Chapter 20

I t was before dawn when Emeric woke. He lay for a minute, blinking in the darkness, listening to the sounds of the village waking up around him: the crowing of cockerels, the barking of dogs.

It seemed so normal. So...everyday. As though nothing had changed.

But Emeric's world had changed irrevocably.

He glanced down at Anna. She was lying on her front, limbs splayed out, hogging the bed. Emeric had been relegated to a tiny sliver right on the edge, but he didn't mind one bit. Let her sleep. After what they'd spent most of last night doing, she no doubt needed it.

Truth be told, he needed sleep too, but he knew he wouldn't get any more. He was too full of desire and confusion—all caused by the woman sharing his bed.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. She snorted, muttered something unintelligible, but didn't wake.

He traced the curve of her cheek with the back of his hand, his fingers sliding down to her shoulder, following the path to her waist, then watching as she stirred slightly under his touch. A soft smile graced her lips and Emeric could feel the corners of his own mouth twitch upwards.

How he longed to hold on to this moment, forgetting about everything else—all the troubles that came with time and distance. How could he reconcile these conflicting feelings? How could he voice what was beginning to churn within him? Why had fate brought her to him if only to whisk her away again? Surely fate would not be so cruel.

It will be a choice that will force ye to heal the division in yer heart, to decide, finally, who ye are and who ye want to be.

Emeric shifted carefully, sliding out from under the covers to avoid disturbing Anna. He stood, naked, and crossed to the window. The world outside was still sleepy, not yet fully awake. A few early risers moved through the streets, unaware of the profound shift that had taken place in this simple room above the inn.

The rain had blown through overnight, leaving the land wet and sparkling. Dawn was just beginning to break. Puddles covered the muddy streets below. They would need to leave soon but Emeric had no desire to do so.

He blew out a breath and leaned one hand on the lintel above his head, staring out into the dew-covered morning. He didn't hear her approach. Hands were suddenly sliding across his back and then around his waist as Anna pressed herself against him.

Her voice, still heavy with sleep, broke the silence. "What time is it?" she whispered, her breath warm against his bare shoulder. Her fingertips danced along his stomach, her soft motions igniting a fresh wave of desire .

He turned, drawing her into his embrace. He held her naked body against his, cherishing the warmth that radiated from her. Her eyes were half closed, but he could see the embers of passion smoldering deep in their depths.

"Early," he said softly, running his fingers through her tousled hair. He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead. She sighed contentedly, nestling deeper into his embrace.

"We should leave soon," he murmured against her hair, hating the words even as they left his lips.

"But it's the middle of the night."

"It's dawn and we have a ways to go. If the river has burst its banks, we canna use the bridge. It means we'll have to take the long way around."

Anna groaned and burrowed deeper into his chest, her protest muffled against his skin. Emeric closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her against him, the sweet scent of her hair filling his nostrils.

Anna's gaze fluttered upward, meeting his with a surprising amount of clarity despite the early hour. "Spoil sport."

She pressed herself closer for a moment before stepping back. Reluctantly, Emeric released her, his hands trailing along her arms as she moved out of his embrace. He watched as she made her way to the bed, reaching for the shift discarded there last night.

Emeric pulled on his clothes then collected their belongings from both rooms. He watched ruefully as Anna dressed, hiding that beautiful body of hers beneath the thick material of the gown .

"Something caught your fancy?" she asked, noticing his gaze.

He stared at her. At the sweep of her dark eyelashes that framed those vivid eyes, at the faintest hint of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks, at the tousled wildness of her midnight hair. What was happening to him? Why did he need this woman so much?

"Aye. Lots."

With a laugh, she turned away but before she could move, he grabbed her wrist, pulled her against him, and kissed her.

It was a hard, possessive kiss, filled with every emotion he couldn't put into words. Anna responded with equal fervor, gasping against his mouth and moaning a little. Emeric slid his hand into her hair, holding her still as he deepened the kiss. The world outside their room ceased to exist. There was only Anna, the intoxicating taste of her lips, and the swiftly building desire between them.

