Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

F rom the cellar to his bed, Domhnall had slipped in and out of consciousness. Partly it was to do with the pain, particularly travelling back on the horse with Magnus, for clearly his brother had been worried and had thus travelled at speed. But each thud of the horses’ hooves hitting the undergrowth had sent agony through his body, to a point where he could clearly take no more and passed out.

He remembered a point where many hands were upon him, and then the softness of the bed beneath. He recalled soft whispers, and the sensation of warmth running through his body, until he finally slipped into darkness completely.

But as the blackness surrounded him, he ventured to a place he had never before seen. It felt familiar and at the same time, strange and unknown. There was mist, like that of the early morning across a glen, but this mist did not clear, and he could not see further than a few feet. What he could see only appeared as nothingness, for there were no trees, nor buildings, nor people.

Just the mist.

Beyond it was a light glow simmering on the horizon. If he continued further, the mist would clear, and thus, he moved toward it as one might, to discover what was there. But even as he ventured forth, the distance of the light remained the same, as though it were always moving away from him.

When he woke, he took a sharp intake of breath and a second later, Kai and Thora were at his side.

“Och, thanks be tae all the gods,” Thora cried, her eyes glistening as she gazed down at him.

“Welcome back tae the land o’ the living, braither,” Kai said, standing behind his sister.

Domhnall cracked a small smile.

In his peripheral vision, Domhnall noticed something to his left, and turning to look, he saw Katherine curled up on a chair at his bedside, fast asleep. The daylight spilling in through the windows illuminated her from behind, making her look almost angelic.

“She wouldnae leave yer side,” Kai said. “She hasnae moved all night. Shall I wake her?”

Domhnall shook his head. “Nay. Leave her be.” He looked back at Thora and Kai, his brow a little furrowed. “How is she?”

Thora’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Ye should be more concerned with yer own wellbeing.”

Domhnall looked at her with a solemn expression. “Katherine did, saw, and experienced things nay lass should have tae suffer. Battle has become second nature tae us men here, but nae tae her.”

“We ken,” Thora said sadly. “Magnus told us she killed a man.”

“Aye,” Domhnall nodded, “and that’s nae even the half o’ it.”

“Then, when she wakes, we will all have tae mak’ certain we tak’ good care o’ her,” Kai said.

Domhnall smiled up at his brother. “Aye. We will.”

“For now, though,” Thora said excitedly, jumping off the bed, “I am going tae go and get the others.”

For the next half an hour, the siblings rejoiced at Domhnall’s recovery, all remaining very quiet with hushed whispers so as not to wake Katherine.

Magnus relayed what he had done over the last day, since they had returned.

“I’ve sent out a group o’ men tae the abandoned house, and another group tae Drynoch. Those sent tae the village have been instructed tae bring the men back here so they can be buried by their families. The men sent tae the abandoned house were told tae dig graves and bury the bodies o’ Reginald de Beaumont and his men. I imagined ye didnae want them brought back here.”

Domhnall shook his head. “Indeed, I dinnae. Thank ye, Magnus. Ye have done exactly as I would have.”

Looking at Enya, Domhnall stretched his hand out to his sister. Rounding the bed, she came close to him and took his hand.

“Thank ye, sister, fer bringing me back.”

Her eyes glistened as she nodded. “Ye had me worried there fer a while, braither,” she whispered, struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I wasnae sure I had done enough.”

“Och, ye cannae kill a bad thing,” Domhnall chuckled.

She laughed a little as the tears fell down her cheeks, and then, wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly. Domhnall pulled her into the hug and, careful not to squeeze too hard, held her close to him, feeling the love his sister always emanated.

After some time, he told them they all should go and rest. Of course, they argued, telling him someone needed to stay with him, but Domhnall would not hear of it.

“Look at me,” he said, opening his arms wide. “I am well. I feel as good as new. Now, away, all o’ ye and rest. There will be plenty o’ time fer us tae be together again. If you rest. Remember we have the holidays comin’ up and we all have tae be in best form!”

Reluctantly, his brothers and sisters eventually left the bedchamber, all promising that they would return. Domhnall hoped that it wouldn’t be too soon, for each of them looked utterly wrecked, especially Enya. They now needed to rest after spending so long looking after him.

