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There was fire, flames, smoke, and a sense that the world and the darkness were closing in on her. Tovie was certain that her life was coming to an end. Everything she was and everything she hoped to be was going to be snuffed out like a candle, and there was nothing she could do. As she huddled there in the fire, she thought it was ironic that she had sacrificed herself to save a baby called Fraser, and she dearly hoped that he would grow to be a better man than his namesake. It was so hard to breathe. The thunder crashed around her, and she felt sure that within moments the entire house was going to collapse upon her and leave her crushed.

If only she could have seen Niall one final time…

That was all she wanted. It wasn’t anything too ambitious or grand, just a simple moment to look into his eyes again and feel the love that had been generated between them. It had all seemed as though it was going to last for a long time. She had her whole life ahead of her, and now it was being ripped away from her. Ripped so suddenly, so easily…

Her thoughts were erratic and frantic, and it became difficult to see, difficult to breathe. There was a moment when she thought she heard someone calling her name, but it must have been the wind. It could only have been the wind. There was nobody there looking for her…

* * *

Tovie opened her eyes and felt like death. Panic gripped her. She clutched the sheets and looked around, afraid that she was still in the midst of the fire. All was quiet. Her head pounded and her vision was still blurry and dark-edged. Her throat was raw, and as soon as she roused, she coughed so fiercely she thought she was going to cough up her entire lungs. When she looked at her hands, there was something black and ashy on her palm, and she was filled with revulsion. Every muscle in her body ached, and she groaned as her head hit the pillow again. Her memory was hazy and fleeting. She had no idea what had happened. She remembered the fire and the house and the tree. The family escaped. Yes, she had helped them. But after that, she remembered being alone…so alone…

It took her a few moments to gather her strength enough to open her eyes again. Her vision was attracted to a candle that burned on her bedside table. The flame flickered, and her heart trembled with fear. She cowered from it as though the flame was ready to leap upon her and set the bed ablaze. But it was just a small flame, she kept telling herself, just a gentle flame.

She coughed again and hated the dry and bitter taste that settled in the back of her throat. Her gaze moved around the dark room. The wind wasn’t howling anymore. Niall was there, sitting in a chair. His hands were laced over his chest, and his neck was arched back. Soft snores rippled from his mouth.

Had she dreamed the entire thing?

No… No, that wouldn’t explain the aching in her bones. It felt as though her entire body was ready to fall apart.

“Niall,” she called out, and then repeated it, this time a little more loudly. Finally, she had to basically shout to get his attention. He was startled and slammed his feet on the floor before he realized what had happened. As soon as he saw that Tovie was awake, he leaped out of the chair and flung himself toward her, landing on his knees. He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“Oh Tovie, oh ye are back with me. I hae prayed and prayed. I thought ye would never return. I cannae believe… Oh, I came sae close tae losing ye. Tovie… Tovie, please never dae that again. I cannae… I cannae live without ye, Tovie,” he said, his words a stream of misery and pleas that she did not quite understand. Everything was still muddled in her own mind.

“Niall, what…what happened?” she asked.

Niall stopped kissing her hand and lifted himself so that he was sitting on the bed beside her. It creaked under his weight. He spoke gently and looked at her as though it was a miracle she was there.

“Ye almost died. Ye were caught in the fire, saving Deena and her child. They could nae get back inside tae ye. But I could nae let ye die like that. I went in and found ye. I brought ye back and carried ye here. Oh, I thought ye were gone. Ye were sae still… I was nae sure I would ever get tae look intae yer eyes again,” he said, and it was clear that he was on the verge of tears.

“I almost died?” she said, and then the hopelessness returned to her. She nodded with understanding. “I remember now. Everything was closing in on me. It was all dark, and I was alone.”

“Ye were never alone,” he said, and as he looked into her eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. It didn’t matter where she was or what danger she was in; Niall was not going to let anything happen to her. This trust and this safety warmed her heart.

“How are ye feeling now?” he asked gently, brushing a few locks of hair away from her face.

“I’m trying tae figure that out,” she said, laughing a little, although the laughter only led to another fit of coughs. “I think it’s gaeing tae take a wee while tae get this out of my system,” she said, and then suddenly, a panicked thought entered her heart. “What about Deena and the bairn? Are they well?” she asked.

Niall smiled. “Aye, lass, they’re fine. Thanks tae ye, they all made it out. Their farm, though…” He averted his gaze and arched his eyebrows, making it clear that it may well have been beyond repair. “The storm did a good job on it. It’s gaeing tae take a lot of rebuilding. For the time being, I’ve told them they can stay in the castle.”

“Good, good,” Tovie said, placing her head back in the pillow, for it had jolted up with worry when she thought about the fate of the family. “We should all help each other. How is the rest of the clan?”

“There was a lot of damage. The wind ran through like a tempest, and we’re gaeing tae hae tae work hard tae get everything back tae the way it was, but we’re getting there. Thankfully there were no other fires. Nobody died either. Ye were…ye were the only one that came close.”

“Well, I’m glad I didnae get any closer,” she offered with a weak smile. “I’m glad the clan is safe,” she added, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

Niall took hold of her hand again, as though he was afraid to let it go, as though she might slip into the darkness if he was not there.

“Has the storm abated?” she asked.

“Aye, but it’s night now. Ye hae been asleep for a few days.”

“Days?” Tovie asked, her eyes suddenly opening widely again. “What dae ye mean days?”

“Well, it took its toll on ye. Ye needed tae heal.”

“But there are things tae dae! What about the envoy tae the villages?” she asked, getting herself worked up into a frenzy.