by Katy Baker
He gazed down at her and Beth found herself unable to look away. His eyes were the lightest, clearest blue she’d ever seen, like frost covering a winter pond.
“I will keep ye safe, Bethany Carter,” he said in a rough voice. “I swear on my clan’s name.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Who was this man? And why did his nearness make the skin on the back of her neck tingle?
She cleared her throat. “I...um...thanks.”
He nodded then began repacking the saddlebags.
Beth took a deep breath. Okay. She had a plan. From Edinburgh she would be able to find Banchary and the archway. All would be well.
She rolled up the sleeping mat then rinsed out the cups. In silence she and Cam worked together to break camp and it seemed no time at all before she was mounted in front of him and they were riding out of the clearing and down onto the road.
“We’ll need supplies,” Cam said behind her. “It’s a long road and we’ll have to cross the mountains. We’ll visit Netherlay—we should be able to get everything we need there.”
Cam nudged Firefly into a walk and they began their journey.
BETH LOOKED AROUND as they traveled, trying to take in all the details and filing them away in her memory. You never knew when something might come in useful.
The landscape was beautiful. The road snaked its way through a series of undulating valleys. More often than not a stream wound its way along the valley’s base and the road followed its course, the bubbling water adding its music to the sounds of the day. They seemed to be climbing higher as they traveled. Whenever they crested a rise she could see the snow capped flanks of mountains in the distance and they seemed to be getting steadily closer.
The weather held fair, for which Beth was profoundly grateful, and she found herself beginning to relax. Cam was mostly silent but he occasionally spoke to point out a landmark or some of the local wildlife. Whenever she glanced back at him she found his eyes continually scanning the terrain, as though on the lookout for danger. Beth shivered, remembering Cam running his sword through the outlaw’s chest.
Towards mid-morning the trees peeled back and they found themselves traveling through the tilled fields that surrounded a settlement. It was bigger than Cannoch and the inn at the center was in better repair, its thatched roof freshly replaced and a brightly painted sign outside.
Cam pulled Firefly to a halt outside and dismounted. He held up a hand to help Beth dismount and then tossed the reins to a stable boy who came running from around the back.
“This way,” he said to Beth.
Without waiting for an answer, he went inside. The inn’s common room was large and well kept. The floorboards had been polished to a shine and large bunches of dried flowers hung from the beams, giving it a pleasant smell. A few of the tables were occupied—merchants by the look of the well-dressed men—and they turned to look up as Cam and Beth entered but quickly looked away when faced with Cam’s belligerent glare.
A middle-aged woman with long red hair coiled in a plait came hurrying over.
“Good day,” she said cheerfully. “What can I do for ye? Food? Drink? A room for the night?”
“Aye,” Cam replied. “To all three although a room where the lady may bathe and change is the most pressing. Ale and food later after I have completed some errands.”
“Of course,” the woman smiled. “If ye will follow me, my lady.” She walked over to the stairs and waited expectantly for Beth to follow.
“What about you?” Beth said to Cam. “Where are you going?”
“To buy supplies,” he replied curtly, his eyes scanning the patrons of the inn. He seemed surly, on edge. “I willnae be long.”
Beth caught his arm. “Wait.”
She pulled the sapphire necklace from around her neck. It had been a present for her eighteenth birthday and she hardly ever took it off. It was one of the few reminders she kept of her parents. She sucked in a breath then held it out to Cam.
He frowned. “What’s that for?”
“Payment. Use it to buy supplies.”
The frown became a scowl and he looked suddenly offended. “Did I ask for payment, lass?” he snapped. “Do ye think I offered ye aid for money?”
“No,” she snapped back, annoyed in turn. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t pay my way!” He opened his mouth as if to speak but she continued before he could. “And don’t say a word about your god-damned honor! Take the necklace!”
He stared at her for a moment and she stared right back, the necklace dangling from her fist between them. His jaw tightened and for a second she thought he was going to argue, but then he snatched the necklace, whirled, and stormed out of the inn.
