Highland Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

fall.
    Using the damp wall of the cave as leverage,
Callum struggled to his feet.
    Fighting the mental lethargy the poison and
headache were causing, he strained to focus on his
surroundings.
    “Are you feeling dizzy?” Branwenn asked, her
concern mounting.
    “Sshhh! I’m trying to think,” he snapped.
    Branwenn stiffened her spine. “Pray, pardon
me, Your Highness.”
    Callum ignored her. Somewhere in the back of
his mind, he knew that he should apologize for his rudeness, but
‘twas all he could do to stay on his feet and shake the shroud of
fog in his mind to think more clearly. After another moment, he
breathed a sigh of relief. Aye, he knew this cave. ‘Twas the one
his cuckolding wife had used to make her secret departure from
their fortress two moons past. If he traveled the meandering
passage that began at the back of this chamber, ‘twould eventually
lead him to a hidden entrance inside the west tower of the
fortress. He pushed himself away from the dank wall he’d propped
himself up against, picked up the taper, and set out in that
direction.
    “Where are you going?” Branwenn asked as she
stumbled into step behind him, stretching her arms out in front of
her so she could catch him when he fell—for his gate was stiff and
uneven as he tried to keep the weight off of his injured ankle.
    “I’m going to my family’s fortress.”
    “But...this passage leads only to my father’s
realm.”
    Callum was growing short of breath now. “Nay,
it leads to a”—he stopped walking and bent forward, resting his
palms on his knees as he took a couple of deep breaths—“secret
entrance to the castle.” He would not swoon, he vowed to
himself.
    This was news to Branwenn. She’d thoroughly
explored this cave when she’d first arrived and had found no such
entrance.
    A drop of sweat trailed into the outer corner
of Callum’s eye and he blinked the sting away. After a minute more,
he resumed his trek. ‘Twas not long before he came to the place
where the passage forked. Recessed in the entrance to the adjacent
tunnel was a large portion of planked wood which had been fitted to
block the opening and then curtained in a painted black and gray
fabric, the design resembling the stone walls around it. The
darkness of the cave, the skill with which the painter had copied
the look of the stone, along with the little light even a torch
could provide in the black chasm, helped to conceal the second
route.
    “Take hold of these a moment,” he said,
placing the fistful of pulled-back curtain in the fey one’s hand
and the taper in her other. Taking two deep breaths and releasing
them, he filled his lungs once more and thrust his shoulder against
the wooden barrier. Unfortunately, it gave much easier than he was
expecting and the force sent it, and him, flying forward. He landed
with a loud thud directly on top of it. “Aargh!” he yelled
as he felt his shoulder bone thrust from its joint.
    “Blood of Christ!” Branwenn cried out. She
flew to Callum’s side and dropped down to her knees. “You’ve hurt
yourself, you simple-minded fool! And now I know not how I will
ever get you up again!”
    A fleeting memory of someone else speaking to
him in much the same manner flitted through his mind, but ‘twas
much too nebulous an image for him to catch and keep hold of. So,
swallowing another groan, he simply ignored the vexing creature. As
this was not an unfamiliar injury for him, he did as he’d been
taught should this happen on the battlefield. Slowly, he brought
his arm up and placed his hand behind his head and rotated the
appendage. With very careful, slow movements he began to reach
toward his other shoulder. He felt the bone slide back in place.
Aahhh! Perfect. But now he was beginning to see pinpricks of
colored lights. Afraid he’d swoon when he was so close to his
destination, he took a few slow, deep breaths and manfully shook
the false visions clear before staggering to his feet once
more.
    “Praise be,