“No matter who our traitor is, ’tis better to know.” He hoped it wasn’t Lachlan. Despite his jealousy, he liked the man, and Lachlan was his best warrior. And odd as it seemed, he felt a connection between them because of the shared brother they had lost. “Who is it?”
Instead of answering, Sorely shuffled his feet and looked distinctly uncomfortable. If he had proof that Lachlan was Hugh’s man, Connor would have expected him to be gleeful. Perhaps he had not given Sorely sufficient respect.
“Damn it, tell me,” he said, but still Sorely did not answer. Connor had lost all patience with him when he finally spoke.
“Ilysa.”
CHAPTER 35
Ilysa?” Connor felt the blood drain from his head. “What about Ilysa?”
“I saw her sneak out of the castle a short time ago,” Sorely said.
“She’s a healer,” Connor said. “I’m sure she’s helping one of the farmer’s wives deliver a babe or some such.”
“When she does that, someone always comes asking for her first,” Sorely said. “No one came. She stole out like a thief in the night.”
Connor knew Ilysa was no spy for Hugh. The suggestion was ridiculous. But where was she going in the middle of the night if no one had come seeking a healer?
Can Ilysa be meeting a man?The thought struck him like a blade to his heart. No, she would not do that, not so soon after they had been together.
He hated himself for thinking it. But now that the idea took hold, he could not shake it. A lass like Ilysa needed a lover. After Connor had uncovered her passionate nature buried beneath her layers of calm control, he hated the idea of her sharing it with another man.
“You’re certain it was her?” he asked.
“Aye,” Sorely said, looking mournful. “I’ve seen her go before.”
Had she found another man while they were still lovers? Could that be the reason she was able to turn her back on him so utterly?
“Ye gave a clear command that no one was to leave without your permission,” Sorely said, lifting one shoulder.
“I’m sure there’s an innocent reason.” He hoped to God there was. “She probably woke up worrying about some child she saw days ago with a fever.”
Ilysa would not want to hurt his pride. If she were meeting a man for a liaison, she would not do it here in the castle where he was certain to find out. She was nothing if notconsiderate.
“Perhaps we should follow her?” Sorely suggested. “That would answer it.”
Sorely was a fool to suspect Ilysa was their traitor. If she was meeting a man tonight, Connor did not want anyone to discover it but him.
“No, this is a trivial matter. I’ll send a couple of the young men who need to practice their tracking skills,” Connor said. “You and Lachlan will be leaving early, so get your rest.”
“I came as soon as I saw her leave,” Sorely said, “but whoever you’re sending will need to be quick to catch her before she’s crossed the field and is out of sight.”
***
Ilysa’s breathing was loud in her ears as she ran, then walked, then ran again along the dark path. It was a long distance to the faery hills, and she had to hurry to make it there and back before dawn. As she hastened her steps, she was grateful for the moonlight that shone intermittently between the windblown night clouds and kept her from losing her way.
After a couple of hours, the outline of the odd, conical hills emerged against the blacker night. White dots of sheep lay scattered across them, like stars in the sky. Ilysa set down her bag and caught her breath as she unpacked her things. Before starting the fire, she changed into her robe. Though no one was here to see her, she felt too exposed to remove her clothes in the firelight.
Once she had the blaze going, she found a stick the right length. She needed to calm herself and focus her thoughts for the spell to work. She stood facing the fire and drew in deep breaths until her heartbeat slowed.
Gradually, she pushed back the fear that had dogged her steps while traveling alone at night, as well as the tiredness from running and lack of sleep. Finally, and hardest of all, she set aside the hurt, the anger, and the desolation that had engulfed her since the arrival of Connor’s bride.
She released all the emotions that crowded her heart and thoughts. All she kept of them was the longing, for that helped her to focus not on herself, but on the man. On Connor, for whom she was casting her spell.
She tossed a handful of the herbs she had brought onto the fire, and a burst of sparks shot above her head. The fire glowed in hues of blue, green, and orange. As she stared into the flames, she conjured an image of Connor, and she felt his presence so strongly that she was hopeful her spell would succeed.
Slowly, she began to circle the fire, left to right, in the direction for good fortune. As she walked, she dragged her stick behind her. It made no mark on the grass-covered ground, but the strength of the circle of protection she was making around Connor had nothing to do with what the eyes could see.
