by Willa Blair
****
Shona stilled. The words had just slipped out—words that would betray her. Well, it was too late to care, and others still needed her help. Angus most of all. The clan needed him. And something in his voice made her ask, “How are ye, Angus, truly? Can ye work yer way free?”
“Nay, I’m lying in a trench, and there’s a beam over most of it, holding me down. I’m lucky, I guess. If it had fallen a little to the right, it would have smashed my head to porritch. As it is, one end is propped up enough to give me a bit of breathing room.”
“Can ye see around ye at all?”
“A wee bit.”
“Can the beam fall beside ye to free ye? Will anything else fall on ye if it moves?”
He’d have to tell the rescuers the same thing. She’d heard them moving around. Some even seemed to be coming closer. He took a breath, as if gathering strength to speak louder. That would be good. They might hear him, too.
“There’s a clear space to my left. If the beam had fallen two or three feet in that direction, I wouldna been trapped at all. I dinna think anything around it will fall on me when the men get here to move it.”
“That’s good, then. Is the clear space closer to me or away?”
“Away from ye…”
She could hear the question in his voice. He probably wondered why she wanted to know so much. She reached out to where she heard Angus’s voice and gave a gentle push.
“What the hell?”
“Did it move?”
“Aye. Someone must have rocked the beam. Who’s there? Brodric!”
She heard fear in his voice as he called out to his friend. Did he fear they’d drop a killing weight onto him? “Dinna fash. I’m going to try to free ye.”
“Ye are what?”
“I need ye to tell me everything ye see and feel. I canna see where ye are, and I dinna wish to harm ye.”
“Shona…”
She gave another slight push and heard Angus yelp.
“It rocked. The beam rocked! Who’s there?”
Tensing, she pushed with all her might. The pain in her head spiked, and she nearly retched. She released the beam, felt it drop, and heard Angus gasp and swear. “What happened?”
“It rolled on me…heavy…”
Panicked, Shona reached out, lifted, then pushed the beam away. She heard a thump and a crash as it rolled into other debris. The pain in her head exploded into bright shards, and she grabbed her skull with both hands.
“Angus!”
“Safe…I’m unharmed. It’s off me. Here!” he shouted, his voice sounding strangled, though he said he could breathe. “Shona and I are under here. Ye are close!”
He still thought searchers had moved it. Shona sucked in air and willed her head to stop pounding, her stomach to stop churning. In the last few minutes, the nearby voices had gotten louder. While Shona had been freeing Angus, someone else had been located, but the searchers weren’t saying enough for her to be able to help them. Not that she could do anything after moving the beam off Angus. Not yet.
In moments, she heard Angus moving. Sloshing sounds told her his situation may have been more dire than he’d admitted. “Ye’re verra wet.”
“Aye, but at least I willna meet the same fate as my brother, drownin’ in a shallow pool. No’ yet, anyway.” She could hear him crawling toward her, muttering and pushing debris out of his way. Then his hand landed on her arm and a sense of calm strength stole over her.
“So dark…”
“Aye. Here, let me get these rocks off yer legs. Are ye hurt? Is anything broken?”
“How…” Shona realized she’d been so focused on what was going on around her, she hadn’t even noticed her legs were pinned.
“Can ye wiggle yer toes, lass?”
She did. “Aye.”
“Good.”
She felt something shift off her as Angus let out a grunt of effort. Belatedly, she lent him her assistance, cringing at the pain knifing through her head yet again.
“That’s better,” he said, running his hand over her shins. “Lucky for ye, another rock supported the stone on yer legs, or it wouldha broken them.” Angus shifted around in the dark. “Take my hand, lass, and I’ll help ye sit up. There’s just enough room above us to do that.”
Shona flailed around until she felt Angus’s big hand grasp hers, then groaned as he pulled her to sitting. The pounding in her head pulsed in her blood and spread throughout her body.
“I’ve got ye, lass. Here, lean on me. I ken ye are frightened, but help will be here soon.” He pulled her into his embrace. “Ye must be cold.”
