Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

T hey all stared at Ivy as she rode up to join them with Liam. The laird nodded his approval and said, “Aye, ‘tis best if we dinnae leave her behind. She might decide tae run away again.”

That elicited laughter all round, except from Liam. It ceased when the laird added more seriously, “And there’s always the risk someone might get intae the castle and hurt her. Nay, she’s better off with us, as she says.”

Ivy was relieved, and Liam merely shrugged, until the laird told him they would be splitting into smaller groups and that he was to ride with her.

“I was hopin’ tae ride with ye and Magnus,” he said, clearly irked by the news.

“Nay, man! Ye’ve been guardin’ Ivy this long, man, ye may as well continue,” his friend told him with a mischievous wink.

Ivy kept close to Liam, towards the back of the group, as they rode into the forest. It was gloomy and damp, and mist rose from the leaf-strewn undergrowth, giving their surroundings mystical air. She and Liam were assigned the path leading west and turned their horses in that direction, hardly exchanging a word as they rode side by side.

Time passed with no sign of deer. As the day opened up above them, a pale, lemon-colored sun rose above the forest, its wintry warmth not enough to dispel the lingering mist. Then, suddenly, they heard loud crashing sounds nearby, as though something large were running through the forest.

Ivy’s heart filled with foreboding as they both instantly reined in and stared silently at each other. Please dinnae let it be the chosen stag, she prayed silently, not knowing what she would do if they came face to face with the beleaguered animal.

Liam placed a finger to his lips and motioned for her to dismount before he slid silently from his saddle. Ivy followed suit as the crashing continued. Whatever it was, it was in a terrible hurry as it made its way past them through the undergrowth and tree trunks, just out of view. They tied the horses’ reins to a tree before creeping slowly and quietly towards the source of the sound.

Before long, Ivy could hear the sound of trickling water punctuated by harsh panting sounds. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she and Liam followed the sounds, picking their way carefully through the obstacles underfoot. The whooshing of rushing water grew louder, as did the panting and soft grunting sounds. At the same time, the braying of the horns and hounds drifted through the air, closer now.

The trees thinned out a little, and they found themselves crawling on their knees at the rocky edges of a shallow, fast-flowing burn. Liam stopped suddenly and put a hand on her arm, once again pressing a finger to his lips. He pointed upriver. Ivy leaned forward silently and followed his gaze, her hand flying to her mouth as she stifled a gasp of wonder.

In the middle of the burn, standing in the rushing waters, was an enormous red stag, panting heavily. Its huge antlers spread out like a vast candelabra from its mighty head, and its coat glowed like polished wood. Although neither of them made a sound, the beast seemed to sense their presence, for it turned its black eyes upon them and lifted its head proudly, its breath billowing in white clouds from its nostrils and mouth. It was a magnificent, breathtaking spectacle that sent a thrill, half of fear, half of awe, running through Ivy’s blood.

“What shall we dae?” she breathed.

“Well, we’re supposed tae drive it back towards the hounds,” he whispered.

“But we’re nae gonnae dae that, are we? Look at it. ’Tis truly magnificent. Ye said yeresel’ ’tis sacred, the spirit of the forest.”

Echoing from the near distance came the baying of the hounds, the excited shouts of the hunters and their retinue, the bellowing of horns, and the beating of metal on metal. The sounds pressed on her as her anxiety for the beautiful beast grew. “Hurry up, Liam, there’s nae much time,” she urged him in a low voice, her gaze still locked with the stag’s.

“All right, I think I have the answer,” he told her, starting slowly to rise from his knees. She followed suit. “If we can keep the beast in the water and chase it upstream, the hounds will nae be able tae track it. Then, once it’s far enough from the rest and has a good chance of gettin’ away, we’ll turn back tae meet them.”

“And tell them we havenae seen it?”

“Aye.”

“It could work.” She stared at the stag, willing it to understand they wanted to help it.

‘Tis the only plan we have,” Liam reminded her, pulling her with him by the arm as they ran splashing into the burn. The stag, which had been looking at them, now looked back over its glossy flank and sniffed the air, clearly scenting the approaching hounds.

“Gitup!” Liam cried, plunging towards it through the water clapping his hands repeatedly. “Go on, run!”

Ivy joined in, also urging the beast to run. It was uncanny when the stag looked at them once more, seemed to bow its head, and then took off, cantering steadily upstream, with them following it. The sounds of the hunt faded into the distance until they could no longer hear it.

It felt to Ivy like they ran for miles and miles, splashing through the waters after the great beast. As the elevation of the land rose before them, the going became steep and rough, and their boots slipped on the stones and gravel. Still the stag ran, and they labored onwards after it, urging it on with cries and shouts.