In the silence after their departure, Domhnall gazed at Katherine, who, clearly must have been exhausted, for she had not once moved during the time they had all been talking. But then, he imagined her body was still suffering the shock of what had occurred.

As skilled as she was with a sword, the difference between sparring and actually taking a life was abysmal. It was her first death, too, which would affect her even more deeply.

While his wounds had been physical, for the most part, hers would be much deeper, and in acknowledging that, he mused that he would have to treat her even more gently than he had ever done before.

As time passed, Domhnall gazed out of the window into the sky beyond.

A little while later, Katherine began to move though still sleeping, and her brow furrowed, until she cried out. “No!”

Clearly, she was having a nightmare, and after what they had just experienced, Domhnall guessed it was likely to do with what she had suffered.

Her eyes flew open while, at the same time, she gasped for air. When her eyes met his, they flew wide at the sight of him sitting up in bed.

“Oh, thank God,” she cried, launching herself from the chair and clambering onto the bed beside him.

“Hey,” Domhnall said softly. “Bad dream?”

And then, her eyes filled, and expressing surprise at her own reaction, emotion flew from her in a torrent of tears. It was not a quiet sob, as some lasses might experience, but full blown, heart wrenching cries that wracked from her spasming body.

Leaning forward, Domhnall slipped his arms around her and lifted her fully off the bed. He brought her close to him, gently sitting her on his lap, before pulling her into his chest and resting his chin against the top of her head.

There were no words he could say to comfort her, and in fact, a part of him knew that it was better for her to rid herself of whatever she had been holding onto. And thus, he just sat there, his arms wrapped around her, rocking her back and forth as though she were a child.

It took a while, but eventually, the sobs subsided, leaving her breathing in and out erratically in the aftermath of her breakdown. Her body still shook, and he continued to hold her, offering her all the comfort she needed.

When she finally settled, he heard her speak. It was a whisper as the words croaked from her throat. “I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.”

“I ken,” Domhnall replied gently. “I’m sorry, too.”

She pushed herself up from his chest, her red rimmed eyes searching his as her brow furrowed. “But why? You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Domhnall nodded. “O’ course, I dae. I should never have sent ye away. I should never have allowed me anger tae rage against ye.”

“You had every right to be angry,” she countered. “After what I did, I deserved nothing less.”

“That isnae true, Katherine. I should have listened tae ye, and given ye a chance tae speak. Had I done that, ye wouldnae have had tae suffer what happened tae ye.”

Her eyebrows now danced on her forehead. “You suffered far more than I.”

“Physically, aye. Every other way, probably nae.”

She dropped her gaze then, clearly thinking on his words.

“I murdered a man,” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears once more.

“Hey,” Domhnall said, hooking his finger beneath her chin so she would look at him. “What ye did saved me life. Ye have tae remember that. It was us or them, Katherine.”

“Maybe so,” she sniffed, “but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Nay. And it willnae fer a while. But if it wasnae fer ye, we’d both be dead, and yer braither would have got his wish. He wasnae a good man, Katherine. He used ye tae get tae me. He lied, manipulated, and tricked ye. And all tae cover his own evil.”

For a long moment, she remained silent, and then she said, “I still can’t believe he killed my father. Or, at least, had him killed.”

“It’s the same thing,” Domhnall qualified. “Murder is murder, and yer braither was willing tae be rid o’ anyone in his way. Including ye.”

It was hard for Domhnall to believe himself, so he couldn’t begin to imagine how Katherine must be feeling. The very idea of murdering one’s own brother or sister was completely foreign to him, and there were no circumstances under which he would ever do it. He’d die first.

“What happens now?” Katherine asked. “What happens to me?”

Domhnall looked down at her tenderly. “I still love ye, Katherine. And, if it is yer desire, I would like ye tae stay. Even if it isnae yer desire, ye need some time tae heal.”

“But, I wasn’t injured.”

He looked at her knowingly, and dropping her eyes and nodding, she said, “Right.”

He didn’t need to explain himself. She knew exactly what he was getting at. There would be a time when they could speak about what happened, airing their experience with a view to some healing, but not today. Today, he would just hold her, comfort her, and love her.

What she decided to do after that, would be up to her. There had been enough people trying to control her, manipulate her, and steer the direction of her life. Now, Katherine needed to take the reins. She had desired freedom for so long, and thus, Domhnall would give it to her. Whatever decision she came to, even if it pained him greatly, he would honor.