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I
an had no idea the distance from the lodge to the Isle of Skye was so great. The other time he'd traveled to the Isle, he and Wabi had used time weaving as their mode of transportation. But on this trip he was bringing Merlin with him so he had to travel in the same manner that all others did, and that way was very slow. Actually, though, the slow pace was not unpleasant. He saw countryside he'd never seen before and the majesty of the Highlands was even more seared into his brain than ever. There couldn't be any other place on earth as glorious as his Highlands.
It was late and he'd been traveling all day, still not sure how much farther he had to go. His compass was a great aid, and he kept on a south-southwest bearing as Wabi had told him. But both he and Merlin needed rest and food, so he thought it would be a good idea to look for an inn for the evening. He wasn't worried about Henson as he just disappeared occasionally into the forest and always came back licking his chops. It was still amazing to Ian how large the cat was. And that black tail and black ears gave him a most intriguing appearance.
Moving on slowly, he could barely see the rooftop of a building in the distance. It was too far to see much detail, but he headed in that direction and his exceptionally keen nose told him he was close to the coast as the air had a salty, pungent smell he found especially to his liking.
"Ah, smell that? That's the same scent that fills the air at Master Wabi's cottage. The Isle can't be too much farther now, Henson."
He'd been on the road for a few days and had seen no one, which surprised him a bit. Surely people lived in these areas, as he'd passed several villages yesterday, but only a couple today. The day had started out with a low-lying fog that still hovered above the ground, and Merlin stepped gingerly, making his way along the narrow path. Shrub was growing taller than one would expect, but it was a path at some time apparently.
"Huh. This path doesn't look as though it's been traveled in quite some time. I wonder if we've strayed off the main road somewhere."
Henson stuck his large head out of the saddlebag, lifting his nose as if to get his bearings. Ian wasn't exactly sure when he had started talking to his traveling pal, but it kept him from feeling quite so alone.
"What do ye think, Henson? We need to find an inn for the night if we can. That might be one up ahead there, but can't tell from this distance."
Henson jumped from the saddlebag and tore off in the direction of the distant building.
"Henson! Dang you, cat. I can't find ye in that thicket. Ye'll just have to find me, then."
As he neared the building, he stopped briefly, looking about. Apparently he was in luck, as just above the heavy door was a wooden pole adorned with a garland of greenery. All inns used this as a way to tell travelers they were indeed an inn, sort of a welcome sign. He quietly walked up on the porch and looked about, doing exactly what Alex had taught him—seeing where he was, who's about, and most importantly, where's the nearest exit. Assuring himself he was alone and taking note of only one door going in and a window on either side, he opened the door. Calling out loudly, his voice echoed off the walls of the empty building.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
He waited a long moment, then having received no response, continued into the interior of the inn. The sun had set long ago, which meant the place was rather dark inside. As his eyes adjusted to the dim conditions, he saw several tables with chairs pulled up to them and candles set about in small niches along the walls and at each table.
Calling on one of the new skills Master Wabi had taught him, with a nod of his head he lighted the candle on the table nearest to him. Tinderboxes with flint and steel were always part of his traveling kit, but once Wabi had taught him how to light candles with a nod of his head (and a whole lot of mental preparation), he never lighted a fire any other way, unless someone was in the room with him. He kept this ability to himself as Wabi had taught him.
The light from the candle revealed a rather small room with several tables along the walls. The place was vacant, but had been used recently. There was a large chunk of oat bread on a table up front and a half-full bottle of wine stood next to it.
On another table beneath the window there was a plate of baked partridge or grouse, certainly a bird of some kind. Three of these tables had been set with four plates, four mugs and a couple of bottles of wine. One of the bottles had been opened and the mugs all had a small bit of liquid in them.
Hmm. Looks like dinner was interrupted for a number of folks. What's happened here?
Slowly making his way to the kitchen at the rear of the inn, Ian saw rooms off either side of the narrow hallway. Once again reviewing his options for a fast escape, he noted there was a back door, and it was standing ajar. All the rooms on either side of the hallway were empty, but from the looks of them, they had been occupied. He saw clothing folded over chair backs and lying on the beds.
Strange. Something is amiss here.
Taking a peek out the open window at the rear wall, he saw another dilapidated building just a few meters behind the inn and decided to check that out. He walked out the door and started toward the outbuilding. As he got closer, he saw it was a small stable with a couple of stalls. There was also a tack room at the rear, with several saddles, a couple of blankets for the animals, and leather reins hanging from nails.
