Page 16 of Wendy Meets the Highlander Hamish (Scottish Highlander I Never Knew #5)

T he brothers, ever vigilant and wary, took on the duty of warning any passersby who strayed too close to the loch that there had been kelpie attacks, and they needed to keep their distance.

She supposed that was as good of an idea as any, but she still wished there was a way to actually communicate with the kelpie and find out what it was really trying to do.

As the day unfolded, a new chapter of the eerie dance with the kelpie began.

The creature, true to its elusive nature, surfaced near a farmer's wagon as the path took it close to the shore of the loch.

The brothers, sensing the impending danger, swiftly intervened, ensuring the wagon made a hasty retreat from the area.

The kelpie seemed almost amused by the commotion it caused from what Wendy observed.

It was almost as though she could feel its amusement as though it was something tangible.

She didn’t quite understand what was going on, but she thought that, whenever the creature made an appearance, there was a thread of a connection to her, but again she couldn’t even begin to explain what she was experiencing to anyone, let alone Hamish who remained just as stubborn as he had been before.

He still wanted to try and capture the kelpie.

“Crisdean, we can use you as bait, he went for you before, maybe it t’will work again and Artair and I will be ready for it with the bridle,” Hamish suggested.

This audacious plan didn't sit well with Wendy. Anger flickered in her eyes, and she couldn't contain her frustration. She voiced her objections loudly, expressing her concern for the safety of his brother. “Are you insane?” she yelled at him. “Why would you put your brother at risk like that?”

“We cannae keep doin’ this lass, we have to go after it. This tis the best course of action,” Hamish argued. He looked to his brothers, and said, “Are we in agreement, lads?”

“Aye, we cannae stand guard on the loch forever warnin’ away the passersby. We’ll run out o’ provisions before too much longer,” Artair agreed.

Crisdean was a little more hesitant, but even he agreed in the end.

Wendy was beyond frustrated with them. She stood at the edge of the ruins watching as they put Hamish’s plan into motion. Hamish and Artair had the bridle and hid in the shrubbery, while Crisdean walked along the loch’s shore.

After about an hour, the kelpie came to the surface and started toward Crisdean who had his back to the loch. Wendy knew he was aware of the creature coming toward him, but he didn’t move and pretended to be ignorant of the creature’s approach.

In an explosive surge, Hamish and Artair lunged forward, attempting to ensnare the kelpie with the iron bridle.

However, the creature, swift and elusive, slipped through their grasp like water flowing through a sieve.

Hamish’s frustration was palpable, their efforts thwarted by the supernatural agility of the not so mythical beast.

In the chaos of the failed attempt, Crisdean bore the brunt of the misfortune once again.

As he stumbled over the uneven ground, dodging the bridle as his brothers had attempted their capture of the beast, he’d fallen, and a sharp crack had echoed through the air.

Crisdean clutched his arm in pain, his face contorted with agony.

Realizing the severity of the injury, Hamish quickly assessed the situation. “Crisdean, what have you done?” he said, rushing to his brother’s side.

Wendy moved toward him as well and said, “It’s broken. He needs to see a doctor, Hamish.”

Hamish shook his head. “We cannae leave now, Crisdean can you ride?”

“Are you insane,” Wendy huffed. “He can’t ride like that!”

“Aye, I can,” Crisdean replied, pain lacing his words, “I’ve done it afore, lass, I’ll be okay once I get back to the fort. Cam will send for Aine, she’ll see to me.”

“Do you want me to ride with you?” Artair asked, worry threading his words.

“Nae, stay with Hamish, catch that troublesome creature,” Crisdean replied as he got up and started toward the ruins where their horses waited.

“See if Cam can spare me more men, Cris,” Hamish said as his brother mounted his horse.

“Aye, Hamish, I will.” With a nod, he nudged his horse into a walk but before he reached the edge of the loch, he’d set the horse into a gallop.

Later that evening, perched on a low wall of the ruins, Wendy gazed toward the loch, her thoughts lingering in the misty realm between reality and folklore.

In the stillness, she felt the weight of Hamish's gaze upon her.

His eyes, like orbs of flickering firelight, held a silent invitation, drawing her into their warm embrace.

"Come eat, Wendy," he said, his voice breaking her reverie.

