She passed a few single trees, and finally a mountain came into view. The shape of the rocky sides looked familiar, but she strained to place its location in her mind. She studied the cluster of cedars at its base for a few more steps before awareness finally dawned.
Those trees. Those were the very first cedars she’d inspected after leaving Laurent’s gate. That peak sat directly opposite the mountain she and her people lived in. She was seeing it from an angle she rarely approached, which was why nothing looked familiar.
She turned and retraced her footprints, already so full of new snow they were mere indentations. When she reached the nook in the mountainside, she bent low to step in, then dropped to her knees beside Marcellus. She pulled back the fur to expose his face to the cold, then shook his shoulder.
His heavy breathing shuddered as his eyes blinked open. His gaze found her face, but his expression held nothing of recognition or awareness. Maybe his mind was as numb as hers had been when she first awoke.
She tugged her fur muff down so she could speak clearly. “Marcellus, it’s me, Brielle. We’re not far from home. Can you get up and walk?”
He stared at her for several heartbeats, then looked down at the fur covering him as though trying to determine what it was.
She pulled the coat back to let the cold awaken him fully. Then she grabbed his upper arm. “Come. Let’s sit you up and put your coat on.”
He did as she asked, although he began shivering before they got his second arm in its sleeve. She pulled the fur close around his neck and fastened the straps. “We need to hurry. There’ll be a warm fire and good food when we get there.”
Maybe she should have left Marcellus and gone on to the village to bring back help. If he wasn’t able to walk, she could still do that. But they were so close ...
She gave Marcellus the last pastry. But when he sat there eating so slowly, she finally tugged on his arm again. “Stand up and see if you can walk while you eat.”
It took several tries, but they finally got him standing. His feet must be either numbed or as painful as hers, for they didn’t hold him at first.
She grabbed her bow, quiver, and satchel. “Put your hand on my shoulder to balance while you walk.”
He obeyed, then took a step forward at the same time she did. He grunted. “Feet hurt.”
“Mine do, too, but we don’t have far to go. Let’s see if we can make it.”
The first dozen steps were slow and painful. Physically painful for Marcellus, and emotionally painful for her. Every part of her wanted to get back to Laurent. The entire village was likely worried about them. They may have even sent someone out this morning after the storm eased.
It seemed to take an hour before she could see the mountain she’d viewed earlier. Marcellus was moving a little faster, but the one time he’d removed his hand from her shoulder, he’d slowed to the speed of a crawl. She gripped his upper arm to keep him moving, and he obediently increased his pace.
“Just a few more minutes and we should be able to see our mountain.” Maybe if she kept up a running conversation, his spirits would rise. She’d never seen Marcellus so quiet, not even when his father had been shot by the Englishmen and lost his ability to walk.
Marcellus communicated his emotions through speech. Yet now, he seemed to be locking them in. She would have to worry about that later. For now, she only had the strength for a single focus—getting them both home safely.
“They’re back!” Andre’s words came even before his face peered through the doorway.
Evan surged toward him. “Brielle found Marcellus? They’re both here? Are they hurt?”
Brielle’s brother flashed a wide smile. “They both walked in not five minutes ago. I came to tell you first thing, but I’m going back now to see to them again.”
Evan reached for the door to pull it open wider. “I’m coming with you.” He glanced back at Leonard, who’d stepped up behind him.
With a grin flashing across his face, the man nodded. “Just stay beside me.”
Joy flooded through Evan as he jogged behind Andre. If only his legs were longer so they could move faster. But he had to follow, for the lad was the only one who knew where Brielle was.
Andre stopped at a door partway down the corridor, the same one he and Charlotte had been coming from on the way to the feast. Had that only been two days before? It seemed two years.
They all slowed to enter, and Evan’s gaze honed on the cluster of people around the hearth on the left side of the room.
Finally, he found the profile he was looking for.
She was barely visible with the fur blanket covering her head and body, but the strong, beautiful lines of her face peeked out, shimmering in the dancing glow of the fire.
He’d covered half the distance between them when she turned to look his way. Maybe someone had mentioned him, or maybe she merely felt the change in the air he always did when she entered the room.
Her eyes were round, more so than usual, and drew him in like they always did. He dropped to his knees by her side and she scooted a little to face him. Maybe he shouldn’t appear as if he cared so much, but he was powerless to restrain his need to know how she fared.
