Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Sleeping under the coverage of a canopy of trees, crickets chirping, a soft cold breeze blowing through the rustling leaves, was new to Blair. If she had thought of doing something like that just a month before, she would have thought it terrifying, but she was beginning to realize all of her fear, all of her anxiety had its roots in that castle. Specifically, it was rooted in her cousin.

Laying there while others slept, listening to the forest alive around her was calming and peaceful, yet her mind was anything but. There were so many unknowns whirling wildly around her, and she had control over none of them. At least in the castle she knew what dangers to look for, and she knew what could be expected. However, lying there on her pallet, snuggled beneath her cloak and blanket, Blair knew she sat at a precipice. Toward her future home was an unknown Laird, awaiting her arrival, ready to take her as his wife. In the other direction were her sisters, huddled, still soaked in fear, waiting for what was to come in the dark hollow hallways of their own home.

Blair couldn't decide what was worse. While the fear of the castle was known, this new fear of the unknown allowed for something she had not felt for a very long time. It allowed for hope. For Blair, hope had always been a dangerous prospect, something she had taught her sisters to push away, as it could lead to mistakes, danger, and a larger hole in the pits of their hearts. But free from the tyranny of her cousin, beginning to shake the shackles of her uncle, Blair could feel a small sliver of hope blossoming in her chest.

However, she knew deep down, if she didn't find out what happened all of those years ago, why her uncle killed his own brother, and why the girls were cast aside, she would never truly find peace. Blair turned over and faced the darkness, carefully reaching around and pulling the book from her back. Beneath the blankets, she flipped through the pages, curious as to who would have written such a book. She flipped to the last story, the one of magic and fallen heroes. As she slowly read through the words, pausing with each passing cloud covering the moonlight, she began to see the story of her father's death unfolding before her.

It was different though, full of evil magic and dark sorcery, something Blair did not believe to be true. In fact, she knew there was nothing magical or whimsical about her father's death. He was killed by her uncle's sword, and he died there on the stone entryway of the castle. It was a mortal deed, one evil enough without the presence of magic. Yet, the woman with the blue eyes still rang out in her mind. The way her hand seemed to pull every sadness and anxiety from her body, calming and clearing her mind. She had dreamt so many times about that old wise woman, and those crystal clear blue eyes.

"Along the snaking streambed, far into the forest, the bark goes from dark to light, leading to a clearing. Within this clearing a small cottage sits, with thick mosses and growing farm land. This is where the old woman dwells, keeping the secrets of a kingdom locked within her seemingly immortal heart," the book read.

Blair closed it and tucked it back into the waist of her skirts. She laid there for hours, staring into the darkness, watching the twinkling dance of the fireflies as if she were staring into the night sky above. The changing of the guard, switching up their rove, pulled Blair's thoughts from the dark. Heavy footsteps circled around her as Callum did his check on her before heading to the perimeter of the small camp they had created.

Keeping her eyes shut tightly, Blair waited until the footsteps retreated. She carefully watched as Callum disappeared into the darkness. Carefully, she peeked over her blankets finding both of the other guards asleep, propped against trees with their coats covering them. With care, Blair uncovered herself, leaving her boots to the side. She tiptoed lightly through the leaves and twigs and squatted down next to James, who had his back turned from her. She reached for his shoulder but hesitated, unsure if she was doing the right thing.

Caution had been all she knew since her father died and mother fell ill. Caution, however, could not be the way forward, not if she wanted to have any answers, or any chance of saving her sisters. She couldn't assume the man she was to marry was any kinder than her uncle or cousin, and once on his land, she was unsure if she would ever get the chance to leave again. It was then, on that trip she had to take a leap of faith, or she would have to forget about it, tucking her thoughts within the book of tales her sister had given her.

Blair pulled in the cold air and held her breath as she gently touched James' shoulder. He turned over immediately, almost as if he hadn't been asleep at all. "Blair, what's wrong?"

Blair put her finger to her lips, glancing around at the guards, and back to James again. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm alright. Look, I think I know where that old wise woman lives and it's somewhere close to here. I suspect by tomorrow, we'll find the traces of the stream that I read."

James furled his brow. "Read where?"

