19

Sarah took stock of her body. She could move all her limbs. She hurt like hell, but nothing was broken, thanks to the copious pile of leaves no one raked. She at last saw her chance to help her friends.

She got the bracer out of her backpack, threaded a spare shoelace through it, and tied it to her belt, then draped her arisade over it, to hide it. She could easily put the bracer on at a moment’s notice if the need should arise.

The leaves sure did crunch a lot as she crawled over to the other side of the stone slab from the sorceress. Every once in a while, Sarah peeked up over the stone and saw Nadia and Ellie’s frightened screaming faces while she checked to be sure Tahra was still occupied with Baltair and Meehall. So far, so good.

When Nadia and Ellie noticed Sarah, they stopped screaming and looked hopeful.

Sarah herself screamed in their place, frantically gesturing for them to join in, lest Tahra notice their silence, see Sarah, and fling her up against another tree.

They complied, but their screams weren't as bloodcurdling as before.

Sarah climbed up on the stone slab to get close enough to do something about the ropes that bound her friends. All the while, she kept screaming herself, to show them how it should be done, and stealing glances at Tahra to make sure it wasn’t time to just grab her friends and put on the bracer.

Finally, they got their screams just right.

She gave them a thumbs up. 

At first, Sarah felt daunted at the idea of untying the knots —but then she remembered the small dirk integrated into the side of her backpack. She drew it and cut her friends’ bonds, freeing them to crawl down behind the stone with her. Nadia hugged Sarah as Ellie hugged her from the other side. In this relative safety, they whispered and planned.

"How can we help?" Nadia’s gray eyes burned with gratitude, but also with vengeance. Horror lurked behind them as well, but not nearly so strongly, thanks be to Heaven.

“Think o’ someaught we can dae tae distract her,” Sarah said while looking around for ideas, “get her attention elsewhere sae Meehall can kill her and we can get away.”

The wheels were turning behind Nadia’s thoughtful stare into the trees as she combed her long brown hair back with her long fingers. “Druids get their power from the plants, right?"

Sarah looked up at the trees as well. "Aye."

“Hae ye the means tae start a fire?" Ellie’s voice sounded hopeful, yet ready for disappointment, as always.

Sarah hugged them again. “As it happens, I hae just the thing.” She dug around in her pack. “While I find it and get it ready, push all the dead leaves away from the Murray side o’ this stone slab onto the Cameron side, toward Tahra."

Even as Sarah finished whispering this, Nadia and Ellie hiked their skirts up out of the way into their belts and crawled around pushing the leaves over to the Cameron side of the grove. Nadia’s movements had a grace to them, as always, and her piles of leaves were regularly spaced. Ellie’s movements were surprisingly violent, however. Had her meek little friend found aggression during her captivity? Good.

When they finished moving the leaves, they had cleared a six foot by ten foot rectangle. In so doing, they had created a huge raised row of oak and rowan leaves that had not been rained on for some time and were crackly and dry.

Sarah had her signal flare out. “See that white horse over there?”

Her friends looked at Snow and back.

“She’s mine. Once the fire gets going, I wull walk ye tae her. Until ye are up on her back, keep a hold o’ me. That way, I can get ye oot o’ here if some aught happens.” She gave them a glimpse of the bracer under her arisade.

“Let’s just gae haime nae!” Ellie pleaded when she saw it, her freckled face looking ready to cry.

Sarah slashed out in front of herself in a ‘definitely not’ hand gesture. “I wull nae leave Meehall unless we hae tae. I wull get the both o’ ye up on Snow.”

"What aboot ye?" asked Nadia, full of concern.

"I wull ride with Meehall. Dinna fash, just let me get ye up ontae Snow."

Finally, Ellie assented, her voice a raspy whisper. “Verra wull. And I dae thank ye for coming for us.” She shuddered.

With a ‘this one’s for you’ look at first Ellie, then Nadia, Sarah snapped the signal flare to light its blue-hot chemical flame, then tossed it into the raised row of dry leaves.

The flare was so hot that it lit the row within seconds. In no time at all, the whole floor of the grove behind Tahra was burning.

Sarah ran her friends over to Snow, helped them mount, and looked for her man.

