“Please, listen to me,” she breathed, her voice desperate, her eyes glimmering with tears. “I know naething.”
Connell turned toward her then and the man she once knew was completely gone as he stared at her with that cold blue eye. He leaned toward her, his hands pushing her away, his voice bitter as he breathed, “Tomorrow ye will tell me everything.”
Elsy’s eyes widened as she felt Brann’s touch on her, gently guiding her out of the study. She shivered as he tied the cloth around her eyes, her thoughts worrying on what Connell meant by his words, and what he would do to her if she did not give him what he wanted. She was hardly aware of her footsteps on the stone as Brann guided her through the fortress. Her body was both numb and pained, as if a great weight had been set on her shoulders. The door creaked open, and she was gently ushered inside. She was hardly aware of Brann untying the cloth from her eyes, hardly aware of him closing and locking the door in place as she gazed at the floor that was her room.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she stared down at her hands, still feeling the smoothness of Connell’s skin against her palm. There were so many times when she was alone in McCormick’s castle, wishing to feel Connell against her one last time, yet now, having him within her reach, she still felt further away from him than she ever had before.
Her lover had survived the Battle of Falkirk. She should be happy. Yet all she felt was pain. The man who had returned to her was no longer her Connell. What should she do now? Tears trickled down her face as she slowly trudged forward, moving slowly as if every step was difficult. Elsy reached under her bed for her makeshift rope. She retied the knots as she sat on the floor, wondering if she should leave this place. Fear of the unknown made her hands tremble, made her look out the window and go over her plan of escape once more.
The sun was beginning to fall when she finally picked herself up from the ground, her makeshift rope in her grasp. She stepped toward the window, opening it. With a deep breath, she looked down at the empty courtyard, several floors below. Her hands shook. A whimper escaped her lips, but she swallowed her fear.
Do I leave now, and run to the wood? she wondered, her hands tightening around the garments as her gaze lifted to the trees in the distance.Or do I stay and try to convince Connell to return home? To give up his need for revenge?Even if she did make it to the wood, they could still find her. She had nothing—no food, no protection. And if they didn’t find her, who knew what lived within the darkness of those trees. The fae could take her, or a hungry wolf could come for her. But there were wolves here within this fortress. Elsy frowned, not knowing which of her choices were for the better. She stared out the window, watching the trees as memories floated in and out.
