Time of the Highlander by Ivy Hollins

Author:Ivy Hollins [Hollins, Ivy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2019-06-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Tired and hungry, covered in scratches from branches, and with leaves tangled in their hair, Sandy and Brigid kept walking until dawn.

“How much further is it?” Brigid asked. Her tears had finally stopped, but her head felt heavy and hollow. She wanted nothing more than to lie down in her bed at Gillies Tower and sleep for an entire day.

“I’m afraid it will be a while longer,” Sandy said, rubbing his face with his hand. “We are heading home, but not too directly. I don’t want to lead Edmondson’s men all the way back to Gillies Tower.”

“I’m tired,” Brigid said lamely.

Sandy managed to smile at her. “I know,” he said, and reached for her hand. She clutched at him like a lifeline. This countryside was unfamiliar to her. Without Sandy, she would be utterly lost.

Her body ached all over. With every step, one word echoed over and over again in her mind: failed.

She was Finn’s only hope in this whole century, and she’d failed. How alone must he feel? How frightened? The entire rescue mission had been a disaster.

And, worst of all, Sandy had been right. Her near-capture had distracted him from his own mission. Without her getting in the way, he could have grabbed the time travel equipment and got out of there. Brigid had ruined everything for everyone.

They didn’t even know where Mary and Tam were. Had they made it home safely?

Sandy finally pulled her to a halt beside a small woodland pool.

“Drink up,” he advised. “It’s good water here and I bet you need it.”

Brigid crouched down by the water’s edge and took a few grateful gulps. The water was cold and clean, and deeply soothing. She wiped her mouth dry and sighed with relief. She hadn’t realised just how parched she was.

“We should stop and rest here for a while,” Sandy said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

Brigid smiled weakly.

“A rest would be wonderful,” she said. “But it seems a bit exposed here. Anyone could see us.”

Sandy grinned. The expression brought a spark of hope back to Brigid’s tired soul.

“True enough,” he said. “But take a look at this.”

He offered Brigid his hand and helped her to her feet. With a dramatic flourish, he waved his hand at the rocks beside the pool. Brigid frowned at them. What was he doing? Then he brushed back the thick undergrowth, and she realised. There was a small cave in the rocks, almost entirely hidden by a thick screen of greenery.

She clambered inside and found more to wonder at. The cave was lit by a narrow shaft in the ceiling, but somehow it had remained surprisingly dry and comfortable. Sandy lay down his thick cloak on the ground, and he and Brigid huddled together.

Brigid leaned her head against his shoulder. With the weight off her neck, it felt as if her burdens eased a little. She sighed, letting herself relax into Sandy’s warmth.

And then the tears started again. She sobbed gently, and Sandy wrapped his arm around her.

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.