Page 66 of Forever My Lass

“Aye, Faither.”

“Iain, I don’t understand what you’re doing.” Madeline’s voice echoed with fear and angry confusion as she put her arms around the child.

“Angus is on the other end of the rope. Ye will need tae swim, but the mon will pull ye at the same time. With Angus pulling on the rope, ye will reach the mouth of the cave faster.”

Before she could protest again, he threw the rope over Madeline’s head and pulled it taut around her waist so she and Ainslie were bound together. As he worked to secure the rope with a bowline knot, Iain pressed his mouth to Madeline’s ear.

“We have about fifteen tae twenty yards tae go before we reach the cave’s entrance. There’s nothing but water between here and the surface outside of the cave. We will also be swimming against the tide.”

“Oh, dear God,” Madeline whispered hoarsely.

The knot completed, he squeezed Madeline’s hand, then turned to Ainslie. Pulling his sgian dubh and its sheath out of his kilt, Iain pressed the knife into his daughter’s trembling hands. He bent his head toward Ainslie’s.

“Take my sgian dubh, lass. Ye may need it to cut ye and Madeline free of the rope once ye are out of the cave,” he whispered. The girl accepted the knife and tucked it down into the front of her dress, her eyes glistening with tears. He smiled. “What’s this? Tears? Surely that is nae possible. My brave Ainslie is nae one tae cry.”

The girl blinked rapidly and her trembling lips curved upward. Iain smiled back at her, his heart full of love and pride. She was every brave and daring person he was not. Not even Thane could hold a candle to his Ainslie’s courage. Iain kissed her forehead before he took a step back.

“I need both of ye tae take deep—”

“No, we’ll not leave you.” Madeline’s voice was fierce as she floundered in the water, toward him, hindered by Ainslie bound to her by the rope. Despite her inability to move easily, Madeline’s fingers wrapped around his shirt sleeve to tug him toward her.

“The passage is nae wide enough for all three of us tae swim through it together. I will be right behind ye.” Iain’s voice was quiet as he gently forced her to release him.

The desperation and panic on Madeline’s sweet features said she was remembering the story he’d told her about the day Thane had died. Something in her gaze made him step forward and cup her face in his hands. Leaning forward he kissed her deeply before his mouth feathered its way to her ear.

“I love ye, Madeline. Dinnae ever forget that, mo ghràdh.” Iain didn’t give her a chance to respond as he hardened his features and took a step back. “Now both of ye take three deep breaths. Madeline, keep your arms outstretched to keep from hitting the walls of the cave, and kick as hard as ye can. Let Angus and the rope do the rest of the work.”

His heart hammering in his chest, Iain watched as Madeline and Ainslie did as he commanded. Madeline’s gaze remained locked with his unflinchingly, and as she and Ainslie drew in their third breath, Iain tugged hard on the rope three times. A split-second later, the two of them disappeared beneath the water.

Left alone in the dark, watery tomb, Iain tried to drag air into his lungs, but the rising water kept rushing into his mouth. He retreated several feet and struggled to fight off the panic that was tightening muscles already wanting to contract from the cold water. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. If he allowed his fear to win, there was no doubt in his mind that he would drown just as Thane had.

“If ye love the woman, Fraser, then ye need tae swim faster than Thane ever could. She’s already alone in the world. Ye cannae leave her or your daughters. They need ye tae fight.”

Burying his fear as deep as he could, Iain prepared himself for the horror that lay ahead of him. With each deep breath he drew into his lungs, his fear fought hard to hold him back. Resisting the terror trying to take control of his mind and body, he inhaled one last deep breath then dove into the water.

There was no light to show him the way, and he was immediately disoriented. It prevented him from swimming for a moment as his terror tried to tell him he was going the wrong way. A sudden surge of water crashed into his chest and sent him crashing into the stone wall of the deadly passageway.

Iain barely held in his cry of pain, but a small amount of precious air escaped him as he grunted beneath the impact. Stunned, he didn’t move for a moment, and disorientation began to set in. Which direction was life or death?

From somewhere far off in the distance, he heard Thane’s voice harshly calling his name and ordering him to swim. Turning toward the voice on his left, Iain spread his arms outward allowing his hands to steady himself against the stone walls and push himself forward with every kick of his legs.

Every time the tide surged into the cave and tried to send him backward, he would stop and brace himself against the cave wall. As the strength of the current eased, he continued forward, while using the strength of its retreat to pull him closer to what he prayed was the open sea and a chance at survival.

Suddenly, a ray of light penetrated the darkness in front of him. With a rush of adrenalin, he kicked hard to drive himself forward to what his brain said was life. He was just on the edge of the light when the burning sensation clutched at his lungs.

It instantly exploded to engulf his chest as if someone has set his insides on fire. His body reacted immediately on instinct and tried to breathe in air where only water existed. Again, he heard Thane’s voice ordering him to swim, but he couldn’t move his limbs. All he could do was thrash about as his mouth opened and tried to breathe in air. Slowly, the light in front of him disappeared just as the air in his lungs had. As everything grew dark, Iain stopped fighting the pain. Images of Madeline and his daughters laughing flashed through his head, and he quietly gave himself up to the water with a resigned sense of peace.

Chapter 18

Madeline gasped for air as her head popped above the water. Against her chest, Ainslie moved slightly, and Madeline tried to shake the child.

“Ainslie, breathe sweetheart. It’s okay to breathe.”

The girl suddenly coughed and water spluttered out of her mouth before she dragged in a deep breath of air. Relief spiraled through Madeline at the sound, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment. The rope was still pulling them away from the cave, and she caught it and tugged on it several times. As the wet hemp went limp in her hands, she awkwardly turned around in the water to look toward the cave. Where was Iain? Her heart pounded wildly in her chest when after several seconds he didn’t rise above the surface.

“Oh, dear God.” At Madeline’s hoarse exclamation, Ainslie shouted for her father.

When he didn’t reply, the child uttered a strong curse word and Madeline stared down at her in shocked surprise. The girl grimaced beneath her governess’s gaze then reached for something inside her dress. In seconds, Ainslie raised her hand, and a silver blade glinted in the sunlight.