Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Deirdre's breathing was rapid and nervous, her eyes wide as she pressed the cloth to the wound on Jocelyn's shoulder. "It's…bleeding so much. I dinnae ken what tae do."

Glancing around them, Jocelyn could tell they were no longer in imminent danger. The stranger had chased after Aoife, and though she wanted more than anything to be chasing after her too, she needed to care for the cut first. The pain was sharp but not deep, despite the copious amounts of blood running down her arm. Jocelyn reached out and kindly, but sternly, gripped Deirdre's wrist.

"Little rose, I need ye tae close yer eyes, just fer a moment." Jocelyn watched as Deirdre did what she was asked, despite the look of pure fear on her face. "Now, picture the night sky, full of stars, the moon high and bright. As ye do, begin tae breathe in through yer nose and slowly out of yer mouth. Each time, I want ye tae imagine that yer exhales are lettin' all the nervousness and fear escape yer body and float up toward those stars."

Deirdre nodded, her body stiff. Jocelyn watched as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, taking in long deep breaths and blowing them back out. While Deirdre's eyes were closed, Jocelyn allowed herself to flinch, letting the pain from her shoulder flow through her and into the ground below. She too breathed deeply, exhaling the pain and panic in her chest. After several moments, Deirdre's body had relaxed and the color had come back to her cheeks.

"Better?" Jocelyn asked. "See, ye dinnae have tae let the panic take hold of ye. In fact, if ye learn how tae do that all the time, ye'll be better able tae react with thought in dangerous situations."

Deirdre's shoulders dropped and she lowered her head, calmly opening her eyes. "Thank ye, Jocelyn."

Jocelyn forced a small smile and nodded toward the area the horses had been tied. "When ye were up in that tree, were ye able tae see the horses?"

Deirdre nodded. "Aye. They weren't too far away from here. They just kind of came tae a stoppin' point right over the ledge."

Jocelyn didn't want to send Deirdre anywhere outside of her line of sight, but she needed the bags from the horse. "Can ye run out there and grab my horse? Go slow and make sure it's safe."

Letting Jocelyn take the bandage wrapped around her arm, Deirdre nodded with an almost excited spark in her eye. She was thankful not to be useless when it came to the wound on Jocelyn's shoulder. She raced off toward the spot she had seen the horses. Jocelyn leaned back a bit and closed her eyes, listening to Deirdre's small footsteps through the leaves. When they stopped, Jocelyn sat up, nerves reigniting in her chest. It didn't last long though, as moments later, Deirdre came racing back to Jocelyn, pulling all three horses behind her. She tied them up to the tree they had been sitting at when they were released.

"Good," Jocelyn replied. "On me horse there's a satchel, a leather one. Inside, ye'll see a burlap bag. Bring that tae me, please."

Nodding, Deirdre hurried over, flipping open the satchel and grabbing the bag from the top. She hurried over and kneeled next to Jocelyn. Trying to grit through the pain, Jocelyn nodded toward the bag. "Right at the top ye'll see a saucer type of dish. It's made of seashells from the ocean. Take it down tae the brook and bring up some water in it."

"Aye," Deirdre replied, grabbing the small dish and rushing back over to the brook.

Jocelyn took the scraps of fabric from the cut on her arm and winced. Inside the burlap sack, she separated out two piles of fabric, one for cleaning, and the other for bandaging. Deirdre dropped back down on her knees, setting the water between her and Jocelyn. "How did ye learn tae care fer illness?"

Dipping the rag in the water and squeezing some of it out, Jocelyn shrugged. "Blair taught me some, and the servants in the castle taught me some." Jocelyn wiped away the fresh and dried blood, showing a gash. It was not one of any seriousness, at least as long as she was able to keep it clean. "Alright, look, it's nae so bad. May need tae be sewn up when we reach Blair's, but nothin' that will keep me from continuin' on. In the bag there is a small tin of ointment. I'll need that."

As Deirdre grabbed the items out of the bag, Jocelyn washed away the dirt and blood from her shoulder. She dipped her fingers in the salve her sister had sent and gritted her teeth, rubbing it over the gash in her shoulder. Then, with Deirdre's help, she was able to wrap a fresh cloth around her shoulder and over the wound, attempting to keep it clean and dry.

