Aidan (18 page)

“God’s eyes, Effie, keep her quiet or the guards will be
breathin’ down our necks again.”

“Dinna be so insensitive at a time like this,” she snapped. “Ye have no idea what me sister’s been through.”

Aidan looked around and when he knew no guards were watching, he shimmied around in the stocks, twisting and bringing his foot up to his hands. He had his dirk hidden in his boot and the fool guards hadn’t thought to check him for it.

“What’re ye doin’?” asked Effie.

“Haud yer wheesht, before they hear ye. I’m workin’ on getting’ us out o’ here.”

His fingers stretched toward his raised foot,
and he could just reach it, but not the dirk inside. So he put his leg back behind him and raised it up high backwards so the dirk would slip to the top of his boot. Then he tried once again and was able to just reach it, pulling it from his boot and holding it in his fingers.

The lock
to the stocks was just next to his hand, and with nimble fingers, he picked it, and it snapped open. Then he used the tip of the dagger to open it and flip it away, and it landed with a thunk on the hard ground. By using his shoulders and hands, he pushed against the wooden yoke, and it opened as well. He slipped out of the stocks quickly, and made his way over to Effie and her sister.

“Ye did it,” said Effie. “I canna believe what I jest saw ye do.”

“There’s many things I can do thet ye’ve no’ seen yet, lassie, and some o’ them I think ye would really enjoy.”

“Aidan, no’ now,” she said, scowling at him and nodding toward her sister
, not wanting to talk about coupling in front of her.

“Hold on, I’m going
te lower the cage,” he said, getting ready to turn the pulley that held the chains securing the cages.

“Nay,”
she warned him. “’Tis too loud and they will hear it. Pass up yer dirk and I’ll see if I can open the lock.”

He handed it up to her, just able to reach her. She took it and struggled with it in
the lock, but couldn’t open it. Aidan knew this was taking way too long, and that they’d be discovered soon. He looked around quickly, checking for guards.

“Stand back, Effie,” he said, and leaped up in
to the air and grabbed onto the cage from underneath.

Effie was surprised when Aidan just jumped up and caught on to the cage. He grabbed a hold of the bars and pulled himself up to the outside of her prison.

“Hand me the dirk,” he said, sticking his hand through the cage. She did as he told her, and
he picked the lock and had the door open in a second.

“Give me yer hand, Effie.”

With one arm he held onto the cage, and with the other he grabbed onto her and slowly lowered her toward the ground. “I’m goin’ te drop ye, so be careful.”

“I will,” she told him, hitting the dirt softly, looking around the courtyard, making sure nobody saw them. “Coira, get ready, ye are next,”
she said in a hushed voice to her sister.

“I’m ready,” her sister answered
bravely.

Then, Aidan used his legs to swing the cag
e he was on over to Coira. He grabbed her cage and repeated the process. When her sister hit the ground, Effie ran over to her and gathered her in her arms and hugged her.

Coira hugged her as well, and hid her face in Effie’s shoulder, crying softly.

With a soundless entrance, Aidan dropped to the ground next to them, and put an arm around them and hurried them across the courtyard toward the orchard inside the bailey. “Come on,” he said, “I ken a way out.”

Effie helped her sister as they ran quickly to the orchard and through it, and to the back wall.

“How are we escapin’?” she whispered to him.

“O’er the wall,” he whispered back. “There are vines we can climb. When ye get
te the top, drop inte the moat and swim across and make yer way te the woods. I’ve got a horse hidden there. It’s only one, but ye two take it and I’ll follow on foot.”

“Swim?” asked
Coira. “Effie, ye ken I canna swim. I’ll drown.”

“Thet’s right,” she said. “Aidan, is there another way out?”

“God’s eyes, ye canna be choosey at a time like this. Now if ye want te live, ye’ll learn te swim. Up ye go.”

Before her sister could object, Aidan hoisted her up to the wall with the vines. Effie hurried behind her and climbed up as well.

“Ye need te move faster,” said Aidan. “It willna be long afore they realize we are gone.”

She’d left Aidan down at the bottom of the wall, but before she knew it, he’d climbed so
fast, he was at the top of the wall and holding out his hand to help them.

“Give me yer hand, lassie,” Aidan said to Coira, and when she started to object, he just reached down and pulled her up.

“I’m afeard,” said Coira, looking over the wall. And before Effie knew what happened, she heard her sister gasp, and then a splash.

“Where’s Coira?” asked Effie, pulling herself to the top of the wall.

“In the water.”

“Sh
e jumped?” asked Effie, surprised.

“Let’s jest say she had a little help,” said Aidan.

Effie looked down to see her sister struggling in the water, being pulled under, and jumped off the wall to save her.

She had just hit the water when she heard a shout from a guard, and looked up to see Aidan in the moonlight, falling backwards off the wall with an arrow embedded in his should
er. He hit the water with a loud splash, and she saw him go under, but he wasn’t coming back up.

She got her sister to the shore and
looked back, but still didn’t see Aidan.

“Come on,” said Coira, “let’s go.”

“Nay,” said Effie. “I need te go back and help Aidan.”

“But they’ll catch us,” said Coira, as the sound of the guards shouting was louder and she could hear the drawbridge being lowered. They would be out there looking for them at any minute.

“Go, Coira. Run te the woods and take the horse. Dinna wait fer us, jest get yerself te safety. I’ll try te stall the guards so ye can get away.”

“I’m no’ goin’ without ye, Effie.”

“Then we’ll die together, Coira. God’s eyes, dinna be so afeard and do as I say already. Take the horse and ride east along the Scottish border toward Northumberland. I heard Aidan’s friends say they were goin’ te stop at the MacKeefe’s other dwelling, Hermitage Castle. Ye’ll be safe with them.”

