Hannah & The Highlander [Book 1 in the time travel series]

Chapter Eighteen: Return to the Highlands

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Copyright © 2013




Chapter Eighteen: Return to the Highlands




@Cailen's P.O.V.@



It was late in the day, the sun had set far too soon, due to the intrusion of the cold season. Cailen sat among his men in the great hall, a untouched tanker of whiskey in his hand. His men, every member of his clan was in celebration over the battle against MacKinnon. They cheered and sang drunken battle songs, the lyre player by the hearth strumming up a lively tune that had his people dancing with an abandonment that he envied.



Cailen was numb down to the very marrow of his bones. When had delivered blows to MacKinnon he had felt nothing. No satisfaction or twisted pleasure. He was a bleak, dark void. He'd been angry-yes anger was a strong, fearsome emotion-when Hannah had been taken. Then sadness had taken hold of him. But then, sadness had receded and now there was . . . nothing. Without Hannah it was as if someone had robbed him of the sun, of the very air he breathed.



"My laird?"



Cailen's head lifted slowly, his gaze roving with disinterest over a dusky blue gown that hugged ample womanly curves, to a pretty face framed by dark auburn curls and a coy smile.



"Aye?"



"Why tis it that the most handsome man in the keep is sulking by himself?" She asked teasingly, as she pressed her front against his hard muscles.



Cailen felt a twist of something distasteful in his gut. He remembered the lass now. A young chit who had wandered to his clan after a raid from the north had ravaged her village. She was a renowned flirt and was known to be a bit of a light skirt.



"Ye should enjoy the festivities then lass," he said as he focused his gaze on his tanker.



"What kind of woman would I be if I left my laird in such a dour mood?" She asked, her voice taking a husky purr. "Perhaps there is something I can do fer ye?"



That unpleasant twisted knot in his stomach was now a boulder of unease. It was all he could do not to shoot up to his feet and put as much space between himself and the young maid. Instead, he fought to remain calm, keeping his voice at a deep timbre of disinterest.



"Nay, there is not."



"I am sure there is somethi-"



"I wish to be alone, lass," Cailen ground out between clenched teeth. The numbness was replaced by a mixture of annoyance and anger.



"But, my laird-"



That was it. Cailen stood, the abruptness of his movement sent the woman sprawled on her back, something akin to a cat's yowl escaping her painted lips. She stared up at him with wide eyes filled with confusion, hurt and fury.



"My laird! What-?"



"I have no wish to be chased in my own home," Cailen said, his voice laced with ice. "I bid ye all a good night, on the morrow I depart to search for Hannah."



And with that Cailen stomped out of the room, an intimidating aura emanating from his body in waves, bidding all to stay away. He moved through the deserted halls of the keep with a single minded objective-solitude and silence. Somehow-he was not sure if it was his subconscious mind or Hannah herself who had lured him-he found himself at the tower; Hannah's tower.



The grand piece of architecture had been reduced to a crumbling skeleton. The wood was scorched black, the faintest hint of smoke lingered, mingling in the air. Cailen stepped further into the room, the familiar and unwelcomed weight settling in his chest once more as his mind turned back to her.



They had known one another for such a brief time. It seemed impossible-nay, unfathomable-that she had been able to mark him so. For now that Hannah was gone, her mark was embossed upon his very soul.



Nay, she is nae gone, Cailen recoiled from the darker inner workings of his mind. She will return to me, and I will ne'er let her go.



With that final, wishful, prayer, Cailen turned away, hoping that the morning would bring promise. The promise of Hannah, back in his arms.



At first light, while there were streaks of pink, orange and fair blue in the still dark velvety sky, Cailen and Douglas rode out, in search of Hannah.




@Hannah's P.O.V.@




"We should stop."


I ignored James suggestion with a stiff shake of my head. We had been on the road for less than two hours, there was still too much ground to burn before sunset. As James had sworn, that morning we rose early, high tailing it to the closest village. I witnessed James disarming charm and haggling skills first hand on the local tradesmen. He procured us two horses, enough food to last us til we reached the next town, and for me a dark green wool cloak, with soft white fox fur lining the hood and the length of the fabric. I do not condone the slaughter of woodland creatures, but the day was colder than the last and the cloak was so warm.



He also managed to find me some clothes. He came marching out of the blacksmith's hovel with a boisterous grin on his face. From behind his back he produced a shirt and a pair of tan pants with well worn leather boots. He presented them to me with the care one would with some sort of award.



"These belonged to the blacksmith's youngest. They should fit, at the very least."