When he finally broke away from her, they were both breathless. Their foreheads touched; their eyes locked in a silent communication. He felt her hands against his chest, her fingers clutching at his plaid as if grounding herself.

And then he released her, stepping away with a groan before he lost whatever sanity he had left.

"I've gotten to quite like this little room," Anna observed, her lips swollen from their fervent kiss. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay a little longer?"

That gleam was back in her eye, the mischievousness that had drawn him to her in the first place .

He blew out a long breath. "What are ye trying to do to me, lass? Do ye know how hard I'm fighting to keep control, right now?"

She quirked an eyebrow and gave a sultry little smile. "Then maybe you ought to lose control a little."

Emeric groaned.

Anna held up her hands. "All right, all right!" She picked up one of the saddle bags. "Look, here's me being sensible. I'm ready when you are." She nodded at the door. "Shall we?"

Aye, they should. Before he lost control completely and started tearing at her clothes. He nodded stiffly and strode to the door, holding it open for her and then following as she walked down the corridor ahead of him. He couldn't help watching the delicious sway of her hips and backside as she led the way.

Downstairs, they found the innkeeper sweeping the floor and wiping down the upturned barrels that served as tables. He straightened when they stepped into the common room.

"Ah!" he said with a jovial smile. "Ye are up early! Would ye care for some breakfast?"

"Can ye pack us something we could eat on the road?" Emeric replied. "We need to be on our way."

"Aye, of course. I'll have one of my lads bring it to the stable."

Plover was pleased to see them as they entered the stable, lifting his head with a delighted whinny and then lipping at Emeric's clothes, looking for treats. Emeric led him out of the stall and began saddling the big gelding while Anna chatted amiably with the young lad who brought them out a packed breakfast of oatcakes.

By the time the horse was saddled and their belongings secured, Emeric had managed to regain his composure, his body finally responding to the stern talking-to his mind had given it. Anna approached him, her cheeks flushed from the morning chill, eyes sparkling with an energy that seemed contagious. He had to remind himself to breathe.

"Ready?" she asked, her voice soft.

He nodded and helped Anna onto the horse, his hands lingering on her waist just a moment longer than necessary. She offered him a teasing grin as if sensing his turmoil, before she turned her attention ahead.

Emeric swung himself up onto the horse behind her, the saddle creaking as he settled his weight. He could feel the heat of her even through their clothes. It was a delicious torture and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath.

He nudged Plover into motion with a gentle pressure of his heels. As they rode out of the village, the first streaks of dawn colored the sky with shades of pink and orange. The air was sharp with the scent of rain-soaked earth and fresh foliage.

As they moved, Emeric saw that last night's rain and wind had left behind considerable damage. The trail was littered with broken branches and leaves that had been ripped from trees. It was muddy beneath Plover's hooves and Emeric had to navigate around the larger puddles that covered the saturated ground.

As they pressed ahead, the soft murmuring sounds of the river began to grow louder. In a normal season, the gurgling waters couldn't be heard until practically upon its banks. But today was different. Long before they reached it, he heard the rush and gurgle of swirling water. He pulled Plover to a halt and they looked out at the swollen river. It was easily twice as wide as it should be, and where there had once been a sturdy bridge, there were only a few remnants of wood still hanging on against the force of the water.

"Damn it," he muttered, glancing up and down the raging waters. "I'd hoped the innkeeper might have been exaggerating. Seems he wasnae. We'll have to head north, take the long way around after all." The delay chafed at him. It would take them most of the day and the northern road would take them into sparsely populated and wild land, close to the spot where the MacDonalds wanted to sink a copper mine.

An idea suddenly came to him and he smiled grimly. Perhaps this delay wasn't such a bad thing after all. It would allow him to spend the day with Anna—and also get a look at what had so captivated the MacDonald's attention in such a remote corner of Mackintosh land.

