Page 27 of Reviving Her Highland Spirit

Maggie swallowed hard. “That sounds terrifying.”

“Aye, it is.”

“Has… has it ever caught ye?”

Another silence. Maggie forced herself to be patient and wait.

“No,” Callum said. “Not yet.”

Just a little further, and then the cool, dark passage opened up abruptly. Maggie heard Callum suck in a surprised breath behind her, no doubt at the power, sound, and sight of the waterfall.

It was always surprising to find such a tall waterfall tucked away in the woods. Beneath Stardust’s hooves, the ground sloped steeply down into a deep valley, and the waterfall came out from the rock high above their head, thundering down into the valley. Down there, it poured into a shallow pool, and flowed down into a narrow stream. That stream would wind its way through the forest, becoming wider and deeper and more powerful, until no doubt eventually bursting out into the sea.

When she was younger, Maggie had followed that river as far as she dared.

“This is it,” Maggie said, shivering in excitement. She swung her leg over the saddle, sliding down to the ground before she could realise that she’d dismounted by herself for the first time in a while.

Judging by Callum’s chuckle, he had noticed.

He slipped down beside her, carefully tethering Stardust to a branch.

“Can we get down there?” Callum asked nervously, peering down into the valley. “It looks steep.”

“It is, but there’s a path. Here, follow me.”

Maggie’s feet found the path, scarcely more than a rabbit path, zigzagging down the side of the valley. She slipped and shuffled down, feet catching on loose stones and moss, slick from the cold, misty mornings they’d had lately. She could hear Callum coming down behind her, breath catching in his throat.

Was it her imagination, or was Callum nervous? He seemed a little tense - she’d heard it in his voice and felt it in how rigid his arms were around her when he held the reins. Perhaps he was conscious that they were wasting time, and wanted to get back to the keep and get on with his duties.

The waterfall was just on their right, countless measures of water tumbling right past them. If Maggie stretched out her hand, she could feel the spray on her fingertips.

“Don’t do that, Maggie!” Callum said, alarmed. “Ye’ll fall! Ye will drown!”

Maggie laughed. “I willnae drown. I’ve fallen under the waterfall before. It’s dangerous, of course, but so long as ye can swim out from under as soon as possible, ye will be fine. It’s deep there, so ye won’t be crushed on the rocks.”

“Rocks?” Callum echoed, and groaned. “Perhaps we should go back.”

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Maggie knew that time was passing. Breakfast would be served soon, and the family would glance at each other and frown, wondering where she was.

Maggie didn’t care. She felt as though she were coming home. For a few moments, she almost felt like her old self.

Besides, Callum hadn’t called her lady anything. She was just Maggie.

Maggie slid the last few feet down the path. The ground leveled out, creating a rocky, shaley sort of beach around the pool. The waterfall thundered into the pool at one end, but at the far end, where Maggie and Callum stood, the water was smooth and still.

“Here we are,” Maggie said, breathless and smiling. “What do ye think?”

Callum seemed uncomfortable again. “It’s very pretty. Shall we go back?”

Maggie barely heard him. She could already feel the silky coolness of the water on her skin. When she was small, Bryce and Sola had taken her swimming here. She’d expected the water to be icy and bitter, and was surprised to find it more than tolerable. She’d asked her father why the water wasn’t cold like the sea, and he told her it was because the earth was cradling the pool in its hands. The earth kept it warm. Of course, the water was still cold - you wouldn’t want to swim there for hours.

She undid her cloak, dropping it carelessly on the stones behind her. She pulled off one boot and then hopped on one leg, pulling at the other.

“Lady Maggie? What are ye doing?” Callum said, sounding mildly panicked.

She girinned at him over her shoulder. “Swimming, what do ye think?”

“Ye can’t swim in there! Ye will drown.”