"See?" Jocelyn replied, sitting forward, freshly bandaged. "Good as new."

Deirdre looked worriedly over her shoulder. "Who do ye think that man is? Can we trust him?"

Jocelyn began cleaning up her cloth. "I dinnae ken. I think right now, we cannae trust anyone. We need to focus on gettin' Aoife back. What is taking so long?"

With the pain receding, Jocelyn was suddenly acutely aware of the seriousness of her sister's capture. She stood and tucked things back into her satchel, her eyes poised into the woods, waiting for any sign of Aoife.

Deirdre stood next to her horse, running her hand down its long mane. "Do ye think he came to kill us?"

Jocelyn shook her head. "I doubt it, considering he saved all of our lives. I think he either was sent tae protect us, or came upon us, seein' three lassies in trouble." Jocelyn tapped her foot on the ground, looking up at the position of the sun. "This is ridiculous. Something must be wrong. They should be back by now. I cannae just stand here."

Jocelyn strapped her satchel down and grabbed her blouse and cape from the ground, redressing herself. She was thankful that, though their words were vulgar, they hadn't had the chance to touch any of them. Pulling the hood over her head, she turned to Deirdre. "Come on. Stay close tae me. Any sign of trouble and ye use those tree climbin' skills."

"Shouldnae we wait a bit longer?"

Jocelyn shook her head, already heading in the direction that the shadow of a man had run off to. "I cannae wait another moment. I have tae look fer them. Nay matter who that man is, Aoife is our sister, and we are charged with makin' sure we're all safe, right?"

Deirdre nodded, pulling her cloak over her shoulders. "Aye. I'll walk behind ye and pull the horses with me. I'll let ye know if I hear anything."

Jocelyn smiled at her little sister, still amazed by her boldness and fearlessness. "Perfect, let's hurry. We dinnae want tae lose their trail."

They gathered anything they had there and began to walk through the forest. Jocelyn wanted to take off at a run, but she knew that wouldn't be safe. She also knew Deirdre could never keep up, especially pulling three horses along. With Aoife out of her protection, Jocelyn had a hard time remembering all the things Blair taught her about keeping safe. She found herself almost forgetting how to step lightly, staring at the path forged by trampling feet in front of them.

"Jocelyn," Deirdre whispered, a bit out of breath as she caught up with Jocelyn's long strides. "How do ye ken we're goin' the right way?"

Jocelyn glanced back at Deirdre, processing her question through the massive anxiety surging through her. "Um…oh, well, when I was a wee lass, I always had me head in books and wasnae the most social sister. I loved our father, though, and always wanted tae spend time with him. Mother had taken Blair and Aoife tae another clan fer a bit, before ye were born and father had a hunt planned. So…he took me with him. I was excited of course, but once we were out there, I got a bit scared about huntin' and killin' animals. I think father picked up on it and instead, he showed me all about trackin'. When we finally tracked down the animal, we just watched it from a distance and went back tae the keep empty-handed. I guess it just stuck with me."

Deirdre's eyes glistened, listening to the story. "I wish I could remember our mother and father."

On the inside, Jocelyn's heart broke for her little sister. She never had the chance to make any memories. Aoife didn't have much memory of them either, but Jocelyn and Blair did. Some of the memories Jocelyn wished she could forget, like the night their father died. Then again, she knew if she had no memory of what life was like before their death, it would be harder to understand why they needed to get away from their uncle and Bram. There was a freedom that they weren't given, and Jocelyn wouldn't let that go.

She patted Deirdre on the shoulder and nodded. "When we're safe and tucked away at Blair's, I'll tell ye some stories about them, ones ye were in."

Deirdre half-smiled and nodded, her eyes shifting through the woods ahead. "Where is she? Ye dinnae think they got away with her, do ye? She cannae go back tae Bram. He'll torture her until we join her there."

Jocelyn swallowed hard and all of the fond memories that were seeping into her mind quickly dissipated. She wasn't sure how Deirdre had become so intuitive over the years, but she was right. If Aoife were captured and taken back, Bram would use her as bait. He would keep her alive until he was able to get all of the sisters back. He knew the bond between them was unbreakable, and nothing would stop them from trying to save her. Jocelyn just hoped that she wasn't far ahead, and the stranger that had come to save them had done so for her too. Otherwise, Jocelyn wasn't sure what to do next.

