“Daniel,” he said, and he was certain that the girl, knew it to be a lie as well.
Her brow twitched, displeased. He could see her cataloging him, her sharp mind picking at every edge of him she didn’t understand; but she didn’t press further, if only because she didn’t seem to be able to do much more than stand still.
And soon, she couldn’t even do that.
Michael moved before she fell, catching her before her knees could hit the dirt. Her breath was warm against his throat, her blood already soaking into his arm, still seeping out of her with every heartbeat.
Damn it all. If we’re tae reach Auchindrain afore she’s dead, I must ride like the wind.
With a huff, Michael scooped the girl in his arms, the fallen leaves crunching under his boots as he carried her to his horse. He had left the gentle beast nearby, and now it was munching on a patch of green grass as Michael slung the girl over the saddle, giving his horse a pat on the flank before he mounted it.
She barely weighed more than a feather, and Michael couldn’t help but wonder what kind of noble lass lacked food in her home. She was a mystery, much more intriguing than she ought to be, much more intriguing than he could afford. He didn’t have the time to waste on learning more about her. All he could do was take her to the healer and hope for the best while he continued on his mission.
Michael rode with one arm wrapped securely around the girl, holding her against his chest. Her head lolled on his shoulder, and her breathing was soft and shallow—too shallow for comfort. Her blood was warm and tacky on his skin, a steady trickle that didn’t seem to stop, and Michael pressed his hand on the girl’s wound, trying his best to stop the bleeding while steering the horse.
Trees whizzed by them in a blur of green and brown as he urged his horse to go faster and faster, as much as the creature could take with two people on its back. But even so, it would take them hours to reach Auchindrain—hours this girl didn’t have.
And then, in the distance, Michael caught glimpse of dark smoke rising to the steel gray sky—hearths, several of them, the sign of a nearby village that seemed big enough to have a healer of its own.
He glanced down at the girl in his arms—the flutter of her lashes as she tried and failed to wake, the parted lips, struggling to draw breath—and he quickly steered his horse towards that village, abandoning the thought of going all the way to Auchindrain.
She’ll never make it. A healer has tae see her right now.
Michael took the bend in the path, urging his horse to go faster. He reached the village shortly after, riding past the first houses until he found a sign of life—an old woman, who pointed him in the direction of the healer’s house, at the other end of the village. Once there, Michael dismounted his horse and pulled the girl off, carrying her to the door, which flew open before he could even call for help.
Inside, an even older woman, her hair gray and her skin weathered by wind and sun, greeted him. When she saw the blood on the girl’s dress, her eyes snapped to Michael’s, holding nothing but contempt and accusation even as he gingerly placed her on a rickety bed.
“Dinnae look at me like that,” he told her. “I found her like this. I didnae dae this tae her.”
The woman pulled her sleeves up as she approached the bed, mumbling under her breath. Then, she said, “Water. Ye ken how tae heat it?”
“I would hope so,” said Michael, putting himself to work just as the woman pressed a vial of murky liquid under the girl’s nose. Within seconds, the girl shot up in bed—or at least tried to, before she swiftly fell back down with a pained groan, her hand clutching her stomach for a moment, only for the woman to shove it away.
“Keep still, lass,” she told the girl, as she placed a hand on her shoulder to push her back down to the mattress. “Or ye’ll hurt yerself more.”
“Where am I?” the girl asked, and as she looked around in panic, her gaze fell on Michael. She froze, then craned her neck to look out of the small window at the far end of the room, where the afternoon light streamed in, in the shape of slanting beams, dust motes dancing in the golden haze. “Where did ye take me? I told ye tae go tae Auchindrain.”
“This is nae Auchindrain,” said the healer with a soft laugh. “Ye’re in Auchnabreac.”
Michael hadn’t thought it possible, but the girl paled even more when she realized they were not in the place she wanted. Once again, she tried to sit up, but this time, she didn’t even need thehealer to push her back down. Within seconds, she was lying back on the mattress, exhausted and in pain, the blood loss making it impossible for her to move her limbs.
“I told ye tae take me tae Auchindran,” she said, her voice weak but carrying all the blaze of a raging wildfire.
“It’s too far,” said Michael with a sigh, as he slammed the tin bucket of water in the hearth, a few drops escaping it and sizzling on the burning logs. He turned to look at the girl with his arms crossed over his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Would ye rather I let ye die,Isla?”
The girl’s lips snapped shut as she glared at him. She said nothing, only stared at him like he had somehow betrayed her, like he had done something unforgivable by trying to save her life.
The healer pulled a low stool close to the bed, her hands reaching for the girl’s dress, but she was quick to stop her, grabbing her forearms. “Wait,” she said, then turned her gaze back to Michael. “Get out.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ye’re mad if ye think I’ll allow ye tae see me without any garments on!” said the girl, fury seeping into her tone. “I’m a lady! Show me some respect.”
Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Michael turned on his heel without another word and left the room, slamming the wooden door behind him. The entire little structure seemed to groan with it, the wood creaking and shaking, but Michael paid it no mind as he made his way to a small, stone bench by the front door, perching there and looking out into the distance.
From there, he could just about see Inveraray Castle, its stone-capped towers stretching into the sky. He rubbed a hand over his face, then exhaled softly as he rested his chin on his hand and gazed straight ahead, at that towering building. He should have reached it already; he should have already made it there and put his plan in motion.
Instead, he had a dying girl in his care. And his mission, the one thing he had been sent here to do, seemed farther than ever.