“Aye, I am. Mostly my head hurts.” Shona snuggled into Angus’s heat, grateful to be in his arms. Grateful he still lived. She cast around, listening to the rescuers, trying to sense the extent of the disaster. Angus’s fingers explored her head, and she hissed when they found a lump at the back.
“Sorry, lass,” he murmured and left off.
Excited voices shouted commands Shona could use. She helped and was rewarded when a cheer went up, and a childish voice started coughing at the same time a woman started sobbing. Good, one lad free. How many others?
As soon as they quieted, Angus called out. “Brodric! Shona and I are here.”
“Laird!” Brodric’s shout answered Angus. “Finally! Are ye hale?”
“Aye, we’re fine. Take care of the others first. Someone fetch Craig.”
“Already done, laird. We’ll have ye out of there soon!”
“How bad is it?”
“Bad enough I sent Cathal to the Aerie to fetch more men. And their healer.”
“Aileana? Nay.”
“If she comes, she’ll be able to help. There’s work for her here.”
Angus muttered, “Damn it, the Lathan laird and lady are coming to our rescue again.”
“Is that so bad?” Shona asked.
“As little as I like it, until we are free, I’ve no way to judge whether Brodric had done what is needful or overreacted.”
“Trust yer friend, Angus.”
Chapter Seven
Angus concentrated on breathing. He’d never been buried alive before and didn’t relish staying here a moment longer than necessary, but he feared something else toppling down on them if they moved. The rescue efforts were going slowly, but well—so far. The need to get out of this trap so he could help consumed him.
He shifted Shona onto his lap, snugged his arms around her even tighter, and gently kissed her temple. She sighed and relaxed slightly in his arms. He and Shona were all right—wet and cold, but otherwise mostly unhurt. He expected to have a fine set of bruises in a day or two. So would she. But it wasn’t all bad. His heart had lifted to hear young Finlay’s cough as he was pulled out of the rubble. And Shona was in his arms.
He worried, however, about her. She’d seemed to be imagining she’d moved the timber trapping him in the trench. Surely some rescuers had done that, without realizing anyone was underneath. Though it was odd he’d heard no one speaking. But Shona could not possibly have done it. Except for waving one hand in the air now and again, and tilting her head as if she was trying to burrow deeper into the warmth of his chest, she hadn’t moved. Hadn’t reacted to the scene around her. Hadn’t said another word.
The storm had let up, so the worst of it must have blown away over the mountains. It could still be raining lightly, or what he felt could simply be dripping from the trees and fallen structures around them. The sky had brightened now the storm had moved on. But in a few hours, the sun would go down, and darkness would hamper the efforts to find anyone left in the wreckage.
Frustrated, he went back to watching Shona’s hand lift and sweep to the side, as if she imagined moving things in her mind. He took her hand and kissed it. One of the nearby rescuers swore and added, “Hold up yer end, damn it!” He couldn’t tell who’d spoken.
“We’ll be all right,” he told her. “‘Twill no’ be long before they have us uncovered.”
&n
bsp; Her nod was the barest movement of her head. He could only think it still hurt her too much to do more. But she pulled her hand out of his grip and went back to waving it in the air. He contented himself with holding her close and rubbing her back to soothe her.
“I ken ye want out of here. I do, too, lass. And I’m sorry I got upset with ye earlier. What yer uncle was up to with Colin doesna matter. Dinna fash. He needna conspire to throw ye in the path of the new laird. Ye ken I already want ye.”
That statement stilled her hand. She slowly tilted her head his way. “Ye speak nonsense,” she said, then started waving her hand about again. “Ye must marry for the clan.”
If only she wasn’t sitting in front of him, he might see her face. But she seemed content to lean against him, and if she was in pain, he didn’t want to turn her and make it worse. The men’s voices sounded louder as they discussed moving something heavy. “They’re getting closer,” he said, hoping to cheer her, then answered her comment. “Nay, I dinna. But I will give ye all the time ye need. I mean to woo ye, lass. I wouldha simply done it without announcement but for this accident. I want ye to ken how I feel. Life is too short, too fragile. I care about ye. And I think ye also care about me, though ye try to hide it. Ye told me once ye trust me. I want ye to do that and more.”
