Cassian (The Immortal Highland Centurions #2) - Jayne Castel Page 0,69
doubled back earlier, his face grim when he returned to the women. “They’re gaining on us,” he’d reported.
Aila glanced around nervously as she walked. I hope Jean is safe wherever she is. It felt exposed out here on the hills, especially after traveling through woodland for the past two days. However, she imagined this new terrain was a good sign.
Surely, they were approaching De Keith territory?
Glancing up, she saw the moon had risen, clouds racing before its silvery face. Although once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see well enough.
Cassian certainly seemed confident that they were heading in the right direction.
Of course he does. The man’s spent the last millennium in this land.
The thought made a shiver ripple down her spine. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to live that long. What things must he have witnessed over the years? He would have seen the land of the Pict kingdoms turn into Alba and then into Scotland. And all the while, he was trapped here.
But there was a way out.
The bandruì who’d cursed him had provided him with a riddle to solve, and just one line remained.
It had made little sense to Aila, even when Cassian told her the meaning of all but the last line.
Her gaze shifted then from the waxing moon, to the fire-tailed star that stood out brightly against the black curtain of night.
The Broom-star, Cassian had called it.
Folk at Dunnottar had been talking about the star since late spring. Many said that its appearance heralded change, although David De Keith had been obsessed that it was an ill-portent. But the fiery star was of no concern to him now.
The laird had sealed his own fate the moment he’d drawn a knife on the English king.
Aila’s mouth thinned. An idiotic act they were all going to pay for.
She broke away from the ladies now, walking but a few yards behind Cassian. As if sensing her nearness, he slowed his pace and allowed her to catch him up.
“How far are we from Dunnottar?” she asked.
“It lies in that direction.” He pointed to the north-eastern horizon. “And if we keep walking at our current pace, we’ll reach it around dawn.”
Relief suffused Aila, and she let out a sigh.
Cassian cut her another look then, this one veiled. “You are a resilient lass, Aila.”
She arched an eyebrow in response. “Well, Lady Gavina and Lady Elizabeth have both weathered the shock … I wasn’t going to let them show me up.”
He nodded. “Over the years, I’ve noticed that women are often stronger than men … especially in the darkest of times.” He paused there. “When I arrived in this land, and we faced the Picts … many women fought among them.”
Aila’s gaze widened. “Women warriors?”
He favored her with a weary smile. “Terrifying they were too.”
Aila took this in, her skin prickling in delight. How different things were these days. Ladies like Gavina and Elizabeth lived cloistered existences, while most other women spent their lives toiling and bearing bairns. She’d never heard of a woman picking up arms and fighting alongside her menfolk. She’d always thought women lacked the physical strength and the killer instinct that made men so dangerous.
“This news surprises you?” Cassian asked, his smile warming.
“Aye … I’m just trying to imagine such a thing,” she murmured. “And I admit, I have difficulty.”
“Times were different back then … Scotland has changed much with the centuries.” He paused, slowing his pace a little and moving closer to her. “I owe you a number of apologies, Aila.”
She huffed, but didn’t contradict him.
“I hurt you.”
Aila tensed. “Ye did, but I’d prefer to look forward now,” she replied, injecting a crisp tone she didn’t really feel into her voice.
“I know you do, but I’m sorry nonetheless. I also ask your forgiveness for what I did in that valley … it would have been a gruesome thing to witness.”
Aila sucked in a breath. “It was.”
“I was desperate, but I should have warned you.”
Aila shot him a rueful look. “It wouldn’t have made any difference … seeing a man stab himself in the heart would never have been pleasant, even if you’d announced your intention first.”
Cassian snorted and opened his mouth to say something else. However, instead he came to an abrupt halt.
“What is it?” Aila stared up at his face, all hollows and angles in the moonlight.
Cassian knelt and placed a hand flat upon the ground. “Horses,” he said, his tone hardening. “They’ve caught up with us.”