Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

E verything happened so fast. One minute, she was yelling at Darren MacLean, letting the rage and frustration of long years of abuse pour out of her. The next, she realized his gaze had changed, and she was backing away from him, suddenly wary of what he might do.

Then his eyes widened, and he spoke her name, just as something snapped tight around her ankle and jerked her off her feet and upward into the branches of a tall tree. By the time she stopped, she was a good twenty feet above the ground, and helpless as any forest creature might be.

Terror filled her, her breath seizing in her chest as she realized how high she was. Her hands scrabbled for a purchase, but there was nothing, and her heart began to hammer in her ears. Nay, nay, nay, help me!

She didn’t realize she’d spoken the last words aloud until Darren appeared below her. “Stay calm lass. I’ll get ye down.”

She whimpered. “I… I cannae breathe… I…”

“Calm yerself. I’ll get ye down safe.” Darren’s voice was gentle, but it helped not a bit with her fears.

“I cannae! I… I cannae stand heights…” She hated to admit it, but the fear clawed at her too sharply for dignity to be her primary concern. “Please, please…”

The blood was rushing to her head, making it ache further, and every fiber of her being was consumed with a desperate need to get down, any way she could. And yet, there was nothing she could do.

“Easy lass. Dinnae struggle so much, or ye’ll break the branch and fall. Ye’ll nae like that at all.” Darren looked away from her, then walked across to his horse. A moment later, he was leading the beast to stand underneath her. Once the horse was secured, he swung himself into the saddle, then carefully rose to stand in his stirrups.

The combined height of man and horse bridged more than half the gap between them. He wasn’t close enough to reach her, not quite, but he was close enough that her fear began to subside a little. It was enough to help her drag in a lungful of air, then another one. The clawing panic began to subside.

She was still terrified, but at least she could think somewhat better. She listened as Darren continued to speak low soothing words, as if she were a frightened wild beast. Alayne’s head still ached with the blood rushing to it, and she still wanted down more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life, but she found enough strength to stop thrashing and fighting.

“There ye go. Well done.” Darren gave her an encouraging smile, though that was slightly nerve-wracking as well, given the tattoos that adorned his face. “Now then, will ye be all right if I get off the horse?”

“I… mayhap. Where are ye going?”

“Tae see if I can find the other end o’ the snare and undo it. If I cannae, I’ll have tae climb up and cut ye free from there, and that’s a far riskier thing tae be doing.”

Both ideas scared her nearly senseless, but she’d much rather combat her fear while he rescued her than remain where she was. “I can manage. Just - please, get me down.” Her voice quavered, but she didn’t care.

“All right. I’ll leave the horse - if worse comes tae worst, ye’ll have a slightly gentler landing, mayhap. Though I dinnae intend fer it tae come tae that.”

With that, he dismounted and strode off into the bushes a few feet away, looking for the trap line. Alayne felt the panic trying to drag her under again, and fought it with all her might, concentrating on her breathing.

Darren reappeared. “I dinnae ken who set this trap, but either they werenae thinking, or they believe we’re all squirrels.” He huffed.

“Please, just get me down. I cannae handle this much longer.”

“I ken, lass. Just breathe. I need tae think how tae dae this safely. I cannae afford tae be as careless as the hunter who set this.”

After a moment, Darren sighed. “Naught fer it but tae make the best o’ the situation. I’ll be as careful as I can, Alayne, but this willnae be easy.”

She bit her lip and refrained from saying that she didn’t care. She didn’t want to fall, and it was clear he was trying to prevent injury to her.

She watched as Darren shucked out of his sword belt, removed his boots, and slipped a dirk into his sash. After a moment of examination, he raised himself up, grabbed a knob on the side of the tree, and tugged himself upward. His other hand caught on the stump of a branch, too small to be called a proper handhold, and his toes dug into the bark.

Alayne watched in amazement as he carefully scaled the tree, using little creases in the bark and knots that she never would have dared entrust her weight to. He got to the lowest branch, grabbed it, and heaved himself onto it with one smooth motion.

Within minutes, he was cautiously sitting on the branch that supported her weight. He considered her position, then undid his sash. “If I lower the end down tae ye, can ye grip it tight enough fer me tae lift ye?”

If it meant getting out of the tree and back to solid ground, she could and would do anything. She nodded weakly.

The end of the cloth fell next to her shoulder a moment later, and she seized it and wrapped it around her wrists, before clenching her hands in the fabric. “I’m ready.”

A careful tug, then a stronger one, and she felt her upper body rising into the air. Her wrists burned and her shoulders hurt, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care as the blood rushed back to where it was supposed to be, and the earth and sky resumed their proper positions.

As soon as she was within reach, Darren let go of the sash with one hand and clasped her wrist, then pulled her up to sit on the branch beside him. “There ye are. That’s the worst o’ it, I think.”

Alayne shivered. She was beyond glad to be upright once again, but it hadn’t escaped her notice that she was now several feet higher. She gulped and clenched her eyes shut, clinging to Darren as he moved to sever the rope that held her ankle.

Once she was free, he leaned back and looked at her. “Can ye climb down?”

Even the thought of trying made her stomach churn and her heart pound. “I… I never learned.”

And I’m far too scared tae try.

