The innkeeper stepped away for a moment, and Herry pulled on Loki’s shirt and whispered, “We don’t have to sleep in the stables this eve, my lord?”
Loki patted the top of his head and said, “Nay, lad. From here on, we’ll keep you warm each night. Sometimes we huddle in a cave together, but you’ll be you warm.”
Gil swore he saw tears misting the bairn’s eyes. While the other had toughened, this lad clearly had not.
As if Loki could read his mind, he whispered over his shoulder. “Poor lad stayed with them for protection and to stay alive is my guess.”
Gil held his hand out, and it surprised him how quickly Herry grabbed it. He led him over to the hearth, the crackling flames inviting in the chilly front chamber only meant for welcoming guests.
Once the innkeeper returned and the arrangements were finalized, Loki nodded to the man. “We’ll return, but we’re heading to the bathhouse first.” Then he turned to glance at the lads, one at a time. “You smell. Both of you. Grant warriors don’t smell.”
Gil was distracted right away, memories of Sabina fresh in his mind. A vendor with fabric animals was straight ahead so he knew what he had to do. He reached the stall and picked up a gray dog who looked like a deerhound, paid for it, and handed it over to Herry, whose face lit up. “For me? May I keep it?”
“Aye, ’tis yours, lad. Daw, you need one, too?”
Daw, looking quite offended, said, “Nay, I’m too old.”
Highland Retribution
Book 3
Braden and Cairstine
Loki helps protect the bairns from the Channel of Dubh.
Chapter Seventeen
The men from the channel bring a group of bairns to be shipped across the water. But The Band of Cousins are there to stop it. Loki’s sling does it again, this time in the Channel of Dubh.
Kenzie has faith that Loki, his adoptive sire, will save him and the others.
It had been terribly difficult for Steenie to mind his tongue with the men who’d come to put them in a cart and carry them through the mountains toward the loch. The one trail had been so treacherous that the wee bairns had cried for their mamas over and over again, and the four men traveling with them had not been kind. They’d cussed at them so much that Steenie had wished to hit each of them with his fist. He wanted his arms to be like tree trunks like Robbie and Braden Grant’s so he could punch them and make them stop being so mean.
He flexed his muscles to check them out, wondering how he could get them to be so big.
“You have to work in the Grant lists, Steenie,” Kenzie whispered.
“Huh?”
“I saw you looking at your muscles. You want them big like the Grants, do you not?”
Steenie nodded, his face lighting up. “Aye, how can I get them that big?”
“You have to work in the lists. They work there every day.”
“Can I when we get out? I’ll get mine to be bigger.” He flexed his one arm to demonstrate to Kenzie how big his was already.
Kenzie said with a grin, “When you’re a wee bit older, mayhap.”
“I’ll practice every day.” He was sure he could get his arms to be bigger.
Before he knew it, they’d made it through and were drawing near the loch.
When they could see the loch ahead, Kenzie leaned over to whisper to Steenie. “If you see any hawks or falcons overhead, especially more than one, ‘tis a good sign.”
“Why?” Steenie whispered.
“Because my cousin married the Wild Falconer and Uncle Alex sent for them, though ‘tis unlikely they’re here yet. But Papa says they do amazing things. Have you not heard about him?”
