Page 144 of Bride of Mist
As it turned out, scaling down a cliff wall was not the same as clambering through the branches of a forest. Feiyan’s heart pounded as she searched for footing on the slippery rocks, wet with sea spray. Once she skidded down the steep face several feet, muddying Gellir’s clothes and scraping her palms. She lost her grip several times. Each time she was certain she would fall and dash her head on the stones a hundred feet below.
But her fear for Dougal outweighed her fear of falling. Eventually, despite the mist obscuring the sand below, the gulls’ startling squeals as they swooped past, and the muscle-straining, nerve-rattling climb that seemed to have no end, she found her footing on the solid ground of the beach.
Praying she’d arrived before the Fortanachs, she shuffled through the sandy rubble, heading north along the cliff.
Half a dozen fishing boats slumbered together on the shore, waiting for high tide and their masters to pull them into the firth. Feiyan chose the nearest one, untied it from its moorings, and began to drag it across the sand. When she was halfway to the water’s edge, she stopped and waited, tugging her cap down over eyes that restlessly scanned the beach for intruders.
She didn’t have to wait long. The Fortanachs’ quibbling voices announced their presence well before they materialized in the mist. Fergus was still prodding Dougal along at the point of a sword. Gaufrid hobbled along in pain. From snippets of their conversation, she learned that Morris was skipping ahead to look for suitable transportation.
Keeping her head low and schooling her voice to a low, gravely tone, she called out to Morris. “Mornin’!” she grunted as he approached.
“Is that your boat?” he asked.
“Aye.”
“We’re goin’ to need it.”
It was tempting to simply hand it over. After all, that was her plan. The boat was bait. If she gave them the easy means to escape, they might release their hostage.
But surrendering it so eagerly might seem suspicious.
So instead she grunted, “B’longs t’ me.”
“I don’t care if it belongs to Lucifer himself,” Morris ground out. “I’m takin’ it.”
“How much’ll ye give me for it?” Feiyan grumbled.
“What?” Morris exploded. “I’m givin’ ye naught, ye—”
“What’s the trouble now?” Fergus asked. He sounded irritated, as if Dougal had fought him every step of the way, which pleased her immensely.
“Stupid piker wants to be paid,” Morris said.
“Oh, he does, does he? We’ll see about that.” Fergus waved Gaufrid forward. To her satisfaction, the laird looked wan and agonized as he gripped the place where she’d wounded him. “Do ye know who this is?”
Feiyan glanced over, feigned a gasp of surprise, and gave Gaufrid a deep bow. “M’laird!” Pretending to be flustered, she handed the rope to the boat to Morris. Then she rushed forward with a bowed head as if to pay her respects.
But instead of kissing Gaufrid’s hand, she whipped out herbishouand held it against his ribs. This time, if the worst happened, she didn’t intend to miss.
Gaufrid raked in a ragged breath when he saw the familiar blade and paled when he saw her familiar face.
“Shite!” Morris exclaimed. “How did ye…how did she…?”
“Let Dougal go,” she said calmly, “or I’ll finish what I started.”
“Feiyan, nay!” Dougal called out. “Put it down.”
Feiyan thinned her lips. Of course he would say that. He didn’t think she should risk her life for him. And he didn’t believe her capable of following through on her threat.
He was wrong on both counts.
“Please, Feiyan,” he begged. “Save yourself.”
Fergus smirked. “Och aye, Feiyan, please save yourself,” he mocked. “And whate’er ye do, don’t let harm come to my dear brother Gaufrid.”
Then, with a shocking play that took her completely by surprise, Fergus gave Gaufrid a hard shove forward, impaling him on her blade.
Chapter 36
