Page 31 of The Highland Curse
Duncan spied a fallen branch on the ground and picked it up. Creeping closer to them, he saw the guards on their mounts. They were engrossed in their argument, and he was able to take advantage of their inattention. Raising the heavy stick above his head, and before either of them knew what was happening, he slashed the weapon first at one man and then the other, knocking them both off their horses. The force of the blows, in addition to the impact to the ground, rendered them unconscious.
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand, and hurrying her back to their horses.
CHAPTER 14
When they had put enough distance behind them, Duncan slowed down their pace. He pulled out the flask that he had placed under his belt. Taking a swig, he gave a satisfying hiss as the fire raced down his gullet. At least he hadn’t left Cannpach empty-handed. He turned to Adrina. “Take a drink,” he said, pushing the vessel toward her.
Adrina reluctantly took it from him and sniffed at the contents.
“Nay,” she said, wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell. “I cannae comprehend how ye can drink something sae awful.”
She started to hand the container back when her fingers brushed against his. A jolt of awareness shot through him. And when he looked at her, he found her gaze fixed on him. Her beautiful brown eyes were filled with confusion and shock, and her mouth was slightly parted. He felt a sudden urge to swoop down, and taste from her honeyed lips once more. A part of him began to stir. But he forced the feelings aside. This was neither the time nor the place to entertain his primal urges.
He tipped the flask, taking another swig of the firewater before returning it to his belt. That was enough for the time being.
“We’re entering Dunnvie territory now,” Duncan said, taking out his map and studying it.
“Aye, I ken,” she said.
He looked at her for a brief moment. Of course, she would know. This was her country. But he couldn’t just drop her off at the castle gates. If they hadn’t encountered the guards in the woods, he wouldn’t have thought anything about gaining entrance to her home. But now he was certain they wouldn’t be well received. What he needed was to learn what the hell was happening, and why Adrina’s people wanted to hurt her.
“There’s the castle,” she said, pointing to a large fortress through the break in the trees. The castle itself was surrounded by the forest, although the trees were cleared from about a hundred feet from the stone keep.
“We’ll need tae keep tae the woods for now until I can figure out how tae get us inside,” he said. Duncan didn’t need to explain about the guards. Although he couldn’t see them at this distance, he knew that they were there, manning their posts.
“Ye dinnae have tae figure it out,” she said with a certainty of someone who knew her terrain. “If we go around this way, we should come across a hidden passage that will take us inside.”
“How do ye ken of this passage?” he said, cocking his head.
“’Tis how I left the castle in the first place. Dunnvie Castle is verra auld. My ancestors built the tunnel as a means of quick escape during raids. The underpass itself starts in the courtyard, and is wide enough tae accommodate man and beast. At the time, ‘twas a sure way for people tae leave the castle undetected. But now everyone has forgotten its existence. Fortunately I stumbled upon it when I was a bairn.”
“Guid,” he said, briefly. This wasn’t going to be so difficult after all. “Show me where ‘tis.”
She led him through the thicket. Dunnvie was located south of Tancraig, so autumn should have been in full bloom. But the leaves in this region were only starting to change color, and there was still a substantial amount of greenery everywhere. And while he detected the usual sounds of birds calling among the treetops, he also noticed an absence of wee beasties scurrying about in the underbrush. But if that wasn’t enough to make him uneasy, he felt a peculiar sensation as if someone watched them. Of course this was impossible. There were no humans in sight, and as much as his younger sister wanted him to believe in her fancifulness, he wasn’t convinced that forest spirits or the fae folk existed.
“Where in the castle is this hidden entrance located?”
“In the stables. When I was young, I pulled away at the auld hay on the floorboards, and discovered the passageway which snaked outside the castle walls. Since then I’ve used it many times,” she said shrugging. “And I was able tae explore the forest at my leisure without anyone realizing that I was gone from the castle.”
“’Twas a dangerous game ye played,” he said frowning at her. “If one of my sisters took tae the forest like ye did, I wouldnae have been pleased. There’re many unpleasant things in the woods.”
“I have never encountered any wild animal or Broken Men,” she said, her tone flippant. “Besides, I didn’t venture far from the tunnel…” But then her voice trailed off, and she no longer seemed confident about where she was going. She slowed her horse and looked around her in bewilderment. “The entrance is here somewhere,” she said, biting her lip in concentration. “I’m sure of it.”
Duncan dismounted from his steed, and searched the ground. There were fresh horse tracks embedded into the soft earth. Either there were other people coming to this exact spot, or Adrina was leading them around in circles.
“The entrance disnae exist, does it?” he said, becoming suspicious. “I figured that we were orbiting this place, however I ignored it since ye seemed sae certain of your whereabouts.”
She slid off her horse. “Ikenthe entrance is here. I thought I had missed it initially, but I swear that this is the right place.” Her eyes scanned the vegetation, and pointed to a section on the forest floor. “There’s the mound of earth, and the door lies within it.”
“But I dinnae see a portal anywhere.”
“’Tis there, I tell ye,” she said, staring at the solid mass of dirt which was covered by a layer of moss.
“This is a waste of time,” he said. “With all our wandering, we would have arrived at the gates by now.”
“I’ll nae go near the gates as they’re heavily protected by Fingal’s men. But we need tae get inside.” She bit hard on her bottom lip. “I — I fear that Fingal will hang my parents.”
“Did the voices tell ye that?” he asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.
