Page 80 of Sins of a Scot
Thank God fer Owen’s sharp eye.
They could have been drugged, and with Owen incapacitated, what the man might have done with her afterwards didn’t bear thinking about. Another shiver ran through her body as her imagination went to dark places. Shaking her head, as though that might rid her mind of the horrid images, she began looking around on the ground.
Perhaps it had not been a person who had spooked the horses. Perhaps it had been something else, and with trepidation, for she knew the excruciating pain a snake bite could cause, she treaded carefully through the long grass with her eyes wide, searching for a slithering object of terror.
But no matter how hard she looked, she could find nothing.
Perhaps the horses’ reaction scared it away, whatever it was.
With the horses now settled, Iseabail turned back toward the cottage. She dreaded the idea of entering it again, but she had to try and convince the man to give her that crystal. He had it; she knew that now. But what could she offer him to part with it? There was one thing she certainly wouldn’t be offering him, not in a thousand years. But there had to be something the man wanted.
Just as she reached the gate of the surrounding garden, the front door flew open. Owen appeared, and began taking determined strides toward her. It didn’t take long for him to reach the gate.
“Move. Get tae the horses and dinnae turn back,” he said sharply.
Iseabail didn’t stop to ask why, and spinning on her heels, she hurried back the way she had come. With his long strides, Owen was soon at her side, and taking her by the arm, he pulled her along even faster. His face was like stone, and while Iseabail wanted desperately to discover what had happened in her absence, she realized that this was not the time to ask.
Upon reaching the horses, he still did not speak, and swiftly helping her onto her mare, he leaped up and mounted his own beast.
“We must go now,” he grunted, flicking the reins.
Iseabail followed suit, and the two horses galloped along at great speed. They left the little cottage far behind them, traveling over several miles. Still, Owen did not speak a word, and never before seeing him like that, Iseabail was nearly too afraid to confront him.
But the further they went, the more frustrated she got. When Owen had first departed the cottage, Iseabail had done as he had asked. Clearly, something had happened. But they had journeyed some way now, and Iseabail could stand this silence no longer.
“Stop, Owen,” she called out. “We need tae stop.”
He pulled back on his reins and brought his horse to a gentle stop, while at the same time, looking behind him with intense interest.
“What is it? Are ye waiting fer him tae come after us?”
“Better tae be aware o’ the possibility than tae be taken off guard,” Owen replied, while his eyes still roved the glen behind them.
“But why would he come after us?” Iseabail asked, still feeling completely confused. “What did ye dae tae him?”
“Nae half as much as I would have liked,” he growled.
“Are ye going tae tell me what happened?” she pressed.
Owen then turned to face her. After a long and rather intense look, he reached a hand into his tunic. His fist was balled when he withdrew it, and Iseabail, suddenly realizing what it might be, gasped and held her breath.
“Och, me God,” she blurted, when Owen finally opened his hand to reveal the large crystal. “Ye did it,” she cried, nearly shaking with excitement. With her eyes still firmly glued onto the crystal, she continued, “Ye did it, Owen. Och, me God, I cannae believe it.”
Completely forgetting Ada’s words of warning in her exhilaration, she reached out a hand to touch it.
“Nae, Iseabail!” Owen barked desperately, pulling his hand swiftly back. “Ye cannae touch it. Nae ever, dae ye understand?”
“Aye, aye. O’ course,” she said, nodding as Owen’s firm command reminded her of the healer’s warning. “I just cannae believe ye have it.” She then lifted her eyes to look at Owen. “But how did ye dae it? How did ye get him tae give it tae ye?”
A wary expression flashed across Owen’s face, and then he said, “He didnae give it tae me. I took it from him.”
Iseabail gasped again. Jerking her head behind her, she said, “And that is the reason ye’re worried he’ll come after us,” understanding his urgency in leaving.
“Aye,” Owen said, “that is the reason. Now, we need tae continue on. It’ll be nightfall soon. We need tae find somewhere tae bed down.”
They were too far out to return to the healer’s cottage, and besides, Laird Sutherland’s keep was in the opposite direction to Huna. Dusk was falling fast, and with no sign of any shelter on their travels, they were forced to find a small clearing in a wooded area.
“It’s nae ideal,” Owen said, looking about him when they had dismounted, “but it will dae. Stay close tae the horses. I’ll go and find some firewood.”