Finally, the stag scrambled over the edge of a rocky outcrop and vanished from sight. They climbed up to the top as fast as they could, gasping for air, and watched as it cantered across the silvery expanse of a shallow lake that spread out before them. It ran to the other side, stopped, and raised its magnificent head at them before plunging back into the forest on the opposite shore.

Ivy and Liam staggered to the banks of the burn and collapsed next to each other to the forest floor, soaked to their skins, panting, and sweating. Even after they could breathe more normally, neither spoke.

Eventually, Liam rolled on his side to face her. She turned her head to meet his eyes. They gazed at each other warmly and smiled.

“I think we did it,” he murmured.

“Aye, I think so. They’ll never be able tae track it now.” They stood in silence for a minute, before Ivy looked again at Liam. “D’ye feel guilty fer spoilin’ the hunt?”

“I certainly dinnae feel guilty. I feel very good about it. They’ll get over it. In fact, that was one of the best things I’ve ever done in me life. I’m proud of us.”

“Aye, so am I,” Ivy replied, laughing softly. “I’m so glad ye feel the same way. Och, whatever happens tae me now, Liam, I’ll always remember this day as somethin’ special.”

“Aye, me too, Ivy.” She was surprised when she suddenly felt his fingers brush her hand. Reflexively, she grasped them and squeezed them in hers. The moment of closeness lingered for a few more moments.

“This is our secret tae keep forever, eh?” he finally said, letting go her hand and getting up to brush down his wet clothes.

The thought of them sharing a secret thrilled her. It implied trust. She got up too. “Aye, ours tae keep,” she answered, smiling back at him.

“We’d best make our way back downstream and find the others,” he said.

“All right,” she agreed. They clambered back down the steep incline, putting out a hand to help each other now and then, and set off back the way they had come. This time they kept to the banks of the burn as much as they could.

“Phew!” Ivy puffed after they had walked for what felt like an age. “I’m just grateful that this exercise is keepin’ me from freezin’ tae death.”

Liam laughed. “Well, dinnae get yer hopes up, but I think we’re gettin’ closer tae where we first saw the stag,” he said. They came to a halt, and when she looked around, she saw they had come to a slight curve where the burn turned eastward. “I recognize that burned tree over there,” he added and pointed across the water to the blackened skeleton leaning out from the opposite bank.

“So, we should have come out somewhere this way on our right?” she asked, scanning ahead in that direction for anything she remembered passing as they emerged from the trees to confront the stag. Nothing caught her eye, so she walked up the incline a little and turned back to look again, hoping for a better view.

It was as she happened to take a step to her left that she felt the ground open up beneath her feet, and she plummeted downwards, shrieking in terror, until her backside collided with something so hard it knocked the breath from her body and set her bones rattling.

Severely shaken, she screamed and then spluttered, finding her mouth was full of bits of grass and leaves. She spat them out and coughed. When she sat back and looked around her, she realized she was at the bottom of a pit, with smooth, steep walls of earth rising above her.

“Help!” she screamed. “Liam, help!”

“There’s nae need tae shout,” she heard him say, seconds before his face appeared over the edge of the pit. “I’m right here. I heard ye the first time.”

Relief flooded through her at the sight of him. “I fell down a hole or somethin’” she called up to him, struggling to her feet, still brushing off the debris of her fall.

“Ye dinnae say?”

“Well, are ye just gonnae look at me or are ye gonnae get me out?” She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him expectantly.

He sniffed and grinned at her. “I’m thinkin’ about it. Are ye hurt?”

“Just had the wind knocked out of me but that is all.” She rubbed her backside and added ruefully, “I think I’m gonnae have a hell of a bruise though.”

“I reckon ye will too. Ye’ll have tae sit on a cushion for the next few days,” he told her, chuckling.

“Liam!”

“Ach, come on then, gimme yer hand.” He reached his arm down, and they clasped each other’s hand around the wrist. “Ready?”

“Can ye hurry up?!”

“I’ll take that as an aye.” He slowly pulled her up, and when she got to the top, he put his hands on her waist, lifted her the rest of the way, then set her on her feet.

She looked up to thank him, and their eyes met. Suddenly, Ivy was all too aware of how close they were standing, the way their breaths were mingling. For all she knew there could be nothing between them, it did not stop the tingling sensations that rippled through her body at the feel of his large, warm hands upon her.

He released her and stepped away. “Are ye sure ye’re nae hurt? That was quite a fall,” he said solicitously, breaking the spell of the moment.

Ivy immediately felt the lack of his nearness, but she told herself it was for the best. However, one thing she had learned for certain from the incident was that she really could trust him with her life. She knew it was silly to care, but somehow, that meant an awful lot to her.