Katherine's emotions were going up and down like a roller coaster. She couldn't keep up with them. Luag had just admitted he hadn't thought of what would happen to her if he went and got himself killed. She should be furious with him. Why wasn't she?

"Ye hae the right o’ it, lass. We shall sleep, get up with the dawn, and steal away on the morrow amid the chaos o’ beginning the march on Aberdeen."

For what seemed a long time, she tried to sleep. But it was useless.

"Are ye asleep?" she whispered.

"Nay. Are ye?"

"Nay," she whispered with a chuckle.

But Luag was quiet after that.

The only conclusion she could draw was he was morose about once again leaving his people in order to fight against them. She could respect the sentiment, if not the wisdom of it. He was appreciated by Leif and Taran, and she felt like she needed to remind him of that.

"We have na whispered like this syne that night when little Amena was being sae funny. Remember?"

"Aye, such a joy tae watch her water all those imaginary flowers."

"She wanted ye in particular tae appreciate how pretty the flowers were, as I recall."

"Nay, she wished tae impress her brothers."

"Dinna be too sure aboot that. The lass is young, but in six more years ye may start tae feel differently aboot her."

Luag guffawed. "Och, she will never be anything but a sister tae me."

That memory was having the opposite effect from what she wanted, and so she tried a different one. "And ye are like a brother tae Leif and Taran. They include ye in all o’ their plans. And as the odd woman oot tae yer odd man, I had the sore feet from many toon dances tae show for it."

He turned over on his side, putting his back to her once again. "I wish for ye tae pass a good night, Katherine."

Something was wrong. He didn't sound like someone eager to go back to his friends, but rather someone who thought he might miss them a long time. She brooded over that awhile before sleep finally took her.

In her dream, Katherine found Kelsey, Jessica, and Lauren inside the underground Alba palace at Dunskey castle. Through trial and error, Kelsey had discovered this was a safe place where she could protect dreams from intruders listening in. It was unclear why the druids had made Kelsey one of their own and given her such powers, but at times like this, Katherine was grateful for these powers. She ran first to hug Jessica, who she felt protective over, and then Lauren, who she had more in common with.

Having greeted her friends, she turned and gave Kelsey a grateful nod of thanks. "I'm surprised. It hasn't even been a week since the last time you brought us all into a dream. But it's a gift you did." She turned her attention on Jessica, Leif’s wife. "Luag was welcomed here and he attended the war counsel. There, he found out Donald indeed plans on attacking Aberdeen. He's beginning the march tomorrow and should be there the next day, coming from the south."

"Are you sure?"

"There’s nothing about Donald reaching Aberdeen in the history books."

"The Battle of Harlaw was the end of it."

"Aye, I'm sure," Katherine told them with as much emphasis as she could, giving them her level seven stare as well. She found that her level ten stare intimidated people too much. They shut down and didn't share with her anymore.

Jessica wrinkled her forehead. "Isn't it odd that Luag was accepted?"

"They nearly hanged him…"

When Katherine had related the whole story, she could tell she had sold them. They were ready to make plans. "Luag and I leave in the morning on horseback. We should be there by nightfall."

"We’ll tell Alasdair," Jessica assured Katherine. "He's been able to win the Regent over. Kelsey, show her the hill we showed you."

Katherine had to resist the urge to lean back away from the dream chasm that opened up below her, showing the landscape as if she were flying over the road toward Aberdeen. Just before she reached the city on the east coast of Scotland, a hill rose up on the right. She soared down to where she could see a trail up the hill from the road, and then the chasm closed up and they were back in the underground palace beneath modern-day Dunskey Castle.

Lauren was pacing back and forth, obviously thinking through the ramifications. "We leave town in the morning and go make camp on that hill. Kelsey assures us we’ll have a safe overview of the battle from up there and stay out of the way. Come find us."

Katherine nodded her agreement to this plan.

“I’ll check in with you all after the battle just in case…” Kelsey didn’t finish her thought, but Katherine understood. Just in case any of them lost their men and wanted to go home.

“I want to go home after the battle in any case,” Katherine told their druid friend.

Kelsey nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”

Katherine drifted into a normal dream. About kissing Luag.

The morning was far more chaotic than when they arrived. Everyone was loading up provisions and larger weapons on the horses, putting out quick cooking fires, and pointing at where they should muster for the march.

She and Luag folded up their billet, took the plaid blanket down off the tree, and bundled it all up on the back of their own horse, then walked it out to the perimeter of all the camp activity.

"Dinna be proud," Luag told her. "Let me boost ye up."

How did he do that, know exactly when she was about to have a proud moment and resist a suggestion he made?

Giving him a look that said "verra well, I wull dae as ye say, but na because ye said it. I wull dae it because it makes sense, sae lose the idea ye can boss me around," she let him boost her up onto the horse.

He took an unusually long time doing so, lingering with her in his arms.

Once she was on horseback, there was barely any room behind her, what with the added bulk of the plaid blanket. Where was he going to sit?

He led the horse even more outside the perimeter of the camp, toward the road they'd come in on. "Dae ye recognize the way?"

"Aye," she told him. "'Tis just a straight shot along this road. It should na be difficult at all—"

Luag slapped Steam’s rear, sending Katherine at a run toward the road without him.