Beth sighed. Behind her the innkeeper cleared her throat. “If ye are ready, my lady, I’ll show ye to a room.”
If she’d heard the altercation between her and Cam, the woman said nothing of it but she did eye Beth’s clothes and she was reminded again of how alien this place was. In her twenty-first century jeans and shirt she must stick out like a sore thumb.
She followed the innkeeper up two flights of stairs to a room at the back. It was built into the eaves and large beams crossed the ceiling. White plaster covered the walls and a thick rug hid most of the floor, woven in a pattern similar to the tartan the woman wore. An inglenook fireplace, big enough for Beth to stand in filled one wall and a large bed took up the center of the room. To Beth’s delight, a large metal bathtub stood in front of the fire.
Seeing her eyeing it, the innkeeper smiled. “Would ye like me to get the girls to heat water for ye?”
“Would you? That would be amazing. Thanks!”
The woman nodded. “Well, I’ll leave ye to it. I’ll send the girls up as soon as the water’s boiled but be sure to give me a shout if ye need anything.”
“I will.”
After the woman had left Beth kicked off her coat and boots and threw herself onto the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she blew out a long breath. It felt good to lie down. From downstairs came the sound of mumbled conversation and the clink of crockery. Normal sounds. Every day sounds.
She closed her eyes, meaning to rest for only a moment, but she soon found herself drifting into a doze. She was awoken a little while later by a knock on the door. She sprang off the bed and answered the door to find two young women holding buckets waiting outside.
One of them gave a curtsey. “Thelma sent us to fill yer bath, my lady.”
“Of course,” Beth said, pulling the door wide. “Please come in.”
The girls quickly filled the bathtub. They worked in silence but Beth caught the glances they flicked in her direction. She got the uneasy feeling that gossip about a strange outland woman who dressed like a man was already starting to filter through the village. Shit. She really needed to fit in a little better than this.
When they’d finished filling the tub one of the girls said, “Would ye like us to help ye bathe, my lady?”
Beth blinked at them. Help her bathe? “Um, no. Thanks. I’ll be fine.”
The girls shared a glance. Then they gave another curtsey and left the room.
Beth stripped off her clothing, wincing a little as the cool air played across her skin, and made her way over to the tub. The water temperature was just right and she found a bar of lavender scented soap and some large cloths to use as towels. She stepped in and allowed herself to sink down until the water covered her from chin to toes, reveling in the luxurious feel of the hot water against her skin.
She closed her eyes, allowing the heat to work the tension out of her muscles. Then, when she’d soaked long enough to begin to feel relaxed, she took the lavender soap and cleaned herself thoroughly. As she washed away the grime from spending a night in the woods, she felt some of her anxiety wash away as well. She might be five hundred years in the past but some things still felt like home. It was amazing how a good soak could do wonders.
She only climbed out of the bath when th
e water began to grow tepid. She wound one of the large cloths around herself and tied up her hair with the other then eyed her clothes gingerly. She didn’t relish the thought of putting the dirty garments back on.
She was startled from her thoughts by a knock on the door. “Who is it?” she called.
“Mrs MacAndrew, my dear. May I come in?”
“Sure, the door’s open.”
The innkeeper entered and smiled at Beth. “I hope that’s made ye feel better, my dear. I always feel refreshed after a long hot bath.”
“You can say that again. I feel almost human.”
The woman smiled. “Yer husband has just returned. He’s waiting in the common room but asked me to bring ye this.”
Husband? With a start Beth realized she must mean Camdan. She felt a blush suffuse her cheeks. Shit, she had to remember that attitudes in this time were very different to the twenty-first century. Seeing as they were staying at an inn together, the innkeeper would naturally assume she and Cam were married. It was probably best not to disabuse her of that notion.
“Did he?” she asked. “What is it?”
