O Night Divine A Holiday Collection of Spirited Christmas Tales - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,23

certain he was scaring her. But what to do? He knew he could keep her safe, but what was she doing out here in the middle of the woods in the first place? What had chased her?

So, he positioned his sword behind him and sank to his haunches, careful to let her see his hands and his eyes.

“I’ll no’ hurt ye, wee one,” he said in a soothing voice. “I’ve been following yer trail.”

She said naught, but when she peeked up at him, the blanket fell back, and he sucked in a breath.

She was young, aye, mayhap five years old, and her face was shaped very much like a wee pixie’s, with an upturned nose and wide blue eyes.

Two blonde braids hung over her shoulders, pine needles and twigs stuck in them, likely from her rush through the forest. Dirt was smudged across her face and hands, as well as her blanket.

Her features looked like those of a lady, but her appearance told another story.

“Ye’ve had quite the adventure, lassie.”

This time, she didn’t speak, but she did nod once, quickly.

The sight caused him to grin, and when he did, her eyes widened even further before she dropped her chin.

His knees were beginning to ache, holding this position. “I just want to help ye. What’s yer name?”

She didn’t answer, but he wasn’t discouraged. He rested his forearms on his knees, allowing his hands to dangle freely.

“My name is Callan. I’d like to help ye, lassie, but I’ll need to ken what to call ye besides ‘my wee sprite’, which is how ye look now.”

If he hadn’t been watching her so closely, he might’ve missed the quick flash of her smile. But he saw it, and the way her lips formed words.

“What was that, my wee sprite?”

This time she lifted her chin so he could see her clearly, and repeated herself. “Thea. My name is Thea.”

He grinned again and caught her surprised expression. Why was she watching him so closely?

“Well, Thea, I ken this wood well enough and can get us back to the village, if ’tis where ye want to go. Can ye tell me what ye’re doing so deep among the trees?”

Her gaze dropped again to his chest. “I’m waiting,” she whispered.

“Someone told ye to wait here?” Her nod was quick, and Callan frowned. “But surely no’ this deep?” The danger was much greater this far in.

She peeked up at him, then away once more, her eyes flashing in the shadows. Finally, she whispered, “I was following her.”

“Her?”

Her little tongue flicked out across her lower lip. “A lady. A white lady and she didnae walk but floated. She was much faster than me, and I couldnae keep up with her.”

A floating white lady? Still, if that’s what she thought she’d seen, it explained why the lassie had all-but-run through the forest, the blanket trailing behind and obscuring her prints.

“A ghost?” Callan asked, trying to contain his smile. “A Highland forest can contain many eldritch sights.”

But she was quick to shake her head. “’Tis Yule. My mother said ’tis a time for celebration. The white lady was nae a ghost, but an angel. She led me here.” Thea’s lips pulled into a frown as she glanced at the ridge where she’d fallen. “At least, I thought she did.”

But Callan’s breath had caught at the word angel.

“This angel…what did she look like?”

Thea seemed more comfortable with him now, which was good because Callan wasn’t certain how much longer he could crouch like this. With a shrug, she straightened from her hiding spot beside the tree.

“She wore a beautiful gown, all flowing and floaty. She hovered above me but had a veil over her face. She kept beckoning me, so I followed.” Thea looked guilty for a moment. “Mother will be worried. I wasnae supposed to leave where she left me.”

Shaken by her casual description of a being who sounded so much like the Fia from his dream, Callan was only half paying attention to her answer when he absentmindedly asked, “And why did she leave ye there?”

“We havenae eaten in two days. Mother went into the village to find some food or mayhap some work. She said she’d come back to get me.”

The confession dragged Callan’s attention back to the here and now. If Fia had visited him in his dream, then ’twas it really impossible to believe she’d visited the forest as well? Nay, he was faced with a wee sprite of a child who needed help.

So, with another soothing smile,