Highlander Unchained (Highlander Trilogy 1)

Dawn was still perplexed as to why someone would want her dead. And though she had tried to engage Cree in discussion about it, he refused. He told her not to worry about it. He would let no one harm her. The question, however, continued to nag her. Why would someone want a peasant lass dead?

She entered the woods and got busy gathering what she needed, though when she spied the tree where Cree had braced her against that one day and had brought her body to life, she stopped to stare.

So much had changed since that day. No longer did he spill his seed outside her. Each and every time—and there were numerous times—they made love he remained buried deep inside her. And she—fool that she was—grew to love him more and more.

Though Cree was mostly a stoic man, rarely letting his guard down, there were times his shield would fall and she would see a different man. Tender, kind, and so very loving. And it fed Dawn’s hope—her dream— that someday he could possibly love her at least half as much as she loved him.

She kept her foolish hope to herself. She did not even trust Lila with it, for though her friend would never laugh at her, she would certainly pity her for wishing the impossible.

Dawn shook the troubling thoughts from her mind and returned to finishing her task. Satisfied that she had gathered enough she headed back to the village, Neil in tow. Her thoughts returned to Cree, though when didn’t she think about him? He was forever on her mind and much too deep in her heart. It still amazed her to think that she loved him. She smiled and pressed her hand to her chest, as if guarding her secret and keeping it safe.

They had barely entered the village when the bell tolled an attack.

Neil grabbed her arm. “Get to the keep and stay there.” He gave her a shove and then took off joining a group of warriors headed to the entrance of the village.

Women dropped what they were doing, grabbed their children and ran for the keep, following the protocol that Cree had set down when he had spoken to the village one day. The village men gathered weapons and took their defined positions ready to defend their families and homes.

Dawn spotted Lila, Thomas cradled protectively against her chest, in the middle of a group of women heading for the keep. Lila waved for her to join them and she was about to when she saw Cree astride his horse, his eyes searching the crowd. She didn’t know if he searched for her but in case he did, she waved his way to get his attention.

He nodded at her with what she thought was relief in his eyes and pointed to the keep. She nodded in return and then he took off, a large group of his warriors following behind him. She turned, anxious to join Lila when she spotted Elsa arguing with one of the warriors. She shook her finger at him and turned to enter her cottage. The large warrior grabbed her by the arm and forcibly dragged her away, ignoring her adamant protests.

Dawn recalled that the prisoner she had saved from having his tongue cut out had been moved to the room that had been added to Elsa’s cottage, his illness having worsened. She didn’t know why she felt compelled to see the man, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Did she hope that he would have something more to tell her that could help her solve this riddle? A moment that is all she would dare take and then she would join the other women in the keep.

She pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head concealing her face so that none of the warriors would spot her and force her to the keep. She made her way around the crowd and hurried up the short path to Elsa’s cottage. She entered the room to find the man sitting on the edge of the bed. He was pale and took several heavy breaths. She threw back her hood and hurried over to the bucket of water near the bed to fill the ladle and hold it out to him. He reached for it but his hand shook too badly for him to hold it so Dawn held it to his mouth for him to drink.

When he finished he struggled for more breathes and said, “What’s happening?”

Dawn did her best to gesture an attack and was relieved that he understood.

“You must go and keep safe, but first… I’m sorry.”

She shrugged and knitted her brow, hoping he would understand that she asked why.

“I did bad things most all my life,” —he shook his head — “then I fell in love with a good woman and she bore me a beautiful daughter.” He stopped again, though this time tears filled his eyes. “Someone I wronged badly sought revenge and took from me what I had taken from him.” Tears spilled down his face. “God heard me when I told him that I didn’t want to live any longer. Though he did not believe that I had suffered enough and so he gave me an illness that would slowly torture me to death,” —he drew a few more breathes— “I thought to fool him and shorten my suffering but instead he sends an angel to protect me from losing my tongue and now she sees to my care when she should see to her own.”