Page 4 of Highlander’s Hope

“There’s nothing puzzling about me. I’m simple. I have no intention of getting married or having a girlfriend. Ever.”

They walked in silence for a while. A soft whisper of leaves and branches rustling went through the woods, and the sky darkened even more. A small shiver ran across the back of Konnor’s neck.

Andy shook his head. “I will say one last thing. You’re miserable, and you know it.”

“I’m fine,” Konnor growled. “I’m great. I have everything I ever wanted.”

Thunder rolled in the distance, and they both glanced up to the dark-gray sky.

“Let’s get a move on,” Andy said. “Come on.”

He sped up, but Konnor didn’t. Seeing his friend moving off in the distance, he realized he needed a break from him for a while.

“You go on, Andy. I need to take a leak. I’ll catch up with you.”

Andy stopped and glanced at him with suspicion in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

Konnor sighed. “I’m sure the summer rain won’t melt me.”

“All right.”

Andy hurried down the track. Once he was out of sight, Konnor took in a lungful of air and breathed out. He didn’t really need to piss. The cold wind picked up, and the scent of lavender and freshly cut grass rushed by him.

Suddenly a woman’s voice broke the silence. “Help! Help!”

Instinctively, Konnor reached to where he usually kept his gun. But of course, it wasn’t there. The only weapon he had was a Swiss army knife in his backpack.

He looked around. Andy was nowhere to be seen. Trees swayed, hissing in the wind, and leaves and branches flew by. One narrowly missed his eye and scratched his cheek. Thunder rolled closer, and the granite sky flashed with lightning. The storm was almost right over him. Was the woman stuck somewhere?

Rocks crumbled from somewhere behind him. Konnor squinted back down the trail but couldn’t see anyone. The wind brought the woman’s scream again. Or was it just trees moaning as the emerging storm assailed them?

The scream came again, and his pulse accelerated. It was coming from behind him, up the trail. He sprinted in that direction as fast as he could with his backpack on.

“Help!”

Trees and bushes flashed by as he ran. Twigs cracked, and pebbles rolled under his feet. The scent of lavender and freshly cut grass grew stronger. The voice was louder now, so the woman must be somewhere nearby, but he still couldn’t see who was calling.

“Down here!”

The voice came from behind the trees and bushes. Through the gaps, he saw the edge of a cliff. He stepped through the undergrowth and looked down a ravine that was about two hundred feet wide. It was as though an ancient earthquake had cracked the ground in half here. There was a steep, rocky slope of about twenty or so feet right in front of him. A few pines grew straight out from the rocks. The ravine was shielded by a steep slope on the other side. A creek flowed along the grassy bottom below. It looked fertile and cozy, like a small, secluded piece of heaven. Something about it was magical and mysterious and unreal.

There was a woman down in the ravine. She was sitting on a small pile of rubble and holding her shoulder.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” Konnor called, trying to shout over the wind.

She looked up, and even from here, he could see a bright smile. She had long red hair and wore a medieval-looking green dress.

“Oh, lad, can ye help me?” she said. “I hurt my arm and canna go up.”

The wind picked up, and the next gush stole Konnor’s breath. He looked the slope over. It was really steep, but he could more or less see a path down. The question was whether he could bring an injured person back up.

First, he needed to get down there and see what was wrong with her arm.

“Don’t move,” he said. “I’m coming.”

“Oh, bless ye, lad!”

Thunder shook the world, and lightning split the sky in half. Thick raindrops began to hit Konnor’s face. He needed to hurry.