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Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Atentative knock on the door roused Aedan from the pleasant doze he’d fallen into in the aftermath of their lovemaking. He blinked himself into awareness and hoisted himself up onto one elbow to see who was at the door.

Thora had apparently roused earlier, because she was dressed in a night dress. Aedan watched her walk to the door and open it.

A servant stood there, holding something that Aedan couldn’t see clearly. “Me laird wishes tae express his regrets if ye were feeling unwell and decided tae retire early. In regard tae that, and in gratitude for yer brave actions in saving the lives o’ both his servant’s child and his guests, he offers ye this bottle o’ wine tae enjoy. ‘Tis a rare bottle, straight from the deepest shelves o’ the wine cellar.”

“Thank ye, and please convey our gratitude tae the laird.” Thora took the bottle and dipped her head, before closing the door.

Aedan took the opportunity to pull himself from the bed, collect his kilt, and sling it around his waist. “Laird Ross sent us a bottle o’ wine?”

Thora jumped. “I…ye’re awake?”

“I woke tae the knock.” He moved closer. “Och, a claret? I’ve heard ‘tis a rare, good wine from the continent.” He took the bottle from her. “Gracious o’ Laird Ross.”

He smiled at Thora. “After earlier, I’m fair parched. This seems a fine way tae quench our thirst.”

He was startled when Thora shook her head. “I dinnae think I want tae drink any wine taenight.”

Aedan blinked. There was a shadow in her eyes, a look of distrust that he thought he recognized. He looked at the bottle, then at Thora. “Is that… are ye…”

Thora frowned. “I cannae say what I’m feeling. ‘Tis like a warning, but faint. Almost like it’s nay more than a flash o’ intuition. Just a strong desire nae tae drink the wine.”

Aedan nodded, but he was thirsty, and the wine… and there was another problem. “’Twould be seen as a grave insult if we were tae refuse the gift Laird Ross has given us. Nae tae drink the wine would be akin tae saying we dinnae trust him.”

“I dinnae, but I tak’ yer meaning.” Thora swallowed. “I… with me medicine, I can say I dinnae want tae mix it with wine. But ye…”

Aedan considered, then removed the cork and poured himself a small splash in a glass. “This much shouldnae dae anything tae me… unless ye think ‘tis laced with hemlock or something else.”

“Nay. ‘Twould be too suspicious. Besides, ‘twould be seen as bad luck tae have a guest die o’ something like that in his castle during festivities.”

“Aye.” Aedan drank the glass. It was sweeter than he generally preferred, but smooth and strong. It was the sort of wine one might enjoy after dinner, with dessert or as a pleasant end to a meal.

It was good wine, if he was being objective, and he sincerely hoped that Thora’s concerns were unfounded. However, he’d seen too much to discount them as he might have before.

Thora sipped some water instead, then heated a bit of it and mixed in the herbs the healer had given her. Though she didn’t, Aedan notice, add any valerian. Something was bothering her.

He, however, was still feeling loose-limbed and drowsy from their passion earlier in the evening. Aedan turned and made his way back to the bed, surprised when the world seemed to spin around him a little. “We should… shoul’… sleep.”

It was difficult to keep his eyes open. He hadn’t realized he was so tired. He blinked, trying to rouse himself, but it was proving difficult. It was like the time Thora had dosed him with valerian.

Valerian? In the wine…? Am I imagining it, or…?

The thought fled, along with his awareness, as sleep overcame him.

Thora watched as Aedan dropped off to sleep. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was more tired than she’d expected, or if there was something else affecting him. The bottle of wine gleamed on the table in front of her, and she recorked it distrustfully.

She felt tired, and longed to join Aedan in the bed. However, the same warning buzz that had kept her from drinking the wine still hummed in the back of her mind, keeping her awake. She knew that, even if she went to lie down, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

On the other hand, what harm was there in resting beside him? Surely her foresight would warn her if something was about to happen.

After a moment of thought, she walked to the bed, donned a robe for additional warmth, and slid into bed beside Aedan. He was already deeply asleep, his breath soft and even. Thora pulled the blankets over him, and then herself, and allowed her eyes to close.

Her mind drifted, caught between her earlier guilt and her current fears, as well as her muddled feelings. Thora was content to relax and drift, letting herself settle into a light doze.

Shuffff. The soft sound roused her from sleep. A low, shuffling sound, almost inaudible, reached her ears.

Then, a soft creak sounded, and any vestige of sleepiness vanished from Thora’s mind. She knew that sound. It was the sound of the door to their quarters. She knew she’d shut it fast, but she didn’t know if she’d bolted it.

Had the sound been footsteps in the hall, or the soft sound of someone sliding the bold loose from the outside? She didn’t know.

More sounds, and now she knew she was hearing footsteps. Soft, quiet, light. Too stealthy to be accidental. She was sure of that. Someone was trying to move stealthily into the room, possibly even toward the bed.

