Page 114 of Bride of Ice
“So you’re leaving on the morrow,” Gellir said, hanging the fire iron back on its hook. There was a forced casualness to his voice that belied the disappointment in his sideways glance.
“Nay!” Brand complained. “Can you not stay a little while longer? I want to learn how to use the claymore. And I haven’t shown you my hedgehog trick.”
“He’s a hostage, Brand,” Gellir explained. “He has to be returned. That’s the only way we’ll get Jenefer and Feiyan back.”
Brand made a sound of disgust. “Do wehaveto get them back?”
“Don’t worry, Brand,” Ian said. “He’s going to be living at Creagor at least a few more weeks.” He turned to Colban. “Isn’t that right?”
Colban nodded, although he couldn’t say what the future held and how long he would stay at Creagor. He didn’t know if he could bear living so close to Hallie. Watching her wed another. Seeing her grow large with another man’s bairns.
“Listen, lads,” Rauve said, wagging a finger. “There’s to be no rowdy tomfoolery this eve. Hallie is trusting you to keep quiet. If I hear a peep out of you, any sort of nonsense that will wake your parents, I’ll have to move the Highlander out to the stables. And nobody wants that.” He finished with a quick wink.
Colban returned the gruff old guard’s generous words with a grateful nod. Despite the man’s bearlike countenance, he had a kind heart.
Then Colban turned to the boys with a long-suffering sigh. “I hope none o’ ye snore,” he groused.
The lads laughed at that.
Then Ian lifted his brows and asked, “Do you thinklassessnore?”
Colban gave him a wistful smile. He was going to miss Ian’s odd questions. Brand’s reckless enthusiasm. Isabel’s gushing praise. And even Gellir’s dark looks.
But most of all, he was going to miss his beautiful Valkyrie, who’d turned his head, twisted his heart, scarred his soul, and, aye, even snored a wee bit after a satisfying bout of swiving.
Hallie stared out at a night sky as black as peat. Winking between wisps of smoky cloud were cold sparks of stars. Stars she wished she could reorder to change her fate.
Her eyes stung from crying. Her throat ached from stifling her tears. But finally her heart was numb.
Then Isabel burst into the room and ruined everything.
“Where’s Colban?” she asked without preamble.
Hallie clasped her hands together at her waist. How was she going to tell Isabel? How could she soften the blow?
But Isabel could already sense something was wrong.
“What’s happened?” she breathed, closing the door behind her and slouching against it.
“I need to talk to you.”
“You didn’t change your mind?”
“Nay. Not exactly,” she amended. “Why don’t you sit down and—”
“I don’t want to sit down.” Isabel skewered her with a stare. “Did you frighten him off?”
Hallie’s first response was hurt. Then she reconsidered. Wouldn’t that be an easier excuse to make? That ferocious Hallidis of Rivenloch had scared off a suitor with her glacial glare and her savage tongue?
But Hallie couldn’t lie to her little sister. Not just because it was wrong. But because curious Isabel would unearth the real reason sooner or later. And then she’d be hurt, not only by the truth, but by Hallie’s hiding it.
“Sit down, Isabel. Please.” Hallie sat on the bed herself and patted the mattress beside her.
But stubborn Isabel sank in place, sitting on the floor with her back braced against the door.
“What have you done, Hallie?” she asked with a pout.
Hallie told her as gently as possible about the situation with Creagor, about her arranged marriage.