They veered north, away from the river, beginning their climb into the rugged hills. The landscape changed dramatically as they moved further from the village and crossed from MacDonald land back into Mackintosh territory. The gently rolling meadows, perfect for grazing, gave way to steep, rocky ridges covered with lichen and scrubby grass.

They rode through a narrow valley where two hillsides fell steeply towards each other, forming a natural passageway framed by jagged rocks and sparse shrubs. It had its own kind of beauty; barren yet wild and untamed.

Anna's head turned from side to side as they rode, taking in the landscape. "I feel like I've landed on the moon," she said. "It's a bit desolate isn't it?"

"Aye," Emeric agreed, looking around at the harsh, wind-blown landscape. "Most of Mackintosh land is like this, barren upland where nothing grows. Mackintosh land likes to test us all right."

Anna stretched her back. "How long till we can stop? My backside is aching something rotten."

Emeric laughed. "Lass, we've only been riding an hour. It will take us most of the day to get home."

She grinned as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Oh? Why is that? Do you have some ‘distractions' planned?"

Oh God, she was at it again. Teasing and flirting seemed to come as naturally to her as breathing. Well, he was learning to give as good as he got.

"And what if I am?" he replied. "Ye didnae seem to mind my distractions last night."

"Oh, you noticed that, did you? No, I didn't mind at all. And I wouldn't mind being distracted a little more."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Ye are a wicked lass, Anna. A very wicked lass."

"I do my best," she replied with a wink.

To distract himself, he reached into the saddlebag and took out the muslin-wrapped parcel that the innkeeper had given them. He handed it to Anna who unwrapped it, took out an oatcake, and handed it back to him. Taking the reins in one hand, he took an oatcake with the other and began eating.

"You know what," Anna said around a mouthful of food. "This isn't bad. Although what I wouldn't give for a greasy fry-up complete with bacon, eggs and fried bread right now."

"Mayhap if we are nice to Cook, she'll make us a ‘greasy fry-up' when we get back to Dun Achmore."

"Really?" Anna asked, excitement in her voice. "I'll make sure I'm on my best behavior then. If I'm extra nice, do you think she would throw in some mushrooms as well?"

He laughed softly. "Aye. I'm sure that can be arranged."

They traveled in easy silence, both munching on their breakfast and Emeric felt more content than he had in a long time. More content than he could ever remember, in fact.

The hours passed until finally, as the sun was nearing its zenith, they reached the northern valley that Emeric had been heading for. Well, it was called the northern valley but it was more like a series of ravines, a crazy hotch-potch of broken, windswept gullies, that scarred the northern tip of Mackintosh land, reaching almost to the MacDonald territory in the east and Murray territory to the west.

Emeric reined Plover in and gazed out at the broken landscape. There was nothing in sight. Not even a shepherd's bothy could be found in this bleak place. After all, there was nothing for sheep to graze on and only the thinnest coatings of soil over the bare rock. No mineral deposits had ever been found in this area either. So why did the MacDonalds want to sink a copper mine?

"Is that it?" Anna asked as she gazed out at the ravine-riddled upland. "That's what all the fuss is about? "

"That's it," Emeric confirmed. "The knife the MacDonalds are holding against our throat. The price they're demanding to make up for the insult of Aislinn marrying Brodie Murray. If we dinna give it to them..." He left the sentence unfinished. If they didn't give it to them, there was no telling what the MacDonalds would do.

"So let them have it," Anna shrugged. "If they want to spend their time and resources in this back-end-of-beyond, I'd say good luck to them. If they do find anything, your family will get their share. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I dinna trust the MacDonalds, especially after what ye told me about Lady Maria being so interested in ye. There's more going on here than they are telling us. I just need to figure out what."

"And you think we'll find the answers out here?"

"We willnae know until we go and look."

Anna shrugged. "All right then, let's go do some investigating."

Emeric spurred the horse onward, following a trail that led deeper into the ravines. His eyes scanned the barren landscape for any hint of coloration or pattern that could suggest a metal deposit, specifically copper. He found nothing.