"Wait," Deirdre gasped, stopping and narrowing her eyes. "Look! There. Aoife is there!"

Jocelyn put her arm out and grabbed Deirdre before she could race head first into a possible trap. "Hold on, we have tae make sure the coast is clear. It willnae do Aoife, or anyone else any good if we're all captured."

Leaving the horses behind, Jocelyn pulled Deirdre from tree to tree, hiding for a moment to look around. Jocelyn was on high alert, taking it one step at a time until they were close enough to start making out the bodies strewn on the ground around her. There was the leader and the captor, their bodies crumpled and bleeding on the ground. Their chests no longer rose and fell with life. Aoife was knelt down on the ground next to another body.

Jocelyn stepped out from behind the tree. "Aoife? Are ye alright?"

Aoife's head popped up and she nodded, tears stained on her cheeks. "Oh, God. Ye found me! Everything is safe, the captors are dead. I just…" She lifted her hands from the body, covered in blood and shaking. "I am tryin' tae save him. He…he's the one who saved us but before he took out the last guy, he was stabbed in the side, and I think he may have a broken arm."

Jocelyn and Deirdre raced over, dropping down next to him. "Alright, take a deep breath, Aoife. So he caught up with ye, killed one man, and then fought the other?"

Aoife nodded. "Aye. After he was stabbed in the side, they fought and tumbled around. The leader had him for a moment, but whoever he is, he was able tae break free and kill the leader. Then he collapsed right here."

The man's eyes were shut and his breath was shallow. His face had grown pale and his body was bleeding out into the leaves beneath him. Jocelyn knew that being unconscious was a bad thing. She needed him to wake up. There was no way they could carry him anywhere. He would have to try. Bram's men might be dead, but that didn't mean there weren't more of them lurking in the woods. They had to get out from the middle of the forest, but Jocelyn couldn't even think about leaving him behind. She wasn't sure why, besides that he saved their life. There was something about him, though, something that made her feel as if there was some sort of connection between them.

Jocelyn shook the thoughts away and looked to Deirdre. "Go in the satchel and pull out all the healin' stuff in there." Deirdre nodded and Jocelyn turned to Aoife who was staring off into the distance, shock pulling at her consciousness. Jocelyn reached out and put her hand on Aoife's. "And ye. I want ye tae grab the water skin from the horse and wash off yer hands. Take a moment tae make sure ye're alright. I'll tend tae him the best I can."

Aoife looked down at the man and then back to Jocelyn, giving her a nod. Just as Aoife was to her feet, Deirdre hurried back over and dropped all the supplies in a pile. Jocelyn took a deep breath and pushed her anxiety to the side, staring down at the stranger, unconscious in front of her.

"Alright, little rose, can ye help me?" Jocelyn asked Deirdre.

Deirdre glanced at the blood puddled on the ground. "Me? I dinnae ken how tae do any of this."

Jocelyn smiled, reaching up and tilting Deirdre's chin toward her. "Ye dinnae need tae. I just need ye tae take those pieces of cloth and tear them intae strips. Then get some water and fill that small wooden bowl for me. Can ye do that?"

Deirdre nodded, a bit relieved that her duties were more assistive than hands-on. Aoife meandered back over, her color coming back. "How do ye ken how tae do all of this?"

Jocelyn shrugged. "I dinnae ken a lot, but having a full library and endless free hours has helped. I learned a bit so if one of us were tae get…hurt at the keep, I'd be able tae tend tae our wounds."

Aoife nodded. "What now?"

Jocelyn turned back to the man. "I have tae get him awake."

She pushed through the pile of medical supplies, finding a small jar with crystal-like pieces inside. Pulling the stopper, she took a light sniff and nodded. "This might work."

Leaning forward, Jocelyn carefully waved the vial under his nose and waited a moment, but he didn't stir.

"Is he breathing?" Aoife asked.

Jocelyn could see his breath was shallow, but his chest rose and fell nonetheless. "Aye, though nae fer long if I dinnae get this bleedin' tae stop. I just dinnae want him wakin' up while I'm doin' it. He may hurt himself worse from the surprise."

"Or ye," Aoife replied.

"Aye," Jocelyn said softly as Deirdre set the bowl and strips of cloth next to her.

