Page 92 of The Splendor of Fire
She nodded and got into position with her back to him.
Bending his knees and spreading his feet between the uneven rock to form a strong base, he held his hands to the curve of her hips, his thumbs finding the dimples at the low of her back. “One, two, three.”
Keeping his elbows in and tight, he launched upward with as much force as he could give her. She popped off his wrists and shot over his head, straight toward the mouth of the treasury. Gaining several feet from her last attempt, she grasped the dry top of the treasury mouth in a clean catch. Arm muscles rippling with strength, she pulled herself up inside the opening.
Lightning released a loud breath. “She’s go’ it.”
Beithir called up to her and it bounced off the cavernous walls. “What do you see?”
No sound issued from the mouth of the ledge.
“Birdy?”
Her head popped out of the opening, followed by her hands.Eighteen bags of the Wolf’s gold and silver. It’s got his mark. Ten bags of missing MacLean gold marked for the tithe house. Two bags of MacKinnon gold.
From the boat, Rock hooted. “Stupid fools.”
Lion shook his head. “That confirms how the Wolf persuaded Niall to become an ally. No wonder he’s angry with Niall about the lack of return on his investment.”
A wave shot up from the narrow mouth of the sea path.
Beithir looked up at Birdy, his face edgy. “We don’t have time to get into that. Let’s get moving.”
Birdy disappeared inside the cave and reappeared with her back to the opening, her legs hooked around a stone. Slow and steady, she rolled backward out of the mouth of the cave, holding onto a bag of gold as large as Gabriel.
Heart thumping, Léo moved beneath her. “Beithir, you grab the bags, I’ll guard her.”
Bag-by-bag, she repeated the movements as if there was no limit to her strength, extending down, and curling back up for another one. In fifteen minutes, and with much effort navigating the slick rocks, ten heavy bags of gold and silver lay in each row boat. The tide had begun toslosh over the ledge where they stood. The patrol would soon travel to the mouth of the cave to pick up guards who wouldn’t be there.
Lion called up to her. “Birdy, let’s go.”
Hands came out of the cave opening.One minute.
“What is it?”
She reappeared decked in jewels, dozens of strands of pearls, rings, bracelets, and several circlets.There’s more jewels up here.
Beithir raised his voice. “No time. Let’s go. NOW.”
Once more, she lay back out of the opening then dropped. Lion’s hands met hers and she balanced on his palms, the weight of the jewelry making her arms shake. Slowly she brought one foot up to regain her balance and then the other, and gasped.
A trickle of blood smeared against the rock hanging from the ceiling and ran from her calf. She wobbled, but he held her steady. Slowly she folded her legs down and brought her feet through the space between their joined hands. He adjusted his grip, grabbing one firm thigh, and then the other, and lowered her to the rock floor.
Water squelched the fire and darkness blanketed them. Birdy grabbed his hand and he tightened his hold on her. “I’ve got you, I won’t let go.”
Beithir’s deep voice pitched around the darkened cave. “Let’s go, let’s go…”
Pulling her toward Thunder’s boat, the frigid tide sloshed over their feet. Lion helped her in, then jumped in beside Thunder.
Without waiting for further instruction, they began rowing in short strokes against the tide, unable to fully use the oars in the narrow gap of sea. Sweat broke out over his back, and his arms shook with the effort. After two minutes of careful navigation the boat made its way out onto the now tossing sea.
Maneuvering his oar, they began to pull hard against the current. Rock pulled away, his massive arms and the lighter weight of his boat making short work of rowing as he passed them. Lightning and Beithir’s boat followed, as the two men hauled for the bìrlinn.
By the time Thunder, Birdy and he reached the bìrlinn, Rock and Lightning’s boats had been emptied. Lion passed Birdy into Sea’s waiting hands. Luggingthe bags of gold and silver into the bìrlinn, he wondered how they hadn’t sunk into the Hebridean Sea under their weight.
With the last of the bags loaded, he and Thunder hopped aboard the bìrlinn, stepping over their three prisoners while Beithir drove his axe over and over into the hull of the rowboats, sinking them to the sea floor.
Iain’s voice took command of the vessel. “Oars!”
