“Nay,” she murmured. “It’s more than that.”
It felt as though the whole of Keep Kenneth had been mobilized.
In a way, maybe it had. Led by Thomas and Kai, seemingly endless soldiers had tramped out of the gates in the dead of night. They were going to the convent, where Brendan waited. Hours later, when the morning mists were still drifting through the fields, the others had left.
Led by Una, a handful of guards and the women were going to Keep Grahame. Astrid could not come, as the Keep couldn’t be left unattended, not at a time like this. She’d stood in thedoorway with an ashen face, waving them off. Una supposed it was a good sign that Kai was coming to trust his sister more, since he was the one who suggested she should lead the convoy.
Struan came too, of course, for “proper safekeeping”. Nobody had explained to Una what this proper safekeeping meant. She hadn’t dared ask. They travelled in a long convoy, with Struan surrounded by guards in the center. He was tied to his horse again. If Una glanced over her shoulder, she’d see his dark head above the rest. She might even risk meeting his eyes. To avoid this, she’d kept facing firmly forward and never glanced back even once.
They would be there soon. The day had slid by with travel, and Una was exhausted. The urgency and danger of their mission meant that nobody felt comfortable enough to stop for a rest, even for a moment. The hope was that Laird Dickson would focus on the large army of soldiers leaving Keep Kenneth and not notice the smaller cluster of women leaving by the back door, with his son in their keeping.
They were bringing supplies, since Keep Grahame was hosting all the refugees from the convent.
Una wasn’t sure what would await them there. She wasn’t sure she wanted to think about it. In fact, she’d been working hard to think about nothing at all. It seemed safer.
And nowKylawas riding alongside her, with those thoughtful, soft eyes set in a calm and trusting face that Una had never been able to lie to. Her shoulders sagged, and she felt her determination melting away.
“It’s Struan,” she murmured, her voice so quiet she briefly hoped that Kyla would not hear.
If Kyla hadn’t heard and had asked Una to repeat herself, she was almost completely sure that she would have backtracked and said something else. It would be safer, wouldn’t it?
But Kyla did hear.
For a moment, there was only silence, then Kyla let out a long, ragged sigh.
“I knew it,” she whispered, shaking her head.
Una glanced over at Kyla. “He wasn’t what I thought he would be.”
Kyla sighed again. “I know that ye were fond of him. Too fond, some would say.”
She wasn’t sure what she expected. She hadn’t told Kyla about her intimacy with Struan—of course not—but part of her wouldn’t have been surprised if Kyla had guessed.
“In the past few days,” Kyla began, slowly, “I’ve watched my brother change. It was always hard, hearing about the hammer of the Dicksons, the monster that was Struan Dickson, and trying to reconcile it with the brotherIknow. Knew, rather. I’m not sure he still exists. I want to believe that he does, but…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Once, I knew that my beloved brother, Struan, would never change. I was sure that we’d escape together. Then I was sure that he was a monster, and I hoped never to see him again. I thought that was best. Now, I don’t understand anything. I don’tknowanything. All I know is that I wasn’t the one who seemed to be changing him.” She glanced over at Una, who resolutely did not meet her eye. “I think ye were, Una.”
Una clenched her jaw, staring straight ahead.
“Well, ye were wrong, Kyla. I’m sorry, but ye were wrong.”
She felt an itch between her shoulder blades, as if somebody was staring at her from behind. She knew who it was without having to look behind her.
“Struan has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with me,” Una responded, her voice crisp. “And that’s that.”
There was a long silence before Kyla responded.
“I know my brother,” she said at last, her voice wobbling. “I know his fears. He pushed me away too when our father beganto dig his claws into him. At the time, it hurt, but looking back, I know that he only ever wanted to protect me. He’s trying to protect ye, Una, so he is pushing ye away, too. I think he is afraid that he will destroy ye.”
Una swallowed reflexively, glancing over at Kyla. Kyla was staring straight ahead, a frown between her brows, and her hand lingered over her stomach.
Before Una could give a reply, a rider came plunging along the path towards them, out of breath. He was one of the outriders they’d sent ahead to scout out their path.
“What news?” Una barked, standing up in her saddle.
“Nothing bad,” the man gasped, grinning. “Just that Keep Grahame is up ahead, and they’re sending soldiers out for us. We’re nearly there. We made it.”
There was a ripple of relief along the convoy, the news being passed back to those who hadn’t heard it. Una twisted around, watching relief flicker on the faces of the people behind her.
As if drawn by magnetism, she met Struan’s eye squarely. He was looking at her. Of course he was. A shiver rolled down her spine, and she pointedly turned back.