But there are no horses. How did these folks get to the inn? It's too far from any village for them to have walked here. Perhaps if the fog weren't here I could check for tracks, but it's impossible to see through this misty cover.
He returned to the inn and, after one final tour of the place, the stable and the immediate surroundings, decided he would stay there for the night. It was far too late to continue and he knew he would be wise to stay inside rather than out in the elements. But first, he brought Merlin inside the stable and gave him some hay and water. The run-down stable was better than nothing. He still hadn't seen Henson, but he knew he'd show up—at least he usually did.
After seeing to Merlin, he tinkered about the kitchen and found more of the freshly made oat bread and some boiled potatoes. Anything was better than the dried lamb and days old bannocks he had in his saddlebag. They were nutritious enough, but these fresh vittles were much better. He thought briefly about trying the wine, but something told him he'd better pass on that idea. Fresh water was plentiful and he washed his meal down with that instead.
The first room on the right had two small cots side by side. Ian chose the first cot, intending to rest for the evening and begin moving on toward Wabi's place early the next morning. The instant he closed his eyes, he was sleeping soundly.
A few hours later, but which only seemed like a few moments to Ian, he was awakened. Unlike his brother, Jack, Ian was alert the first second his eyes opened.
What woke me?
Keeping perfectly still and putting all his senses on alert, he listened. Next he sniffed the air, much as Willie or Henson might, and opened his eyes as wide as possible. Nothing.
But something woke me. I still sense it. There's something here, or someone.
Lying there, still unable to hear or see anything, he recalled one of Wabi's first lessons:
"Ian, my lad, you must learn to trust your instincts. Most of the time they will serve you well and keep you safe. Don't question them, just respond to them."
As he quietly rose, his nose registered a scent that was unknown to him, a wild scent, of that he was certain. Then, before he took another step, his ears were ringing with a sound that had his hair lifting from his scalp.
He'd heard animal sounds in the Highlands, any number of cats, or wolves, but this sound reeked of a wildness he was unfamiliar with.
That unnerving sound was followed by a frightening, prolonged, deep-throated, gargling growl that filled the dark night.
Was that first sound a scream? Was it a woman? No. No. I don't know. And the second sound? That was a wild animal for sure.
The sound was so close and loud Ian thought the animal must be inside the inn with him. It was quiet for a brief second, then the chilling scream came again.
This time he knew it came from the stable. For a moment he couldn't decide what action to take. Should he run toward the sound? Should he run in the opposite direction?
The next sound–the high, terrified neighing of a horse–made his choice of action easy.
Merlin—something's after Merlin!
Ian dashed out the rear of the inn and fled toward the stable, knowing Merlin was in trouble. But the scene that greeted him was not one he had thought to find. There was indeed a wild animal in the stable, and it was clinging to the back of a man who had hold of Merlin's halter. The animal appeared to be some sort of mountain lion thought Ian, and from the looks of things this man was trying to steal Merlin.
"Help me, lad! Help me! Here. Ye can have yer horse back, just shoot that cat!"
Ian immediately sized up the situation and a few things fell into place. He knew a highwayman when he saw one. They were known to take anything they could and kill anyone who got in their way.
He pulled out the pistol Da had insisted he take with him and pointed it in the direction of the highwayman.
Holy sheep shite! Do I shoot the cat or the man?
As Ian got closer, the great cat leaped to the ground and flew out of the stable in a mad dash.
"So, ye'd take my horse would ye? And the people from the inn? Did ye kill them and take their horses too?"
"No, I didn't kill them. No, I wouldn't do that. Just put the pistol down now, lad."
Ian came a bit closer, wanting to look the man in the eye. He had never killed anyone before and didn't especially want to now, but Da had given him the pistol for a reason. And no doubt this man was evil. He'd stolen horses and it appeared he had killed those people who had been having their supper at the inn.
"If ye didn't kill them, then where are they?"
"Here. Take the horse. I'll just go on my way now."
Ian hesitated for a moment. Should he shoot the highwayman? Should he just tie him up? What? He was learning much from Wabi about using his newly found powers, but at the moment he didn't know how to handle this situation. Da had taught him many things, but he'd never been faced with a dilemma such as this. He looked about, silently wishing someone would come along to help him figure this out. But no, he was alone with the highwayman.
