“Will he come looking for you, do you think? Are you of value to him?”
“Of course!” Nathan would definitely come looking for her. If he knew where to look. Which he didn’t. Her spirits dipped. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. They could be here for days, waiting for an opportunity to escape. And Gram…Hold on Gram. Wait for me…I need to talk to you at least one more time… She kept the tears from welling up, but just barely.
She must have been walking too slowly, because Bridei took her by the arm, steering her towards the broch. His fingers felt warm and electric on her bare skin. She shivered. She must have gotten chilled again.
He led her straight to the imposing stone tower at the center of it all. Her mind had trouble reconciling the solid, well-built structure with the tumbling ruin she had always know it to be.
The inside was much bigger than she would have imagined. They stepped into a spacious hall that was decorated with woven rugs and various tables and chairs. In the center was a massive hearth, with a chimney supported by a series of stone pillars around the edge. She realized the chimney must go all the way to the top of the tower. No fire was burning, but the smell of cold ashes and stale smoke lingered in the air.
Hundreds of narrow stone steps curved upwards along the wall, beginning just to the right of the door where they stood. Bridei pushed her gently forward, urging her to go up them. There was no railing, but the next floor was no more than about fifteen feet above, so she was able to climb the stairs without her fear of heights kicking in too much. They stepped onto a landing that had a single wooden door, then climbed another flight of stairs. When they had passed three more landings, Bridei opened a door and let her walk through before closing it behind them with a solid thud of thick oak. The first thing she saw was the window on the opposite wall, and she was immediately drawn to it. Not to escape. No, she must be at least five stories up, maybe more, so jumping out of the window would mean certain death (or at least a lot of broken bones), and she wasn’t anywhere near ready to die.
It was the sea that drew her, in a perfect frame of stone, stretching out blue-green and sparkling to the horizon. As she got closer, she could see the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs below in a spectacular show of nature’s raw power. Far to the left, there was a harbor and a small sandy beach, with at least a hundred boats drifting and bobbing not far from the shore. Big boats. An entire naval fleet in this time. If she doubted Bridei’s wealth and power before, she didn’t now.
For a long moment she was completely lost in the scene—until she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. She jumped and turned to face the King.
“You weren’t thinking of leaping from my window, were you lass?”
He was too close, almost as if he were breathing her in, and her stomach filled with those pesky butterflies again. Only this time they felt more like small birds. She couldn’t tell if they kept coming back out of fear, or nerves. Maybe she was suffering a little bit of latent celebrity-worship. After all, how often did you get to meet a King that had been dead for over a thousand years by the time you were born? Not very often.
“No. The view—it’s—I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
His eyes softened just a little as he followed her gaze out the window. “Aye, it is. But you and I, we need to talk. And this time I will have the truth from you, or lass…there will be consequences. Ones that you will not like.”
She sighed, drawing her gaze away from the sea and moving farther from the window. “Um, look, I’m really sorry that we just showed up like this unannounced, but my uncle isn’t quite right in the head, and we got lost, and if you could just help us…” What, Nessa? Get back to Fife? Do you really think that would be any better? They might be much less friendly there, and then you’d have to get back here anyway if you’re ever going to get home. Home. Gram. Nate.
“On second thought…maybe we could stay here a few days if you don’t mind. Someone is bound to come looking for us.” She could have smacked herself in the forehead for the way she was babbling on. If she couldn’t manage to be any more clever than this, they would never get home.
Bridei watched her, missing nothing. “What are you running from, then? Or perhaps Ecgfrith would be angry should you return too soon and without anything of value?”
Ecgfrith? He had been…no… currently was, King of the Saxons. He had invaded the southern Pict lands and was forcing people to pay tithes just to stay in their homes. According to history, Bridei had killed him—would kill him?—in an epic battle. If he really thought she was working with Ecgfrith, she was in a world of trouble. Ecgfrith was a mortal enemy. Mortal as in people spying for him would almost certainly be killed.
She forced herself to look into Bridei’s eyes, even though doing so made her feel unbalanced. Was her heart speeding up? Keep calm, Nessa. Now is not the time to panic. Angus needs you. Gram needs you.
“No. I’ve never even met him. I’m just…I’m nobody, I swear it.”
He paced a few steps. “We’ll see. You must pardon me if I cannot believe your words, lass. We are at war. There will always be treachery in times of war. Though if Ecgfrith did send you, he chose well. You are very beautiful.” He stopped in front of her and drew his fingers over the side of her face, making her skin tingle. She just stopped herself from leaning into his hand. How could a man so large and so brutal have such a gentle touch?
“A lesser man than I might easily be swayed by your charms.” He dropped his hand to his side, but his eyes didn’t leave her.
“I don’t have any charms.” Did he think she was trying to seduce him? Oh please. If she was going to seduce a man like him, she’d start with modest flattery until she had him eating out of her hand, then she’d move on to casually touching him. Light, secret caresses that his mind barely noticed but his body did. Then, when she had him wrapped around her finger, she’d move on to his lips, and…oh my god! Nessa, stop that!
