The Lord of the Highlands by Peter Wacht

Author:Peter Wacht [Wacht, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kestrel Media Group LLC
Published: 2020-04-18T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The Call

“What do you think they’re talking about?” asked Oso, pacing in front of Coban’s cottage, his brow furrowed and hands clasped behind his back. “Thomas has been in there for more than an hour.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. Why don’t you sit down? You’re tiring me out.”

Having just returned from her errand, Anara sat cross-legged in the grass to the side of the cottage and out of Oso’s way, calmly whittling away on a piece of wood. The pretty Highland girl had let her short auburn hair grow longer since escaping from the Black Hole, blossoming into ringlets that kept dropping down into her eyes.

Oso now found her almost irresistible, but he still wasn’t ready to admit it. That was all right with Anara. She had a great deal of patience, and as time passed it simply allowed her more chances to close the jaws of her trap. Though that was a crude analogy, she knew, it was right on point.

In fact, she was enjoying herself quite a bit. Oso kept glancing at her, wondering what the secret smile on her face meant. She could almost laugh out loud at his lack of understanding, but she knew that was to be expected of most men. By the time Oso realized what was going on, he’d have absolutely no opportunity or idea how to escape, and that suited her just fine.

“But what could be taking them so long? You should have seen the look on Thomas’ face when he arrived. It was the same expression he wore when we burned down Killeran’s fort. There was a sharpness to his features, his eyes, that was scary.”

Oso stopped his pacing for a moment right in front of the cottage door. He watched Anara as she worked the piece of wood slowly into the shape of a bear. He marveled at her skill. It was remarkable, really, what she could do with her hands. For her, a piece of wood was much like an artist’s canvas. She could create virtually anything. She was so much more skilled with her hands than he was.

A spear or a sword in his hand felt like an extension of his arm, but for anything else that required dexterity, he was all thumbs. Oso was about to continue his pacing when much to his surprise the door of the cottage slammed open and Coban burst out, running straight into him and sending them both sprawling to the hard-packed dirt.

“Blast it, Oso! What are you doing standing right there?” Coban regained his feet in a matter of seconds, while Oso remained on the ground trying to recapture the breath that Coban had knocked from his lungs. “No matter. There’s no time for that now. No time at all.”

Coban grabbed Oso’s hands and pulled him back to his feet.

“Aric!” he shouted, surveying the village. “Aric!”

“What’s going on, Coban?” Oso asked in a forced whisper, now bent over and still searching for a deep breath. A concerned Anara was at his side now, her hand resting comfortably on his back.

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