Once I had changed-god, it was amazing to be in pants again!-we set out north, towards Scotland and Cailen.



We were still half a league-according to James, how long was a league anyway?-away from the border. I did not want to stop, despite the growing pressure on my bladder, and the sand papery feeling on my tongue. No, in my stomach was a huge ball of excitement-it was the feeling I had had as a little kid on my first trip to Disney. All I wanted was to reach my destination as fast as possible.



"Hannah, think of the horses," James disapproving tone sliced through my thoughts.



I glanced down warily at my chestnut mare, aptly named Bonny. She seemed okay, but if she felt a quarter of my discomfort . . . .



"Okay, five minute pit stop," I sighed.



James gave a curt nod of agreement and lead the way towards a rising hill. Once at the top I saw a small brook below, the sight of the fresh water made my mouth water. We climbed off our horses, leading them towards the waters edge. I collapsed down beside Bonny, scooping up a handful of water, slurping it down. It felt amazing.



"Here," James said holding out a torn piece of bread, it was freshly baked, bits of grains and berries baked in.



I took the morsel of food gratefully, nibbling on its edges with care. The taste exploded in my mouth, causing an unbidden moan to rise from my throat. James frowned as he took a bite of his own slice of the delicious bread.



"You should not push yourself so hard," he said, his eyes never leaving me. "Your 'husband' t'would be most displeased if I delivered his wife half dead to his door step."



"I'm fine," I mumbled gruffly as I popes the last bit of bread into my mouth. "Like you said, winter'll be here sooner than later. I'd rather not try to make it to Scotland in a blizzard."



James rolled his eyes, but said nothing more on the subject. Smart guy.



For the remainder of our rest James was silent. Once the horses had had their full of grass and water, and I had taken care of some personal business, we started off once again. We rode in silence for what felt like forever when James decided to speak.



"He must be something special-your husband, that is-to warrant such fierce devotion."



"Yeah, he is," I answered, my eyes on the horizon. "He's strong, kind and the most amazing person I have ever met."



"I am curious as to how such a paragon of male attributes allowed his wife to be sold into slavery."



"Ya know, James, you ask a lot of questions. Why don't we talk about you? What's your deal?"



"My 'deal'?" He laughs.



"Yeah, what your back ground? Why are you helping me?"



"It is what any other honor bound man would do," he said evasively.



"Uh-huh, sure," I said nudging Bonny ahead. "When you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, come talk to me. Until then? No more questions."



And with that all conversation ebbed to the merest inclinations about the weather and if we needed to rest. I did not trust James. Men like McKinnon and Fergus had done their job in making my hesitant to be too trusting. For the next three days we set up a sort of routine. Sleep, ride, rest, ride until sunset, and buckle down for the night. Repeat at dawn. We gathered more supplies at any towns we encountered, preparing for whatever Mother Nature had in store for us.



With each passing day the weather grew colder, the days shorter. I was wary of the sky, furtively glancing for any sign of an ominous storm cloud. I may have never seen snow, and I wanted to, but right then was not a good time. On the third day was the day we reached the border.



"Here we are, Hannah," James said quietly.



The excitement inside me was boundless. My eyes gazed over the Lowlands. The land was flat, so unlike the highlands with its sloping fields, a forest edged its way around us, a great rock formation slumped against the side of the moors and its forest. Cailen and the highlands were just ahead, a few more days and I would be home. I took in a shuddering breath, turning towards James, flashing him a moist grin.



"Thank you."



He looked . . . well, if I didn't know James, I would say humbled.



"You are welcome," he murmured.



I began to tease him about his attitude when a gust of wind plowed into me. Fear pooling inside me, I looked towards the sky, my heart sinking. In the span of a second the sky had been shrouded by a horde of monstrous black clouds. Above our heads lightning traced the clouds with its deadly light, thunder booming loudly. Bonny reared in protest, nearly throwing me from her back. James moved quickly, clutching the reins, steadying the frightened mare.



"We must take cover," he shouted over the screeching the wind.



I nodded mutely, allowing him to guide Bonny and I towards the forest. Inside the canopy of its branches, we glanced around frantically. I caught sight of a crack in the rock formation, just big enough for a person to slip through.



"There!" I shouted, pointing my finger.



James straightened his eyes fixing on the spot I indicated. Together we ducked low, running head long towards shelter. The small entrance was narrow and lined with moss and sharp rocks. We had to tread carefully, sliding along sideways, scooting along slowly. The tunnel widened into a hollow room like space, the ceiling was low and there was little to no light, but it was dry and that was all I cared about.



