Page 25 of Sins of a Scot
Grabbing the reins tighter in his hand, he pulled back on them and brought his horse to a complete standstill. Iseabail glanced over, and upon seeing him stop, gave him another look of astonishment.
“What are ye doing?” she cried, bringing her horse to a halt and turning back towards him.
“I’m nae moving another step until ye answer me question, me lady,” Owen said firmly. “Ye can choose tae ignore me and continue on yer quest alone, or ye can tell me what I wish tae ken.”
Iseabail rolled her eyes and sighed as though he was acting like some petulant child. “Fine.”
Still, she did not speak for another moment, and then her slight frustration with him only seconds before seemed to dissipate, and dropping her gaze, she looked a little coy. It made Owen immediately suspicious.
Has she brought me out here on false pretenses?
“I told ye last night that if Laird Sutherland uses the stone, it may cause him harm,” she began. “But the truth is, I dinnae ken if I am able tae even touch it without it harming me.”
Owen’s eyes widened at her words. “Ye mean it will kill ye?”
Iseabail looked a little worried, and shrugged. “Truly, I dinnae ken.”
Lifting the necklace from beneath his shirt, he said, “Maybe we could test it?”
But Iseabail shook her head. “It’s nae the same. The crystal we’re looking fer is far larger and more powerful. It wouldnae be a true test.”
“I see,” Owen said, now understanding his role a little better. “But it will bring me nay harm?”
“Dae ye have a gift?” Iseabail smiled.
“I’m a great warrior,” Owen countered with a smirk. “And a great scout. Does that count?”
“Aye, yer stepmaither relayed that at breakfast.” Iseabail said. “Something ye forgot tae mention last night.”
Owen shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. “I didnae think it was o’ any importance.”
“Aye, course nae.” She flickered her eyebrows up in disbelief. She looked at the necklace again with an almost whimsical gaze. “The fact that I have a guardian with me who cannae be affected by gifts will also be a huge benefit. We dinnae ken what we will face on our journey.”
Her words surprised him a little, and in that second, understanding how vulnerable she truly was, a realization quickly occurred to him.
She’s nae the villain I first assumed. Last night in the dungeon, I thought she was a witch and a thief. It’s now clear that she’s neither.
Owen looked up at the ominous clouds that hung above their heads. “We should get going. It looks like the heavens are going tae open at any moment.”
About a half hour later, Owen’s prediction came to fruition, and the rain teamed from the sky like water from a bucket. They ploughed on across the glens, but the rain was so heavy, it was foolish to continue.
“We need tae find shelter,” Owen yelled. “Look, over there.” He pointed through the trees to a small, abandoned cottage.
Iseabail nodded eagerly, strands of her hair stuck to her face beneath her hood. “Alright,” she called back.
The cottage was indeed, abandoned, and once inside, Owen came to the conclusion that no one had lived there for many years. Old bits of furniture lay about; a few chairs, and a small table, nothing that would bring them any comfort. He discovered the remains of a wooden bed in a room at the back of the house, but with struts missing, no mattress, and the wood so rotten it fell apart as soon as he touched it, he doubted it would even be of any use as firewood.
Gathering scraps of other wood from around the cottage, he eventually managed to light a fire in the small hearth in the living area. Iseabail had already collected the saddle bags fromthe horses and, placing the items on the small table, she was trying to gather something for them to eat.
“Come and stand here near the fire,” he said. “Ye’re soaked through.”
She turned and looked at him. “As are ye,” she said, nodding tae his clothes.
“Aye,” he smirked, “it’s called rain.”
Once more, she rolled her eyes, but leaving what she was doing, she moved over to the small fire and held out her hands to warm them.
“I didnae find anywhere tae sleep, so we’ll have tae bed down in here.”
