Page 85 of Sinbound to the Highlander
“Me Maither?” Evan growled. “What did ye do to her?”
“It’s been nearly half an hour now since I carried her soup to her,” the maid said nastily. “She should be dead by now.”
Alarmed, Evan darted to his feet but dragged the woman up with him and shouted for help. As a guard came around the corner, he shoved the maid into his hands and turned, only to hear the maid call a cruel taunt at his back, “It’s one or the other, Me Laird, who are ye going to save?”
One or the other… Freya!
Running full tilt, he blasted into the castle, darted through the Great Hall, took the stairs three at a time, and rushed to his mother’s door. Without pause, he kicked the door open, and rushed to his mother’s bedside, only to lurch back. The shards of the pewter bowl at the side of the bed, had panic seizing him in a vice grip. He reached for his insensate mother and tried to wake her.
“Maither! Maither!” he called desperately. “Wake up.”
With no reaction from her, Evan’s instant thought was to rush her to the healing hall—and then his mind flew on Freya!One, or the other.His heart was ripped apart, bisected down the middle.
He could not stand to lose his mother, and his love in one fell swoop if he did not act quickly. Leaning down to her face, he heard shallow breaths coming from his mother's nose—she was alive, if only barely. Elated with that, Evan could not stop his heart from pumping, as his mind was screaming for him to run.
Run to Freya!
He had to chance it.
And run he did, “Watch her!” he shouted while tearing through the corridors, jumping three stairs at a time to dash to the hall. As he raced up the stairs, he saw the glint of a butchering knife arching down into Freya’s unsuspecting chest and threw himself at Elspeth.
“Let me go, ye bastard!” she seethed as they both fell to the floor. “She daenae deserve to live!”
Freya darted from her bed and screamed, “Help! Help! Someone!”
“Wrong,” Evan spat to Elspeth as he got her thrashing body under submission. “‘Tis ye who doesnae deserve to live. After ye nearly sentenced yer sister to death by throwing her into the loch, and poisoning me Maither, ye are the one who will be facing it. An eye for an eye.”
The room was dissolving into pandemonium, with guardsmen rushing in and the healing women streaming into the room, bearing candles and lit torches. He heard someone shouting for help for his mother, screaming that the Lady of the castle was ill to the point of death. The mention of his poisoned mother had fury etching up another notch in Evan’s heart.
“If me Maither dies, nothing is stopping me from hanging ye,” Evan growled to Elspeth.
The blinding rage was pounding in his head, but the fury still rested in his heart. His fists clenched Elspeth’s wrists so tightly, she winced, but he did not care. Evan did not move off from her even as the sounds of boots were heard behind him. Assuming guards were there, he began to lift himself.
When they came, grabbing her by both arms, Freya grabbed at Evan’s side, sobbing.
“Take her and her thrice-damned maid to the dungeon,” Evan ordered.
As she was shoved off, Evan wrapped his arm around Freya. He shifted to kiss her temple. He then called for the healing women, “Do whatever ye can to save me Maither’s life.”
Freya was a trembling mass in his hands, and her fingers clutched as him, “How did she get in?”
“I daenae ken,” Evan said, and with a strong arm encircled her waist. Freya straightened up under his touch, and she lifted her trembling chin bravely. Evan shifted his head to look at the woman, the one who his heart, whowashis heart, and then turned away while his grip tightened, “But, I will bloody well find out.”