She paused again in what she was doing—or thought she was doing. He noticed she moved a hand only after she heard the men. Was her talent real or imagined? If real, was it more reliable than Aileana’s?
“Ye barely ken me,” she objected. “How can ye have feelings for me?”
“Because I do. Ye needna worry about yer uncle and his schemes. They mean nothing.”
“I do trust ye, Angus. I trust ye to be fair, and to be a good laird. But ye must marry outside the clan, to make an alliance. And I dinna wish to marry at all.”
Her statement hit him like a punch in the gut. Surely she didn’t mean it. “We’ll talk about that when we’re out of here,” he promised, his voice steadier than his pulse. She was remembering what Colin had said, that was all.
Angus had felt the knot on the back of her head. Perhaps that blow had addled her mind. If so, he hoped the damage was only temporary.
She wanted him. Her kisses in the forest before they argued had told him she did. What he didn’t understand was why she denied it now.
****
Shona desperately wished she could see Angus’s expression. He could not be serious about courting her, not after becoming laird. He had other responsibilities. Colin had made that plain. Colin had thought to use Angus to satisfy his. Now the burden truly fell to Angus. Was there someone else in the clan who could serve the same purpose for him? A proxy who could marry outside the clan for an alliance? She wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to get his hopes up. Angus took his responsibilities seriously. She dared not get between him and his duty. He might promise her the moon while they were trapped here together. But she couldn’t see his face, or his eyes. They would tell her what he could not or would not say with words. Once they were free, she was certain he’d change his mind.
The night’s blackness prevented her from seeing anything, even her hand before her face. Odd. Weren’t the searchers using torches? If they were as close as Angus seemed to think, there should be some glimmer of light reflecting somewhere. Were she and Angus so thoroughly boxed in no light penetrated? Suddenly, her chest felt tight. She straightened, panted a heavy breath, then pulled away from Angus’s arms, gasping.
“What is it, lass?” The concern in his voice steadied her as much as his hands gripping her shoulders.
“Naught…naught. I just need more air.”
“Dinna fash. There are enough gaps for fresh air to reach us. We are no’ entombed.”
Angus would not lie to her. Shona heaved a longer breath and settled back. Just in time. She heard movement and talking as some of the men lined up to raise a slab of rock. She reached out to help them lift it, grimacing at the shooting pain in her head. She relaxed only when one of them called out “Clear!” and another said “Drop it, lads.” No one had been trapped underneath it.
“In fact,” Angus continued, unaware of her efforts, “the way the light is increasing, I’d wager the clouds have moved away altogether. The work should go faster. We’ll be out of here soon.”
Cold terror gripped Shona at his words, hollowing her chest and making her shake. Light? What light? How could he see while she remained in darkness? Unless…oh, no. He could see, and she was—blind. She clenched her fists and blinked furiously, trying to clear her vision, to catch any glimmer, any hint of brightness. But she saw nothing. Nothing but the unrelenting dark. Her hands flew to her face, to her eyes. They didn’t feel damaged. They did not hurt. Nay, the pain slashed from the back of her head to just behind her eyes. Whatever hit her head and knocked her out had done this, not just given her a stabbing headache…blinded her!
“When we’re clear,” Angus continued, unaware of the anguish twisting her belly, “I’ll see ye cared for. Ye must be cold,” he added, rubbing her arms. “Ye’re shaking.” With barely another breath, he continued, “Then I must help the others. But I meant what I said, Shona. When we’re certain everyone is safe, when this is cleaned up, I will court ye.”
Shona’s heart sank into her churning belly. She dared not tell him she’d been damaged, not so soon after he declared his intent to woo her. To marry her! She should hold onto this moment. She would have so little time to enjoy this feeling of being wanted. He would change his mind once he found out she’d been hurt in the collapse and could not see.
For now, she would bask in his affection, take joy and comfort knowing he cared about her. This might be all the affection she’d ever receive. Once he knew the harm she’d suffered, he’d no longer want her. A blind woman could not be lady of the clan.
