With a sigh, Ciaran pulled the dagger and its sheath off the belt at his waist and held them out by the blade. “Here ye go, Red.”
Red cocked his head slightly, then stepped forward cautiously and took the dagger. “My name’s Bannon, by the way, not Red.”
Bannon? Naw, it didn’t fit him like Red did. Ciaran walked over to Angus and took his offered dagger and his reins. He brought the dagger back to Red and introduced them. “My name is Ciaran MacKay. This is Ramsey and Angus.”
With a nod of acknowledgment, Red took Angus’s dagger and handed it to the lass.
She promptly stuck it in her cleavage and said, “My name is Louisa. It’s nice to meet all of you. Now can we get going? I don’t really want to wait around for the MacLeans to wake and discover us gone.”
“Excellent point, lass.” Ciaran tossed his reins over Horace’s head and mounted. He waited for Red and Louisa to do the same, then led the way. “Do ye ken exactly where the crash is?”
“No, we were hoping you did.”
§ § § §
Ciaran stared out at the wreckage strewn across a hundred yards or so, and a chill went through him. Och, but it was amazing anyone survived. The ship was in two different pieces, and there wasn’t much left of either piece. It was also not like the ships that had been attacking them. Still, Ciaran wasn’t ready to concede that Red and Louisa didn’t know anything about them either.
The biggest chunk of ship was still smoking, or perhaps it was only fog from the heat mixing with the cool rain? The ground was raised up around the front, where the ship had burrowed its way into the ground like a mole. The section had been bashed in from the impact. The people who had not burned were probably crushed. The mangled wreckage was burnt out, as if a fire had spread throughout this part of the ship, probably after the crash, because the back section was char-free.
In addition to that, the back part of the wreckage still held its shape. It had a row of upright seats, and the windows on each side were still intact. It looked as though on the first impact—there were at least two other impacts, judging from the huge crater in the ground between the two pieces and the disturbed dirt—it had been ripped completely away from the rest of the ship. The space inside was small but relatively untouched except for some things littering the floor.
“Oh, galaxy!” Red practically melted off his horse, looking like he was going to hit the ground and sink into a puddle, but at the last moment he stopped. He lifted his chin, put his shoulders back, and took a deep breath, though still a shiver wracked his slim body.
Ciaran’s heart went out to him. He’d said during the journey there that he wasn’t close to the others on board, but it didn’t really matter how well acquainted you were. Ciaran had lost many men in battle, some had been friends, others he’d barely known. The fact that you were with them when they died left a hollowness inside that never went away. There was also that sense of what if? Seeing this wreckage, Red had to be thinking what if…?
“Ye were in the back half, werenae ye?” Ciaran asked as he too dismounted.
Red nodded.
Louisa got off her horse and walked to Red, slid her hand into his, and braced herself with a deep inhalation of air.
A light flared to life behind them.
Ciaran turned to find Ram and Angus lighting torches. The sentiment was nice, but it might not be a good idea. Red and Louisa might not want to see better. Ciaran wasn’t at all sure he did.
In the distance, lightning lit up the dark clouds, and a soft rumble of thunder purred.
“We should do whatever it is ye intend tae do, Red. There’s another storm brewing.”
When Red didn’t move or even acknowledge that Ciaran had spoken, Ciaran touched his shoulder.
Ram came forward with a torch, and Red turned, looking right at Ciaran.
Ciaran’s breath caught, and a tingle raced down his spine. That same sense of connection he’d felt on the cliff when he’d first spotted Red engulfed him. Green. His eyes were bright green like the grass in the valley meadow in front of Lochwood Castle. They were also watery and dazed.
For several seconds, Red stood there, staring back