Chapter 12 #2
Dragut turns to look at me while trying to keep one eye on the sea dragon. “It must have told the others she was here.”
“Are they sentient?” I ask, gazing up at the dragon. Although frighteningly large, there is a tame-like quality that shines from them. As if they’d once been pets long ago, or more likely, used as weapons.
“They tend to keep to themselves,” Dragut replies. His eyes still widened at the creature’s vast size, or possibly its proximity to his ship.
I take a small step towards the creature and Lachlan grabs my arm, halting me.
“Let’s nae push our luck.”
I shake off his grip and take another step toward the dragon with my hand outstretched in front of me. Deep within my bones, I know that there is no danger here. That they have been waiting—for me.
“You’re not a beastie, are you, girl?”
A deluge of salt water soaks my leathers and hair.
I look down in shock at my soaked clothes and giggle. “I’m so sorry. You’re a boy, aren’t you?”
“Key,” Lachlan whispers, fear wavering his voice. “Ye canna be serious right now?”
I glance back at Lachlan, hoping my steady calm will soothe his nerves. “He seems friendly enough. Aren’t you sweet boy?”
I swear to the gods the dragon nods at me. Taking another step closer, I gently rub my palm over his snout. The scales are hard yet smooth, like stones that have been eroded away into glass. The dragon closes its eyes, leaning into my touch. Holy gods.
My thoughts are echoed as a gasp escapes Dragut.
“This is unprecedented. Not even the Valkyrie queens, before you have ever achieved such respect from the creatures of this land.”
Lachlan rolls his eyes, clearly relieved my hand and fingers are still attached to my body. “It’s nae just this land. Ye should ha’ seen how the animals of the human realm were attached to her.”
I give the sea dragon another stroke before he slips back under the water. His body disappears underneath the depths of the sea. Not a glimmer of a scale to be seen. My heart longs to follow him.
“Bye friend…” I whisper. But Lachlan’s words register.
“What do you mean, the animals in the human realm were attached to me?”
Lachlan cocks his head, an eyebrow arching. “Ye dinna remember? Ye said you remembered everything that involved me.” He crosses his arms over his chest, and I roll my eyes.
“I said almost everything. What’re you talking about?”
“When ye were about eleven, we took the horses out, just the two of us at night—down to the southern creek. Something spooked your horse and ye took a nasty tumble. Your horse panicked and ran, but dinna leave. It ran around ye in circles, trying to keep the predator from ye. Even my horse was in a panic. A shadow slipped from the edge of the woods, a black leopard approached ye and laid down. Like it was bowing. Before taking off back into the forest.”
Memories from that night flood my mind. I had forgotten all about it. I remember the fall, the lasting impact of that I had just overcome before coming here, but I couldn’t remember why it had happened, or that we saw one of Scotland’s most seldom-seen predators.
Dragut looks between us, his brows arching, creates more lines across his forehead. “It sounds like your horses were trying to protect her. Strange. Those are skittish beasts and usually take off at the first sign of trouble.”
Lachlan nods and stares at me, concern shining in his eyes.
“You got into so much trouble with Torin that night,” I whisper, rubbing the ghost of the memory from my chest. “He didn’t believe that we had seen a leopard.”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “Aye, but it was well worth it looking back.”
Now I’m confused. What could make that punishment worth it? I look at him expectantly, awaiting his explanation.
“I had to carry ye back on my horse because ye refused to get on yours,” he says quietly.
Dragut slinks off back to the crew and Lachlan takes a step closer to me. He tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear and gazes down at me.
“I should ha’ known then that I would be chasing that moment for the rest of my life.”
My eyes bounce between his, trying to glean his meaning. “What? Us getting into trouble?”
His throat bobs with a swallow, his gaze darkening as he traces a thumb over my bottom lip. “Nae—getting to rescue ye.”
A smile blooms on my face, and he leans down to touch his forehead to mine.
“Ye make it too easy when ye go off petting dragons.”
“I’ll be more careful in the future,” I whisper.
“No ye willna.”
The sun sinks low on the horizon when we make it around the north side of the island and begin our approach to the fjords on the west side. The water seems different on this side of the island. It’s smooth, but not complacent, like it lies in wait.
Under the surface, the current is raging. The hair on the back of my neck rises and the sinking feeling of anxiety churns in my stomach. I scan the horizon for any sign of trouble, but there is none.
Just the obelisk, its strange green light piercing the shadows that have grown in the graying light.
