Page 7 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

“It’s nae up for discussion. Go to sleep.”

Though Liam’s voice was level; the warning in his tone was clear. He said nothing else before he turned his back to Muriel; settling in for the night.

With a huff, Muriel turned her back to him, too. She moved closer to the fire, almost wishing she hadn't asked him to sleep outside. The temperature had dropped and she had begun to shiver slightly whenever there was a breeze.

But she was outside. She hoped that by being out in the open, with no one around, Liam would soon be sleeping soundly. He wouldn’t help her go back to her mother but nothing was stopping her from escaping right there and then. She could return to Edinburgh and figure out what to do once there. Caitriona would help her, that much she was certain of, and Edinburgh was still close enough that she could reach on foot.

Muriel waited for Liam to fall asleep; straining to hear any sounds coming from his direction. She was impatient, her leg bouncing and her stomach tying itself in a knot, but she forced herself to wait – knowing it would be her only chance to escape. If he caught her – he wouldn’t let her out of his sight again.

She took her time, her gaze tracking the movement of the flames, and when she heard Liam snore softly, she sat up slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She stilled when Liam stirred, but when he didn’t wake, she stood and tiptoed her way to the edge of the clearing, toward the road.

Then she started running.

The ground beneath her feet was uneven, full of clumps of weeds and rocks, and the darkness of the night, while providing a good cover for her escape, made navigating the unfamiliar terrain difficult. The breeze was colder now that she was running against it, stinging her eyes and the more she ran, the more the chill burned her lungs – making her breaths shallow and laboured.

Where is the road? I thought it was here.

She could have sworn she was running towards the right direction but her feet never met the flatness of the road. The darkness enveloped everything around her, and she could see so little in front of her that every step made her heart skip a beat. She came to a halt when she realized she didn't know where she was going, taking a moment to look around her in a desperate attempt to find her way out from under the trees.

It seemed she had wandered deeper into the forest. The branches above her tangled in a thick canopy that obscured the stars and the moon, hiding the only light that would help her find her way. In her panic, she thought she heard footsteps approaching behind her, but when she turned around, there was nothing there.

What if Liam wakes up and finds out I’m gone?

Even if she did manage to escape the woods, Liam would easily catch up because he had horses. She had to hurry, to get as far away from there as she could before he even stirred.

Muriel resumed running, hoping the path she was taking was the right one and would eventually lead her to the road. Despite her best efforts, the bushes tugged at the hem of her dress, branches and thorns tearing the fabric. At the very least, her legs were shielded from the worst of it, thanks to the layers of her petticoats that served as a barrier between her and the wilderness around her.

But when she took the next step, her foot reached no ground; but air. Her stomach dropped, her hands flailing out in an attempt to grab something, anything, to keep herself steady, but there was nothing around. Muriel plummeted, a scream ripping through her throat as she felt nothing but void beneath her, and another when she landed on the soil a few seconds later, the impact knocking the breath out of her.

Muriel was rattled by panic, and she didn’t know if the numbness in her legs was because of it or because the fall had paralyzed her. She forced herself to breathe, once, twice, three times and then began to move her limbs one by one; focusing on every movement, and the pain.

The good news was that she wasn’t paralysed. The bad news was that every bone and muscle in her body hurt so much that any movement she could make was small, and each one pulled another groan out of her.

I cannae make it out of here alone. If Liam doesna find me, I’ll die.

Muriel weighed her options in her head, and she decided that dying in a ravine was preferable to revealing her attempt to flee to Liam. It would mean giving up her only chance at freedom and traveling to Lewis to marry Macleod, but what else could she do? Dying was not an option.

She gathered as much air as she could; her bruised ribs protesting at the effort and then began to scream.

“Help! Liam, help! I’m hurt!”

She didn't know how far she'd gotten from their camp, and the thought that she might be too far away for Liam to hear her chilled her to the bone. What if she were trapped? What if she could never leave, and she’d remained there until she died out of thirst or exposure to the cold? The thought only made her scream harder, voice trembling, desperate for Liam to hear her and come to her rescue.

She screamed until her voice was hoarse; throat scorched from the effort. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath; preparing herself for the next round of yelling.

If he doesna come, I’ll have to drag meself out of here.

Or at the very least, she'd have to try. She didn't want to die alone in the middle of the forest, where no one could find her.

Before attempting to scream again, Muriel tried to move; pushing herself up to her knees and then, slowly, to her feet. Her right leg seemed fine but a sharp, stinging pain burst through her left one when she placed weight on it. Still, she bit back a groan and slowly made her way to the small cliff; hands searching for leverage so she could pull herself out.

The top wasn’t too far. If she could find a rock, an opening, anything to hook her hands and her good foot into, perhaps she could drag herself out of there. But the soil was soft, crumbling under her fingers, and she couldn’t get grab onto it.

“Liam! Help!” she shouted once more; praying that he would hear her.