CHAPTER 7
Skye shiftedher weight from foot to foot, watching Evander prepare for their departure. Now that they’d decided to leave, she found herself unable to settle. The lengthening shadows seemed to creep toward her.
Fury tightened her chest.
How dare they? How dare they attack me like this? Who are these people who want me dead, and what on earth did I ever do to them?
There would be no answers, not yet, and frustration coiled in her gut. She raked through her mind, trying desperately to find a clue, to findanythingthat could explain her predicament. It was so unfair. The answers were in her mind; she was sure of it. She just couldn’t get to them.
The woods around the road, already dark and forbidding, jumped with movement. Or so she thought. Something rustled,and she barely suppressed a terrified yelp before a rabbit poked its head out of the greenery. It inspected them, nose twitching, then dived back to safety once more.
Come on, lass,she scolded herself.Ye arenae so frail and ridiculous as to jump at shadows, are ye?
She forced herself to relax, but it barely worked.
Evander trudged past her, leading two riderless horses by the reins. She realized then that he’d moved all three of his men’s bodies, lining them up in the undergrowth in lieu of a burial.
I could just run, could I nae? Dive into the woods and make a home. They might nae find me. I wouldnae put anyone else in danger.
“Go and take a look at the attackers,” Evander ordered briskly. “See if ye recognize their faces.”
She shivered. “Do I have to?”
He paused, glancing at her. “Ye daenae have to, but I’d rather ye did. If ye ken them, or if their faces trigger a memory, we may find ourselves better off now than we were before. We’ll leave soon.”
“Where are we going?”
“An inn, I told ye.”
She bit her lip, fighting not to roll her eyes. “I meantwhere.”
“There’s a decent place I ken, midway between here and Inverness.”
She blinked. “We are still going to Inverness?”
Evander grinned, tilting his head. “Of course. Did ye nae want to change out of yer dress? Come, lass, take a look at them. If ye can bear it, of course. If ye cannae, then?—”
“I can bear it,” Skye snapped, lifting her chin stubbornly.
So he thought she was weak, did he? Fragile, or even damaged?
I am no such thing. I am the daughter, sister, and cousin of lairds, and me maither is the strongest woman in all of the Highlands. I can do whatever I need to.
Lifting her head until her chin was parallel with the ground, she stormed over to the first body. This was the first man Evander had killed, pulled over to the opposite side of the road to where the Bryden men lay. His eyes were glassy, his face blank and blue. She did not recognize him, no matter how hard she stared.
The next man was a little trickier to see, his head having been severed from his body. She didn’t look veryhard this time, just enough to convince herself that he wasn’t a familiar face.
Last of all was the youngest one, the boy. Jim, that was his name, wasn’t it? Skye bit her lower lip until it stung, forcing herself to meet his eyes.
He looks even younger now that he’s dead.
She stared into his empty eyes until her vision blurred.
“Nay,” she said abruptly, turning away. Evander was watching her, his expression neutral. “I daenae recognize any of them. I’m sorry.”
“Daenae apologize. The fault isnae yers.”
She flinched at that and turned away so he couldn’t see the surprise crossing her face.
