Page 3 of Highland Queen

I smiled softly. “I’m sorry,” I said, and I honestly was. I had hoped he wouldn’t realize I was gone.

He nodded then turned to the blood bay. “Where is Kelpie?”

I shook my head and forced back my tears. “I don’t know. Let’s pray he finds his way home.”

Standish sighed. “He’s a strong horse and a smart one. He’ll find his way. In the meantime, I’ll take this young man off your hands. What a bloody brute he is,” he said, glancing at the bay whose coat sparkled red in the morning sunlight.

I patted the horse on the nose, nodded to Standish, then headed into the castle.

Trying to go unseen, I moved quickly through the crowd and headed to my chambers. Inside, I heard Tira and Rhona arguing.

When I opened the door, both women stopped.

Tira scowled. “Get away, you. Lady Gruoch is not within, and you have no business here.”

Rhona’s eyes widened. “Tira. Look. The sword,” she said, pointing to Uald’s Gift. She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, shutting and bolting the door behind me.

I slipped off Gillacoemgain’s helmet.

“My lady!” Tira exclaimed. “Oh, by the Great Mother, look at you. Are you hurt?”

“No, but I need to get cleaned up. There is much to do.”

Rhona shook her head. I couldn’t help but notice her cheeks had turned red. “Part of me wants to slap you, my lady. I’m doing my best to hold myself back.”

“I wouldn’t risk it,” Tira warned her companion. “From the looks of our lady, she just murdered the entire southern army on her own.”

“Not the whole army, just the king.”

Tira tittered nervously, but Rhona met my eyes.

I inclined my head to her.

She returned the gesture.

Tira blew air through her lips, tossed her hands in the air, then turned and pulled out the washbasin. “No sense arguing about it. It’s done now. We need to get her cleaned up before anyone else realizes our lady is mad enough to ride out onto the battlefield like she’s Boudicca.”

“Ah, but there you’re wrong,” I told her.

“Wrong?”

“Boudicca did not survive. I have won the day.”

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