Chapter 10
Islay furrowed her brow when she saw Cinaed. The young woman, a couple of years older than Islay, burst out of the carriage with a wide smile. Islay’s sense of threat lessened; she chastised herself for feeling so paranoid.
“Cinaed? What are ye daeing here? Why are ye nae at the castle or at home? There doesnae seem tae be much around here. Ye arenae haeing any trouble from bandits, are ye?” Islay asked.
Cinaed shook her head vehemently. She left the carriage door open behind her. Her hands were clasped around something, although Islay could not see what it was yet.
“Nae at all! Actually, I was waiting for ye. I knew ye were coming for dinner taenight, and I wanted tae catch ye before ye reached the keep.”
Islay thought it was a little strange that Cinaed would want to meet her out here. While Cinaed had been polite to her, it wasn’t as though they had interacted much over the years, so Islay arched an eyebrow, intrigued about what was happening.
“What dae ye need tae see me for?” she asked.
Cinaed closed the distance between them. When she next spoke, she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone, despite the fact there was nobody else around to hear, apart from the horse, and they were hardly likely to spill any secrets.
“I want tae help ye escape, Islay. I dinnae know if ye remember the conversation we haed…it must hae been five years ago now, but ye told me that ye were gaeing tae make yer own way in the world, and those words stuck with me. I always thought ye were brave tae try and make yer own choices when sae many of us dinnae get tae. When I saw ye again last night at the ceilidh, I wondered if ye haed changed yer mind, or if ye haed just given up. I spoke tae a few people, and I learned that ye werenae happy, and that ye haed even spoken of leaving yer life behind. I thought that I could help make it happen. I heard of yer disappearance and, well, it took a lot of courage. I could only wish that I was that brave.”
Islay was taken aback by the offer. It was certainly unexpected. After all, they hadn’t spoken that often and so Cinaed’s motives were unknown. Islay would have liked to believe that they were pure, but after what she had been through with the bandits, she could not trust anyone blindly.
“Are ye being serious?” Islay asked.
Cinaed nodded vehemently. She reached out her hands and clasped Islay’s, smiling widely.
“Aye! I just want tae help. I know ye hae never been truly happy, and when I realized that yer feelings haed nae changed, I just wanted tae dae all I could. Ye can leave right now. Look...” Cinaed pulled Islay towards the carriage and directed her to look inside.
Islay’s eyes widened as she saw blankets, clothes, food, and skins filled with water.
It was as though a small home had been pushed into the carriage.
“I hae this as well,” Cinaed said.
Islay turned, drawing her gaze away from the carriage. Cinaed unclasped an item of jewelry she had been wearing and handed it to Islay. It was a gold locket. “This was my mother’s. I think ye should be able tae get a fair price for it, and it will carry ye far.”
“Cinaed, I cannae…” Islay said, but Cinaed pressed the locket into Islay’s palm.
“I want ye tae hae it. Ye running away is a blow against all the people who try tae control our lives. Ye are a hero, Islay. I know my mother would hae wanted tae dae the same, but she and I never haed the same bravery. Ye ran away once. Ye can dae it again, and this time ye hae a horse and carriage tae carry ye far. Ye can gae anywhere ye want.”
Cinaed seemed more excited about the prospect than Islay did.
Islay felt the weight of the gold locket in her palm and inhaled deeply.
Her gaze drifted towards the carriage. Cinaed had certainly gone to a lot of effort to prepare this for Islay, and while she hated to make all the effort worthless, Islay knew in her heart that this wasn’t the way.
She had listened to her father and taken on board what he said, and she couldn’t face disappointing him again.
Islay shook her head and pressed the locket back into Cinaed’s hands, moving back towards Cloud. Cinaed had a confused look on her face.
“I appreciate what ye hae done here, Cinaed. Ye hae proven yerself a true friend, but I cannae take ye up on yer offer. It’s nae the right time.
And I cannae take yer mother’s locket either.
That is a family heirloom sae ye should keep it.
I’m sure she would want ye tae hae it rather than it being in the hands of a stranger.
I need tae meet my destiny straight on. There’s no sense running from it anymore.
If I’m gaeing tae beat it then I need tae fight it.
” Islay rested her hand on Cloud’s back.
Cinaed nodded. “I just wanted tae help,” she said in a small voice, and hugged Islay. Islay thanked her again and then mounted Cloud. The sky continued to darken above. In the distance, there was a low rumbling of thunder.
“Are ye gaeing tae be alright getting back home?” Islay asked.
“Aye,” Cinaed said, and returned to her horse.
Islay waited for a few moments as a carriage being driven by one young woman would be a tempting target for bandits.
Cloud whinnied and shook his head from side to side as Cinaed trundled onto the road and rode back to her house.
Shadows fell across the land, and it started to become as dark as night.
Islay urged Cloud forward and headed up towards the castle, which loomed high over all the land, framed by the black rolling clouds.
She smiled as she thought of the effort Cinaed had gone to.
It was good to know that she had people she could count on in this world, and she knew that the same wouldn’t be true if she left them all behind.
It was not easy to make friends, and the world could be a lonely place.
Even now, as the darkness swirled around her, she felt vulnerable, as though anything might leap out and strike at her.
The rumbling thunder grew in intensity, and lightning flashed behind the veil of clouds.
When this happened, the entire land was illuminated for a moment, as though the gods shone a candle over her.
Rain slashed down, peppering the ground around her.
It smacked into the ground and formed shallow and deep puddles.
Dirt turned to slick mud, and Cloud snorted and huffed in annoyance.
Islay leaned forward and spoke to her, trying to calm down the mare while the storm raged around them.
Islay placed her hand on the horse’s neck and stroked her, although Cloud was not easily calmed.
She trotted forward, water splashing away from her hooves as she made her way through puddles.
Islay groaned as the rain came falling down, soaking her skin and trickling underneath her clothes.
She squirmed as she tried to bear the feeling of the rain crawling around her skin, as though insects had found a way through her defenses.
It was as cold as ice, and it trickled down her face, blurring her vision.
Her hair matted together in thick, straggling lines.
She wanted to ride as quickly as possible to escape the storm, but the rain was thick and made it dangerous to gallop too quickly, for she could easily get lost. After her endeavor in the woods, she knew how easy it was to take a wrong turn and suddenly lose all sense of bearings, so she wasn’t going to risk anything like that happening again.
It did mean, though, that she had to endure the rain.
She cut a sorry figure, sitting there with a grim expression on her face as Cloud slowly moved forward, her mane slick against her neck and back.
Her hooves splashed. The lightning was frequent, so Islay was able to keep her bearings, making small adjustments whenever she realized that she was drifting off course.
When the lightning framed the castle, it looked foreboding, its dark windows and dark stone ominous.
There was nobody outside as she rode through the town, for they all had the good sense to stay inside, protected from the storm.
It was a far different day than when she had been here five years previously, but from what she could see, much had stayed the same.
Cloud traversed the sloping hill. Islay spat out rain and continually ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back.
Before too long, she was at the entrance to the castle.
The huge doors were wooden and they glistened, slick with water.
The rain slipped off the cold stone. Lightning forked in the sky.
When Islay approached, a guard ran out to meet her.
The rain danced upon his helmet, which she assumed he wore for protection from the rain rather than because he expected a battle.
She yelled to be heard over the thunder.
The guard nodded and showed her in. The huge doors opened and Islay rode inside.
Her horse was taken from her, and she quickly rushed to shelter, running through the courtyard to the main house, where Callum awaited her.