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Isla stayed awake as dawn spread its rosy fingers across the land. She felt hollow inside, as though something had been ripped out from her soul and left an abyss within her. There were moments when she almost couldn’t believe that it had happened.

She glanced beside her and expected to see Andrew there, sleeping peacefully, but of course, he wasn’t. She wondered if Rune was treating him well because he was his son or if that had all been a pretense to convince Isla that it was a safe place for Andrew. But what did Rune want with Andrew? He had mentioned that it had all been about Andrew, but why? Did he just want a son to solidify his power, or did he want to train a warrior to stand in his place when he died? It would have been easier for her if he had sired another son with another woman…

She felt stupid now for ever praying that Rune would come back. Years ago, she had stood on the shore and faced the sea, waiting for a ship to come back so that Rune could fulfill his promise. She had prayed with all her heart that he would return, and now she wished that he had been struck from this earth. How had she ever loved such a cruel man?

It wasn’t easy for her to admit that Emmel was right in thinking they should return home. Retreating and moving farther away from Andrew seemed wrong to her, yet Emmel spoke sense. The two of them could no more defeat Rune Dolph than they could change the tides of the seas. They needed help, and to do that, they needed to return to their island.

In the light of day, Emmel’s wounds were more visible than they had been in the shadows of the night. The bruises were deep and wide, and he looked far from the handsome man that she had known for the past number of years. There was still some quality about him, though, some trait that went beyond the physical that spoke to his attractiveness. She was drawn to him because he had been there through her trauma, and even now, he was willing to keep fighting and keep moving forward to try and get her son back. Being held in his arms was heavenly, even if it weren’t in the circumstances she would have wished. He was strong where she was weak. He was rational where she was emotional, and she knew she wouldn’t have been able to get through this without him. At least she was free from Rune’s clutches, and that meant she could work on helping free Andrew as well.

They ate some of their supplies, although it tasted bland to Isla, and then left the loch. They rode the horses as swiftly as possible. Now that time was of the essence, they returned to the well-beaten paths and galloped along the roads. It was possible that Rune was still having patrols watch out for them, but it was a risk each of them was willing to take, considering that Andrew’s safety was in danger. They rode to the coast and then sailed over the bay to their islands. Evidently, Rune had gotten what he wanted and wasn’t about to expend resources on tracking Isla and Emmel. He was so arrogant he likely thought they didn’t pose him any threat any longer.

Isla had assumed that when she returned to the island, the homecoming would be sweet. It was anything but. The familiar shoreline and the welcoming trees had lost their luster. Everything here reminded her of Andrew, and his absence only made sorrow swell within her heart. Tears glistened in her eyes and began to fall again. Emmel had to support her as they walked forward back to the village.

The island was peaceful. It had recovered from the recent fight with the Vikings, and there had been no more attacks. People were moving about industriously, and it was a far cry from the environment that Isla had found herself in with Rune’s men. There was no sense of danger here, and yet because of what happened with Andrew, she did not feel at ease.

“Brother! I’m gladdened by your return,” Brenda said as she saw Emmel and Isla approaching. It didn’t take her long to realize that Andrew was missing, though. Her face fell, and when she asked what had happened to Andrew, Isla broke down in tears. She nestled her face against Emmel’s shoulder, and the tears poured freely.

As Emmel described what happened, Brenda’s face twisted in agony and turned a shade of crimson.

“I have never heard of this Rune Dolph before, but he has made an enemy of me. Do not fear, Isla. We will see that your son is returned to you,” she said.

Isla nodded gratefully. Emmel and Brenda exchanged a few words about how the village had been in his absence, and it appeared as though Brenda was doing a fine job. She expressed concern about Emmel’s appearance, but he said that his wounds would heal and that time was of the essence. However, she insisted that his wounds needed to be seen to, so they went to the healer’s tent. Isla was given some calming tea, which helped her nerves, as well as a big meal. She wasn’t feeling like eating yet, but she forced some fish meat down. The healer saw to Emmel, offering some ointment and remedies for his bruises.

“Ye should really think about staying away from fighting for a while, let yer wounds heal,” the healer said.

“I cannae dae that,” Emmel replied. “We hae tae keep moving, and we hae tae get back tae the mainland.” He asked Brenda to stay with Isla while he went to speak to Erik.

Brenda was a calming presence. She was strong, battling, a formidable woman who had been through so much, more than Isla could comprehend. Isla wished that she was more like Brenda. Brenda made the same kind of promises that Emmel had made, although it didn’t help change Isla’s reality of being away from her son.

Emmel hated leaving Isla alone, although he knew that she would be safe with Brenda. He returned to his home, where Erik was waiting for him. His father was looking well, and Erik smiled when his son returned. Emmel walked up to him and embraced his father. Erik’s expression changed when he saw the state of him.

“It looks as though you’ve been in a war, my son,” Erik said.

“Aye, Da, that I hae, and I’m afraid tae say that I was nae on the winning side.”

“There is no shame in losing.”

Emmel grunted and shook his head. “I left here with the intention of bringing Isla and her child back, but I hae failed. The man who haes Andrew is cruel. I should hae been able tae save him.”

“We cannot always do everything, Emmel. Tell me of this man and what you experienced over there,” Erik said, and listened intently as Emmel told the story of his failure. At the end, Erik nodded sagely. “It seems as though you did all you could, Emmel. Sometimes the forces of fate are against us, and there is nothing we can do. Sometimes even our best isn’t good enough.”

“And I could cope with that if I was the only one being hurt, but a child’s life is at stake here,” Emmel said.

“I know, and you will have our full support against this man. But I have to say this… He does have a claim to the boy.”

“What dae ye mean?”

“The boy is his child, yes?”

“Aye,” Emmel said.

“Under Viking law, a man has a right to claim a child.”

“But he haes been absent for the last ten years! What right does he hae tae a child he haes played no part in raising?”

“I didn’t say I agree with the law, I merely said that as far as Rune Dolph is concerned, he’s not doing anything wrong. Even though Highlanders and Vikings have lived together for a long time, there are still difficulties. The old ways are difficult to leave behind.”