He smirked, as if he’d seen the direction of her thoughts clearly written on her face. Her eyes widened in horrified embarrassment.
“You shouldn’t be afraid. Not like that anyway. I would kill you, but I would never rape you.”
A sound of shocked disbelief left her throat. “Oh, well isn’t that reassuring. I can keep my virtue, but not my life?”
“Your virtue? You are a virgin?”
“No! I… none of your business”, she snapped. The exact meaning of that word was lost in translation between English and Pictish. Damn it, she couldn’t think straight around him.
There was a scratching at the door, and as she watched, the iron latch lifted and it swung slowly open, revealing…the biggest dog she’d ever seen.
He was long-legged and tall, nearly reaching her waist, and covered in tousled grey fur that looked alarmingly like that of a wolf; yet his head was smaller and more elongated than his wild ancestor, tapering down to a shaggy face and a neat black nose. Overall, he looked like a slightly more wolfish version of the Scottish deerhound. His long, sharp canines gleamed white as his huge tongue lolled out of his mouth in a slow, lazy pant. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, surveying the room. Then his tail began wagging and he sidled up to her, looking up with what for all the world seemed like canine adoration.
She patted his head cautiously. “Hi boy.”
He stood taller and used that tongue to lick the whole of her face in one long, wet swipe, making her giggle despite herself.
“Ru! Back.”
The dog looked at his master with baleful eyes, but obeyed, turning back towards the door and trotting away on legs that seemed impossibly long. He looked back once and wagged his tail before disappearing around the corner.
When she looked back to Bridei, he was watching her through slightly narrowed eyes.
“The day grows long and I have much to do that is more important than listening to your stories, lass, and so I’ll leave you here to consider your truth.”
“But
if I tell you what you think is the truth, that I’m some sort of spy, won’t I be punished?”
“Aye.”
“Then why would I tell you the truth if that’s what the truth was? Not that it is. I’m not a spy, I’m lost!” She was rambling again. Obviously her already overwhelmed mind had had all it could take for one day.
“We’ll have to wait and see what the truth bears out, then won’t we lass?” He opened a large wooden box that rested against the wall and took out a length of rope.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t leap from the window.”
Bridei whistled for his horse, and the great beast came running to him, a mouthful of freshly plucked grass still hanging from his mouth.
“I hope you enjoyed your free time Lotex, because it’s back to work for you now.” He swung up onto the animal’s back and spurred him forward with his heels in one smooth motion, reveling in the bunching and flexing of powerful muscles beneath him. He had ridden before he had even taken his first steps, and being on horseback was as natural to him as breathing. But now he rode with purpose. He had to get back to the training fields, where he had left his men in order to deal with the trouble at the well. Already it was late afternoon, and he needed his men ready as they never had been before. They had to be able to fight together like one great weapon, reading each other’s minds and movements as if they were their own. He’d worked hard for this. For years he’d been away more than he’d been home, sleeping on the hard ground, constantly vigilant and always planning his next move. When his kingdom was finally whole again, it would all have been worth it.
But for now, it was good to finally be back for a while at Tallorc, the seat of the kingdom of Fortriu and his childhood home. With the north, west, and southeast all secured, it was time to regroup once more and prepare for the final blow to the Saxons. The attack of the Scots on Dundurn, his stronghold in the south, had been a surprise. He’d had no choice but to retaliate with a raid on Dunadd, the capital of Dal Riata. It had been an easy victory, he thought smugly. Never before had the Picts had such military prowess and power as they did now, under his rule. He was proud of what he had accomplished.
But even with all of this on his mind, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from returning to the strange scene at the well. He shouldn’t be letting such small matters cloud his head, not when he was mounting the biggest campaign of his life. He had to stay focused. Every detail mattered. Every minute of training. Every man in his army. His thoughts of the woman were only because of who she might be, he told himself. Ecgfrith had sent others before her, and if the lass had learned anything at all, no matter how small, he could not let her leave Tallorc. He was confident that his battle plan was flawless, but only if his enemy was taken entirely by surprise.
If he was completely honest with himself though, the lass was a rare beauty, and he had been instantly captivated by her. Looking into her eyes to see whether she lied—she had, many times—did something strange to him, as if he was trying to remember something familiar that he just couldn’t grasp. And it did something even stranger to his cock. Not that he wasn’t a virile man, he just usually had complete control over all aspects of his body and his mind, including his lustful nature. But apparently not when he looked at the woman called Nessa. Or thought about her. With no small amount of annoyance, he sighed and shifted on his horse.
There was something peculiar about her and her uncle. Where did their strange clothing come from? Certainly not Fife. He’d been there, many times, and no one dressed in such garments. He had studied the clothing carefully after Petra had brought it to him. The lass had worn pants, which was not the current style that women preferred. They were dyed a dark blue, and clung tight to her legs, with thick seams sewn into the sides. Her tunic was short, and made of threads so fine they could hardly be seen. And it was…pink. A color he had never before seen applied to clothing. Sunsets, yes. And flowers. But never cloth. Her shoes had seemed more reasonable, with delicate leather straps holding her feet to thick soles which might have been made of wood or of many layers of leather sewn together. Was all this strange dress meant to fool him?
