Page 13 of Duncan

Ignoring the panic and dragging her feet across the cold stones, Nicole picked up and sniffed the mug of brew before tasting it. The herbs and honey in the drink calmed her stomach a little, but her throat was still too tight for her to manage the thick, dark bread.

I’ve got to pull myself together.

Once Nicole drank most of the brew, she washed away the tears and sat in the chair by the hearth. Watching the flames, she silently rehearsed what she would ask them in the morning. She would be very careful about what she said. If they weren’t kidnappers, then it wasn’t their fault that she had been brought to Caladh. It had been her own idiocy in agreeing to that bargain.

Hi, does anyone know how I can get out of here and go back to the twenty-first century? Now, please?

IN THE GREAT hall Nyall stood and listened to his patrollers report one by one as they warmed themselves by the great hearth. Despite their best efforts they had been unable to locate Meg, or any sign that she had returned to the MacKay farm on the other side of the island. The sudden chill that came after midnight signaled that winter would arrive earlier than expected.

Would they survive until the spring? Nyall wondered.

“She’s likely hidden herself in the ridges, Captain,” one of his best trackers said. “So she wouldnae face punishment for her wrongdoing.”

He noticed one of the other men grimacing and beckoned to him. “What ken you of the lass?”

“Naught of her whereabouts, Captain.” He made an uneasy gesture. “’Tis only how Meg’s been since she came back from the farm. She’s ever been saucy, you ken, and fears no MacMar. I cannae count how many times she’s made us laugh in the past. Only now she seems sad and too silent.” He glanced around at the other patrollers. “You’ve seen the same, aye, lads?”

The men looked unhappy but muttered their agreements.

“Aye, well, she’s a young maiden, and likely had her heart bruised,” Nyall told them. “’Twill pass in time. Keep watch for her, but dinnae overhandle the wench.”

After they left, a familiar sense of being close to his lover came over him. He looked over his shoulder at his wife, who had perched on one of the tables behind him. She wore her wet suit but appeared as if she had been out of the water for some time.

He went to her. “Why didnae you hail me when you arrived, Caroline?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt report time.” She moved into his arms and kissed him, and then sighed before she stepped back. “Meg’s in trouble?”

Nyall told her about the incident with Duncan, and Nicole’s arrival before he said, “Mayhap she saw the lady in the water, and wished to speed the healer for a rescue.”

“When you want to save someone’s life, you generally don’t push a rescuer off a cliff,” his wife said, her expression growing thoughtful. “Might be she thought he was someone else. Did anyone see Merrick hanging around before that?”

“None that I ken.” Nyall knew of the ill-fated love shared by Meg and the ruler of the Selseus, the immortal aquatic beings who occupied a huge underwater settlement just off Caladh’s bay. Meg had even left Dun Ard to work on the other side of the island to avoid Merrick. “You reckon the king enraged the lass again?”

“I don’t know. It’s like the guys said, she’s been very weird lately,” Caroline told him. “I’ve seen her pacing back and forth on the cliffs every night. I thought she was watching for Merrick at first, but all she does is stare up at the stars. She also keeps rubbing her arms like this.” She put her hands on the outsides of her shoulders and moved them down to her elbows and then back up again.

“I shall ask Duncan attend her once she’s found.” He dropped a kiss on her pretty lips. “Dinnae fret. Meg’s a resilient lass. Whatever plagues her shall soon mend.”

“Hope so. Now I have to ask you something.” She untied the wet hemp cloth bag she had tied to her weight belt, and from it drew out a sphere-shaped object so encrusted with barnacles and algae that nothing beneath showed. “While I was out collecting some urchins for Lark today I found a whole bed of these. Hundreds of them have clustered in a spot right outside the cove. I can’t tell what they are, but they’re too perfect to be natural. Because they might be Fae-made I thought even scraping off the sea junk was a bad idea. Also, they weren’t there when I swam through the same spot yesterday.”

When he took it from her, the burn of a powerful enchantment sizzled across his palm. “’Tis a Fae object. You saw hundreds of the same?”

Caroline nodded. “If one of the villagers goes there to collect shellfish, they’ll probably walk right into the bed. If they’re dangerous, we need to get them out of the water.”

“Aye.” He placed the artifact inside an empty stone box before binding the lid with a stout strap. “I shall take this to Duncan, and speak with Jamaran later about removing them.”

“Good, then come over to my place after you’re done for the day.” Her lips curved, and excitement shimmered in her eyes. “Our commander was planning to spend the night, so we can talk…after.”

On his way to the infirmary Nyall couldn’t stop smiling to himself. Since Caroline had taken him and his best friend as her lovers, she had freed all the desires he had hidden for so long. She’d also helped him realize that long ago helping to save Jamaran’s life, and being present at his transformation, had likely caused their closer-than-brotherly bond. Yet it had been his wife who had desired them both, and bonded the three of them in spite of some disapproval. Now he couldn’t imagine his life without sharing his passion with his wife and his best friend.

As he walked into the infirmary he saw the healer pacing back and forth in front of his cabinet. Duncan looked as he never did: ready to brawl.

Nyall cleared his throat. “I’ve a gift for your collection, Brother, and many more of the same once we harvest them from the sea floor.”

The healer didn’t seem to hear him at first, and then suddenly changed direction and came to take the stone box from him. “What facking thing did you find now?”

“I cannae tell.” He wondered if he should leave and return after an hour, as Duncan almost never lost his temper. “’Tis anything amiss? That kitchen maid that got with child came asking your aid, mayhap?”

“’Tisnae Jamma. Mistress Fairley doesnae wish me touch her—as if I’m some slavering lad with his first woman.” He thumped down the stone box on his work table and began untying the cording. “I’m the clan’s healer. I’ve assured her I shallnae hurt her. Aye, and she’s put hands on me more than once. As if I wish touch her for my own amusement.”