Blair shook her head. "That's not important. I have a chance to finally find out what happened all of those years ago. To find out what happened to my father and maybe it will help me figure out how to keep my sisters safe. I don't know. If nothing else, I can finally put my questions to rest since I'm walking into this new future chosen for me."

James' eyes flickered toward the sleeping guards. "You cannot just go off into the woods. They will never allow it."

"I know," Blair whispered. "That's why, I thought that maybe if you were to take me, and follow me in search of her, we might be able to pull it off. They don't know about our friendship, and I'm sure we could come up with something, some way to trick them long enough for me to at least see if the old woman is there, or even still alive. Please, James. I cannot take this with me to the new clan. It will forever haunt me."

James looked around, twisting his lips. His eyes shifted back to Blair, and for a moment, she was sure he would say yes. He had never denied her anything within his power, and had gone above and beyond to keep her safe and well. Of all the people in her life, James knew best how important putting together the pieces of the past was to her.

The look that bred hope inside of her quickly disappeared. James' untwisted his lips and frowned, shaking his head. "Blair, it is near impossible. It's ridiculous to think we could even try. I cannot. Now, please, go to sleep. We have a long ride tomorrow, and I need your mind to be on that, not on some flight of fancy in the woods. You'll only bring yourself - and me - trouble."

With that, he turned away from her and pulled his blanket up over his shoulders. Blair was shocked by his response. She sat there for a moment, staring at the back of his head, wondering if he was going to turn back at any moment, and act as if he were joking. However, as the moments passed, she realized he hadn't been joking in the least. James wasn't going to help her, and his attitude toward her was far different than it had been back home.

In fact, as Blair made her way back to her pallet, pulling her blanket over her shoulders, her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She had never felt that kind of cold response from James before, not even in the moments they feared they would be caught practicing with swords. He had always been very careful with Blair, something she loved about him. He appreciated her strength, but was the one person she could be vulnerable around. However, that attitude toward her at the castle seemed to have run its course. James had shut her out now, put up a wall, and the emotional pain of it quickly turned into a feeling of complete helplessness.

The peaceful sounds of the forest suddenly irritated her, and she wanted nothing more than to tell James off, tell him how he just made her feel. She wanted to slap him right across the face for making her think she could trust him and depend on him at all. He knew she was heading toward an unknown fate, and he knew how important understanding her past was, but still he denied her, and that made her feel more alone than ever.

Blair had never been dependent on anyone, but she knew she would never make it past the guards, or outrun them. She had no idea where she was, or even how to read the forest so she could navigate herself to the old wise woman. It was more likely that she would be hurt or lost before she got anywhere close to the woman's cottage, if it were even there at all.

Unable to relieve her anger, Blair pulled the covers tight, hiding within her hood, ignoring the otherwise peaceful forest around her. She tried everything she could to forget the feeling that James had just given her. She had experienced a lot of emotions through her life, but nothing quite as sudden and intense as the one she was experiencing now. Sure, she was allowed and justified in her frustration with James, but the pain in her heart, the intensity of her anger, was far more than what she would have expected.

Blair knew how she cherished James, how she looked for him, and how she longed to be near him. But those feelings were kept deep within her, only thought about in the darkness of the castle, late at night. She was heading toward her future husband, and though she didn't know what to expect, her dedication and heart had to be put toward him. As she calmed down, she realized she couldn't allow herself to feel any emotions for James, not even anger. While she wanted him to help her, she did know that he had done more than anyone else in the world over the years. He had put himself in danger for her and never had a real reason to do it. He had every right to deny her such a crazy idea.

That didn't stop the feelings though, no matter how hard she tried. So, she pushed James completely out of her mind. It was no time to have some sort of epiphany about her feelings for him. It was out of the question, and she knew she had to focus on her sisters, and finding a way to get them away from danger. She was only one Highland woman, but her mother had taught her that out of all the women in the world, Highland women were bold and honorable. Blair wanted so badly to live up to that, and to show her sisters they could count on her.

As her body began to relax again, the song of the insects of the woods lulled her into a quiet sleep, thoughts of the past and the wise woman tucked away in the pages of the book. Blair wasn't sure she would ever get the answers she sought, and she was beginning to realize she was going to have to come to terms with that. She just hoped her sisters wouldn't be part of what was left behind forever.