Darren heaved a sigh. “I was afraid ye’d say that.” He looked around. “If I turn around very carefully can ye loop the sash around both o’ us and hold on tae me shoulders while I get us on the ground? Willnae be the gentlest trip, nor the fastest, but far as I ken, ‘tis the safest. I promise I’ll keep ye safe.”

She would have preferred faster, but she could live with a safer choice. She nodded tightly. “I can do that.”

Darren shifted backward toward the tree trunk, then pushed up and flipped a leg over to stand on a branch on one side. Another shift of his weight - she didn’t quite see what he did, and didn’t care to with the way watching him made her head spin - and he was facing the tree. “Inch toward me, until ye can loop the sash around me waist.”

Moving was the hardest thing she’d ever done, and it was only by keeping her gaze firmly trained on Darren’s broad back and the reassuring bulk of the tree trunk that she could manage it at all. Still, she managed to scoot forward until she was close enough to feel the heat of his body. Her hands were clumsy as she worked them free of the sash and used the length to bind herself to Darren, but eventually, she was pressed against him, the sash binding them both at the waist while her arms locked, vise-like, around his chest.

“Good. Well done.” Darren’s voice was warm, and the vibration of it rumbled through his chest, offering a reassuring sense of safety. For all she didn’t like Darren MacLean - or at least wasn’t sure she should like him - she knew he wouldn’t let her come to harm. Nor would he harm her himself, not after going to such lengths to help her.

“Now, I need ye tae move with me, and swing yer right leg over the branch, tae this side. Dinnae worry, I’ll be with ye, and I willnae let ye fall.”

His hand gently pushed on her knee for her to move. It was still terrifying, but with his help and the pressure of his hand and his leg guiding her, she finally got her leg over the branch. There was a brief feeling like she might fall, then Darren caught her leg. “Easy does it lass.”

He paused. “I’ll let ye have the choice. I cannae hold ye and climb at the same time. Ye can wrap yer legs about my waist if ye want, or try tae climb with me. Or ye can just hold on tae my shoulders and trust me tae see ye tae the ground.”

Wrapping her legs around his waist invoked images and a fluttery feeling she didn’t want to think too much about. But the idea of clinging to him while her legs dangled uselessly was even more frightening, in its own way. She swallowed hard. “I… if ye can tell me what tae dae…”

“Dinnae worry about handholds. Let me manage those. Just move yer feet as I tell ye.” She nodded against his shoulder. “Good lass. Let’s dae this.”

Inch by inch, they slowly made their way down the tree, with Darren directing her movements with calm, quiet instruction. Finally, they reached the lowest branch, and Darren paused. “Alayne, ye might want tae close yer eyes fer this last part.”

“Why?”

“Because I cannae see a good way tae take us both down, nae without risking a fall. I’m thinking twould be best tae jump.”

Jump, and they were still about eight feet above the ground. Alayne shuddered. “Ye climbed up afore…”

“Aye, but that was with only me own weight tae consider, and even then, ‘twas nae easy. One wrong move and I’d lose my grip, and we’d both hit the ground hard. I can control it better if I jump, but ye’ll have tae trust me.”

She didn’t like the idea - no, she honestly hated the idea with a passion that rivaled her feelings about her brother being in gaol. But even that wasn’t as bad as the idea of remaining stuck in the tree. “What dae I need tae dae?”

“Clinch yer knees tae me sides, like I’m a horse ye’re training tae saddle, hold on as tight as ye can, and close yer eyes.”

She’d never trained a horse to saddle, but she could guess what he meant. With an effort, she did as he suggested, tightening her grip till her thighs ached and her hands were white-knuckled and nearly numb with the strain. She screwed her eyes shut and buried her face against his shoulder for good measure. “All right. I’m ready.”

Shifting weight, the leaves rustled as he moved. Then Darren grunted, and there was a sudden lurch that flung them both backward, away from the tree trunk. Alayne shrieked, the sound muffled by Darren’s shirt, as they fell through the air.

Then they hit the ground, or rather, Darren did. Alayne felt the jolt as he landed on his feet and took a few staggering steps to regain his balance. His hands snaked back and wrapped around her in a sort of cradle as he moved, keeping her from falling as he found his footing.

When Darren finally stopped moving, Alayne mustered her courage and peeked over his shoulder. The sight that met her eyes - good solid ground, the proper distance away - made her want to weep with relief. She went limp against Darren’s back. “Och, thank god…”

“Aye. I’ll have tae be having words with whoever put a trap like that so close tae the loch. Could have been a nasty business, if there had been a bairn here, or a lass on an errand o’ her own. Me folk ought tae ken better than tae be so careless.”

Her heartbeat was gradually returning to normal, but Alayne’s legs felt weak and shaky as Darren untied the knots of the sash and released her. It was a blessing to have her feet standing on a solid surface once more, but she didn’t feel as if her legs would hold her yet. She was shaking like a leaf in a strong breeze.

Darren shifted, turning in her grasp so he could see her face. “Are ye well?”

She couldn’t figure out how to answer that, her mind a haze of fading fear and overwhelming gratitude, as well as relief. She felt weak-kneed and overwhelmed, but even so, she was conscious of a desire to show her appreciation.

A sudden impulse took her. She leaned into Darren and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank ye.”