“It wasnae hard once we followed the path. The brush set there is good when ye see it from afar but nay perfect up close.”
“That willnae please Bethoc,” said Callum quietly.
“Ah, a lass.” Uven rolled his eyes. “Why am I nay surprised?”
“’Tis nay what ye think,” protested Callum. “And cease talking like I am a young Payton when we both ken I am not, nay e’en near to being so. She pulled me from the water, dragged me up here and I wasnae in a state to help much, and has worked to fix my leg.”
Uven studied his leg. “Did a good job with what was at hand. Can ye move at all?”
“A little. I begin to be able to put a little weight on my foot but it could be a month or so before I can claim I am healed or go without some sort of bandaging on my leg. The bone is setting but isnae done yet and ye didnae want to cause it more injury by using it too soon.”
“That poses a bit of a problem but I suppose we could spend the time looking for the boy. Ye cannae go anywhere without the lad and he could be in some danger.”
“Nay. Ye dinnae need to. I ken where he is. Bethoc has him. The house is nay the best place for a lad but ’tis better than being stuck here with me and I having no way to protect him.”
“What is wrong with the house?”
“Father has a heavy hand.”
“Should I fetch him? We can protect him,” said Simon.
“Nay, he is safe enough. No one kens where he is and that is the most important thing at the moment. There is naught to cause them to look at that house, either,” Callum said.
Robbie returned and Callum watched him carefully put the brush back. “Hope ye did that right. She will notice and, if ’tis wrong, it will frighten her.”
“Frighten her?” asked Simon.
“She fears the men who did this to me have found me. They were, are, looking for me. She has already confronted them once.”
“They came here again?” asked Robbie.
Callum nodded. “Think the fools suddenly realized they had nay bothered to see if I was actually dead, that they had just assumed I was. Probably suspicioned they might have erred after they lost the boy. Suspicion they think I have taken him again. A logical assumption.”
“How did they lose the boy?” asked Uven as he hefted a jug of cider, took a sip, and filled a tankard with some.
“Her father took him. She doesnae ken how, only that he showed up with the boy. But she did say the mon is acting unstable. Goes out every night. Mayhap he fears they watch him.” He glared at his leg. “I can do naught about it, naught to hunt down the men who threaten Cathan. Naught to make certain she doesnae get caught in the midst of all this and hurt.”
“Then someone needs to find out where these men are.”
“Aye, now give me some of that cider.”
As they drank, they planned how and where to hunt down the men who were such a threat. It was edging toward midafternoon when his friends finally left. Callum found himself relieved. This was about the time of day when Bethoc came round. The anticipation he felt made him both smile and shake his head.
It was not because she had saved him or tended his wounds. He did not believe it was even how she was treated at home. Although his life was dedicated to helping those who suffered such things, that mostly was a concern for children. Bethoc was no child and he had no knowledge of her brothers, nothing to tell him they were in bad need of a protector. Callum had to decide if what he felt was just a lusting or more before too much longer. She was not a lass one idled away a few enjoyable hours with. Bethoc was a lass you either left alone or married.
* * *
Bethoc took a careful look around before hurrying up the path. Half the way up she paused and stared at the ground. For a moment she could not understand what troubled her. Then she gasped. Someone had recently used the path, several someones in fact. Her heart suddenly pounding with fear, she raced up to the cave, tossed aside the brush, and rushed inside. To see Callum sitting there, calmly writing something before he looked up at her in surprise, nearly brought her to the floor.
“What is it, Bethoc?” he asked, and started to get up.
“Nay, no need to stand.” She hurried back to the entrance, looked around carefully, and pulled the brush back against the opening before walking back to him. “Someone had used the path and I feared they had found you.” She was struggling to rid herself of the feeling of panic that had overtaken her.
He reached out, grasped her hand, and pulled her down beside him. “It was my friends.”
“They found you?”
“Aye. Seems Robbie noticed something and came up the path to have a closer look.”