The woman held out her arm and Beth saw that she had a dress draped over it. It looked like something straight out of a medieval saga. Long, flowing, with tight sleeves and a bodice decorated with tiny embroidered flowers, Beth had to admit that it was beautiful. Her blush deepened. Cam had bought that for her?
“Oh,” she stammered, taking the dress. “Thanks for bringing it up. I’ll change and be down in a moment.”
The woman hovered as though she wanted to ask questions but when Beth wasn’t forthcoming, she smiled and left. Beth held the dress up. It looked about the right size and had hooks up the back to fasten it. She stepped into it then instantly regretted letting the innkeeper leave. The hooks were a nightmare and Beth struggled to reach behind herself and do them all up.
But finally she had the dress on and she brushed it down, looking herself over. It fitted perfectly and made a swishing noise when she moved. There were no shoes so she donned her boots but luckily the dress was long enough to cover them. She tied her old clothes into a bundle then used the wooden comb laid out by the bathtub to brush her hair. It lay in messy tangles on her shoulders and she wished fervently for a hairdryer. There was no mirror in the room but Beth guessed she looked ridiculous. Dresses had never suited her. Still, if she was going to fit in here, she couldn’t worry about the vagaries of sixteenth-century fashions.
Finally ready, Beth crossed to the door, drew in a deep breath, then strode down the stairs to the common room. It had filled up during the afternoon and now most of the tables were occupied. She noticed there was an empty space surrounding the table where Camdan sat. A mug sat on the table in front of him and he’d drawn his dagger and was slowly running a whetstone up and down its surface, the grate of it cutting through the hubbub in the room like nails on slate.
His shoulders were hunched and he had a scowl on his face that could curdle milk. He radiated tension, a fact obviously not lost on the patrons, who were all giving him a wide berth. The bottom step creaked as Beth stepped into the room and Cam looked up. His eyes widened as they alighted on her and she felt heat creep into her cheeks.
He looked away and returned to sharpening his dagger. She crossed the common room and sat down opposite him. He glanced at her and away again, offering no word of greeting.
“Thanks,” she said. “For the dress.”
“Yer clothing marked ye as an outlander,” he replied. “Trews and boots may be fit for a lass where yer from but here all they will do is draw attention.”
The innkeeper approached laden with a tray of steaming food. She placed two plates on the table along with a pewter tankard of ale. A basket of bannocks followed. Beth smiled and thanked her but Cam didn’t look up from sharpening his dagger. With a shrug, Beth began tucking into the food.
After a moment, Cam put his dagger away and began picking at his plate. His gaze, Beth noticed, wandered constantly over the common room. What was wrong with him? He’d been as edgy as a spooked cat ever since they’d ridden into town. What was it about this place that had him so freaked?
She was about to ask him when he suddenly spoke. “I’ve purchased supplies. We’ll stay here for tonight and leave at first light. Ye will take the room, I’ll sleep in the stable. Get a good night’s sleep—it will be the last bed ye’ll sleep in for a while.”
Beth nodded. As they ate she did her best to make conversation but Cam’s surly demeanour was like a wall she couldn’t breach. When she asked questions she received one-word answers and when she tried to engage him in banter she received only a grunt. After a while she gave up and concentrated on the meal.
The door suddenly opened and three men walked into the common room. They paused by the door, looking around. Their eyes settled on Cam and they sauntered over to their table.
“Here he is!” one of them said. “So it’s true! Ye are back in town, ye wily old bastard!”
The room, Beth noticed, had suddenly gone deathly quiet. A prickle of unease walked down her spine. These men were richly dressed yet something about the feral looks in their eyes reminded Beth of the outlaws they’d encountered in the woods.
Cam pushed his plate away and looked up. “Aye. Here I am.” His voice was quiet but even so it seemed to carry through the room like a cold breeze. “What do ye want, Marley?”
Marley grinned, showing a gap where his front teeth ought to be. “Aye, that’s the warm greeting we’ve come to expect from the mighty Camdan MacAuley. What are ye doing in these parts? I’d heard ye’d gone north. Didnae think ye’d be fool enough to come this way again.”
