Page 15 of Wendy Meets the Highlander Hamish (Scottish Highlander I Never Knew #5)

T he campfire flickered, casting a warm glow upon the faces of the brothers as they sat savoring the fruits of their labor.

Freshly caught fish from the loch were skewered on makeshift spits, the delicate aroma mingling with the scent of roasted potatoes.

The sizzle and crackle of the cooking meal echoed in the night.

Animated by the adrenaline of the day's events, Crisdean leaned in as he spoke of being captured by the kelpie and what it felt like.

Artair and Hamish teased him, telling him of their heroic feat of trying to rescue him from becoming kelpie food.

It felt almost surreal to Wendy who sat quietly, watching them as they ate their meal.

She didn’t take part in the conversation, merely sat and observed, her anger at them eating at the edges of her mind.

She could have put an end to the kelpie’s attacks if they’d just let her be.

If they hadn’t brandished their stupid iron weapons at the creature and scared him.

Now she would have to work even harder to earn its trust.

The flames flickered, casting shadows on Hamish's rugged features as he handed Wendy a plate. His eyes held a silent understanding, acknowledging her frustration.

The crackling of the campfire provided a fiery backdrop to the tension between Wendy and Hamish. As she sat there staring up at him, defiant and angry, his gaze turned stormy, and locked onto her with frustration and concern.

She put the plate to the side and looked back at him. "You shouldn’t have stopped me with the kelpie," Wendy reiterated.

Hamish growled, "Wendy, you cannae just go talkin' to Fae creatures like that! It's dangerous. You donnae know what it's capable of."

Wendy, her own eyes flashing with defiance, retorted, "I knew exactly what I was doing. If you hadn't charged in like a bull, we could have learned why it’s attacking people."

Hamish, his voice low and stern, countered, "You're playin' with fire, lass. That creature is nae a friend. It's a beast. A danger to us all. The loch is full of tales and bones that attest to that."

Wendy, crossing her arms with a huff, snapped back, "I'm not some helpless maiden from your world. I can handle myself. And maybe, just maybe, if you would have let me finish speaking with it instead of trying to play hero rescuing a damsel in distress, we could have learned why it’s been behaving badly! "

Hamish, frustration etched in every line of his form, shook his head. "You're too stubborn, lass. We cannae reason with it. It's a wild thing, and wild things must be handled with caution."

Wendy, undeterred, leaned forward, her eyes locked onto his. "I came here to understand the creature, Hamish. To learn from it. Not just to accept things without question. If we're going to defeat it and figure out what’s going on, we need more than brute force."

“You’re bein’ ridiculous, lass!” Hamish practically shouted at her. “You cannae reason with a Fae creature! It would have eaten you if I hadnae stepped in!”

"Stop lecturin' me like a child, Hamish. I know what I'm doin', and maybe if you'd listen instead of chargin' in, we'd have answers, not just more questions." Wendy stomped her foot.

Hamish seemed just as angry as she was and his size seemed to double, but she didn’t feel unsafe as she stood defiant before him.

"Wendy, this tis nae time for experimenting.

We're dealin' with a creature that couldnae care less about reason.

It tis a menace, and we have to handle it with force. Today proved that."

Wendy, defensive and a touch sarcastic, retorted, "Oh, yes, force.

That's workin' out just grand, isn't it?

You attacked it and in retaliation the kelpie went for Crisdean!

He was nearly killed Hamish! You were no closer to stoppin' it, and each time you try to stop it with force, someone either ends up battered and bruised or almost ends up drowned!" She was steaming mad now. She’d actually had a chance to deal with it peacefully and he’d ruined it.

Hamish remained stubborn and mulish. "You cannae treat it like a friendly neighbor, lass. It's nae somethin' to reason with. It tis somethin' ta be stopped."

Wendy, frustration boiling over, replied, "Well, your way is gettin' us nowhere. It keeps coming back to shore looking for something or someone to attack. How many more people will have to get hurt before you realize that?"

Hamish maintained his stance. "We have to catch it. That's the only way to end this."

Wendy, her gaze fiery, stomped away. She couldn’t keep beating at him to see reason.

Their argument left her hurt and angry, and she didn’t know how to deal with him anymore.

She wondered if maybe they’d never see eye to eye and their relationship might be over before it ever really even began.

The thought made her sad. She had really liked Hamish, but his stubbornness and obvious overprotectiveness were a hindrance to a lasting relationship with her.

He called to her, telling her to come back near the fire, out of trouble, but she ignored him.

She wasn’t in any danger. When he tried to call her again, she merely shouted back, “Leave me alone, Hamish. I don’t want to talk to you right now.

I’m fine where I am and Artair is less than three feet away if I get in trouble. So just back off.”

Wendy stood, staring into the darkness until well after Crisdean and Hamish got into their bedrolls and went to sleep.

Artair kept silent as he stared into the darkness, watching for something, probably the kelpie, but she supposed it could have been for any sort of trouble.

She remained where she was, leaning on the wall, looking out toward the loch, hoping the kelpie did make an appearance but it never did.

Eventually, when Crisdean awoke to trade places with Artair, she moved toward her bedroll, but she moved it further from Hamish.

She didn’t want to be so close to him when she was this mad at him.

She settled into the embrace of her blanket, but her sleep was restless.

She soon found herself tossed into a realm where dreams intermingled with the echoes of Highland legends.

The moon cast a silvery glow over the landscape, lending an otherworldly aura to the ruins and the loch beyond.

Shadows danced like phantoms, playing games with the moonbeams that filtered through the ancient stones.

As she stood on the shore, the kelpie emerged from the loch, its ebony mane glistening in the moonlight.

The creature, ethereal and mysterious, spoke to Wendy in a language she couldn’t understand, but she could feel what it was trying to tell her.

The air around her crackled with magic as the kelpie shared its story of ancient curses, of bonds with the loch, and of a desperate yearning for freedom.

It wanted her to understand, but as it spoke, the hours passed and the sun began to rise, causing the mystical world around them to fall apart and with a sorrowful wail, the kelpie returned to the waters and disappeared beneath the surface.

Wendy woke with a sense of unease, a puzzle of emotions and cryptic messages from the otherworldly realm haunted her thoughts.

As the sun rose higher, Crisdean and Artair stirred, waking to the quiet symphony of Highland birdsong and the soft rustle of wind through the loch-side foliage.

She realized that Hamish must have taken over guard duty from Crisdean at some point.

The campfire had been rekindled, and it was sending tendrils of smoke up to meet the morning mist, and the smell of breakfast wafted through the air.

While she was grateful that Hamish had gotten things started, she couldn’t help but still feel angry at him for how he’d treated both her and the kelpie.

She got up and wandered out of the ruins so she could take care of her morning needs.

Hamish didn’t say anything to her, but she’d felt his eyes on her back as she’d walked by him.

“This is going to make for an uneasy day,” she muttered.