounds, and then bound his ribs, his arm, and his head with clean, dry cloths. “Tell me about the men you traveled with and where you were bound.” She helped him pull on her brother’s shirt.
“My brother sent me to bring a woman home to be his bride. She wishes to be, but her family doesna, according to my brother, Cormac. He sent five men with me, not of the clan. They are armed mercenaries who tried to kill me on the ship during the height of the storm before the ship sank. I managed to kill one of the men before the ship broke up. I hope the others drowned in the sea.”
“So that means four are left.”
“Unless they drowned.”
“Ivar, Griswold, and…?”
Quinn’s brown eyes widened. “They live?”
“They were picked up on the shore and taken to the keep. My cousin, Fenella, overheard them
saying they needed to kill a man who wouldna die, by the name of Quinn. You, aye? Why would they want to kill you?” She helped him into her brother’s spare boots, and then worked with him to replace his wet plaid with her brother’s dry one.
“You would have to ask my brother that question.”
“Your brother wishes you dead?” Avelina couldn’t imagine anything more horrible.
“Aye, but I dinna know the reason. He has tried to have me killed—unsuccessfully—four times before.”
Avelina pondered the whole situation further. “Sending you to steal a woman away from her kin to wed your bother could have meant your death anyway.”
“Aye, I’m a good swordsman. Killing me meant one less person to successfully rescue the lady and escort her to my brother. I dinna understand why the men wouldn’t have waited until we had her on the ship and bound for home.”
Avelina didn’t know what to think. She wanted to believe Quinn, but she couldn’t. Not when she didn’t know anything about him. “We must move. If my men find you, they’ll take you to the keep and if your brother’s men can find a way, they’ll kill you, even though they’ve been disarmed.” She bundled everything up. “You must get to your feet. Can you?”
“Aye.”
But he leaned heavily on her as she helped him to his feet. She wasn’t sure he was going to do much better than when they were on the shore. At least the tide wouldn’t be pulling their feet out from under them, or half drowning them. “Okay, hold onto the cave wall for a moment, and I’ll tie the bundle to my belt.” After she did that, she pulled the flask leather strap over her neck. She would feed him later once they were settled. Unless eating a little would give him some strength for now. “Do you need to eat right this minute?”
“Nay, let us move. I’ll do better than before, I promise. Thank you again for aiding me.”
“Does Cormac believe you want his bride-to-be?” she asked, trying to come up with a reason the brothers would be at odds.
“Nay. I dinna know the lass. And I would have naught to offer her. Especially if my brother manages to kill me one of these days.”
“Why do you stay?”
“Everyone else likes me.” Quinn smiled down at her, but he shifted his weight so he wasn’t leaning on her as much.
“Except for your brother and his mercenaries, so it seems.” She felt Quinn swaying. “I’ll help you. But if you think you can do this on your own and you fall, I might no’ be able to get you back on your feet.”
Wolf was running ahead of them, sniffing the air, looking back to make sure they were following him, and dashing off again.
Quinn leaned on her a little bit more, but he was still trying to support himself more. “Where are we going?”
“To an abandoned croft on a stream. Some say ‘tis haunted and selkies visit there and snatch people away.”
He groaned and she paused. “Are you okay?”
“Aye. I dinna think anything is broken, maybe…cracked a rib or two. Hopefully, just bruised.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I will live.”
But how long would he live if his brother kept trying to have him killed? “Who is the woman you were sent to fetch?” she asked.
Quinn didn’t answer her, and she looked up at him to see if he was getting ready to pass out, yet he hadn’t shifted his weight any. He looked like he hated to speak about it. “I canna lie to you, after all that you’ve done for me. You may no’ wish to aid me any longer, and I will understand. Cormac said that Fenella is the lady who wishes to wed him.”
Avelina jerked away from Quinn so fast, he teetered on his feet, looking like he was barely able to stand on his own, but she was so outraged, she couldn’t do anything but scowl at him. “He lies. Or you lie.”
“I have naught to gain by telling you the truth. When the rest of your kin learn my business here, they’re sure to kill me outright.”
She had to admit he was right. “She doesna love some brigand by the name of Cormac,” Avelina said, scowling. She knew her cousin well, and she would have told her if she loved someone and hoped he’d steal her away.
Quinn wavered a little and Avelina was afraid he’d fall. She should let him. She should call for the men searching for Quinn or any other men who were cast upon the beach. She should let the men who said they’d kill him finish the job. Cormac must have heard of her cousin’s beauty and wanted her for his wife, not for any other reason.
“You will tell Hamish, the man left in charge, what you, your brother, and his men’s wicked plans were.”
“Fenella longed to be with Cormac, according to him.”