“That’s my business,” Cam grated.
Marley grinned then turned to his two fellows. “I was just telling Bain and Kye here of yer exploits. They didnae believe half of them, of course. Care to prove them wrong? MacGregor is looking for men. He’s been like a bear with a sore tooth since ye left. Never got over losing his best fighter. I’m sure he’d be pleased to have ye back.”
“I dinna give two shits what MacGregor does or doesnae think,” Cam replied. “I’m done with that.”
“Done with it?” Marley said. The friendly tone was gone and now his voice growled with menace. “Ye’ll never be done with it. It’s what ye are, Demon Blade.” His eyes flicked to Beth and his look turned calculating. “Found yerself a doxy, have ye? Mayhap that’s why ye are too afraid to fight.”
Cam surged to his feet, sending his chair toppling over backwards. In a flash, so fast that Beth barely registered the movement, he grabbed Marley by his shirt and pressed the tip of his dagger against the man’s throat.
“Ye will learn some manners,” Cam said, his voice the more chilling for its calmness. “Even if I have to carve it into ye. And ye should know by now that I’m never afraid to fight.”
The room had gone quiet as a grave. Beth watched in wide-eyed horror, hardly daring to breathe. Marley’s companions burst into action, breaking the tableau. One of them swung a fist at the back of Cam’s head. He ducked and the blow went over his head and smashed into Marley’s nose instead. Marley grunted and staggered back into the table, sending the dinner plates flying.
With a yelp Beth sprang out of the way as Marley crashed to the floor. Cam spun to face his attacker, landing a punch into his ribs and then, as he doubled-over, hitting him square on the chin. The man staggered back, eyes rolling in his head, and slowly slithered down the wall to the floor.
That left the third man. The commotion had given him time to draw his sword and now he came at Camdan with a savage thrust. Cam swayed out of the way just in time and the blade pierced the place where he’d been standing. The man recovered quickly, following Cam with a riposte. Cam met his swing with his dagger, catching the larger blade on the smaller. For a moment they were locked, Cam’s teeth bared and his arms straining as he fought to hold the sword away from his face. Then Cam lashed out with his foot, kicking the man hard in the knee.
The man crashed to the ground with a cry of pain, his sword clattering to the floorboards.
Cam stepped in, kicked the sword away, and then raised the dagger above the man, poised for a killing blow.
“Cam, no!” Beth yelled. She darted between Cam and the man on the floor. “Don’t!”
Cam’s eyes snapped up and there was no recognition in them at all, just a crazed need for violence. For one terrifying moment Beth thought he would strike anyway and the knife would find not his attacker’s heart, but her own. Her vision went white with fear.
She forced herself to meet his eyes and kept her voice steady. “No. I won’t let you do it.”
His arm quivered and something like sanity seeped back into his eyes. He stepped back, passed a shaking hand over his face, then sheathed the dagger.
Beth sagged, her legs suddenly like water. She staggered back against the wall.
“Get out! All of ye!” the innkeeper suddenly yelled. “I’ll have the sheriff down on ye for this and the laird will hear of it! I willnae have such behaviour in my inn! Get out!”
Cam blinked as though coming out of a deep sleep. His expression twisted and Beth saw anguish in his eyes.
“I...I’m...sorry,” he whispered.
He tossed a few coins onto the table and then shouldered his way through the door. The three men he’d downed were beginning to come around, two of them groaning, the third staring into space as though in shock. It was time to leave. Beth pelted up to her room and paused only long enough to grab her bundle of clothes and then hurried out into the yard.
Cam was leading Firefly down the road. She ran to catch up with him.
He glanced at her. “What are ye doing?”
“What’s it look like?” she replied, her tone sharp. “I’m coming with you.”
He halted. “Ye still want to travel with me? After what happened in there?” His eyes held a haunted look.
“What choice do I have?” she asked. “Those three men will want revenge. If they can’t take it out on you, who do you reckon will be next in line?”
