“Ye are not afraid?”
“Oh, aye, a little. But sure and I would do anything to have my sight back.” She wondered if she should tell him about the magic wolf who came to her from time to time and then decided against it, though she was not sure why.
“I will do my best to protect ye,” Darkfest said. “We leave at first light.”
She nodded, her smile brighter than the sun at mid-day.
He left the room, pausing just outside the door to watch her.
Thinking herself alone, she clasped her hands to her breasts and lifted her face upward in an attitude of prayer.
He did not have to divine her thoughts to know what it was she prayed for.
~ * ~
They left early the following morning.
Excitement rippled through Channa Leigh as Darkfest lifted her onto the back of a horse. Leaning forward, she patted the animal’s neck, loving the velvety feel of the horse’s coat.
“Have ye ridden before?” Darkfest asked, adjusting her stirrups.
“Never anything so large.”
“Well, dinna worry. Clover is a fine beastie, well-trained. She will carry ye safely.”
He gazed up at Channa Leigh. She was prettier than a fresh spring morn. Sitting there, with her skirts spread over the mare’srump, a midnight-blue fur-lined cloak around her shoulders, she looked like a fairy queen going calling.
Gathering up the reins to his own great stallion, he swung into the saddle and settled his own cloak about his shoulders. He clucked to the stallion, and the horse moved forward with a shake of his great shaggy head. The mare moved up beside the stallion. A pretty little gray pack mule followed the horses, the bell around her neck tinkling softly.
The path that led down from the castle was long and winding, the narrow road lined by wind-blown trees and squat shrubs.
He watched Channa Leigh carefully. She held the reins lightly in one hand, the other hand resting on the pommel. She seemed at ease in the saddle, her body swaying with the movement of the mare. The early morning sun danced in Channa Leigh’s hair, making it glisten like spun gold. His gaze moved over her face and form, delighting in the clean line of her profile, the sweet curve of her breast.
He shifted uncomfortably in the saddle as his body responded to his lustful thoughts. With an oath, he looked away. This journey was a mistake, he mused ruefully. In the castle, he could leave her alone when he needed to escape from the havoc she played on his senses. There was nothing within its walls that could do her harm. But out here…there were wild animals that could tear her to shreds, deep ravines she could stumble into, rivers that could sweep her away. He would have to keep her in his sight every moment.
He headed east when they reached the bottom of the trail.
The land stretched ahead of them, gently rolling hills and shallow valleys all covered in a blanket of deep green grass. Tall trees garbed in bright emerald leaves grew in scattered clusters. Large birds wheeled and soared across the bright blue sky. He saw a small herd of deer grazing in the shade of a stand oftimber. A speck of blue far off in the distance promised a water hole.
For a time, he lost himself in the rocking chair movement of his horse. He seldom found time to ride, seldom left his mountaintop. He had forgotten how beautiful the countryside was, the sense of freedom horseback riding afforded. He looked back from time to time to check on Channa Leigh. She rode with her face lifted to the sun, drinking in its warmth, her head turning at the sound of a flock of black-headed geese winging their way south.
They rode all that day, stopping now and then to rest the animals or to get something to eat or drink.
Channa Leigh rode without complaint, her eagerness at being outside evident in her expression. Though she could not see, she used her other senses to the fullest, running her hands over the thick velvety grass when they stopped near a river, listening to the birds as they chirped in the tree tops, picking a handful of sweet-smelling flowers.
At dusk, he reined his horse to a halt. Dismounting, he lifted Channa Leigh from the back of the mare.
“Wait here,” he said, and when he was certain she would obey, he unsaddled the horses and turned them loose. Next, he spread a blanket on the ground and bid Channa Leigh sit down.
When she was comfortable, he drew a circle on a small, barren patch of ground. A few words, and a fire sprang to life, crackling cheerfully in the gathering dusk.
He pulled the ingredients for dinner from his saddlebags, filled a pot with water to warm for tea. And all the while he watched her, becoming more and more enchanted with her nearness, more and more drawn to her beauty of face and form and spirit.
She sighed, a soft sound, yet he heard it clearly.
“What is it, lass?” he asked.
“I was just wondering…”