“’Tis a lie!”
“Is it?” Quinn raised a brow.
With every fiber of her being, Avelina thought so. But what if Fenella had met Cormac during some clan meeting, fallen in love, and wanted to be with him? What if she’d been afraid to confide in Avelina, fearing she would have told Fenella’s father?
Avelina glowered at Quinn. “You are sure you dinna want to steal Fenella away, and that’s why your brother’s men wished you dead?”
“Nay, Avelina. ‘Tis as I’ve said. I’ve never met the lass before. I know naught about her. If I wished to steal anyone away…” He didn’t finish what he was going to say, his hand going to his chest, and Avelina quickly moved to support him.
“I should call for our men to come and take you away.” She helped him to move a few more steps. “I know that Fenella doesna want to wed some man by the name of Cormac, but I will ask her just the same. Just to be sure. Would you still plan to steal her away if it wasna her idea and you had the opportunity?” Avelina doubted that he could now, but she wanted to know his feelings anyway.
“Nay. Then I would believe my brother orchestrated this whole mission, so I wouldn’t survive this time.”
“If ‘tis as you say, even if Fenella had wanted to marry him, I would convince her otherwise.”
“She is happy here?”
“Aye, of course.”
“And her da doesna plan to marry her to a man she despises?”
“No’ that we are aware of.”
“Is this place you are taking me very far?” He was barely walking, his breathing labored.
“Aye. If you are a great warrior, you can make it.” She knew he had to be hurting, but she didn’t want him giving up, and she would say anything that she could to encourage him. “You will have to prove you are worthy of staying with us. If a widow will take you in, I will take you to her croft on the morrow. But she has to be willing. She needs help with repairs to her byre and the roof of her croft. You will repair them, if you know how to do more than just fighting and stealing lasses from their homes. That is, if my people dinna learn what you were up to, and kill you outright.”
4
Quinn wondered what Avelina would do when she returned to her keep. He suspected she’d tell Fenella first what his mission was and learn if what Cormac had said was true, or if he had lied. Quinn had considered lying to her to protect himself, but he was certain the truth would come out and it was better that it happened now, with her, when she seemed to be more sympathetic. Her people would not treat him as kindly, of that he was sure. And he couldn’t blame them. Though stealing a bride was a time-honored tradition if the man got away with it. If he didn’t…
“I canna believe you planned to steal Fenella away,” Avelina grumbled under his weight.
He was trying his darnedest not to use her strength, and draw on more of his own. His ribs and head pained him something fierce, and he hoped they would reach the haunted croft sooner than later. “Because she wished it, according to my brother. Believe me, had I had the opportunity to speak with your cousin and learn that she didna, if she didna, I would never have taken her from your island.”
“But you do what your brother wishes, even when he attempts to murder you…repeatedly.” Avelina was still angry with him, but he didn’t blame her.
“Not something like this, once I
’d learned the truth.”
“Has Cormac ever lied to you about something like this?”
“When I went into a village to right a wrong at my brother’s request the last time, and I discovered the men had been warned I was on my way, and they were ready for me. I still got the best of them, but I had to fight twice as hard to do it. And there have been other occasions.”
“How do you know your brother had anything to do with it?”
“I’ve been ambushed four times in the last two months. And he was always the one who sent me. Not to mention the last man I had to kill said my brother warned him I was coming.”
“Could he have been lying?”
“Because of the other cases, I doubt it.”
Avelina frowned up at him. “Have you thought of killing your brother for the wrong he has done you?”
Quinn sighed and considered her words for a moment before he spoke.
She looked up at him. “You have.”
“He saved my life when I was young. I owe him my life. I wouldna be here today if he hadna.”
She snorted. “Then you wouldna have been here trying to steal my cousin away. And could very well have died in the shipwreck. And if my kinsmen got hold of you…”
“Aye. As to your question, aye, I have considered it.” Quinn had to keep pausing to catch his breath, and he would have done better not talking while they made their way over the uneven ground. But he had to convince the lass he wasn’t in the wrong on this. “Who wouldna, whose blood relation keeps trying to have you murdered? But I know this would be folly on my part. I would have to live with what I had done—and I would be a wanted man. My brother is careful to make it appear that he had naught to do with the trouble I had that could easily have resulted in my death.”
“Does no one know of his treachery? Surely, someone—those who tried to kill you—would know and the word would get out.”
“Many assume the worst of my brother. The men who attacked us are no more. A couple of the men who had been with me during the ambushes, Liam and Lorne, know also. Still, it would be our word against the chief. Lorne and Liam both insisted on accompanying me this time even, sure my brother intended to have his mercenaries kill me. I thought they would wait until we had Fenella on the ship first.”