I collapsed on the cavern floor, a heavy sigh whooshing from my lungs. Once I was sheltered I was aware of how cold I was, the rain had managed to soak through my cloak. James cursed once he saw me, crouched in the corner and shaking like a leaf.



"Here," he knelt down beside me, unpinning my cloak, shoving it off my shoulders. Then he rummaged in his pack drawing out a bit of kindling. "Start a fire, and get warm. I need to find the horses and get them tied up before the storm gets worse."



"B-but it's terrible out there-"



James flashed me his best roguish smile. "Aw, have you grown attached to me in all the time we spent together?"



I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Drown yourself for all I care. Die of pneumonia."



He chuckled as he drew up the hood of his cloak. "Wait here, I will be back."



That's comforting, I thought unsettled. Cuz in horror movies, the guy who goes off into the woods and says 'I'll be back' usually is the first to die.



I watched as James' silhouette disappeared, swallowed whole by the darkness and the storm. I sighed, the soft noise echoing around me with the force of the wind outside. I turned my attention to the bits of wood and kindling he had left, frowning. James had attempted-I remind you, I was never a Girl Scout-to show me how to make a fire and I had never gotten any promising results. Just a lot of splinters.



I set to work, working the think sticks together just as he'd showed me, the friction between them growing warmer against the moss that I had applied between them. I caught sight of an ember, crouching low, I blew gently on the flickering wisp of light. It grew, and sparked. I swelled with pried, fighting the urge to be like London Tipton from Suite Life and yell 'YEA ME!' while clapping and jumping.



I settled down next to the fire, carefully adding bits of wood to the growing fire. The heat seeped into my very pores and down into my bones warming me inside and out. Or maybe I just thought so because I had created the fire without a match, lighter or gasoline.



If Cailen could see me now-just like that my rising bubble of happiness popped. Cailen. He could sneak up on me no matter what.



But I'm close, I thought desperately. So close to getting back to him. All these long weeks since McKinnon had taken me, I had planned various scenarios of our reunion. Most were outlandish and a few were a bit to rambunctious to ever admit out loud. But mainly, they all involved me running up to him, hugging him and apologizing repeatedly. But there was always that darker part of me, that part that wondered if he even cared or noticed I was gone. What if the moment I rejected him, any feelings he might have had for me had died? What if he was holed up with some other girl-what if Caitriona had wormed her way to him?



Those thoughts were worse than missing him. Like someone had punched huge holes through my chest and was twisting and tearing at my heart. I closed my eyes, banishing the doubts and fears. I allowed the fire's warmth to wash over me once more. I didn't think, didn't see. In the darkness all I did was listen.



The thunder rumbling, the steady beating of the rain on the stone, the wind as it howled. I focused on the noise, willing any thoughts of Cailen away or else I would end up crying all over again.



I had just gotten my nerves in check when the sound of foot falls reached my ears. I sighed in relief. James was back. I hopped to my feet, brushing at the dust on my pants.



"Hey! Guess what? Now you have to call me 'Mistress of the Flame' or 'She Who Made Fi-" the happy babbling died on my tongue when I saw who had entered the cave. My heart stopped, my breath stopped.



It wasn't James who stood before me, ragged and weary from the storm. I stared, disbelieving.



"Cailen."



________________________Author's Note_______________________________

You wanna be, you wanna be a loser like me!!!!! Hi! Listening to some VICTORY music (Glee R. I. P. Cory)

So, yay!!!! Chapter 18!!! Is it long? It feels long. I hope it's long!! Soo, how are my lil highlanders? It's August! My birthday is coming!!! Looking forward to that! Anyway, yea I moved so that's why there wasn't a chapter for 2 weeks. Sorry!


So happy to be done with this chapter!!! Speaking of, I was curious if I could ask a favor from you guys? My other stories are in need of some love. Could some of you (hell, even ONE) just pop by my page and take a look at some? Emberglow, Mr. King & I, Illusions, Wolves of Rome, Midnight Roses they all need help to get more readers! If y'all could do that I will strive to post TWO chapters next week!!! One Wednesday, one Saturday.


I love you, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this-I only liked writing it because of the end. The rest was like pulling teeth. Not much action either. But despite I hope I have left everyone eagerly waiting for chapter 19! You all have been so nice to me, the meanest comment I have ever gotten was back when my chapters were repeating(it wasn't really mean, I was just annoyed because I HAD told everyone I was aware of what was happening).
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Ok, Lots of Love, x's & o's! See you all soon!