Thora cracked her eyes open. The fire had burned down to embers once again, leaving the room shrouded in uneasy darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she realized there were shadows, too deep to be proper shadows, moving softly toward the bed.

Thora put her hand on Aedan’s arm under the blankets and shook him, but it did her no good. Aedan slept on. Her breath caught as she realized she was alone with their would-be assailants.

The hitch in her breath didn’t go unnoticed, and Thora heard a muffled curse and quick steps as someone lunged toward her.

She might be a lass, but Thora hadn’t grown up with three brothers for nothing. She knew how to defend herself. She flung herself out of the bed, shouting as she did so. “Aedan!”

One moment, he was sleeping. The next, he woke to Thora calling his name, her voice frantic, just a something heavy thudded into the bed with a low-snarled curse.

His thoughts were hazy, and the world was spinning, but Aedan knew that somehow, they were being attacked.

He slept with a dagger beneath his pillow as a matter of habit. His hand found the hilt as he rolled clumsily out of the way of a blow that would have incapacitated or killed him had it landed.

His knee came up and hit something solid, something that gave with a grunt. He swung his hand in that direction, hit something with the hilt of his dagger, and a solid shape reeled back.

Aedan sat up, then fought to stay sitting up as dizziness overwhelmed him. His head ached, and the world swayed as if he were standing on the deck of a ship.

Valerian in the wine… Thora was right… I cannae pass out again!

He managed to stagger more or less upright as dark shapes surrounded him, then got his back to the wall. It was a solid support, but it also kept anyone from sneaking around behind him. It wasn’t the position he’d have normally chosen, but in his befuddled state, it was the best place for him to be. “Thora!”

He thought she acknowledged him, but there was no chance to confirm it as a dark, half-seen figure lunged at him. Aedan parried the first attack with his dagger, then the second, then managed to catch hold of cloth and drag the figure close enough to plant a hard knee in its midriff. He heard a grunt of pain and a gagging sound that told him his blow had hit home.

The attackers weren’t heavily armored. They’d apparently intended for speed and stealth to work in their favor, rather than protection. Of course, they also probably hadn’t expected a fight - valerian in the wine would have seen to it that both he and Thora were unconscious, had they consumed more than a few sips.

He would have been dead to the world, if not dead in truth, had Thora not expressed her concerns, and had he not listened to her.

Another dark shape lunged at him, and for several moments, he had no time to do anything beyond fending off attacks and trying to stay upright.

He caught brief glimpses of Thora doing much the same thing, though she was more mobile than he was, making good use of whatever furniture she happened to have on hand, from pillows to the water pitcher to the table. She might not be built for fighting, but she was agile and determined to evade her attackers.

Aedan slashed at another shadowy figure and cursed as the blow was dodged. Between the low lighting and the effects of the valerian, it was hard to land a disabling strike, which meant he was struggling to thin the ranks of their assailants. A battle that should have been fairly easy was far more difficult than he would have expected.

He knocked aside another figure, just in time to see Thora grab a heavy metal candlestick, standing unlit on the sideboard. A cloaked figure reached for her, and Thora swung the candlestick with as much strength and speed as the room and her wounded shoulder and arm allowed.

Metal impacted the outstretched arm with a muffled ‘crack’, and the figure reeled back with a hoarse cry of pain, clutching the injured limb. That seemed to be enough to end the attack. The rest of the cloaked figures grouped around the wounded one and moved toward the door. Within moments, the room was empty except for himself and Thora.

Aedan stumbled forward and slumped against the bed. “What… what was….”

Thora slumped beside him. “An attack, but fer what purpose, I dinnae ken. Nor dae I ken who sent them, though I can guess.”

Aedan could guess too. Whoever had sent them the wine. His first thought was that it had to be Lachlan Ross, but there was no proof. It could just as easily have been another laird, though he had no idea why any of them would resort to such actions.

Until they had proof of who had attacked them and why, there were certain steps that had to be taken. The first would be to clean up and sleep off the valerian. After that… “We’ll need tae report this attack tae Laird Ross.”

“Aye. ‘Twould be expected, unless we wished tae say we didnae trust him with our safety, or his word o’ hospitality.” Thora eyed the mess around them. “Well, at least we’ll have plenty o’ reasons for the blood on the bed… I think ‘twould be best if we left the room as it is, let the maids see it.”

Aedan saw no reason to argue with that suggestion, especially since it meant he wouldn’t have to try and stand. He sighed and stuffed the dagger back underneath his pillow. “Aye.”

It took a moment to gather the blankets and arrange them into some sort of order, and Thora had to do most of the work. When they were finally comfortable, Aedan sighed and let his eyes slip closed.

Within minutes, he was fast asleep, with Thora curled close to his side.

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