The Forest Bride: A Medieval Historical Romance by Susan King

Author:Susan King [King, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2024-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Something had happened at the water’s edge, when Margaret had peered through the hole in the stone. Duncan had seen her go pale, as if it was no jest, as if she saw a sight through that plain wee stone that made her uneasy.

He had an uneasy feeling himself this day; perhaps it was merely that edge he felt when the birds were out flying free, that small chance they could be seen even in this remote place no matter how careful he was. But he smiled at Margaret, masking his thoughts as they joined Bran and Lennox again. He dismounted and helped Margaret to the ground.

Shading her eyes, she watched the falcon and peregrine in flight. The wind blew back her skirts and cloak and whisked her bright hair. For a moment, he could only gaze at her.

“Greta caught two larks and a ptarmigan,” Bran said. “Aurelia took down a couple of larks. I gave them one and put the rest in the pouch. Effie will make a good pie of them.”

“So they have hunted and fed and are just enjoying the air,” Lennox said. “You two were gone a while, hey. We thought you might have fallen in.”

“Is it a good pool for swimming?” Margaret asked.

“A fine place for a plunge on a warm day,” Lennox said.

“The current can be rough,” Duncan said. “It is easy to get pulled under.”

She looked up at the clouds. “Where did the birds go?”

“Aurelia went that way like a golden arrow. The gyr found a high perch over there.” Lennox pointed toward a high crop of rocks on a hillside. “She will take off again if she sees something she wants. Or if she sees you, Duncan.”

Walking away, Duncan strolled toward the hill where Greta’s stony perch looked like a throne. Tall pines feathered along slopes where jagged rocks clustered and water poured down in rivulets. A primeval place. As often as he came this way, he still marveled at its wild beauty.

Hearing a kak-kak-kak, he saw Greta lift her wings and settle, able to see for miles from her chosen seat. He turned as Margaret joined him.

“She seems content up there,” she remarked.

“Aye, looking over all her kingdom like a queen. If I raise my arm and glove, she will come to me, so I will not disturb her. Let her sit.”

“How far can she see, do you think?”

“Likely she could see a hare running along that mountainside over there. If she wanted, she could catch it before it goes to ground. She is very fast, our girl.” The words slipped out before he knew it.

She smiled bright as a sunbeam at that. “Aurelia is very fast, too. She went sailing past and vanished.”

“Peregrines are said to be the fastest of the falcons. In all the world, there is nothing faster than a peregrine but lightning.” He smiled, proud of his birds, glad to be out here in the open where they could be free. “This is a good place for them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.