“Me too.” She wished the hours away. She knew they would have no privacy, and they wouldn’t be able to lie beside one another, holding hands. But it was a pleasure they could share. She didn’t think she could pass the time patiently, so it was just as well that she fell asleep for most of the afternoon.
Liam took his turn at the oars as he and his men pushed themselves to put distance between them and Skaill. Liam prayed Gunter didn’t think along the same lines as them and sail the eastern coast to return to Skaill. It wouldn’t surprise him if Gunter assumed they would try to evade him, then hunt them along this alternative route. As the passed the southern tip of Rousay, he strained his eyes as he scanned the western horizon for longboats. There would be a brief time when they were exposed before they reached Egilsay. When no one materialized, Liam nodded to Dermot, who told the men to rest before signaling to Alfred.
Liam checked their freshwater barrels, alarmed that there was less than he recalled. They would have enough for the rest of the day, but the sun was warm, and the men exerted themselves as they rowed. There was a small freshwater lake on Egilsay, and they would have to stop to replenish their supply. It was nearly dusk, and there were few people who inhabited the island. He and three of his men could traverse the distance and fill waterskins with few people noticing. It would give the men time to rest, which they needed if they were to continue that night. He rued ordering them to row, but they must if the wind didn’t pick up.
Liam signaled Alfred to come to the rail as Dermot and he walked to meet him. The birlinns sailed close together, making it easy for Liam to discuss his plan with his captains without his voice carrying too far.
“How is yer water supply?” Liam asked Alfred.
“After this past stretch, it’s low.”
“Same as ours,” Liam responded. “We have to stop at Egilsay and go to the loch. If we dinna, we canna have the men keep rowing. We canna rely on the wind, and we canna linger. South Ronaldsay is the only isle with enough coves for us to hide. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can all breathe easy.”
“Aye,” Dermot interjected. “It doesnae feel like we shall have a change in the weather. Fair as it might be on land, it’s a nuisance at sea.”
“We can go ashore as soon as the sun sets and before it gets too dark to see one foot in front of the other.” Liam glanced over his shoulder, then to Alfred’s crew. “We swim. We canna get too close, and I dinna want anyone happening along and finding our curraghs. It’ll take too long to get them in and out of the water, anyway. I dinna want to dally.”
“In that case, take Benjamin, Dillon, and Cadence. They’re the strongest swimmers beside the three of us,” Alfred suggested.
“Do ye ken how to find the loch?” Dermot asked.
“I have an idea of where it is, but I havenae been here since I was a wean. There’s naught here but some farms, so we didna have much reason for all of us to travel. Da, Grandda, and ma uncles would go on their own.”
Elene tapped Liam on the back. She stepped forward as he turned to her. She hadn’t understood what the men said except for the island’s name and the word “loch.” From their tone, she didn’t think they knew where it was.
“Are you going to get water at the loch?” Elene inquired.
“That’s our plan. After sunset, four of us will go ashore and find it.”
“I know where it is. I used to fish there with my father in summer. For a long time, he had no sons to help him, so he had to rely on me.”
“How do you get there?”
Elene grimaced. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. We’ve come down the Rousay Sound. We should have sailed along the Westray Firth. The loch is on the other side of the island about amiilandfjerdingsveifrom Whistlebare. It should only take a few minutes to get there, but you have to pass at least four farms.”
Egilsay was a mile-and-a-quarter wide, so it wasn’t a long walk. But Liam hadn’t expected to hear there were so many homesteads to pass. He looked at Dermot and Alfred, but there was little they could do. They couldn’t ignore their need for freshwater if they planned for the men to be at the oars throughout the night. Before he could share that their plans wouldn’t change, Elene spoke.
“I can swim it. The people know me. Even if I’m soaking wet with waterskins, they won’t question me. I can guarantee Gunter won’t stop here. There are so few people that he won’t bother. But if they see four Highlanders, it will raise the alarm.”
“There are too many waterskins for you to carry them alone,” Liam pointed out.
Elene's lips pursed and twisted to the side as she thought. “I’ll go ashore with you and your men. Only one person can come with me to the loch. The others must hide.”
“You’re staying here and keeping out of sight.” Liam watched as eyes as deep blue as the water in which they sailed turned toward him. Elene’s left eye narrowed as she studied Liam, choosing her words with care, not wanting to argue in front of his men, even if they didn’t comprehend.
“I understand why you wish that, but I’m the reason they had to row. I’m the one who knows the way. And I’m the one who can give a reasonable excuse. If anyone sees four Highlanders upon Egilsay, creeping in the dark, the entirety of Orkney will know by midmorning tomorrow. I’m dressed as an Orcadian, and I know the people. I can give just enough of the truth to be plausible without giving away everything. You need me.”
“I need you to stay safe.”
“And if they rounded up and bound you and your men because the farmers fear attack, how safe will any of us be?” Elene cocked an eyebrow. Liam’s mind jumped to how Elene must look when she scolded her siblings, which only made him think about how she might look if she scolded their children.
“Fine. But it’s against my better judgment.”
“I know.” Elene offered him a sympathetic smile, not envying Liam the weight of responsibility. She looked at the two captains but kept speaking to Liam in Norn. “The water grows shallow a long way from the shore. The swim will look long, but the ground comes up fast. We’re already as close as I would sail.”
Liam nodded before giving orders for the three men to join them as they rounded up as many waterskins as they could carry. Liam watched as Elene explained to Katryne and Johan what would happen. As she talked, she toed off her boots and peeled down her stockings. When she returned, she gathered her share of the waterskins, then pulled the back of her skirts between her legs and tucked them into the girdle around her waist. Dermot removed the section of rail that they used for loading the horses.
Liam was about to say he would go first to test the depths, but Elene was over the side before he could say anything. He marveled at how she leaped with her legs scissored and arms wide. As she entered the water, she brought her arms together as her legs closed. She kept her head above water and rolled onto her back before kicking. When all four men were swimming toward her, she rolled back onto her belly. She swam a hundred yards before she paused and tested the water’s depth. Pleased to find her toes brushed sand, she turned to Liam.
