Page 7 of Taming the Highland Beauty

She nodded and followed him over the rocky beach. There was nothing to hide them from the men who followed, and yet Callum seemed confident in their zigzagging path across the rocks. Gille looked behind her to see that the villagers had reached the ground and were heading in their direction just as Callum headed away from the water and towards the cliff face to their left. Were they going to climb back up? The thought had no sooner formed than she saw a large opening in the rocks.

“This way.” Callum tugged her along after him into the opening of the cavern.

The tide was out and only rivulets of water remained on the cavern floor as they ventured inside. The air chilled and the light dimmed as they crept in, and an earthy, clay-like scent came to her as she drew a shallow breath. “Won’t we be trapped if we—” Before she could finish her sentence, a view of a rowboat separated itself from the shadows.

“Grab the oars and throw them in the boat,” Callum said as he shifted the wooden boat from a ledge to the bottom of the cave. “We’re going to have to carry it to the water’s edge.”

Grabbing the bow, Gille lifted and headed back towards the cave opening. Callum carried most of the boat’s weight, while she guided them in the right direction until they were once again on the beach. A quick glance back showed the villagers struggling to make their way across the rocky beach. Where the rocks had been no obstacle to Callum, they slowed down the men unfamiliar with the coastline.

Following Callum, Gille waded into the water and jumped into the boat while he secured the oars in the crutches and started rowing them away from the shoreline. The angry roars of the villagers who apparently could not swim could be heard between the sound of the oars slicing through the chilled water of Loch Dunvegan.

They were safe for now.

Exhausted silence hung between Gille and Callum as the men on the shore faded into the distance. Instead of calm, a growing anger gnawed at her insides. Orange-red flames and black smoke still hovered over her beloved forest, devouring everything, including the last vestiges of hope in her heart. She was doomed, and there was only one person to blame for her predicament. “Why did you have to come into the forest today?”

The slap of the oars against the water stopped for a moment before continuing. “I came to find you.”

Her gaze narrowed on Callum. “And if you had left me alone as you all had for the past year, my forest might still exist.”

“Are you blaming me for the fire?” Callum raised the oars, causing the boat to drift in the vast expanse of the loch. “I am not the one who set the underbrush aflame.”

“If you had not come today, I could have easily eluded the villagers as I have in the past.” Gille crossed her arms, not hiding her growing anger.

“Those men came with weapons,” Callum said with a tone of exasperation. “I do not think they were going to be as easily dissuaded as they might have in the past.”

“We will never know now, will we?”

“You are being ridiculous. You know perfectly well that those men were either going to find you and bring you back to the village or kill you today with or without me being there.” Callum returned the oars to the water. “My presence might very well have saved your life. Did you consider that?”

“Saved my life? My life was essentially over the moment I slipped over the side of the cliff, or did you forget the fact that I will turn into a tree in seven days? A tree!”

“Not if we work together,” Callum said far too calmly for her liking. “If you help the MacLeods save Lady Janet, then we will help free you of your curse before the curse takes effect.”

Gille’s heart leapt momentarily before she pushed the sensation aside. She could not rely on others to help her. She had learned that lesson over the course of her life. When she had given trust in the past, she had only been disappointed. “And if I refuse to help you?”

Callum drew a deep breath as he let one of the oars drag in the water, sending the little boat in a circle, and levelling her with his gaze. “You are right. It should be your choice whether you help us or not. But let us explore your options, shall we? Once we are on shore near Dunvegan, you can leave. You can go off into the woodlands and choose a nice sunny location where you will spend the rest of eternity. Or you can come with me to the castle. My entire family has centuries of experience dealing with Oberon and the fairies. We can help work the puzzle of Oberon’s curse on your behalf.” He paused as his gaze bored into her own. “What will your choice be?”

“Those are not my only two choices,” she replied tartly, as the reality of his words sank in. She would have a better chance of survival if she trusted the MacLeods to help her.

“Enlighten me.” Callum leaned back slightly. “What other options do you have?”

Gille pressed her lips together and turned her gaze to the water. “There must be some other way.” When she could think of nothing, she turned her gaze back to Callum. “How do I know I can trust you will do as you say?”

“Right now, you do not. I can only promise that I will help you. You are the one who must risk trusting me. But with that risk could come a great reward: the MacLeods saving your life.”

“I have had very little reason to trust humans or fairies in my life.”

His brows furrowed. “Wasn’t living in Fairyland an idyllic dream?”

“Idyllic?” A shocked laugh burst from Gille. “I thought the MacLeods knew about fairies and Fairyland, especially after Keiran returned to tell his tale of being under Oberon’s spell for so many years.”

“Keiran has not really discussed with me what his life was like, or with others in my family.”

“And Aria?” Gille asked. “Did she not share the horrors of her life with all of you?”

Unease shadowed Callum’s eyes. “She did not share her misfortunes with me either. I had always assumed Fairyland to be a place bathed in perpetual sunlight, where flower petals shimmer in every colour imaginable. Where crystal-clear streams meander through the landscape, the sound a constant melody. And where whimsical creatures flit about, leaving trails of sparkling dust. Where time flows differently, and everyday worries melt away.”

She shrugged. “For someone who has never been there, you are partially correct. There are parts of Fairyland that are exactly as you think, but there is a dark side as well.” She pulled her arms up tight against her chest. “The part of Fairyland I lived in most of my life was where the magic in the air felt heavy and oppressive. The sweet scents were replaced by the stench of rotting vegetation and decay. The melody of the birds was only a distant memory, replaced by the buzzing of insects and the unsettling rustle of unseen things.”