The Clearing
There were trees everywhere. It seemed an odd thing to notice, but it was the only thing that Eithne could focus on. They were being led through a deep forest on foot. At least they were being fed now, but both girls had been wearing soft indoor night shoes when they were captured – useless for this sort of terrain. Now their soles were cracked and bleeding.
Eithne didn’t give Rory’s men or her traitorous cousin the satisfaction of showing her pain or her exhaustion. She walked with her head held high, holding tight to Myrna’s hand to give her sister strength.
There were five soldiers, plus Walter, making a total of six men to guard two unarmed women. In its own strange way, this made Eithne feel rather powerful.
Do they fear that the fae witch will launch herself at them again? Give me a weapon, and I’ll show ye how scary I can be.
It tempted her to run at them and grab one of their knives or bows; however, Eithne knew that she needed to refrain from doing anything too rash. These men were monsters, or at least they belonged to a beast. She was sure that they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Myrna if it kept Eithne in line.
So, she waited for the opportunity to strike, ready to grab it as soon as it arrived.
They’d been walking for over a day, and the sun was once again gone from the sky, replaced by the moon and her sparkling children draped across the darkness. Did they plan on walking her all the way to Fife? Surely not, but at least she could see the sky for now. It was a cloudless night, the moon shining almost eerily on the ground before them. She couldn’t make out the stars.
“Time to rest, lads,” one of the soldiers said. There was a general grumbling of agreement, and the men began to set up their impromptu camp. The soldier holding Eithne pushed her so that she stumbled forward, demanding she help gather firewood. She did so mutely, relaxing into her visions of cracking him across the wood she was hefting.
She and her companion wandered a little deeper into the tree line. He didn’t bother holding her – why would he? He knew that she wouldn’t run, not when Myrna was still back with the others. She wouldn’t attack him; she had no weapon. No, the soldier knew he was safe, and Eithne couldn’t do a thing about it.
Eithne had just finished thinking that when the man’s agonized scream sounded through the trees. She dropped her firewood and stared at her captor. Without a word, both of them began to run back to the clearing.
* * *
Ivor heard the scream from the very edge of the forest. He and Jonah had managed to follow the trail as far as this, but seeing the trees rising above them had made them hesitate.
“They could be anywhere in that mess,” Jonah said in despair. “We’re never gonnae find them on time. Should we go around the other way and catch them out the other end?”
“Nay,” Ivor had started – but that’s when the scream interrupted him.
The two men looked at each other. Jonah frowned and said, “That was a man. It definitely wasnae one of the lassies.”
He was right. It had been the sound of a man in pain. “One of them must have gotten their hands on a weapon,” Ivor mused.
Jonah raised an eyebrow. “Ye think the women are fighting theirownway out?” he asked, a little skeptical.
“Ye think it was just a coincidence, do ye?” Ivor said, a slight smirk on his face.
Jonah glanced away with not a little chagrin. “That isnae what I meant. I just…it could be a trap. For all we ken, the lassies are already dead.”
He said it flippantly, but Ivor heard the actual fear in the boy’s voice. He was terrified – truly frightened that Myrna would be taken from him forever.
Poor wee fool, getting caught up in all of this as he has. I pray she’s understanding.
“They’re alive,” Ivor said with more confidence than he actually felt. “MacDuff wouldnae allow any harm to come to Eithne, nae while he craves her so much. If someone is to kill her, it’ll be him or naebody.”
“And Myrna?” Jonah asked anxiously, hanging on Ivor’s every word. “What will they do to Myrna?”
“She’ll be alright,” Ivor said, though his faith this time was a little more forced. “They’ll keep her to make sure Eithne stays in line.”
Jonah nodded, but he still looked troubled. “And Betty and her bairn?” he asked.
Ivor glanced at him. He didn’t have an answer about what had happened to Jonah’s sister. Most likely, she and the child had met a dark fate, but he couldn’t – wouldn’t – say such a thing to the boy. Not now. So instead, he said, “We’ll find out soon enough.”
Jonah nodded, though his face was pale. “What now?”
“Now we run toward them screaming,” Ivor replied, and the two of them darted into the forest.
* * *
