Page 16 of Kilted Abduction
“So, what are we doin’ here then?” he asked.
“I thought I told ye?—”
“I was hungry. And thirsty,” Kai cut him off. “I’ve been doin’ what ye told me tae dae and so far, I havenae seen the golden-haired woman we’re lookin’ fer. Looks like ye had better luck though”
Magnus watched the golden-haired woman talking to a larger man but kept seeing her emerald green eyes flashing in his direction. She looked pensive and her body was tauter than a bowstring. She looked like she might bolt at any second. Thatonly added credibility to Magnus’ belief that they’d found who they were looking for.
“Did she really beat all them other lads with a bow?” Kai asked.
“She did.”
“Impressive.”
“Also makes her dangerous,” Magnus said.
“Hard tae believe somebody so fair could be so dangerous.”
“Aye. But ye better believe it or ye’ll wind up with an arrow in yer arse.”
Kae laughed. “Aye. Noted.”
The woman kept cutting glances their way, the tension in her body growing. Magnus reached out with his mind, trying to get into her head, wanting to give her a listen. But all he heard was silence. It flustered and confounded him. Magnus had never been unable to read somebody before and yet, trying to latch onto her thoughts was like trying to grab hold of a greased eel.
“Ye really think she’s our spy?” Kai asked.
“I’m nae sure what she is,” Magnus replied. “But I think she’s somebody we need tae have a conversation with.”
“Fair enough,” Kai said. “And maybe after we have this conversation with her, we can enjoy a little time at the games. Seems a shame tae be here and nae enjoy ourselves.”
Magnus chuckled and turned to his brother. “Dae ye ever think of anythin’ but havin’ a good time, little braither?”
“Aye,” Kai replied with a grin. “Sometimes.”
Shaking his head, Magnus turned back and felt his stomach lurch. The woman was gone. He swept his gaze left then right, searching for her, but didn’t see her anywhere among the crowd.
“Bleedin’ hell,” he grumbled.
“What is it then?”
“She’s gone.”
Kai turned and Magnus watched him looking around, his face tightening. “Bleedin’ hell.”
Magnus grumbled to himself. If he hadn’t been so focused on his brother, he would have been able to keep eyes on her. But he managed to hold his tongue. There would be time for that later. Right now, they needed to find the woman. Magnus searched the crowd, looking for the dark green cloak and hood moving through the crowd but didn’t see her anywhere. When he turned to the right though, he paused.
“There,” Magnus said.
“Where?”
“She’s headin’ intae the woods,” he replied. “Come on.”
Magnus started off, not waiting for Kai to respond and headed for the forest where he’d seen the woman slipping between the trees. As he moved among the wide, thick trunks, the sound of the festivities at the games behind them became softer. Muted. A cool wind stirred his cloak, the frigid air washing across his skin. He paid it no mind, though, as he searched for the spy.
“Kai,” he said softly. “Find her trail.”
“Aye,” Kai said as he stepped forward.
Thanks to his ability to track, Kai served as Domhnall’s chief scout. Although it wasn’t the gift he’d been blessed with, Kai had an otherworldly ability to track a person or an animal through even the most difficult of conditions. The forest floor beneath their boots was soft and littered with leaves, branches, and other debris, making it difficult to find a trail for Magnus. But Kai locked onto it almost immediately.
