"Wolves..." Belle murmured under her breath, looking out at the shadows around her.
"What?" Lachlan shouted over the din.
"There are wolves!" Belle cried. "To the north of here. They come further south in the fall. They are early but could be here."
"Uncle! Did we go north?" Lachlan called toward the front.
Belle did not need to know the answer. Any herder of the province knew that wolves lay north. Sheep were brought in as winter approached. And no one ventured to the rocky woodlands after dark.
Frustration ruled. She could have warned them of this if they had told her where they were headed!
Few predators would affect horses so badly as wild wolves. They were each, in their own way, telling the humans to turn back.
"We should return to the castle before—"
A howl ripped through the trees. The call of a stalking wolf. There was a moment of petrified silence. And then chaos instantly reigned.
Horses bayed. Neighs of fright filled the air. Several of the animals bolted away in whichever direction they were facing.
"Return!" came Laird Hunter's voice over the madness. "Turn back!"
Too late to follow the command with any sort of order, the guards darted away however they could.
Lachlan charged after them, and Belle was a victim of rush aboard a mare that joined her brethren. She could only hang on to the reins in the hope that she would not lose her seat!
Each rider of the hunting party allowed the horses to run away from the scent of danger. Some fractured from the group, and others came together, a little too close for comfort within the trees. All of them attempted to slowly turn their rides south.
For a moment, Belle was lost to her own fear. Her eyes squeezed shut and her legs holding tight, she quickly realized how foolish riding blind would be. Instead, her lids shot wide open and remained there against the rush of air. The wind blustered into her face; her eyes streamed with damp rivulets over her temples. She held on as tight as she could and simply prayed to the Lord Almighty that her horse not misstep.
One stumble, one misplaced foot, and she and the mare would be tumbling to the forest floor.
Looking up, Belle suddenly realized that she and Lachlan were alone. Where the rest of the riders had gone, she had no idea. Perhaps she would have heard their trampling hurry through the trees somewhere nearby if it hadn't been for her heart. It pounded in her ears like a drum of war, eclipsing all other sounds.
"My lady!" Lachlan called out in warning. "Look out!"
But it was too late. The low-hanging branch was upon her before she truly realized what it was.
Dipping her head helped deflect most of the blow, but Belle was still caught in the brow. The force knocked her backward and to the side. Her vision suddenly became a picture of the upper canopy of the trees. Her hands slipped on the reins. The metal of the stirrups left her feet. She felt a thump of the horse's flank on her back, and then she was spinning through the air and into the darkness until...
She collided with the earth in a heavythump!
With the wind knocked out of her and her arm twisted painfully beneath her body, Belle lay still and startled for a good few seconds. Unable to really process what had happened, she tested her toes and fingers. Everything ached but still seemed to work.
At least now ah ken why everyone fears being unseated from a horse,she thought to herself. It was damn hellish painful!
Slowly, Belle blinked the stars from her vision and lifted her head. Her cheek felt scratchy where a wad of leaves had stuck to her skin, and there was a trickle of warmth running down from her temple. The woods around her were mysteriously quiet.
Frowning, Belle reached for the ground. She hoped it would stop spinning as she tried to draw herself up onto all fours.
She was crouched beside a large oak tree, discarded across its roots. Sunlight was patchy through the leaves above, and there was nothing but the beaten track as far as the eye could see. In every direction, there was simply more forest.
Moving slowly upright and shifting her corset from where it was poking her in the side, Belle took a long and steadying breath. Brushing the leaves from her face and arms, she did not yet dare to stand up. Her head was spinning like a top.
"My lady!" a voice called out to her. It was muffled by distance, but Belle was sure that she recognized it as Lachlan's.
"Lachlan!" she called back, forgetting to use his formal title. Apparently, Henry's lessons had been knocked from her along with the air in her lungs. "Lachlan, I'm here!"
No response.
