Page 22 of To Wed a Witch (Reluctant Brides #3)
"Well, he will cast ye aside once he learns that ye ran away with me!" Sutherland said.
"Never!"
They were moving toward her now as Sìne took slow steps backward. She knew they would grab both her and Aidyn, and once she was in their clutches, there was no telling what would happen. But the mist began to thicken even more. Visibility was difficult.
She jumped when Ada appeared beside her. "Ada, ye must get away from here!" Sìne whispered.
"Nae, mistress, 'tis ye who must go. I'll protect ye!"
Sìne clutched her arm, trying to drag her away from the circle, but Ada would not budge. Instead, she said, "Go, mistress. If anything happens to ye or the bairn, the laird will lose his mind, and our clan will be done for."
Ada pushed her away just as visibility disappeared altogether. She heard Ada shout, and Paisley scream, and somewhere in the distance Greig roared. But the fog was so thick now. The sound of steel clashing against steel reverberated through the blinding mist.
Then the voices in the mist began to speak again. Urgent murmurings at first until suddenly Sìne could understand them loud and clear. They said, "Run!"
Clutching Aidyn tightly to her chest, Sìne ran.
***
M EANWHILE, BACK AT Ferguson Keep, Bhaltair and his companions had returned to find the stronghold in complete turmoil. Servants were running about in panic, and most of the able-bodied clansmen were nowhere to be seen.
"What in hell is happening here?" Bhaltair roared as a maid came running to meet them.
"Yer wife," she panted. "Sutherland has taken the bairn. There was a letter. She's gone to the stone circle in the glen!"
Bhaltair's face went white, then red with fury. "How long?" he demanded.
"Near an hour," she replied. "Greig went with her, and Ada. But then word spread, and the clan..."
Bhaltair was already moving toward his horse. He swung into his saddle, his face a mask of rage. "Ewan, Lileas... ye remain here. This is naught to do with yer clan. My men and I ride for the glen."
Ewan snorted. "And miss a good fight? I dinnae think so!"
"Ye're not leaving me behind either!" Lileas yelled.
Ewan stopped to exchange words with his wife. A heated argument ensued until eventually Lileas agreed to remain behind, in case Sìne and Aidyn returned to the Keep.
Then Bhaltair and the warriors rode out into the mist.
***
T HEY ARRIVED AT AGAN'S Glen to see chaos unfolding in the distance. Through the swirling mist, they could make out figures struggling. Greig was grappling with armed men while Ada tried to shield something with her body. And there, near the stone circle, more shapes in the fog.
"Ferguson!" Bhaltair's war cry split the air like thunder as he rode into the affray with sword drawn. The glen erupted into battle.
Sutherland's men emerged from around the circle, but they found themselves facing not just Bhaltair's small force but angry Ferguson clansmen and women who had come to defend their lady, wielding whatever makeshift weapons they had at their disposal. The sound of battle rang through the mist.
***
"A FTER HER!" SUTHERLAND shouted, and to Sìne's horror, men emerged from the woods as they all gave chase. But his voice was already growing muffled by the fog.
Sìne clutched Aidyn tight as the voices that seemed to come from the very air surrounded her.
"This way," they urged gently. "Quickly now. Safety lies ahead."
Without hesitation, Sìne followed the guidance of the mist, her feet finding sure purchase on ground she couldn't see. It led her to a small stone bothy that appeared out of nowhere. Warm light glowed from its single window, and the door opened at her touch.
Inside, Sìne found everything she needed. There was a warm fire, fresh water, even a soft blanket for Aidyn. She barred the door and settled by the hearth, holding her daughter close as the child finally stopped fussing and fell into exhausted sleep.
Outside, she could hear Sutherland's voice and a battle taking place in the distance. She worried for the safety of her new clan and prayed that Ada and Greig were safe. Sìne knew it was only a matter of time before she was discovered.
She didn't know how long she waited in the mysterious bothy, listening for footsteps as Aidyn slept peacefully, now clean and dry and wrapped in the warm blanket. The mist swirled around the small structure like a protective barrier, hiding them from sight.
Then, suddenly, the door burst open.
Sìne cried out in alarm, but the figure that appeared in the doorway like an avenging angel was Bhaltair, his sword still bloodied from battle, his face fierce with love and rage.
"Sìne," he breathed, and then she was in his arms, Aidyn safe between them.
"How did ye find us?" she sobbed against his chest.
"The mist," he said simply. "It led me here; I can't explain it."
"Sutherland?"
"He was captured along with some of his men and is headed under guard to the Keep dungeon. But Paisley and some of the others fled," Bhaltair said grimly.
"Paisley," Sìne whispered, the betrayal still fresh and painful. "She was working with him all along. She's the one who spread all those rumors about me."
"I ken it," Bhaltair said softly, his arms tightening around both his girls. "Greig and Ada heard everything."
Outside, the mist was beginning to dissipate, and with it went the whispered voices that had guided them through the darkness. Their task was complete, their protection no longer needed.
"The voices," Sìne said with wonder. "They saved us. Led us to safety when we needed it most."
"Aye," Bhaltair agreed. "'Tis strange because my men and I have never seen this bothy before, and we ken these lands well."
Dawn broke clear and bright, and the last of the mist disappeared like a dream.
They stepped outside to see guardsmen waiting.
With Aidyn safe in her father's arms, they rode back through the forest toward Ferguson Keep.
But when they turned to look behind them, the mysterious bothy had vanished into the woods, leaving no trace that any structure had ever stood there.
***