Highland Defiance - By Sky Purington Page 0,8
“Tell me, why are you so familiar with me? Have you dreamt of me as well?”
Adlin was about to respond when a female voice yelled down from the top of the first gate. “If ye dinnae chop off his bloody ballocks now I’ll do it meself!”
He shaded his eyes to the cresting sun, shook his head and yelled, “Just have him and be done with it, lassie. The whole clan kens your need for him!”
Wide eyed, Mildred looked from Adlin to the young woman standing far above. It was hard to see her from this distance but her voice continued to carry far. “Yer as bad as the rest of them!”
A small stone went flying by her head, aimed right for Adlin. He laughed and pointed at the drawbridge. “Seems you should be throwing it at him!”
Stricken, feet pounding fast over the bridge, a young man ran.
“Bloody bastard!” she yelled. “Run then!”
Mildred heard a strange sound from behind and turned to find Adlin holding his stomach so intense was his laughter. With a frown, she turned back to see the young man running across the field.
“What then?” the woman yelled down in Adlin’s direction. “I suppose ‘tis not a thing that a lad has a try at yer sister and then runs off?”
His sister? Dumbstruck, Mildred watched Adlin. None of this made sense. Why was he laughing?
“Come.” Adlin chuckled and took her hand. “Let me introduce you to my clan.”
They’d made if halfway over the drawbridge before the woman claiming to be his sister was running past them, her eyes wild, and hair in disarray. Still holding Mildred’s hand he managed to grab the woman’s arm in passing. He shook his head. “Let him go, lass.”
The woman shook with fury and eyed the woods in which the man had vanished with disgust. “Bloody bastard.” She spit on the ground and shook her head. “Made away with me pride he did.”
Adlin released Mildred’s hand and gently steered the woman back in the direction of the castle. “Nobody could make away with your pride. Go have the kitchen make ready for a guest, aye?”
The woman blinked rapidly, her eyes flickering from him to the forest before she finally nodded. Not sparing a glance in Mildred’s direction she said, “Fine then,” over her shoulder.
Mildred didn’t know what to make of the scene she’d witnessed. The only logical conclusion was that the woman was insane and Adlin humored her. Before she could stop her next words she asked, “Is she really your sister?”
Interestingly enough, Adlin’s expression grew serious for a split second, the lines of his strong jaw grinding, before he broke into a warm smile. “Indeed, lass, that was Iosbail. I’ll introduce you later.”
Mildred almost responded but decided not to. It was clear his sister was crazed. That had to be difficult for him. The sun crested over the castle and she turned. The structure suddenly looked intimidating, especially from this vantage point. Tall and octagonal it seemed to puff out its chest and watch the surrounding land, ready for anything.
“Imagine what it will look like someday,” Adlin said softly. So softly she barely heard him.
“What?”
He seemed to snap out of thought and said, “Come. You’ll like it here. It’s safe and the people are kind.”
Odd as it may seem, it only then struck her that she stood on a wooden bridge leading to a gate. She’d stormed nearly unseen to get where she needed to without really seeing where she was going. As if the dream unfolded around her, so too did reality. The wood was worn, creaking beneath her feet. The air smelled an odd mixture of sea salt and musty water. But on the wind she caught the faint scent of baked bread and roasting meat.
She smelled life and commerce.
“Please. Come.” Adlin pulled her after him. “That,” he pointed overhead once they’d left the bridge, “Is a portcullis. It will lower tonight and provide a barrier.”
“I know what a portcullis is,” she muttered. Truly though, she didn’t, at least not in the sense of walking beneath one in the eleventh century. It seemed much higher and overwhelming in real life.
“That’s the cookery to the left, the armory to the right.”
Mildred knew she was walking slower even though he never let go of her hand. She squeezed his hand not because she needed to know he was there but to know she was there.
“How, why,” she whispered.
Adlin stopped. Even though he didn’t step in front of her his tall, strong frame