Meehall looked stricken at first, but his face filled with relief when he saw Sarah.

She indicated where her friends sat atop Snow.

He nodded encouragement, but he didn't back down from his attack on the druid child.

Ciaran had recovered from the druid child’s spell and jumped on his horse when the flames filled the grove. He rode over and offered his hand to help her up behind him.

But Sarah wouldn't leave Meehall. She looked around the forest floor for a stick she could use as a quarterstaff in order to help her man make a last stand.

But Tahra, nearly engulfed in flames, backed down. Waving her arms in the air, she yelled out, "Camerons, tae me!"  A blue door opened behind her, and during the brief time it was open, she took what Camerons were still alive and escaped, the portal closing with a pop behind her.

“We allowed her tae get away!” Eoin railed, along with a dozen angry curses.

Sarah was sure he would have tried to follow. Fortunately, though, the forest fire made fleeing the only sensible course of action. Rather than ride back up the mountain toward the inn, Searc led them toward home.

***

When the horses slowed to a walk again, Meehall gently nudged her side.

She looked down to see two pills in his hand.

“Take them,” he urged. “Drink from the water straw sticking oot from the side o’ yer pack.”

“Let me guess,” she said after she had swallowed them, “you spiked my tea with these. Will they make me sleep?”

“Guilty as charged,” he said with a chuckle, “but nay. They wull merely numb the pain from that flight ye had, intae the tree.”

“Pretty powerful stuff, and they can dae all that. What are they?”

“Eoin gets them from the druids at Celtic, sae ’tis na a certainty ye would find them elsewhere, ye ken?”

***

Once the pills kicked in, riding in front of Meehall was utterly wonderful now that they had admitted their love for one another and committed to staying together, even with the uncomfortable subject they had to discuss.

His breath whispered through her hair as he spoke. “Apparently, portals can open FROM the sacred grove, just nae TAE the sacred grove."

She moved her head the slightest, nuzzling his chin. “Aye, Tahra got away. Howsoever, we did what we came tae dae. Nadia and Ellie are safe."

"Aye, but my brother is angry. And he does hae the right o’ it. This feud with the Camerons is na ower. He is thinking o’ how Tahra wull keep on trying tae gain the ultimate power ower Scotland. How we had her in oor grasp and could've ended this, but we let her slip away." This was what Meehall said, but meanwhile, all of him tenderly hugged all of her. His affection was overwhelming.

Her cup ran over. She wriggled around in the saddle, to make herself more comfortable, you understand. "And is that what ye are thinking?"

“Are ye daft?” He chuckled, a deep rumble in his throat that, at these close quarters, made her back tingle with the vibration. “I hae other plans in mind than confronting the Cameron clan."

She relaxed into his embrace, content to let Smoke’s spirited walk jostle them together. "Good. And I intend tae see that all yer plans include me."

Nadia and Ellie rode nearby, thanking Ciaran and Baltair for their rescue and talking on and on about being kidnapped and almost killed and burned. But Meehall and Sarah let the young people's banter fade into the background so they could enjoy being in each other’s company.

Meehall’s mouth drew close to her ear. "Just sae oor understanding is clear, ye intend tae live here in 1706 with me in the Highlands, aye?"

She couldn’t resist turning her head and stealing a kiss, which drew cat calls from her friends.

Meehall kissed her back for a long moment, but then he drew away, his warm blue eyes looking expectantly into hers.

She put a hand on his leg. "I telt ye true. If I wanted tae stay inside all day, I would hae remained at Celtic. I came here for the adventure and excitement, and adventure and excitement I wull hae."

He tickled her back with that tingling chuckle once more. "Ye did na come here for me, then?"

She squeezed his thigh. “If ye had asked me that a week ago, I would hae denied it. But aye. Aye, I did come tae see ye agin. I ken that nae. ’Twas in this setting we fell in love, although at the time we did na ken how fake a version o’ this setting ’twas. The real Highlands put the faire tae shame, and 'tis the only waurld I want tae live in, sae lang as ye be with me."

“On that, we are in agreement."

He kissed her neck, and it was all she could do to keep from gasping out loud and disturbing the dignified propriety of the Highlands clan she would now call her family.