Page 33 of Princess of Elm (Warriors of the Fianna #4)

T hey nearly had it. They’d needed more ropes than they thought, and those had been a devil to attach to the rocks without causing them to fall.

With a few well-placed knots and several of their strongest men there to act as leverage, almost eighty feet of good woolen sailcloth would provide a safe landing from the cliff.

Two corners were stretched across the cliff.

Two more were tethered to longships sailing out to pull the cloth flat.

When they were in place, Astrid could give the signal.

She watched from the shore, bow nocked and waiting for the last men to take position.

She’d already considered simply shooting Cahill, but unfortunately her shortbow didn’t have the range to make the shot safely.

Otherwise, she’d not have hesitated. No one threatened her brother and left with his life.

The longships cut across the choppy sea, the oars bringing the ships to life as they forded wave after crashing wave. They were so close.

A scream tore through the silence. A heartwrenching cry.

Astrid looked up to see three men falling from the cliff—Teague, Duncan, and Cormac. Too early. They were too early.

“Row!” Astrid screamed at the oarsmen. “Row!”

She knew it was no use. She knew they wouldn’t make it, for the sea fought their every stroke.

The men hit the sails in a mess of limbs and glittering weapons. And the sails held.

Astrid let out a breath, rushing down the length of the beach to follow the men’s progress. They hadn’t broken through the sails, but that was the only good news. The ships weren’t in position, and the men rolled down the loose cloths and into the raging sea.

She couldn’t see them. Had they hit any of the rocks hidden beneath the surface? Were the ships able to get them aboard? A thousand worries flooded her as she searched for any signs of the men. Between the sails and the ships and the rocks, Astrid couldn’t see a thing.

She heard another yell and a splash, but it must have been on the far side of the cliff and out of her sight completely.

Commotion broke out on the ships. She saw men running across the deck on the nearest one. The rowers stopped. They must be taking the men aboard. They must be.

The longship turned toward the shore, but she couldn’t see. She cursed aloud. Why could she not see them? Were they alright?

Astrid counted every second until they reached shore. Six hundred. She counted to six hundred as the longship sailed down the shore and back to its berth. Astrid ran alongside it, unable to stand still as she waited for the men to disembark.

The air left her lungs in a rush when Cormac jumped from the ship into the shallows. Teague followed behind, and together they helped Duncan down.

Her mother shot from behind her with a cry, not stopping until she pulled Duncan into a smothering hug and started checking him for injuries. Cormac also looked over the lad, his face contorted in concern.

Astrid watched them, fighting to breathe. He was alive. He was okay, and so was Duncan. She hadn’t gotten them killed.

Cormac ruffled Duncan’s sopping hair affectionately, then looked toward the shore. She knew the moment he saw her, their gazes locking, his whole body going still. Astrid was done waiting.

She ran across the sandy shore, ignoring the icy bite of the water that seeped into her shoes. His arms opened and she threw herself into them. He was soaking wet. His hair dripped. Every inch of her came into contact with water in his embrace.

And she couldn’t have cared less.

Grabbing his face with her hands, she pulled him into a kiss—hard and deep and filled with all the longing she felt. His tongue parted her lips, roughly demanding, taking. He was her whole world. He was the place where she wanted to be.

She pulled back, her hands frantically searching him for injuries.

Cormac’s hands grasped hers, engulfing them in warmth. His stormy blue eyes, the same color as the raging sea beyond, stared into her very soul. “What of Brian?” he asked, his voice rough. “What of our divided loyalties? What of leaving your people, your home?”

Squeezing his hands, she swallowed, searching for the right words. “You’ve taught me something over these past weeks,” she whispered. “Home isn’t a place. It’s a person. And my home is you.”

His hand caressed her face. “Astrid, I love you.”

Her heart swelled so that she thought it might burst. “I love you, too.”

“That’s terribly romantic, but he needs to get a change of clothes or he won’t live to the wedding,” Gormla called as she walked past them.

“Thank you both,” Duncan said, following right behind her. “Did you have to call me ‘boy’ so much, though? Honestly, Cormac, it’s insulting. I’m old enough to marry.”

“I was trying to make him feel worse about it,” Cormac defended. “Fight your first battle, and I’ll stop calling you ‘boy.’ Most of the time,” he grinned.

Teague followed behind them, and Astrid’s fury returned with a vengeance. She jumped for him, prepared to break his nose or anything else she could reach.

“How dare you, you son of a whore!” she cried as her fist connected with his cheek. “How dare you!”

“Whoa, Astrid! Hold on,” Cormac’s hands encircled her waist, pulling her off Teague.

“What are you doing?” she cried. “He deserves a sound thrashing. Maybe even an execution!”

“I spoke with him,” Cormac explained softly. “He’s helping us now, but from the inside.”

“What?” Astrid shot a disgusted look at Teague. “Like a spy?”

“Precisely,” Teague replied. “I agreed with my father’s idea of an alliance. But I wanted no part in kidnapping your brother.”

“And yet you were there,” Astrid sniped.

“I was.” Teague swallowed hard. “And for that I am sorry. My thinking was that it was better to go along with it so that at least one of the boy’s captors was prepared to keep him from dying. I would not have killed him.”

Astrid didn’t know if she believed him, but Cormac appeared to trust him. “We’ll see,” she allowed. “What of your father?” She looked toward the cliff, realizing that whatever had transpired up there must be finished by now. “What was his plan of escape?”

“He honestly thought Brian would swear the oath to save Duncan and then let him leave.”

“Then he’s more a fool than I gave him credit for,” Cormac frowned.

“You understand I cannot return with you,” Teague said. “I must find my father’s men and play the part. We will return to Connachta as soon as possible. I wish you a long and happy marriage.”

Cormac nodded to him, then followed Astrid out of the harbor. They needed to learn what happened after Cormac jumped. Near the entrance to Sitric’s holding, Astrid and Cormac crossed paths with Brian and the Fianna.

Astrid searched the crowd of warriors, but couldn’t find Cahill among them. “What happened to him?” she asked. “Where is he?”

“He jumped,” Brian told her. “He didn’t miss the rocks. I’m sorry, Cormac. He wasn’t a good man, but he was your father.”

“He was no father to me,” Cormac replied. “Not as you were.”

Brian dismounted to embrace Cormac. “Come,” he spoke to everyone, “we have a wedding to attend.”

Cormac took Astrid’s hand, a wicked grin on his handsome face as he led her back up the hill.