“Slaine!” Blair screamed. “In the trees on yer left!”
The last bandit had returned and was aiming at Slaine with his bow. Slaine’s dagger left his hand like quicksilver, and the man tumbled out of the tree and landed on the grass with the dagger sticking out of his chest.
The camp was silent, except for the gurgling sounds of the bandit with the smashed teeth as he struggled to breathe over the blood pouring down his throat.
Blair, Slaine, and the woman stood staring at each other for a long moment: three strangers joined together forever as courageous survivors.
Blair, sobbing, ran to Slaine, throwing herself into his arms, begging for his forgiveness.
“Slaine, I’m so sorry...this is the woman...I dinnae ken her name.”
“Anna.”
Blair peeked out from between Slaine’s arms. He said the name again. “Her name’s Anna. She’s me sister.”
It seemed like the day had been a dream. Half nightmare, half beautiful dream.
After the battle, Anna had moved toward her brother, one hand in the air stretching out before her as though she were sleepwalking. Brother and sister had come together and hugged one another so hard it seemed like they could never be separated again.
“It’s because of ye I’m alive, Anna,” Slaine said, holding his sister in a tight hug. “I’veneverforgotten how ye looked, Sister. To me, ye look just the same as ye did when ye closed the hatch of the cellar all those years ago.”
Anna’s voice was suspended by sobs. “Slaine, I never would have recognized ye—ye’ve grown so much!”
Slaine gave a happy chuckle when she said this.
Anna let her brother go and gestured around her. “These were some of the men who attacked our village. I dinnae ken how many years ago.”
“‘Twas twenty years ago, Anna,” Slaine said. “Twenty years ago I was sent to live with me foster aunt.”
“That means I’m thirty years of age, Slaine...half me life gone...” Anna shuddered and could say no more.
Blair took her gently by the hand. “Come with me, dear, brave Anna. Me faither waits yonder with the horses. Slaine, will ye be so kind as to go and find Pooka? He’s tethered somewhere in the bushes to the left of the trail as ye come into the forest.”
Blair led Anna away. The two women did not look back.
Only when they returned to the inn and were sitting in the parlor did Anna have the strength to describe the day.
“It seems like the day has been a dream. Half nightmare, half beautiful dream.”
Angus disagreed with her.
“Seems like it’s been one long nightmare to me, lass,” he grunted, a large goblet of whiskey in his hands. “I was stuck back amidst the trees and couldnae tell who those screams were coming from. But as long as they were nae me own screams, I’m happy.” He took a long gulp of his drink.
Blair slapped her father on the side of his arm playfully. “Ye jest, Faither.” She turned to Anna. “When ye ken Angus better, ye’ll recognize when he’s trying to crack a jape.”
“Never mind about me. I want to hear about this fight o’ yers,” he said to Slaine, who was seated quietly with Anna on one side and Blair on the other.
Slaine shook his head, and Blair piped up. “He never likes to talk about it after, Faither, but I can tell ye if ye want.”
Angus huffed. “Ye should have made yer way back to the horses like ye were told, girl.”
“And then the bowman would have taken his shot at Slaine,” Anna said, taking hold of her brother’s hand and giving it a squeeze.
“I can tell ye ladies how he prepared for the fight if ye like?” Angus said, and the women nodded eagerly.
“He took off his cloak and doublet because he said people trust ye more if they think ye have nothing to hide. And indeed, when he hid the dagger in the waistband of his trews and the pistol in his trews’ pocket, it looked like all he had was a sword. As pretty a trick as I’ve ever seen,” Angus told them with a fond look on his face.
“Then, he unbuckled the reins from his horse and wrapped them around his right hand; they were hidden by the rapier's guard. And then he sauntered off toward the camp as though he was walking to attend a ceilidh!”
