Chapter 15 #2
Duncan looked at her, an odd expression on his compelling features.
But then he quickly averted his face. His dismissal of her shot through her as if he had taken a dagger, and stabbed it into the center of her heart.
While Duncan was unconscious, Fingal conjured his magic on him.
And now Duncan was as plagued as the rest of the people of Dunnvie.
The advisor would convince him that she was deranged, and for her own safety, that she was better off locked up in the high tower.
And if Duncan remembered their time together at all, he would likely regret making love to her.
That realization pierced another hole in her heart.
After all this time, she had finally found a valiant man whom she respected and cared for.
He was more than her imaginary lover; he was a part of her reality.
And she loved him, she realized. She had loved him even before she met him.
But Fingal would ultimately turn Duncan against her — just as he set everyone else to oppose her.
She didn’t know how she could handle Duncan’s eventual disinterest. Perhaps she would have been better off if she hadn’t experienced that slice of happiness in the woods.
Perhaps then she wouldn’t have to patch up the holes in her heart.
But it was too late for regrets. Yet even though she realized this, she still was unable to stop the lump from forming in her gullet.
She had already given away her heart to the Highlander, and there was no way she could take it back.
And if Fingal had his way, he would soon make Duncan despise her.
While it was one thing to have the clan members act cold and unfriendly toward her, it was something entirely to have her lover look at her with hatred and disgust.
Duncan looked around for his claymore, and when he saw that one of the guards carried it, he put out his hand. “That belongs tae me,” he said.
The guard glanced over at Fingal for permission. At the cleric’s nod, he handed over the weapon.
Taking the blade, Duncan sheathed it. Then stepping forward, he looked everywhere but at her. Her heart dove to the pit of her stomach. In such a small space of time they had already become strangers.
“Where’s Tavon MacGill?” he said, leveling his gaze at Fingal. “I need tae speak with him before I leave Dunnvie.”
“I’m afraid that the laird isnae here,” Fingal said, his voice unruffled.
He placed a protective hand over the book that he had tucked under his belt.
“MacGill and his lady wife left unexpectedly tae visit the bordering sept. I fear that their trip was urgent and sudden. However I expect that they’ll return shortly.
Ye could wait,” He bared his teeth. “Or ye can tell me your business, and I’ll pass on the message once he returns. ”
“I had hoped tae speak privately with MacGill,” Duncan said, frowning.
“However the message can wait, and I’ll return another time.
” He started to take a step forward when he dropped abruptly to his knees.
Cradling his head, he let out a loud gasp.
Adrina made a move to go to him, but the guard held her back.
Fingal gestured to the man beside him. “Help him up, Hamish,” he commanded.
The guard offered Duncan his hand. But Duncan ignored it, and pushed himself off of the ground. “I dinnae ken why I feel sae weak,” he said, his brows creased in puzzlement. “I was fine a moment ago.”
“’Tis likely the long journey has taken its toll,” Fingal said. “Or perhaps ‘twas the blow tae your head. Come, I’ll take ye back tae the castle so ye can regain your strength before ye leave.”
“Aye, that’s a guid idea,” he said.
“Nay, he should leave now,” Adrina said, cutting in. She hardened her heart, and was resigned with the fact that her highlander was lost to her. Fingal’s curse had taken control of Duncan’s mind. If he stayed any longer, the sorcerer’s power and influence would only grow.
Duncan turned his gaze on her, his rich green eyes unreadable.
“MacGregon can stay, and recount tae me what has happened at the war council,” Fingal said.
“I’ll stay, and talk about the war council,” Duncan nodded, and followed the other man.
At his words, Adrina’s heart sank. He seemed unaware that he repeated Fingal’s words. Since he was under the advisor’s dark influence, he would reveal everything he knew to the other man.
She fingered her torn plaid as helplessness descended upon her.
Without the protection of her gemstone, Fingal would eventually put a hex on her.
After that, who would free the people of Dunnvie?
And even if someone had the capacity to place a malediction on Fingal, her powers would be useless, for the advisor now had two bloodstones to shield him.
A shiver of fear ran through her. In all respects, the man was unstoppable.
If only she could gain new otherworldly counsel. Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard on hearing or seeing something that would shed light on her dire situation. But the extrasensory abilities, which were so strong leading up to her arrival to Dunnvie Castle, were silent.
As Duncan and Fingal walked further ahead, she began to drag her feet, since she no longer wished to enter the castle.
The guard at her side jerked her forward.
“Ye are hurting me, Conran,” she said, gritting her teeth. She pulled at her arm, attempting to wrench free from his grasp.
But the warrior’s large hand squeezed her harder. “’Tis for your own good, lass,” he said in his rumbling voice.
“If ‘twas for my own good, then ye would release me this instant!” She took in his granite face, and searched frantically for a new tactic. “Conran, ye and your wife have known me since I was a bairn, and ye were always kind tae me,” she said, trying with difficulty to keep the desperation from creeping into her voice. “Of all people, ye ken that I’m nae what Fingal claims.”
He frowned deeply at her. She held her breath, and for a moment, it seemed as if her words had penetrated the haze that obscured his mind. But then he shook his head, and the small window of clarity passed.
“Keep moving,” he said gruffly.
She raised her fingers to wipe at the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes. Her parents were gone, and she had no idea what awaited her. The only thing that she knew was that whatever her fate, she was to brave it alone.