The Highlander’s Witch (19 page)

She glared at the giant while he secured her hands to the back of the chair just before someone behind her forced a hood over her head.

Something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t clicking.

Skye struggled against the painfully tight bonds, which only made it worse so she concentrated on trying to use her other senses but her heart was pounding too loud in her ears from fear.

She knew she wasn’t alone but she couldn’t hear anyone else.

How
the
hell
do
I
get
into
these
messes?
She berated herself.
This
is
worse
than
a
B
rated
movie!
No
way
does
this
shit
happen
to
anyone
else.

Finley froze in the chair he was lounging on as Riona’s guard hauled Skye into their chambers and relieved that she had not seen him before he was able to slip something over her head.

Putting a finger to his mouth to let his sister know he wanted her quiet, he dragged Riona out of the room as her man tied the girl’s legs, smiling grimly at a maid that scurried by.

Closing the door behind him, he glared at Riona. “What the hell is goin on?”

“That girl was standing outside Aiden’s chambers.” She spat.

When Finley shook her harshly, Riona looked around and gritted her teeth before continuing in a lower voice after she cleared her throat.

“What was I supposed to do?”

Wiping a hand over his face, Finley shook his head. Looking around, he kept shaking his head, trying to think.

“I canna get into his bed with the bloody bint around! We can kill her. No one kens she be here an obviously Aiden hasna found her—”

He held up a hand to silence her and she stood there fuming while her brother thought the latest events over.

After a moment, he turned back to her, whispering furiously.

“We go back to the plan we had before she left. Have James do what we discussed an report back to me when done.”

*     *     *

Skye couldn’t believe this!

Once again, she found herself before the counsel, only this time she was in chains, the hood just now removed. There was not a friendly face assembled and Aiden was nowhere in the room.

A man with plaited grey hair and matching beard stepped forward.

“Tis her!” He accused in a raspy voice.

Turning to get a better look, she saw a man badly beaten, his face swollen grotesquely with fresh bruises, pointing at her.

She immediately felt the desire to heal him and stop the pain he must be in before it sunk in that he was accusing her of something.

“What have ye to say fer yerself?”

She turned to gaze at the elder who spoke Gaelic with such a heavy brogue she had to concentrate hard on his words.

“To what?”

“This man has accused ye o’ conspirin against the Laird o’ this keep.”

“What?”

“Ye heard me.” The man glowered.

She shook her head in confusion.

“I have conspired with no one.” She insisted, silently taking back her desire to heal the jerk.

“Ross was taken prisoner an beaten almost to death. As he lay barely conscious, he heard of the plan fer ye to infiltrate the castle, assess, an report so that an attack could be planned.”

With each word, Skye’s eyes widened.

Riona’s brother approached. What was his name? Finley?

“Ye thought to use yer bonnie looks to get what information ye could, then ye tried to sneak out when we werena lookin.”

“Not true!”

He bore down on her but she refused to yield, his body brushed against hers.

“But me sister found ye at Aiden’s chambers. Ye ken he would search for ye, an when he left, ye used his room to hide in.”

“I was—”

“Yer a whore.”

He slapped her so hard she staggered and fell, hitting her hip.

Head spinning at the force, she barely heard the elder telling Finley to stop.

She struggled to her feet, shaking her head, anger surfacing.

“You’re wrong. I would never do that.”

“What?” He sneered. “Spy fer yer kin, or whore?”

Her mouth opened to speak then clamped shut as she turned from him to face the elder.

Standing tall, she squared her shoulders. “I am not a spy, nor am I a whore.”

Finley made a scoffing noise.

She took a deep breath as she looked in the eyes of a man who had already condemned her. “I am innocent of these accusations.”

Finley grabbed her arm and forced her to face the beaten man.

“Ye call this man a liar? He suffered at the hands of men who cared little fer his life. Ross be a man of this village, why would he lie?”

Shaking her head, she answered. “I do not know, but I stand by my innocence.”

“Then ye stand alone.” Finley hissed in her face.

“Enough. Get the man to a healer an send the wench to the doogun.”

Skye’s mouth dropped open in shock but nothing came out as another man grabbed her roughly by the arm and led her away.

Thrown back into the room that still gave her nightmares, Skye jumped in fear when the bars slammed shut.

Not
again!

She frantically searched the room while she had light from the torch, knowing the emptiness would change as soon as the two men who had brought her here left with her only source of illumination.

Skye wanted to scream her innocence but to what use? They would only throw her inability to answer questions from her interrogation in her face.

Instead, she made her way to the flimsy cot against the far wall, wanting her body off the floor and hoping it would help to keep the rats away.

This was not good.

Not good at all.

It did not take long before her ears picked up the sounds of scurrying pests.

Her skinned crawled as goose bumps covered her body. She felt the rags under her pull and knew they were using it climb up.

Shrieking, Skye scrambled to shake them off and pull the cloth up and away, then she wrapped the filthy things around her hands and arms so she could sweep them off when they found another way to her.

