Between a Highlander and a Hard Place by Mary Wine

Author:Mary Wine
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2018-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

Five

Death rejected them.

Or at least it felt like the very river spat them back into life after it was finished tormenting them.

One moment she was caught in the grip of the water, and the next she was reeling from a hard landing on a granite rock outcropping.

Symon cursed but yanked her up by the back of her corset. “Climb, lass.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. The harsh surface abraded her fingertips, but Athena grabbed at it and pulled herself up and away from the water. It roared behind them, a harsh reminder of how deadly its strength was.

Symon gained his feet first. He braced his feet wide and looked around. In the last of the light, all Athena saw when she joined him was a deep gully carved out of the land by the raging spring runoff. Trees teetered on the edge, their roots exposed as the ground had been eaten away.

Somewhere behind them, a boulder shifted, banging into another with a crash.

“We need to climb.” Symon grasped her by the upper arm, propelling her farther from the water. “The current could shift back this way at any time.”

As if fate wasn’t quite content with allowing them relief from almost dying, a crack of thunder jolted them. A moment later, rain pelted them as a stiff wind chilled them to the bone.

Athena climbed. Her muscles ached, but the pain was a sweet confirmation of life. Symon made the crest of the gully first, surveying what was on the other side before turning to offer her a hand.

“We’re in luck. There’s a croft of some sort.” He pulled her out of the riverbed.

In the dying light, she didn’t see what he meant right away.

“There, lass.”

He pointed to a circle of stones that had been built up. Upon closer consideration, she realized there was a roof covered in peat moss.

“No fire, so it’s abandoned,” he muttered. “Let’s get out of this rain before we freeze.”

“It would be a shame to die of cold after we managed to escape the river,” she offered as a means of lightening her mood.

Symon didn’t reply. He found the door of the dwelling and pushed it in. He peered inside for a long moment before nodding approval.

“No one’s here.”

He moved in and found a stone hearth. Someone had already stacked wood inside it for a fire. Symon struck a flint stone that was also nearby as Athena stared in wonder at the flames that burst to life.

“It’s too good to be true,” she whispered in awe, stretching out her hands to warm them.

“The herders keep these ready for when they are out in the spring with the flocks,” he explained.

Steam rose off his kilt as he stood near the fire.

“I am properly grateful.”

Symon grunted at her.

It was a sound of disapproval and no mistake. Athena turned wide eyes toward him.

“Do nae pretend to no’ understand it’s yer doing that we’re here.” He faced off with her. “It’s a damned fine thing that I am no’ yer husband, for ye need to be taken in hand.

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