He shook his head, clearly unhappy. But Alana knew he would not ask her why she was leaving Brodie a second time. He had been the stableman when her mother was Brodie’s mistress, and he was as loyal as a Scot could be. When she had told him she had a trip to make, he had offered one of his sons as a guide. Ranald had not returned and Seamus clearly did not suspect Alana of knowingly bringing a spy from Bruce’s camp into their midst, as he was still willing to help her. Craig was one of Brodie’s few soldiers, but just then, she needed him more than Brodie did.
They mounted up and set off.
* * *
ALANAWONDEREDIFshe would freeze to death, now that they were almost at their destination.
It had snowed for two entire days, on the one hand keeping the temperatures more reasonable, but on the other slowing them down considerably. They had only paused to rest for a few hours every night, taking shelter in passing farmhouses. Time was not on their side.
They were on the third day of their journey, and its last leg. They had reached Loch Maree, which was partially frozen, Slioch Mountain looming on its northwestern side. The snow had stopped the previous night, and the temperature had dropped. Alana’s fingers and toes were frozen beneath her gloves and boots. So was her nose. The moisture from her eyes was solidified on her cheeks.
“We will be there in hours, Alana,” Craig said, smiling. His nose was bright red, and ice clung to his beard. But he did not seem otherwise affected by the cold. “Do ye wish to stop? There is no one on the road. I can make a fire, to warm ye up a bit.”
She shook her head. Bruce had to learn of the attack immediately. She shivered, her teeth chattering in a spasm that was occurring with more and more frequency. She caught Craig looking at her without his usual smile, very alarmed by her condition.
She tried to speak. “I am f-f-f-fine.”
“We should stop and make a fire. Ye need to eat.”
“N-n-n-no.”
They were on the banks of the loch now, approaching from the southeast. Alana tried to see the topmost ridges of the mountain. Not only did it seem impossible to see all the way up it, she saw no sign of Bruce or his men.
Suddenly she was frightened. What if Bruce wasn’t at Slioch? Had he moved? Or could Sir Alexander have been mistaken?
Buchan had spies close to Bruce, close to Iain. What if they knew of her treachery? What if Sir Alexander had sent her to Slioch on purpose, knowing Bruce was not there?
Alana felt dizzy. She was clinging to her saddle, a beautiful waterfall on her right. Ice clung to the rocks as the water poured over it.
Craig rode ahead of her, and Alana looked back at the waterfall. The water danced over the rocks, brightly white, almost silver...she stared down into the lake. The water there was dark and blue, silent, deep, beckoning....
No! She thought in panic. She knew what was within those dark, secretive depths....
She saw Iain smiling at her. She wanted to ask him if he had forgiven her, but before she could speak, Buchan appeared behind him, enraged, a sword in hand. In horror, Alana realized her uncle was about to murder Iain.
She screamed as the sword came down, and then she hit the snow, falling through it, deeper and deeper, until she saw only white before complete darkness.
* * *
THEBURNINGPAINawoke Alana. Her fingers, her toes and her nose were on fire. Tears of agony blinded her.
“It will pass,” someone said.
She began to shiver violently, helplessly. Someone held her feet and rubbed them, someone else held her hands, thawing them.
“Add more wood to the fire!”
She was in so much pain it took her a moment to realize that it was Iain ordering the fire stoked.
Her heart lurched wildly. She had left Brodie with Craig three days ago! She had almost frozen to death...but she had found Iain, at last!
“Drink this, Alana,” Iain said.
She opened her eyes and saw him staring grimly at her. He was forcing a mug to her lips.
She tried to smile at him, but was too frozen to do so. And then she remembered that she had had another vision—a terrible one.
“Drink, Alana,” he ordered.
