The Highlands Children by Alain T. Puysségur

Author:Alain T. Puysségur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags:  
Publisher: Titan

22

WOOD

Fillan woke up in the middle of the night, his eyes widening. A hand covered his mouth. He panicked and struggled, but a body astride him held him still. All his being quivered, and his pulse quickened. In the dark, Kyle’s face came closer, putting a finger to his mouth.

He became aware of a clamor from the direction of the abbey, sounding like a mix of shouts and brutal orders.

“What’s happening?” he asked when Kyle withdrew her hand.

“The English, or worse,” she replied, helping him to his feet.

“Deorsa said they wouldn’t be here for several days!”

“That filthy eel has screwed up. It wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s go find the others!”

They ran through the woods. Fillan caught a glimpse of the flames that were starting to spread through the domain as he looked through tree trunks to his right.

The group was on high alert.

“What the hell were you doing?” Edan shouted.

“Mind your own business!” Kyle retorted.

The bald man looked them each up and down with a smirk. He was about to launch into a lewd comment, but Sören stopped him.

“You two,” he said to Kyle and Fillan, “flee through the woods and away from the fighting.”

“Without horses?!”

“No choice,” Moira replied. “Ours are in the stable at the abbey.”

“Fuck that!”

“Well said!” Edan called.

“Oh, you, shut up! What about the rest of you?”

“We’ll wait to see what happens,” Sören explained. “Once you get out of the woods, follow the road to the north. If we don’t catch up to you before the Tay, cross the river and wait for us at Luncarty.”

Kyle nodded.

“I want to fight!” interjected Fillan, who boiled with desire for revenge.

“No,” Sören cut in categorically. “We don’t even know what’s happening.”

“But if the Stone of Fal…”

“I said no! It’s not your job to take care of that yet, and the Brotherhood has surely already found a way to keep it safe. Have you already forgot the obedience an apprentice owes to his master?”

Fillan’s eyes flashed.

“Good. Watch out for each other, and no messing around!”

They grasped each other’s forearm before parting ways. Fillan felt something was changing between him and Sören. He hastily packed his things, girding one of the swords of Fal to his waist, wedging the other in the straps of his bag. The group had already disappeared into the tangle of trunks when they began to run.

The sound of their footsteps was muffled by the forest carpet. Fillan could barely see: a branch slashed his face, leaving a red welt on his cheek, but he ran faster still. If he slowed down for even a moment, he would lose sight of Kyle.

Torches suddenly appeared in front of them. They were swinging between the trunks, forming a flaming wall that was headed in their direction.

“Oh shit!” Kyle cursed. “They’re searching the whole forest.”

“Get up into the trees!”

“Eh?”

“The woods are dense and dark. They won’t see us up there. Do you think you can manage?”

“What do you take me for?” she retorted before grabbing onto the first branch within reach.

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