Chapter 24 #2
The horse in front of him was restless, and the bolt was too hot to touch. The pain was electrifying, and the sound of his sizzling skin would forever be engraved in his mind. He pushed through the pain and removed the bolt, then unlocked the last two stalls.
Willow neighed beside him, fear finally taking over. She was now his frightened little girl, waiting for his orders. Her red eyes watered, wetting her lashes and fur. He couldn’t see much himself, and his breathing had become shallow. There was no visible escape now.
“It’s just ye and me now.”
Her cries were soft.
The only way out was forward. He would not make it with this speed, and she did not seem to have enough energy to lift him.
Suddenly, the ceiling beams came crashing down. They jumped out of the way, but he felt heat sear his back. His skin felt as if it had been torn open and burned as if it were afire. If they weren’t on the precipice of death, he would have been bothered by it.
“Willow.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but he wasn’t sure if she saw him, so he pressed his forehead to her flank. “Ye’re going to go, and ye’re nae going to stop, ye hear me?”
She was a big horse, but he did not have difficulty mounting her without a saddle. He clung to her tightly, closing his eyes. She was loyal to a fault. Even in her fear, she was resolved to obey his command.
There was no point in deliberating it further. They would have to rush into the flames and hope that a falling beam did not get them first.
Her muscles trembled, and his ached. When he gave the command, he felt a rush of energy surge through her. “Go!”
“I didnae think there would ever be a time when ye would have me in yer bed.”
Talia did not appreciate the joke, but was grateful he was able to joke. Her hands trembled as she held a steaming bowl to his nose.
Her eyes were wide with worry. Darragh was not even sure she had heard him. She was too busy looking at him as if she were seeing a corpse.
When he came out of the flames, Jenson and Cohen had dragged him to safety. Willow had instantly collapsed and almost crushed him with her weight. If not for them, he would have become a burgundy speck on the soil.
Talia took the bowl away and placed it on her desk. “How’s yer breathing now?” Her voice was shaky.
“I feel better, thanks to ye.”
The poultice was soothing on his back and hands. The debris that slashed his back had cauterized the wound. If Talia had screamed when she undressed him, he would have needed stitches.
“Ye can stop looking at me like that.” He reached out his hands to her, and she did not waste time taking them.
Though he could not feel anything through the bandages, her hold comforted him, and he hoped it did the same to her.
“When Cohen told me what was happening, I thought I was going to lose ye.”
“Never, Talia. Ye will never lose me.”
They stared at each other intently, as if they were afraid it was the last time they would see each other. Near-death experiences did that to a person. It made one understand how valuable life is and how precious their loved ones are.
Even before the fire, Darragh understood how precious she was. She was the best thing to ever happen to him, the light to his darkness. He understood how valuable she was because he loved her.
He gripped her hip and lowered his mouth to hers. Just as their lips touched, Cohen came into the room. Talia jumped back, and they both turned to face the man, who wore a knowing look.
“Talia, see if the veterinarian needs yer assistance.”
She could not stand the awkwardness of the situation; she quickly nodded and left.
“What have ye found?” Darragh shrugged on the fresh shirt a footman had brought in.
Cohen looked drained. He had to put out the fire and then rally the horses, which was the hardest part. He closed the door behind him and placed a handkerchief on the desk.
“Two arrowheads were found in the stables, and the other was pulled from Angus’s leg.”
Darragh inspected the metal. It could not be their blacksmith’s. For one, there was only one clan whose blacksmith left their initials on their work.
“How are the horses?”
Cohen sighed. “The foal died.”
Darragh snapped his head up. Talia’s foal.
“The gelding must have trampled over her during the chaos. We found it under the ruins. We should never have let them room together.”
When Darragh did not say anything, Cohen continued.
“He might nae make it as well. He is old and has inhaled too much smoke, and the vet suspects he is also heartbroken.”
“How’s Willow?”
“She suffered a few burns, but she would live. The rest are in the paddock, running around. Whoever did this must have been trying to kill ye.”
“Nay, it was too early in the morning. Unless he was spying on me, he never would have ken I would be in the stables. He wanted to hurt me by killing the horses. He was lucky that I happened to be present.”
Unlucky, rather, considering only one horse died.
But Darragh could not deny the arsonist’s luck.
He must have shot at a distance that did not afford him a good view of the stables, and still he hit his mark.
Even though he didn’t kill all the horses like he intended, he had killed one and wounded the stable boy, and also burned down the stables, which would cost him a lot to rebuild.
“I cannae figure out who would do this. Nay one holds a grudge against me.”
It couldn’t have been another clan. Their clan at the moment was weak. They could easily be overrun without petty tricks. Attacking the stables was a minor loss compared to what they could gain from overthrowing him.
“There’s one man ye’ve offended this week.”
He thought hard. Was it Talia’s ex-fiancé? It did not make sense for him to do this for a woman.
Talia was definitely a woman Darragh would go to war for, but he needed substantial proof. “It seems unlikely.”
Cohen folded his arms over his chest and shrugged. “Daenae underestimate the lengths a man would go to over a bruised ego.”
Darragh did not want to entertain the idea, but he could not think of anything else.
“The arrows arenae from our clan. Tomorrow, go down to the village and confirm with the blacksmith that they are from Clan MacDonald. For now, take the dogs and find out where the shooter hid. The smell of oil and tar would be heavy wherever they were.”