****
At last, the men got to them and pulled away the timbers and slabs of stone. Angus stood and helped Shona to her feet, then shook their rescuers’ hands. When she swayed, he wrapped her in his arms, fearful she would fall. “How are ye, lass?”
“I’m…I’ll be well…I just need a moment.”
She didn’t sound well. She sounded hesitant and confused, much as she’d been while they still were trapped. Being trapped had been bad enough for him. For a delicate lass it must have been utterly terrifying.
He shook off the thought and went about getting them out of the way. They were free and safe, and there was still some daylight left to search the rest of the ruin of the great hall. “Come, lass,” he told her gently, urging her forward with a hand around her waist. It was good he had a grip on her because she immediately tripped over a head-sized rock at her feet. Angus kept her from falling.
“Sorry…” she muttered and took a hesitant sliding step forward.
“Ye must still be fashed. Lean on me. Or better yet…” Angus scooped her up. When she didn’t object, but merely heaved a great sigh, he carried her out of the rubble.
“Please, dinna take me too far,” she said.
He looked for a comfortable place to leave her so he could join the searchers in clearing the debris.
A shout went up, then a name on a cry of rage and grief. “Magnus!”
Angus flinched and heard Shona whisper, “Och, nay,” softly.
The men must have found a body.
Angus set Shona down on a stump near where victims of the collapse had been gathered. “I’m sorry, but I must leave ye here.”
She shook her head, slightly. “Go. I’ll be fine. Do what ye can for the others.”
Angus stepped away from her as Craig arrived and began examining a lad with a broken arm. Shona, sitting nearby, paid the healer no attention.
Despite the urge to stay with her, Angus went back to the ruins of the hall and joined the men working to clear away debris from Magnus’s body. Angus groaned when he saw the condition of the man’s lower leg. Crushed. Then his chest rose and fell. He was alive. Unconscious, which was a blessi
ng, but breathing. Angus doubted Craig could save him. If Healer Aileana’s gift was real, he might yet live, even walk again. But Angus couldn’t help recalling his brother’s last day, when Craig and Aileana sat vigil over him, powerless to help. Jaw clenched, he called for Craig, fully aware the man could do little for this victim.
Craig tsked when he saw the damage. “’Twould be best to cut off the limb now, while he’s in a swoon. If he wakes, his screams will wake the dead.”
Brodric arrived to hear the last and shook his head. “Do what ye can for him, but no’ that. Aileana may be able to do more.”
“Like she did for my brother?” Angus demanded, grief and rage welling up, yet again. Then he clamped down on both emotions—hard. They were all as tired and heartsick over this disaster as he. Venting his anguish would help no one.
“This is different,” Brodric insisted.
“Mayhap,” Craig interjected, his tone making his doubts plain.
“If ye cut off his leg and he lives, what kind of life will he have? Dinna do it,” Brodric insisted. “Wait for the healer.”
Angus had heard enough. “Do what ye can,” he said and left them after motioning for the others to continue the search. It took two more hour’s hard work before he was satisfied there were no more victims in the remains of the great hall. God had been with them today. Several hurt, but none had died…yet. Craig had even devised a stretcher and moved Magnus, still unconscious, over with the others, so he could care for more of the victims at the same time.
Shona remained where he’d left her, though she’d moved off the stump and sat on the ground with it at her back. He alternated between monitoring Craig’s progress with the injured, checking to see what the men were doing to begin the task of clearing away the rubble, and watching Shona’s hands make small, telling movements. A vision of Aileana, hands poised over Gregor’s body, came to him, forcing him to accept the possibility Shona was helping the men shift their heavy burdens.
Or just thought she was.
Angus ran a filthy hand through his hair. Time to get to the bottom of this. Shona heard him coming and stilled before he reached her. One of the men behind him grunted and complained, “Damn it, ye oafs, who let go? This rock just got twice as heavy!” That complaint, added to others he’d heard but ignored while they were still trapped, removed the last of Angus’s doubts.
