They rode out through the gates, past the village, toward the wilder parts of Barra's coast. Magnus kept the pace easy at first, letting Ada get comfortable with her mount.
"That path there," he said, pointing to a narrow track that wound up into the hills. "Leads to the northern villages. If ye ever need tae send word quickly, that's the fastest route."
"And that one?" Ada gestured to a barely visible trail disappearing into a ravine.
"Smugglers' route. Leads down tae a hidden cove. Useful if ye need tae leave the island without anyone kennin'."
Ada looked at him sharply. "Why would I need tae dae that?"
"Ye wouldnae. But it's good tae ken anyway." Magnus urged his horse forward. "Come on. I want tae show ye the eastern cliffs before the weather turns."
They rode in companionable silence for a while. The wind whipped across the open ground, carrying the salt-smell of the sea.
Magnus found himself watching Ada more than the path, the way she sat her horse, confident and natural. The way her blonde hair escaped from its braid to whip around her face. The way she didn't complain about the cold or the rough terrain.
"Ye're a good rider," he said.
Ada glanced at him, surprised. "Thank ye. Me faither at least made sure I could ride properly. Said a lady who couldnae sit on a horse was useless."
"Yer faither's an arse."
A startled laugh burst from Ada. "Aye. He is."
"But he was right about the ridin'." Magnus steered his stallion around a patch of loose scree. "Ye've got a good seat. Natural."
"Are ye actually givin' me a compliment, husband?"
The word husband sent an unexpected jolt through Magnus's chest. "Dinnae let it go tae yer head."
"Too late. I'm already insufferably pleased with meself."
Magnus felt his mouth twitch. "Careful. Pride comes before a fall."
"Is that a threat?"
"An observation."
They reached the eastern cliffs, sheer drops that plunged straight down to churning gray water. Magnus dismounted, helped Ada down despite her protest that she could manage herself.
"This is the edge of Barra," he said, gesturing to the expanse of sea stretching to the horizon. "If ye keep goin’ north, ye reach Norway. Me ancestors came from there, generations ago."
Ada moved to stand beside him, carefully keeping back from the edge. "Dae ye ever think about goin' back? Tae Norway?"
"Nay. This is me home now. Has been fer longer than I've been alive." Magnus picked up a stone, tossed it over the cliff. "But sometimes I wonder what it was like. Fer them. Leavin' everything they kent tae sail into the unkenned."
"Brave," Ada said quietly. "Or desperate. Maybe both."
"Aye. Maybe both."
They stood together in silence, watching the waves crash against the rocks far below. Magnus was acutely aware of how close Ada stood. Close enough that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to.
Close enough that the wind carried her scent, herbs and clean linen and something uniquely her.
"We should keep movin'," he said, stepping back before he could do something foolish. "There's more I want tae show ye."
They remounted and continued along the cliff path. Ada kept pace easily, her mare nimble on the rocky ground.
"Ye're goin' slow fer me sake," Ada observed.
