Page 48 of A Laird and a Gentleman

Over the frantic beating of his heart, which mixed with the thunder of the horses’ hooves, Cameron heard another sound—the snapping of branches and the rustle of leaves. Startled, he reined to a stop, sending his horse’s forelegs to claw at the air.

Alexander stopped, as did the men behind them. “What is it?” Alexander asked as he and the other men drew their swords.

“I don’t know,” Cameron said, listening as the sound grew louder and louder—like that of the ocean waves hitting the shore. Then he saw it, a dark object rolling on the ground. It kicked up ash and leaves as it came toward them. Then he saw a flash of red hair lifting like a flag in the wind.

Red hair. Mariam.

He would have closed his eyes and given thanks, but there was no time for that. Instead, he leapt from his horse and charged forward on foot. When she was within reach, he braced to grab her, to stop her forward motion. Instead of stopping her, she pulled him down and the two of them rolled through the ash-covered ground together.

But his weight was enough to slow her, then finally bring the two of them to a stop. They lay there, a tangle of arms and legs for a heartbeat. He savored the feel of her in his arms as his gaze connected with hers. “I’ve got you.”

Her green eyes showed fear, but no panic. She studied his face. “I wish you could hold me forever.”

“I intend to as soon as you are truly safe.”

She smiled, and her eyes filled with an emotion he had never seen in them before. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped at the sound of shouts coming from behind them. “The villagers.” She held out her hands to him. “Untie me.”

He reached for his dagger as he gained his feet, then pulling her to hers, he slashed through the heavy rope at her hands and then her feet. She staggered slightly as she regained her balance. Bracing herself, she stood with her feet apart as she brought her hands up, palms cupped into the air, gathering the wind, until she sent a mighty blast back through the trees.

The village men were only shadows amongst the trees that were edged with darkness, and still Cameron could see those shadows as they sprawled backward, a few knocking into trees that were in their path. When they all lay against the ash-covered ground, Mariam dropped her hands. “That will stop them for a moment.”

Around them, his men sheathed their weapons, staring at Mariam with both awe and fear. There would be no hiding her magic from them any longer, but they were loyal to Cameron. If he accepted Mariam for who she was, he hoped they would also.

“Let us head out, men,” he called to the others before lifting Mariam into his arms and settling her atop his horse. He mounted behind her. “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

“Is anywhere safe?”

“Aye. With me you will always be safe.” He reached up and laid his palm against her sooty cheek. In the midst of turmoil and danger, she leaned into his touch. He watched as different emotions raced across her face, each appearing and disappearing so fast he could hardly identify them. But he felt her distress. Felt the tangle of fear that knotted inside her. He felt a lightness of her spirit too. “We’ll get through this, together,” he said before dropping his hand and pulling her back against his chest. He turned his horse, ready to head out of the forest.

To his men he said, “We ride for Aberlady and the ship I have waiting there.”

“We are going to the isle?” Mariam asked. “What about those who are ill? What about the ash? It’s smothering the life out of everything it touches.”

“Vivian is helping those who are sick. And you, my dear, can help with everything else once we return to the source of your family’s magic. The place where it all began.”

Chapter Sixteen

Mariam, Cameron, Alexander, and all the warriors who had come to her aid made their way to Aberlady by dawn, though it was hard to tell what time it was by the strange purplish green haze that still covered the land. Near the Firth of Forth, however, the air was lighter, as though the sea could and would somehow refresh what had been covered by the heavy ashfall.

The devastation they had passed along the way had moved Mariam terribly. Where there had been grassy fields a day before there was now only browning grass covered in layers of ash. The trees had lost most of their leaves and were now skeletons that dotted a bleak landscape. The lush green hillsides were an endless rolling sea of gray and white. And the only sounds to be heard were those of the sea lapping against the shore of the bay as they approached the water’s edge.

Though the world around them seemed bleak and lifeless, the water before them was not. Even in the strange half-light, Mariam could see the water ripple and flow, as though affirming all was not lost. Life continued in ways that would matter eventually, but would it be soon enough to save those who suffered? And was there something Mariam could do? Some way she could use her powers to help?

When they reined their horses in at The Cairn Inn, Cameron dismounted, then lifted Mariam down. “We’ll leave the horses here until we return.” Alexander and the others took charge of seeing the horses to the stable.

Mariam’s attention was not on the inn, the men around her, or the horses. Her attention was fixed on the distance, and the single ship out in the harbor, awaiting their arrival. She’d never been on a ship before, and felt almost guilty doing so now—to sail to safety when others could not.

Cameron came up behind her and encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her gently back against him. The feel of his body against hers sent a shudder through her and for the first time in days she relaxed. “It seems almost a dream that we are finally here. So much has happened.” Her hand crept up to her neck and wrapped around her shell necklace. “Today is the seventh day. Whatever my mother’s words meant come into being before the sun sets tonight.”

“We will make it in time. The Fortune will take us to the Isle of May before nightfall. She might be small, but she’s a highly maneuverable and trusty sailing ship. She will serve us well. I promise you.”

Mariam turned in his arms to face him. “Will this come to an end then? Though I am desperate to discover what is inside me that tries to emerge, I also feel a deep desire to do something to help those we leave behind. If I can do anything to keep them from dying when the crops fail and all our cattle die, then I have an obligation to do so.”

“Consider this: by understanding your powers more fully, then perhaps that is what will allow you to rid our world of this terrible burden.”

She frowned. “I hadn’t thought of this voyage in those terms.”

“Then come, let us make our way to the boat we will use to tender out to The Fortune. The supplies we need are already aboard, but the rowboat will have to make several trips to the ship if we are to bring all the men with us.”