“But I dinna ken where it is.”

“Jest stay on our side o’ the border and head east and ye should be safe. Ask any Scot ye see, and they’ll tell ye where te find Hermitage Castle. Get yerself there te safety, and ask fer Ian and Onyx. They are Aidan’s friends and they will help ye. Now go!” She pushed her sister, and with one last fearful look backwards, Coira then turned and ran toward the woods.

Effie prayed she’d make it to safety. She turned and headed back to the moat, and dove in where she’d seen Aidan fall. She swam through the wretched water that was dir
tied from garbage and dead things she couldn’t identify, and then she saw his plaid floating atop the water. She made it to him and he was face down. She grabbed him and turned him over, seeing the wound in his shoulder, but that the arrow had passed right through. He also had a gash on his head and she realized he’d hit a rock when he fell.

“O
ch, Aidan, please dinna be deid,” she said, pulling his body to the shore. She was out of breath by the time she dragged him out of the water, and could see the guards heading quickly toward them. His eyes were closed and she didn’t even know if he was alive. She had no idea how to help him, and felt like she was too late.

She felt as if she couldn’t
live without him. She needed him. She wanted him. She never should have deceived him and none of this would have ever happened.

“Nay, ye canna die,” she cried, throwing herself atop his chest. Then sh
e reached out and touched his lips with hers for one last kiss.

Chapter 18

Aidan was having that dream again.
The dream about Effie, his angel. This time she was kissing him, and she had tears in her eyes. And when she pulled away and turned around, he saw the damned English guards again. But this time, something was different. Aye, he now realized what it was. Now, she didn’t have a tail.

“Aidan, get up, we have to go,” he heard her cry out. And though he
felt as if he wanted to just lie there and sleep and not move at all, he heard the terror in her voice, and it caused his eyes to open.

“Effie?”

She turned back, looking down at him, and a smile lit up her face. “Ye’re alive!” she said, reaching over and hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her, and it felt good. So damned good that he never wanted to let her go. Then his blissful moment was cut short as he heard the wretched voice of Lord Ralston.

“Well, you won’t be alive for long if I have anything to do with it.”

Aidan looked up to see Lord Ralston and his guards surrounding them with their swords drawn.

They pulled Effie off of him,
dragging her to her feet. Aidan reached out for her, but it was too late, they had her. He winced in pain from the arrow that had gone straight through his shoulder. He was bleeding profusely, and already felt light-headed.

The guards
pulled him to a standing position, and he felt like he weighed twice as much with his wet clothes weighing him down. He knew now that even if they did manage to escape again, they’d never be able to outrun them with him in this condition.

“We can’t find the other one,” said one of the guards.

“Dinna worry aboot her,” said Tasgall, coming to join them. “She is weak and with fever and will be deid by mornin’. Let’s go for the stone and get it back before the king’s arrival.”

“Lord Ralston?” asked the guard. “Should we split our forces and half of us go after the girl?”

“Don’t bother,” he said. “We’ll have the stone before she can tell anyone a thing. Go get the wagon and a dozen soldiers, as the Highlander is going to take us to the stone right now.”

“I willna,” Aidan
said, then heard the cry of Effie. He turned to see a guard holding his dagger to her throat.

“If the Scot refuses once more,” said Lord Ralston, “slit the girl’s throat.”

“Nay!” Aidan cried out, not wanting anything to happen to Effie. “I’ll bring ye te the stone, jest dinna hurt her.”

“Tie them both up and put them i
n the wagon,” said Lord Ralston. “And bind up the Scot’s wound as I don’t want him leaving a bloody trail for anyone who may come looking for him. Be sure this time to check the Scot for any hidden weapons, as I’ll not have him escaping again.”

The guards tied their hands behind them,
and Aidan’s wound was wrapped haphazardly by a soldier. Then they started pushing them roughly toward the castle.

“Leave her here,” said Aidan. “She d
isna ken where I hid the stone. She is innocent.”

“Hah!” spat Lord Ralston. “She is far from innocent, I assure you.
After all, she was the one who led us directly to you and the stone in the first place. And I can’t trust that you won’t try to escape, so we’re taking her along for assurance. You lead us to the wrong place, or try to fight us or get free, and your little lassie there will be dead before you know it.”

“Nay, dinna harm her. I’ll tak
e ye te the stone,” Aidan told him. “I’ll do whate’er ye want, just dinna do anythin’ te hurt Effie.”

* * *

Effie sat in the back of the cart as it jolted over the rough road, heading in the direction that Aidan had told them to go. Both of them had t
heir hands and feet tied, and Aidan lay in the wagon with his eyes closed. She could see him wince in pain every time the wagon hit a bump or rock in the road.

She scooted over to him, using her knee to try to get Aidan’s head on her lap. “Put yer head on me lap, Aidan, and it willna hurt as much
when we hit a bump.”

His eyes opened slowly and he looked at her. She couldn’t read his though
ts, but by his expression, she could see that although he just divulged information to get to the hidden stone to save her life, he still hadn’t forgiven her. She needed to do something to regain his trust and also to help not only save his life, but save the stone from getting into the hands of the English.

“
Please, Aidan. I want te help ye.”

“Then why did
na ye jest stay away from me te begin with? Thet woulda been the most help ye coulda given me.”

She managed to get him to lift his head slightly, and she quickly slipped her legs under hi
m, cradling his head.

“I’m sorry I wasna honest with ye from the start,” she said. “But I was scared for me sister’s life and I wasna thinkin’ clearly.”

“Thet’s fer sure,” he said, letting out a breath and closing his eyes again. “And I wasna thinkin’ clearly either, or I ne’er woulda told ye aboot the stone and brought ye back te the MacKeefe camp in the first place.”