“We’ll have to unload your supplies in trips. The ship can’t get any closer to the shore and the birlinn can’t carry everything in one go,” Dragut calls from the helm, pointing a long finger at the fjord.
A short while later, Lachlan, I, and the smaller of the two horses, but still a fairly large grey-dappled beast, make way for a landing spot near the Wayfinder. The stone was easy to keep track of in the dimming light.
As we creep by it, we get close enough to see that where the water touches the stone, it froths. My eyes narrow at the atrocity before I lean away from it. How did she get away with this for so long?
Not her—Julius. The mastermind behind the treachery.
I focus on the land before us to ease my growing anger. A small alcove of a bay is where we’re heading. But just beyond it is the edge of a forest. Cedars tower over clumps of ferns and other bushy mounds.
It reminds me of the woods at the Hall. I’ve been cooped up on boats too long, my legs itch to hike and explore.
The mountain that Boudicca explained would have the cave is the closest. The base of it stretches into the water around us.
Its summit rises in jagged peaks and I pray the cave entrance is on this side, like it’s claimed to be.
Gray clouds meld with the gray stone of the mountain as if it’s swallowing up the sky.
The sight is glorious. I want to climb it, to claim it.
“I’ll unload the horse, ye and the packs, before I go back for the other horse. Stick to the alcove here, please.” He walks across the small birlinn. “Key, do not go exploring.” Lachlan’s eyes narrow on me from the mast as he unties the sail.
When I don’t respond, his gaze sharpens. “Did ye hear me? Do nae wander off.”
I roll my eyes. “Is this because of Boudicca’s stories?”
“Nae. Ye dinna ken the land here, and I dinna want ye getting lost.”
I grumble, crossing my arms. “I won’t go anywhere, but not because I’d get lost.” I stick my tongue out at him. “But because I don’t want the horse getting fatigued. We need to get that stone and get back as soon as possible. I want to check on Tane.”
Lachlan nods, his gaze turning a shade softer. “I’m sure he’s okay.”
I shake my head, biting my lower lip. “Would you be?”
I think back to how he was before. Tane always thought he wasn’t worthy of Mathilda, of being here—in a way. He was the only one who was ever a match for her, and yet he still felt unworthy.
How’s he going to feel now that he’s been maimed?
“I would be if I knew ye were by my side,” Lachlan answers. His words bring my attention back to him.
“Of course, I would be by your side, always.”
Lachlan smiles, but his shoulders sag with the breath he releases.
“Wait—you think I wouldn’t be?” My anger rears its head again and I squeeze my hands into fists at my side.
Why would he even think that?
“I dinna say that.” He holds his hands up in a placating gesture.
“Not word for word. You just insinuated that I wouldn’t be!” My voice raises and I can feel the burn of anger on my cheeks.
He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, we haven’t solidified things between us. I dinna want to assume.” His calmness infuriates me, but not just the calmness with which he spoke, but the words themselves.
“And when would we have had the time to do that?” I sling my arms out wide. “During the demon invasion? When I was informing the districts of the changes in ruling? Or how about when we were discovering why magic died? Luna held prisoner or Tane being critically injured?”
Sharp, acidic words hurled at him. I’m letting my rage do the talking and I regret it immediately, but it’s too late to take them back now.
Lachlan’s attention turns to the horse at his side, and he grumbles something I can’t hear over the winds that have picked up. He strokes its neck as it brays loudly, stomping its feet against the hull.
Clouds obstruct the dwindling light from the setting sun and the sea becomes choppy. The boat rocks and I widen my stance to ride out the jostling.
“What are you mumbling?” I shout. Annoyance spears through me. Why is it always fucking windy?
“I said you’re right and I’m sorry. It just would be nice to know where we stand,” he yells back. But his attention is still on the horse that desperately needs calming down.
I cross my arms over my chest as the goosebumps spread down my arms from the chill whipping over the tempestuous sea. The temperature plummets.
The horse rears up on its hind legs, letting loose a loud, high-pitched screaming sound.
“Where we—”
The boat rocks violently, nearly capsizing, and I lose my footing and tumble over the side.
Frigid water rips the breath from me and I gasp, choking on it as it fills my lungs.
“Key!” I can hear Lachlan’s horrified voice right before my head drops below the surface as a wave crashes over me.
My eyes burn and I squeeze them shut, but a flash of white has me trying to force them back open. What the fuck was that?