They dismounted and went on foot, and as they wove their way through the patchwork of jagged cliffs and tumbled stone, his unease grew. It would take an enormous effort for the MacDonalds to even get their men and equipment out here so why were they so keen to do so when there appeared to be nothing here?

The day grew hotter as the afternoon wore on, the clouds breaking and the sun beating down on them with no shade in sight. They paused often to drink from the ale skin and eat oatcakes and they found a thin trickle of water coming out of the rocks that Plover could drink from.

Finally, Anna threw up her hands. "There's nothing here!" She planted her hands firmly on her hips and scowled around as though offended that the landscape would dare to thwart her.

"Aye, looks that way," Emeric agreed. He kicked a pebble and watched as it skittered down the ravine, echoing off the sharp edges of the stone walls before disappearing into a crevice.

Anna sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She glanced at Emeric, her eyes reflecting the frustration that had been building up for hours. "So what do we do now?" She watched as Plover cropped a bit of grass near a tiny puddle, his brown eyes dull in the heat.

"Perhaps it's time we headed back to Dun Achmore."

"And get that fry-up we talked about? That's the most sensible thing you've said all day."

Emeric smiled and gave an extravagant bow. "Lead on then, my lady. I wouldnae wish to keep ye from that bacon and fried bread ye so desperately crave."

She grinned in response and began walking over to where Plover was still tugging at the sparse tuft of grass. Emeric was about to follow her when something caught his eye .

Two monstrous boulders sitting side by side blocked a ravine to his left but something didn't look right about them, as though the angle of the sun caught them all wrong.

He frowned, cocking his head. He walked slowly over, wondering what he was looking at. As he drew closer, he realized why they didn't look quite right. They weren't side by side at all and only looked that way from a distance. In fact they were offset, one slightly in front of the other, leaving a wide gap between them.

Emeric ducked through the gap and pulled up short. Another ravine lay beyond, with high walls rising on either side, hiding it from the view of the land above. Wide enough for several wagons abreast, it was as straight as a plumb line and as smooth as river-washed pebbles, distinctly different from the chaotic jumble of terrain they had been navigating.

He looked back towards Anna and Plover. "Anna!" he called, voice echoing slightly in the ravine. "Ye might want to see this."

She jogged over. "What did you find?" Her eyes widened as she looked out at the ravine. She knelt and ran her fingers across the smooth stones that formed the ground. "It looks like an ancient river bed."

"Aye," he agreed. "And I wonder where it leads."

Emeric fetched Plover and they mounted up and set out into the ravine. They rode steadily for miles, the terrain unchanging until it eventually began to slope downwards.

Finally, they reached its end. As the ravine opened out, Emeric found himself looking out over a vast plain. A sea of golden wheat fields stretched out, swaying rhythmically in the afternoon breeze. The contrast with the forbidding landscape they'd just passed through was stark, like entering another world.

On the horizon far into the distance stood a fortress, its towering ramparts wrought in dark stone that glimmered ominously under the sun's rays. As he recognized it, a cold chill settled into Emeric's belly.

"Where are we?" Anna asked.

"This is Murray land," he said. "And that fortress is Dun Carrick, the seat of Clan Murray and Aislinn's future home."

Like a wall of mist pulling back before his eyes, the MacDonalds' plan suddenly became clear. The audacity of it was terrifying. That cold chill inside him deepened, seeming to seep into his bones.

"This is what they are really after," he said, his voice hoarse. "This was their plan all along."

"Eh?" Anna said. "Who's plan?"

"The MacDonalds. This ravine cuts straight across the north of Mackintosh territory, from MacDonald land in the east to Murray land in the west. A straight route, hidden from view, wide enough to march an army unseen." He met Anna's troubled gaze. "We thought the MacDonalds had accepted Aislinn's marriage to Brodie Murray. But they havenae. Not at all. All this time they've been planning their revenge, planning to get Aislinn back. And they are going to start a war to do it."