Highlander's Destiny by Blanche Dabney

Author:Blanche Dabney [Dabney, Blanche]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Alice couldn’t resist throwing her arms around Ramsey. He returned the embrace, and the two of them remained locked together as someone threw straw over the cart, burying them together in the dark. There was a thud and the sound of metal rubbing against metal elsewhere in the straw.

“What’s happening now?” Alice asked.

“We’re going to Rhum.”

“The drink?”

“The island.”

“What’s on Rhum?”

“The rest of my people.” He paused as they heard the sound of horses thundering past. “They’re looking for us,” he whispered. “Make no noise.”

Alice sat perfectly still, glancing across at Ramsey. She was amazed that he was even there next to her. She’d woken after a broken night’s sleep to the certainty that he was going to die. Now he wasn’t only alive, he was next to her, and together they were escaping to freedom.

She was only with him thanks to Senga. She was able to watch the battle because Nevin seemed to have lost interest in making sure she stayed in her room. She heard him emerging from his chamber that morning, yelling at someone called Olav. “You do it because it’s your job. Do you want paying or not?”

“But to the death?”

“Yes, to the death. What do you think this is, a nunnery?”

Alice crept over to her door and eased it open, looking out at the back of Nevin’s head as he descended the stairs at the end of the corridor.

Today was the day, she thought to herself. Ramsey was going to get himself killed. She put on the wooden clogs she’d been given, a reminder, according to Nevin, that she wasn’t nobility.

She had a sneaking suspicion they were more to do with making sure she couldn’t run away with any haste. Once downstairs, she walked out into the courtyard of the castle. The place was busier than she’d ever seen it.

People were everywhere, all of them talking about the upcoming battle. Wagers were being placed on the outcome. The consensus seemed to be that Ramsey would win. His renown as a swordfighter was legendary.

Alice began to wonder if perhaps her fears were unfounded. Something about Nevin made her worry nonetheless. “Is the laird likely to abide by the law?” one woman asked to her left.

Her companion nodded sagely. “Even he must fear damnation.”

“I doubt that.”

“Then you’ll take my farthing?”

“Aye.”

Alice caught sight of the arena just as a hush fell over the courtyard. She couldn’t tell why at first but then she saw him.

Ramsey was being brought out by men at arms. The crowd parted to let him through, and she felt a sudden urge to run to him, to kiss him. She was already starting to move when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

A voice whispered in her ear before she had time to react. “When the battle begins, go out the gate behind you.”

Alice recognized the voice. “Senga,” she said, turning but the servant was already gone, hidden somewhere in the crowd of people.

The gate was there, open and unguarded. The man at arms

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