"Here, lad. I'm laying the reins down on the ground now. I'm not going to take your horse. See?"
The would-be thief carefully lay the reins on the ground and stayed on his knees. As Ian walked another step closer, the highwayman rose up quickly, catching Ian under the chin with his large fist.
"Ugh! Wha?"
Ian blacked out momentarily and crumpled to the ground. He never saw the highwayman as he fled the stable, disappeared into the woods and was gone from sight. When the room stopped spinning and Ian finally got his bearings, he was highly irritated with himself.
Jesus. Alex would hang me by my heels for making such a stupid mistake!
He got to his knees and stayed there a moment, as the room was still reeling a bit. He got to his feet as Henson ran up to him, rubbing along his lower legs and making a loud, soothing, reverberating sound Ian could actually feel through his leg. Most cats simply meowed, but Henson's sound was more like a growl you might hear from a dog, or maybe from Willie.
When Ian started walking toward the inn, Henson took off to the rear of the stable, calling out again with his feline growl. He quickly returned to Ian and began rubbing his leg once again.
"What? Is there something out there?"
Ian was aware he was more alert now than he had been earlier. Perhaps he'd just been tired and not paying enough attention. But Henson was obviously trying to tell him something so he looked about, being careful to hold his pistol tightly in his hand.
"Come on then. Let's see what it is."
Ian was learning to listen to Henson, as Wabi had taught him animals often know things before we humans do. It appeared the highwayman was long gone and that was just fine with Ian—but he had not exactly acted in a manner he was proud of.
Henson was leading him behind the stable into a wooded area. There was enough moonlight for him to see, but the mist was getting thicker by the minute and there was only a short time before it would totally cover the area. As he rounded a large stand of yew trees, he heard voices calling out.
"Help us! We're in here!"
Ian listened for a long moment, then followed Henson as he dashed under the bushes.
"Hold on, I'm coming!"
When he pulled back the shrubs that were preventing his forward movement, he could see a faint glow in the distance.
"Where are ye? Call out to me so I can find ye."
"Hello! We're here, in a cave of some sort."
No, no. Not another cave.
Ian couldn’t help but recall his recent experience in the cave where Caitlin had been captured. He also remembered another cave in which he and Master Wabi had brought down a most evil foe named Nezerra, an old woman who had spent a lifetime scheming to kill Wabi for a curse he had put on her eons ago. And her scheme had almost been successful. But the two wizards, Wabi and Ian, had prevented the disaster and removed her from this earth.
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
Ian hurried into the cave, keeping his eyes trained on the light coming from within. Apparently the highwayman must have needed light to find his way about the cave and in his haste had left a torch burning in a niche in the wall.
Ian spied the group immediately and one of them called out to him. "Oh, thanks be. Ye found us," an old bearded man mumbled as he spied Ian. "We need yer help, lad."
"What happened? How did ye get in here?"
Ian began to untie the prisoners, which took some time as the highwayman had used leather ties with which to bind them and they had gotten tighter and tighter. There were half a dozen men and four women all trussed up like turkeys, their hands tied behind them and their ankles secured as well. A couple of them had rubbed their wrists raw trying to free themselves from their restraints. They didn't seem to be harmed other than that. All of them had been gagged, but the old bearded man had managed to struggle and get his gag away from his mouth and call for help.
"We really thought we were goners when that mountain lion showed up. He was huge! Did ye encounter him?"
"Only for a moment. He was clawing his way across the back of a highwayman I met in the stable. But as soon as I arrived, he took off."
"Lucky for ye. He could have attacked ye as well."
"How did ye get here, in this cave?"
"That highwayman ye spoke of. He came into the pub brandishing a pistol. He took our coins and our horses. Then he marched us into this cave and tied us up."
"I see. Well, he walloped me a good one and left in a hurry. Ran into the forest, I guess. I don't even know which way he went."
"Did ye see our horses anywhere?"
"Nae, I didn't. My bet is he has them stashed away somewhere and he'll return for them."
"Aye. But right now, if ye'll untie us we'll get back to the pub. There's food and room for everyone to rest. We'll look for the horses in the morning light. We need to be inside in case that mountain cat decides to come back. Ye've come at just the right time, lad."
Ian got everyone headed to the pub and he, too, wasn't keen on spending the night outside with a large mountain lion wandering about. Eventually everyone got settled in the pub and all was quiet.
When daybreak came, Ian and Henson were nowhere to be found.