The Highlander

Chapter Twenty Nine

Rosaline

Why is it always burning when I wake from death?

Dying was a habit I needed to stop as well. I'd rather not die again thank you. But he waking up was a bonus but still, there needed to be a halt on the flames and fire. That was a buzz kill.

I didn't fully wake up when I tasted the flames. The hot tips of the smoke teased my tongue, drying it out. My cheekbone and arm felt flickers of pain when a sudden tendril of fire shot out and licked my skin, singing it slightly. The flames sucked the moisture off my eyeballs and I opened them sharply, getting a wide eye view of my surroundings.

Wherever I was I was on my back, surrounded by a halo of fire. My eyes looked at a fiery haze above but I didn't know if that was a picture perfect sunset or the burning fire around me. Trees engulfed my gaze; tall beautiful trees that belonged in the fairytale books being read to little girls at night.

Beneath my fingers I felt something rough and coarse. My hand petted it for a moment before I realised it was hay. Many questions rose to mind at that point but the fearless flames at my side demanded attention.

I had remained still with shock and confusion but when the fire soared down the hay by side, scorching my arm, I released a loud screech before jumping towards the other side and falling into the icy depths of the water around me.

I hadn't had time to breathe in and when I went tumbling of the bed of hay my lungs steadily filled with water. Shock at my sudden surrounding sent me souring back to the surface, taking a large gasp for air once I expelled the gallon of water my lungs held.

Finally keeping myself steady and floating in the water I watched as the flames drifted away down a narrow valley of water, slowly leaving my line of sight. The flames burned on a wooden plank, bringing to mind the images of Viking warriors who had died being sent off into the sea on a burning boat.

Images of Viking deaths brought to mind my own death and Finn. He thought I was dead!

I swivelled quickly in the water, desperate to find Finn and tell him I was a live when a large hand reached out and grabbed me by my dress before I could fully turn. I was hauled out of the water and thrown on the grassy ground.

Wiping water droplets from my face I looked up to see Finn standing above me. He didn't look very happy to see me. His face was contorted into a mixture of shock, horror and anger.

"Finn..." I said, starting to stand up with my hand stretching out to touch him. But before I could move any closer to him his hand darted out and slapped me across the face. The pain was sudden and sharp and I was still with shock for a moment before my own hand reached up to cradle my cheek.

"What the..." I whispered harshly looking back up at my brooding highland warrior. I had fallen back to the ground from the impact of Finn's hand and began to crawl away from him, my eyes darting to the scenery around us.

A small waterfall fed the pond and river to my left, the burning pyre almost out of sight now, its orange flames melting into the sunset. All around my small flames burned in the hand of people I didn't recognise. Most of the candle holders looked like peasants but mixed amongst them were warriors from both Finlay's clan and McDowell's. They all looked upon me with shock and an old woman dropped her candle, the flame going out instantly.

Many people around the edges either dropped their candles where they stood and left or darted around quickly and ran back to, I assumed, the McDowell castle and surrounding village. There was a handful that started to move closer to get a better look at what was happening but the fearful many grabbed their arms and hauled them after them.