“Do ye play chess?”
The change of subject took him by surprise.
“What?” he managed, blinking.
She indicated the chessboard. “I don’t get to play often. Do you play?”
“Not if I can help it.”
She nodded and reached forward, moving a piece across the board. A knight, he noticed. It jumped out from behind a line of pawns and neatly took a bishop.
“When Idoplay chess with others,” she said quietly, almost to herself, “I warn them not to rush. I tell them to pause and think ahead, and decide what impact their plan will have upon the game. Upon theirfuture.I’d advise you to do the same.”
He gave a harsh laugh. “Are ye really using achessmetaphor on me? It’s very apt, actually, considering that all the pieces on the board are yers to dispose of as ye will. Which pawn am I, I wonder?”
The Abbess deftly spun the board around and began playing the other side. She shifted a pawn forward and took the knight she’d just used to take the bishop.
“That all depends,” she responded sweetly, “on how ye defend yer queen, Struan Dickson.”
Chapter 5
A Life Owed And Forfeit
They were moving. Once the clans had decided—over Una’s head, no less—to move Struan Dickson from the convent, it was all arranged very quickly.
Less than two days after his jaunt aboveground and their ill-fated sparring session, they were set to leave. They were going to Keep Kenneth, where Astrid and Kai would greet them.
That will be awkward,Una thought grimly, saddling up her own horse.Struan was meant to marry Astrid to unite their clans.Thatwould have been a disaster.
They were traveling in a comparatively small group to avoid notice, but there were enough armed soldiers to keep them safe.
Thomas was leading the way, of course, with Kyla by his side. Janson and Finnegan were coming along too, with most of their men left behind to guard the convent. It was tempting to take them all, but the convent was likely still in danger.
Una had insisted upon coming. Thomas hadn’t even tried to argue with her.
Struan leaned against the convent wall, watching the preparations with a cool, disdainful stare. His arms were tied behind his back, and he was going to be tied onto the saddle. The horse would be led by a rope from its bridle, which would beattached to a horse in front. Struan might not be able to run to freedom, but he could certainly ride there given a chance.
The sun was not quite up, flooding the world with a cold, grayish light, which made Una shiver. Her horse whickered, jerking his head and pulling the halter out of her hands. She sucked in a breath, pushing down a rush of fear. Horses could sense fear, couldn’t they? She would have to stay calm.
“Not fond of horses, eh?”
Goosebumps broke out over her skin at that familiar voice. She glanced over her shoulder to find that Struan had come up behind her, grinning down at her. She was tall, but he was infuriatingly taller. While his cheeks were a little thinner than they had been before his confinement, he was still broad and well-muscled. Intimidating.
No,Una told herself furiously.I will not be intimated.
“I don’t ride often, no,” she responded tartly. “I had no opportunity, since I was kept as a slave in yer father’s kitchens.”
He gave a slow, wolfish grin. “They sense fear, ye know.”
“Aye, I know,” she snapped. “Do ye plan to stand here all day, telling me what I already know?”
He didn’t rise to the bait. Struan glanced thoughtfully at the horse and tilted his head.
“It’s an amiable beast. Treat him kindly and give him treats, and he won’t let ye down. He won’t throw ye or run away with ye. He’s steady.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How can ye know?”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Call it a hunch.”