She was a mystery that he intended to solve, preferably before he marched to crush Ecgfrith’s army.
As he rounded the top of a hill and looked down into the shallow valley below, he was pleased to see his men were so disciplined and dedicated that they’d continued training while he was gone. Dust filled the air as horses galloped hard across the field with sword wielding men on their backs. The clash of metal on metal echoed over the rumbling sound of hundreds of hooves striking the ground at once. Other warriors were on foot, practicing with swords and axes, and even hand to hand. He smiled. He was proud of his army, and of their strength and skill and loyalty to him. He worked them hard for another two hours, then dismissed everyone for an early dinner. Rest, food and relaxation, after all, was just as important as training.
Bridei didn’t leave the field until the last man was headed home, and smiled as his best friend and long-time confidant Domech rode up beside him on the sturdy white mare he favored.
“You need a different horse. Anyone can see her coming for miles.”
Domech reached forward and patted the mare’s neck with affection. “I won’t give her up. She’s beautiful, and she and I are perfect together. She knows what I want even before I do.”
Bridei arched an eyebrow. “Why are you so cheerful? You should be tired. I worked your arse into the ground today.”
Domech sighed dramatically and his lips curved into a sappy smile. “Just thinking of another lass that knows what I want even before I do.”
Bridei groaned. “You are a lovesick fool. You’ve been mooning around for weeks. I don’t think I can take much more of it.” His own lips curled into a smile as he spoke though. Beneath the good-natured teasing, he was truly glad his friend had found happiness.
“You have to try love, Bridei. I know you don’t want to be attached to a woman or give away your heart, but you wouldn’t believe how much better the sex is. It’s like floating in the clouds, only tethered by your cock.”
Bridei laughed. Lately Domech had been rambling on about love and wedded bliss, ever since he’d found and married the woman that held his heart.
“I have nothing against attachment to a woman, but if you haven’t noticed, I don’t have time for such things right now, so stop harassing me. As it is, I barely have time in the day to sharpen my sword or have a meal. And now I have more spies to deal with. Besides”, he added more seriously, “it’s not something you can just wish for, you know that.”
Domech would not be dissuaded. “But you could at least try. You could at least look for it.”
Bridei let out a low growl of amicable frustration. They had had this same conversation nearly every day for a month now. “Domech! I’m in the middle of mounting a major uprising! Do you really think I have room in my life right now for a woman? Sex is sex. I can have sex whenever I want.”
“Aye, but there’s always room for a woman. Is your bed so small? And if you were having enough sex, you wouldn’t be so irritable.”
Bridei rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant.” He always slept alone. To share his bed with a woman would give her a certain power over him, possibly even influence his decisions in subtle ways, and that was a position and status only a trusted wife should have. Especially since he was King.
“But you don’t know what you’re missing. Sex with the woman you love…it’s like sticking your cock in…”
“That’s enough, Domech”, Bridei said impatiently. His sex life was frustrating enough without Domech rubbing his good fortune in his face at every turn. The more power and riches he gained, the choosier he had to be about the women he bedded. And truth be told, he was lonely for the companionship a wife or at least a steady consort would have provided. Someone to hold in the night and talk to about all of the things he could tell no one else, not
even his closest advisors. And children. He would love to have children of his own one day. His people adored their children, they were seen as the future of the tribe and gifts from the gods. If he was fated to have that with someone, it would have to wait. For now, his life belonged to his people, and no woman would change that.
Nessa hadn’t thought about how quiet it would be, when she had imagined the past. And she had imagined it, many times. How could she not have, when she had lived such an unusual life, where the lives of a people long gone were such a big part of her own? Despite the bird songs and the sound of the surf just outside the window, there was a primitive stillness in the air that spoke of a time before the noise of engines and the subtle hum of electronics took up the spaces in between. This was in so many ways an alien world; although the landscape was familiar, she could feel the difference deep in her bones. Oh she’d seen a lot of very strange things in her life, being who she was, and living in Scotland where legends and superstition ran deep. Some of the things she’d experienced even seemed to have no earthly explanation. But this…this being here, was so much more.
She drew in a deep breath. The room, like the hall below, smelled like cold ashes and stale wood smoke, mixed with the earthiness of stone and the slight tang of oak. Bridei had tied her to a wooden post when he left, despite her protests, which had escalated rather quickly to hissing and scratching on her part, and amused laughter on his as he easily overpowered her.
Bridei was strong. Really strong. And he smelled like leather and exotic spice with a hint of musk. How did she know that? Because he had held her down with the weight of his body as he fastened the rope. She had quit her struggles then, because the butterflies had come back again. Only they had morphed into large, fire-breathing dragons, and her body had melted beneath his. For a brief, insane moment, she had wanted him. Then she had come to her senses and felt guiltier than she ever had. Nathan was probably worried by now, because she wasn’t home for their usual Friday date, and he almost always spent the night at her place on weekends. She pushed Nathan to the back of her mind. Although she already missed him, she had other things to think about. Like escaping with her life.
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