She felt the pull, both magnetic and comforting, as she joined him and his brother around the fire.

As the two brothers chatted, Wendy stayed silent.

She was still considering what to do about the kelpie.

Hamish’s mad plans weren’t working, and he’d only seen his younger brother injured.

She didn’t want there to be any more injuries or death because of this kelpie, but what to do about it?

As the campers nestled into the embrace of the ancient ruins, and gradually succumbed to the gentle lull of sleep, the night unfolded its velvety cloak. Under the vast canopy of stars, Wendy surrendered to the weariness she felt and drifted off to sleep.

Soon, Wendy found herself caught in the tangled threads of another dream, a continuation of her nocturnal communion with the elusive kelpie.

In this ethereal realm, the creature spoke to her again, its words a mysterious whisper that eluded comprehension.

But like before she could feel what the creature was conveying in the words she didn’t understand.

The conversation left Wendy both intrigued and unsettled.

Abruptly, Wendy surfaced from the dream, finding herself in the cocoon of her bedroll.

The camp lay shrouded in a gentle darkness, the only illumination provided by the distant twinkle of stars.

The fire, now a bed of smoldering embers, cast a faint glow over the sleeping figure of Hamish.

Artair stood guard, but he looked as though he would fall asleep at any moment.

Wendy, caught between the realm of dreams and wakefulness, felt a strange resonance with the world around her.

The night held secrets, and in the stillness, she sensed the ancient whispers of the Highlands, where dreams intertwined with reality and the boundaries between the mystical and the mundane blurred into a seamless tapestry.

In the quiet hours before dawn, Wendy lingered on the threshold of two worlds, her thoughts entangled with the enigmatic presence of the kelpie and the mysteries that awaited beneath the surface of Loch Finlaggan.

Wendy, stirred by the enigmatic dreams of the kelpie, left the refuge of her bedroll.

As Wendy approached the low wall, her eyes were drawn toward the loch, its surface shimmering. And there, just beyond the shallows, stood the Kelpie. She felt as though it was calling to her, begging for her to come forward.

Yet, prudence held Wendy in check. She yearned to approach, to unravel the secrets the creature harbored, but a subtle voice of caution whispered in her mind.

She knew the awareness of the potential peril that awaited her if she walked out to the creature.

The kelpie seemed to observed Wendy with eyes that held the wisdom of centuries.

In that moment of contemplation, Hamish materialized at her side, a silent sentinel.

His presence, a grounding force, tethered Wendy to the realm of the tangible.

His eyes, like pools reflecting the Highland sky, mirrored the uncertainty and curiosity that played in Wendy's own gaze.

The air crackled with the tension of unspoken questions.

Hamish, his gaze fixed on the elusive kelpie in the loch, grumbled under his breath, "That creature is taunting me, I can feel it."

Wendy, her eyes still drawn to the mystical being, responded with a measured tone, "I suspect it's watching me, Hamish, not you."

Hamish, turning to her with a furrowed brow, questioned, "Watching you? Why would it be doing that?"

Wendy's gaze lingered on the shadowy figure in the water, and she shook her head slightly.

"It's just a feeling, an intuition. Like it's aware of my presence.

I think there's some connection between us.

Something that was forged the other day before you scared him and ran him back into the loch. I felt it then too."

Wendy's words hung in the air, dancing on the breeze that whispered through the heather. Hamish remained silent for a moment before exhaling a sigh of frustration. Wendy almost regretted telling him what she felt.

"Intuition or not, Wendy, we need to be cautious. The kelpie is not to be trifled with," Hamish cautioned, his eyes flickering back to the loch.

The two of them watched as the ethereal creature submerged back into the mysterious depths of Loch Finlaggan. Wendy was both relieved and disappointed. The loch's surface, now undisturbed, mirrored the blanket of stars above.

Wendy, her heart still fluttering from the encounter, withdrew from the loch's view and retreated to her bedroll.

The night settled around the camp once again into a quiet hum of breaths and whispers.

The Highland air held the crispness of the approaching dawn, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the subtle fragrance of heather.

Laying on her bedroll, Wendy's thoughts were a swirl of emotions. The mysterious connection she felt with the kelpie lingered in her mind like the haunting melody of a Scottish ballad.