Page 65 of Forever My Lass

With a small nod, Ainslie pressed her body against the stone then slid her hand forward over the cavern’s wall. An exultant smile on her lips, she placed her hand in the indentation then looked at him.

“I found them, Faither.”

“That’s my bonnie lass. Now I want ye tae stretch out your right leg and put your toes into the nook that’s almost directly below your hand.” Panic crossed her face, and Iain suppressed his fear and forced a smile to his lips. “Ye can do this, Ainslie.”

Slowly, his daughter stretched out her right foot to find the niche Iain remembered from when Thane had talked him through these same terrifying steps.

“Now I want ye tae put your left hand in that small cubbyhole that’s next to your right hand. Keep as much of your left foot on the ledge as ye can.”

Without questioning him, Ainslie did as he instructed. Behind him, Iain heard Madeline draw in a sharp breath as they watched his youngest clinging to the wall of the cave with the treacherous water churning below her.

“The next thing ye must do will be the hardest of all, Ainslie. Ye will need tae trust me, mo leannan. Can ye do that?”

Iain met the girl’s gaze across the short, yet perilous space between them. The fear in her eyes made his heart contort violently in his chest. Terrified for her, Iain waited for her to respond.

“Aye, Faither. I trust ye.” Ainslie’s voice was not much more than a whisper, but Iain heard it, and he nodded with approval.

“That’s my brave, bonnie lass. Now when I say so, I want ye tae stretch out your right hand toward me. The minute I grab your arm, I want ye tae jump toward me, using your left foot to push off and away from the ledge. Can ye do that for me, Ainslie?”

The girl’s eyes darkened with terror, but Iain knew it was nothing compared to his fear of losing her. Without looking away from his youngest, he spoke softly to Madeline.

“Madeline, can ye hold my arm tae help anchor me?”

“Yes.”

There was a note of fear in her voice that matched his own, and he felt Madeline’s cold hands wrap around his forearm in a grip that was so strong it startled him. Slowly, he slid his chest across the wet rock and shifted his weight toward Ainslie with Madeline pulling against him. Muscles taut with tension, Iain continued to stretch himself forward until his hand was only a couple of feet away from where Ainslie clung precariously to the rock wall.

“Are ye ready, Ainslie?” he asked quietly. The girl flinched, but she gave him a slight nod. Iain’s muscles tightened as he prepared himself to pull Ainslie into his chest. “Remember what I said, when I start tae pull ye over here, ye need tae jump toward me. I promise I will nae let ye go.”

At his words, the girl gave him a slight nod then slowly slid her right hand out of the rock indentation and toward him. In seconds, Iain’s fingers curled tightly around her arm.

“Now, Ainslie.”

With a hard tug, Iain pulled his daughter toward him while throwing himself backward at the same time. The two of them sank beneath the waist high water, but Madeline tugged hard on Iain’s arm to help him regain solid footing while his other arm remained tightly wrapped around Ainslie’s waist.

As he dragged his youngest daughter up out of the water and into an upright position, Ainslie coughed and spluttered for a few seconds before she began to sob. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, Ainslie trembled violently as she clung to him.

Iain held his daughter close, while he bent his head to murmur soothing words in her ear. The girl’s sobs slowly softened, he felt the tug of the sea against his legs. Close beside him, Madeline touched his arm.

“Iain.” The urgency in her voice as she said his name made him look at her and nod.

“Aye.” He gently forced Ainslie to look up at him. “We need tae go, lass. The hardest part is over.”

With a firm grip on his daughter’s shoulder, he turned her around and urged Madeline to move ahead of them. Despite the cold water tugging and pulling on them, the three of them made good progress to where Iain had tied off the rope. As he undid the knot, he ordered Madeline and Ainslie to keep going. When he’d freed the thickly laced hemp from the cavern’s ceiling, Iain followed them. As he slogged his way forward, he coiled the rope over his shoulder knowing he would need it soon.

They were at least fifteen to twenty yards from the cave’s entrance when he saw the water had risen to Madeline’s chest, and he could see Ainslie was dog paddling her way forward. Overhead the waves poured a constant stream of water through the holes in the cavern’s ceiling, which reduced the light and made it difficult to see.

Iain knew the mouth of the cave was now underwater, and his heart sank. With a sharp command, Iain ordered Madeline and Ainslie to stop. As they turned to look at him, Iain froze. They were almost in the exact same spot where Thane had told him to swim out of the cave and that he would be right behind him. A hard tremor rocked his body, and his breathing became fast and shallow.

“Why are we stopping?” Madeline exclaimed softly as she took two steps toward him. “We need to use what little air is left before we’re forced to swim out of the cave.”

Unable to answer her, Iain looked at Madeline’s frightened expression before he turned his head toward his daughter. Lips turning bluish from the cold, Ainslie’s face was calm and without fear as she eyed him with a trust he knew he could not betray. A bolt of energy surged through him, and Iain waded forward. Silently, he pulled Ainslie toward him and wrapped the rope snuggly around her waist. With a hard tug, he turned his daughter toward Madeline.

“Wrap your arms around Madeline’s neck, Ainslie.”

“But why, Faither? I ken how tae swim. Ethan taught me at the pond, and I can hold my breath longer than him.” At his youngest daughter’s confident declaration, Iain stared at her in stunned amazement. A look of trepidation swept over his daughter’s face, before he twisted his lips in a slight smile.

“Why I should be surprised that the niece of Thane Fraser has the same courage and daring as her uncle, I dinnae ken. But ye will need tae hold your breath longer than ye ever have before. Do ye understand?”