a saint to madness.”
“I do try.” Angus’ expression turned serious. “I’ve never known a lass to willingly turn herself over to the enemy. Ye don’t think the MacNeil is using her as a spy, do ye?”
“There’s no deceit in her.”
“So yer gift comes in handy once again, aye?” Angus chuckled.
Conall reached over and punched him in the arm. “Enough.”
“I don’t know why ye keep it secret,” Angus said, and rubbed his arm.
“There’s no secret. I don’t have any type of gift, so leave it be.”
Angus tsked . “Yer mother told me ye’d deny it. It’s been in yer family for generations. Don’t fight it. Yer sister didn’t.”
It only took one look from Conall to silence any more words Angus might have.
“I’m not going to apologize. Ye need to talk about it,” Angus stated. “I just came to tell ye I’d make sure the lass was safe when ye couldn’t.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
Angus spun his horse around. Conall knew he would take the end position to watch the men. Damn. He glanced at Glenna. At least she hadn’t heard any of the exchange with Angus.
A gift. He snorted.
He didn’t have a gift. It was a curse. As far back as he could remember his mother had told him and Iona tales of the Druids and their ways. Magical tales—and it had filled his head with thoughts a lad shouldn’t have.
He had even grown up thinking he would be a Druid priest as well as his clan’s leader. Fate, it seemed, had other ideas for him. But Iona had only one dream—to become a Druid priestess.
Every year she and their mother would venture into the woods and not come out for weeks. Iona’s entire life had been centered around the Druids while his had been on the clan.
His father even advised him to marry a Druid to make his line stronger. All would have gone as their parents planned if Iona hadn’t disappeared, and the very people she sought to follow refused to help him.
The drivel the Druids had told him about her fulfilling her destiny only made him want to gnash his teeth. It went beyond comprehension why the Druids couldn’t just say what they meant. Nay, everything was said in verses that would take the average man years to decipher.
Anger stirred within his heart until they crested a hill and he pulled up on the reins. Home.
The MacInnes castle had been built four hundred years before, and with every laird a new section had been added to the already considerable size. From the original donjon to the two square and four round towers.
He should be finishing the stone walkway his father had wanted from the castle to the loch and finding a wife. Instead, his only thought had been of Iona and the vow to his mother.
From his vantage point atop a hill he had a clear view of the surrounding land and castle. A swift glance told him no enemy was near. Yet.
He raised his hand and motioned for his men to follow as he nudged his horse. The quick step of the horse jarred Glenna awake.
“We’re home, lass.”
Chapter Four
Glenna sucked in her breath at the brief view she had of the castle. It had been built into the cliffs, which aided in its defense as well as the loch that surrounded two sides and gentle, rolling hills on the other two.
Now she knew why the MacNeil wanted it. Not only was it beautiful, it was well defended. No one could attack without being seen by the guards from the castle. When Conall nudged his horse into a walk, she settled herself more comfortably to ease the ache in her legs. The sky had begun to darken. She hadn’t realized she had slept that long.
It wasn’t until the horse veered right that she asked, “The castle is straight. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” was all he said.
So she focused on the spot between the horse’s ears to detach herself from the excruciating agony and told herself it was just a little longer before she would be off the beast.
A droplet of water landed on her hand and brought her out of her daze.