Jocelyn took one of the pieces of cloth and dipped it in the water, ringing it out. She shifted forward, leaning over the stranger with enough control to be able to quickly pull back if needed. Carefully, she dabbed the cool water across his face and down his neck, re-dipping and repeating. As she wiped his skin, she whispered to him, begging him to wake.

"I dinnae ken where ye are right now, sir, but I need ye tae come back tae me…tae us that is. I cannae tend tae ye unless ye do. Please…"

As Jocelyn whispered, Lachlan began to pull away from the deep dreaming state he had fallen into. His body was releasing, letting itself fade from that world, but Jocelyn's voice halted the attempt. At first, her words were sparse and intertwined with the world of dreams. However, as he grew closer to consciousness, he could hear her song like a whispering angel in his mind. There was a comfort and warmth to it he had never known before, something so pure and familiar, yet he couldn't place it in his memories.

Very slowly, he began to open his eyes, the world around him blurred and dizzy, everything except the sweet angelic face staring down at him with concerned eyes. Lachlan stared at her for several seconds before her words became audible to him again.

"Sir? Can ye hear me?" Jocelyn asked.

Lachlan cleared his throat, still in a haze. "Am I dead?"

Jocelyn shook her head. "Nay, but if I dinnae tend tae these wounds, ye will be soon. I need ye tae be awake, though."

With the voicing of his injury, the pain instantly flooded back to him and he reached for his side. Jocelyn pushed his hand gently back before he could squeeze it, though. "Best keep yer hands over there. I am gonna have tae clean it, and give a few passes with thread tae hold it until we can get ye better help."

Lachlan looked wildly around him, seeing the middle and younger sister standing behind Jocelyn. "Are ye a healer?"

Jocelyn was already sorting through supplies, and didn't look up when she spoke. "As close tae one ye'll get out here. Now, it's gonna bloody hurt. Ye need tae hold still, and ye cannae be screamin' out. We dinnae who might be out here. What's yer name?"

"Me name is Lachlan," he said, gritting his teeth as Jocelyn removed the initial cloth from his side and began to wipe away the blood.

"Nice tae meet ye, Lachlan," she replied, still focused on tending to his wounds. "Thank ye fer yer help back there. We're truly in yer debt. But may I ask how ye found us out here?"

Lachlan grunted as Jocelyn began to put a few pulls of thread with a thin needle across the wound. "I…yer sister sent me."

"I kenned it," Aoife said excitedly. "I kenned she would help us."

Jocelyn smiled as she tied off the rough stitch and began wrapping the wound. "So, she kenned we were alive? She kens about our uncle?"

Lachlan nodded, letting out his breath. "Aye. Well, she kens about ye uncle, but she hoped beyond hope ye were still alive. She sent me tae find out, and I saw the men in the forest before I saw ye."

Jocelyn nodded, turning to Lachlan. She pointed to her sisters, directing them to either side of him. "I'm glad ye did. Now, I need ye tae let them help ye up. It's gonna hurt, but that stitch is temporary and nae really tight so ye have tae move carefully."

Lachlan took a deep breath and nodded, taking Jocelyn's hands and slowly sitting upright. He flinched and gripped his side, looking down at all the blood he had lost. No wonder he felt woozy. The girls gripped both his arms and when he finally gave the nod, they began to lift. Lachlan tried to hold back the pain that was overpowering him, eventually giving in with a low and feral growl all the way to his feet. He stumbled back a bit and leaned against the tree, breathing heavily.

Jocelyn picked up all of the supplies they had and began to put them away. She nodded back to Aoife. "Give him some water."

Aoife nodded, holding her water sack to his lips, letting him drink slowly. Lachlan swallowed a large gulp and wiped the water from his chin, looking over at Jocelyn. "What now?"

Jocelyn put her hands on her hips, studying Lachlan, barely standing against the tree. "Now we have tae move. We cannae stay here, it's nae safe. I think I ken exactly where tae go."

Lachlan studied Jocelyn for several moments. While she was the daughter of a Laird, she seemed aged with the kind of past that made you cautious, the kind that made you a survivor. He wasn't one to depend on others, ever, but he knew with the amount of blood he had lost, and the pain he was in, he really had no choice. He would have to rely on her and her sisters, and hope they made it back before someone else attacked.

Lachlan knew if he had to defend them, they would all be dead.