She sat there petrified, barely dosing for short periods.

Dreams of things crawling on her woke her up with a jerk.

It took her mind, clogged with fear, time to sort out the fact that there
were
things crawling on her and they must be coming from the bedding.

Desperately trying to get the tattered rags off, she brushed frantically at herself. Whimpering as she scrambled off the cot and tearing the fabric from her as she backed away, her mind a mass of numbed horror.

When the bars touched her back, she cried out and jumped, losing the battle to keep back the tears.

Tense and unable to squeeze her eyes shut to stop the tears for fear that they would jump on her if she wasn’t watching, Skye clenched and unclenched her fists trying to think as she quickly brushed the tears from her eyes.

“I can’t do this again. I can’t.” Staring into nothing, she kept whispering, scratching at the fleabites. “I can’t, I can’t.”

Her head shot up when she heard the scurrying of the rats.

“Oh, God, please, please, please.”

Hours passed without anyone coming for her. She was shivering from terror and cold, huddled in the corner she’d inched her way to, incapable of being able to comprehend if the things crawling on her were real or not, she would frantically brush at her flesh, sobbing quietly.

“Skye?”

Starting at the whispered word, her head swung around, eyes wide, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Skye? Be ye there?”

The light had her heart beating again and she hurried over to the bars. “Anna!”

“Och, Skye! Look at ye.”

Blushing furiously at the sight she must present, she looked away.

“I will get ye out of there.”

A sob caught in her throat and she swallowed, shaking her head at the girl. “You can’t. They believe I’m a spy.”

“But yer no!”

Skye smiled, brushing away a tear with a jerky movement of her hand. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“I do, an when Aiden an Collin come back they will too!” Anna whispered furiously.

“The baby. How’s the baby?”

Anna touched her stomach and smiled. “The bairn be fine. I doona ken what ye did, but I feel like there be reel hope now.”

“Anna, you need to stay in bed.”

“But ye healed me.”

Skye’s heart leapt to her throat as thoughts of burning at the stake and Anna truly thinking all was well now.

“Listen to me, Anna. I did not heal you. You need to stay in bed.”

“But there be no more pain nor spottin! Ye did it, Skye! An tis another reason why I will get ye out of here.”

“Anna—”

“What be ye doin here, Lady Anna?”

They both turned to see Finley approaching from the end of the passage.

“Tis an outrage, imprisonin Skye this way!”

Finley patted Anna’s arm solemnly. “Tis difficult, I ken, but the counsel has heard information that has led them to make this decision, an we must abide by it.”

He tried to lead her away but she resisted.

“I wilna leave her here alone. Aiden wouldna abide this!”

“Lass, doona stress yerself an the babe this way.”

Fearful for the baby, Skye encouraged Anna to leave. “Please, Anna, it’s alright.”

“Tis no!”

“Anna, you need to calm down for me, for the baby, and get back to bed.” Skye whispered, unable to stop the tremors.

Anna wrestled her arm away from Finley.

“Please. You really do need to take it easy. It is
not
alright to be up and about.”

Anna looked at Skye and frowned.

“Alright. I will go.” She glared at Finley, her words spoken venomously. “But when Aiden an me husband return they will be livid.”

Finley walked beside Anna, ensuring she didn’t return.

Sinking to the floor, Skye was grateful they left Anna’s torch in the wall sconce so, for a little while at least, there was enough light to keep the rats at bay—hopefully.

Resting her head on her bent knees, she could not stop the shaking that continued to rack her body.

Who knew how much time had passed without rest?

The magic she used to return to the keep combined with her body’s healing from the bedbugs, the lack of sleep, and stress was wearing her down.

She could not contact Sarah through the flame because leaving here without being able to save Anna’s baby was out of the question.

If she had been thinking clearly, and if Finley had not shown up, she could have taken care of that and talked with Sarah about getting her the hell out of here.

Looking back at the time she and Aiden had spent in the shed took her hopes away.

She should have stayed put, bottom line.

Skye laughed as every one of her actions made her look as if she was the very thing she was being accused of—again.

How she had run away to be found by Aiden, then having sex with him only to disappear when his back was turned, and finally showing back at the keep.

It didn’t take any stretch of the imagination to put two and two together and equal spy and whore no matter what century a person found themselves.

What if she had been honest?

Anna seemed to be very happy with the idea that Skye had healed her, even though she hadn’t had the chance to figure out a permanent solution to her pregnancy. But Anna was young, probably still fanciful. Aiden believed she had been trying to help, but he had no idea to what extent she really could help.

What if he did?

She stopped herself. What ifs weren’t going to help her now. She didn’t even know if the truth would.

Exhausted, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Dreams of rats and huge bed bugs climbing her legs turned into reality and she woke, choking on a scream as she tore at her clothing, brushing off the rodents as she scrambled to her feet.

The torch had sputtered out, leaving her in complete darkness once again.