Merida decided then and there that she would never forgive her mother for making her wear this ridiculous gown. She dropped her skirts, stood, and immediately grabbed on to the tree that she had dipped behind to relieve herself.
Once she felt steady enough to walk, she rounded the boulder to find the brown-haired young woman pacing in front of the two horses.
Elinor. An Elinor who was also of Clan MacCameron. The coincidence was almost too astonishing to believe.
Merida stood there for a moment, studying this girl who resembled her mother more than Merida herself did, who even shared her mother’s name. Was she a distant cousin?
Angus huffed, clearly agitated by Elinor’s pacing.
“Do not be alarmed, Angus,” Merida said to the horse as she approached. She grabbed on to his neck, both to comfort him and to give herself something to hold on to.
Elinor whirled around and blasted Merida with a fiery glare. “Where did you go off to?”
“Over there,” Merida said, pointing to the tree. She refused to say anything more. She might not be as proper as her mother, but there were some things she would not discuss with strangers, like relieving herself.
Merida took a step forward, intending to retrieve the plaid the girl had given her, but the dizziness returned with a vengeance. She would have hit the dirt if not for her reluctant rescuer wrapping her arms around her waist and steadying her.
“You are not well,” Elinor said.
Merida groaned. The trees swayed, just as they had right after she had eaten the cake from that witch. Why was this still happening? How was it getting worse?
“Which is the way back to DunBroch?” Merida asked the girl, attempting to focus.
Elinor let out a sharp laugh. “You are in no condition to travel to DunBroch,” she said. “It is at least three days’ journey by horse.”
Three days’ journey?
Her head was still woozy, but Merida knew she had not traveled three days before reaching that wood-carver’s cabin. She had been on Angus for barely an hour before he threw her.
“I am not sure you know where Castle DunBroch is,” she told the girl.
“Of course I know,” Elinor replied. “I traveled there with my father shortly after the alliance was agreed upon between the clans. You must get stronger before you can make that ride.” She paused. “I will bring you to MacCameron Castle.”
She looked at Merida’s head, her eyes narrowing on the spot where Merida felt the knot growing.
Merida studied the other girl’s face. This Elinor could not be more than a year or two older than Merida. If her mother had a relative who was so near Merida in age, wouldn’t her mother have mentioned it? Could it be that her mother did not know about this girl? Was there an offshoot of the MacCameron clan closer to DunBroch than they’d thought?
Maybe she could learn more about this intriguing development, and rest, all at the same time. When she was well enough, she could take the news back to her parents.
“How far is this MacCameron Castle?” Merida asked.
“Not very far, unfortunately. Or, I guess it is fortunate for you that we will not have to travel very far. I doubt you would make it otherwise,” Elinor said. “You’ll ride with me. And I shall hold on to your horse’s reins. Wait.” The girl put up her hand before Merida could protest.
Merida heard the sound that she had heard the day before, the one she had mistaken for thunder.
Elinor put a finger to her lips. “Let us go before they see us,” she whispered.
“Who?” Merida asked.
“I do not know,” she answered. “But a group of men encountering two young lasses in the forest is never ideal, especially if they are my father’s men.”
“Why would…” Merida said, but the young woman had already started for the horses.
Elinor guided her horse over to the boulder Merida had used to support herself earlier.
“Climb up here and mount. I will be here to steady you.”
She held Merida’s hand as she made her way onto the black horse. Elinor hopped on expertly in front of her.
“Hold on to my waist,” she told Merida. “You can rest your head on me. I do not want you getting dizzy and falling off.”
Merida did as she was told. As she rested her head against Elinor’s back, she was surprised by the sudden onslaught of emotion that welled up within her. This small act of kindness was overwhelming after the tumult of the past twenty-four hours. Even if it was coupled with a reproachful tone.
The clamor of horse hooves grew louder, causing both Merida and Elinor to sit upright.
“We must depart,” Elinor said. She snapped the reins, and the horse started forward. As they ascended a modest mound, Merida caught a glimpse of the men on horseback.
“Wait!” she said.
“Shhh!” Elinor warned.
“But…” Merida continued looking over her shoulder. The men wore the DunBroch tartan. The ocean blue, scarlet, and green colors of her clan were unmistakable. She was unable to tear her eyes away as five men dis-mounted from their horses and attended to something on the ground.
Merida’s mouth fell open as she watched them lift an unconscious man and drape him across the back of one of the horses. A large figure with fiery red hair.
Just like her own.
She caught the briefest glimpse of the man’s face and sucked in a breath.
“It cannot be,” Merida whispered, her mind refusing to register what she was witnessing.
“Shhh, lass,” Elinor said.
All the pieces began to fall into place, forming a picture that could not possibly be real. She had heard this story countless times, relayed in her father’s jovial voice, with her mother reining him in when he started to embellish. A story she’d heard again not three months earlier…
Merida recalled the horse she had heard neighing last night, and how it had galloped away just before the hare she had killed for her supper had appeared.
“It cannot be,” Merida said again.
“What cannot be?” Elinor asked in a harsh whisper.
Merida pulled back slightly and peered at Elinor’s face, drawing her gaze over every inch. The girl had the same slim nose and high cheekbones as her mother.
“Why are you staring at me that way?” Elinor asked, her eyes widening with agitation.
And that was when Merida saw it.
Right there, in the corner of Elinor’s left eye, was the same tiny gray dot that her mother had. When Merida was a child, her mother would jokingly tell her the mark gave her special powers that allowed her to see everything that Merida was doing.
Merida’s head felt muddled, the mixture of confusion and disbelief making her dizzy.
“Do you know King Fergus?” Merida asked Elinor.
“There is no King Fergus,” the girl replied. “I told you; the only king is my father.”
“Just Fergus then. Fergus of DunBroch? His father would be the clan’s chieftain.”
Elinor shook her head. “I do not know of any Fergus. There are too many of those DunBrochs to know each by name.”
“You said there was a peace alliance between your two clans. Do you know if someone from Clan DunBroch was due to arrive with a message from their chieftain?”
“I would not be surprised,” Elinor answered. “Chieftains often send emissaries to my father, from Argyll to Strathaven and all points in between. Why?”
Merida shook her head. She was not sure what to make of any of this. It made no sense.
Was it possible she was still sleeping? That this was all a dream? Would she wake up to find herself still in the forest, with the Highland Games still taking place at Castle DunBroch, and her mother still expecting her to marry Lord Dingwall’s son?
She needed to think through this, but her head pounded too much to focus on what she thought was happening. And there was no way what she thought was happening really was happening. It could not be.
They started in the direction that Merida was certain she had traveled from when leaving the ring of stones, but she and Elinor didn’t encounter anything that looked remotely like the menhirs she had stumbled upon the day before. Angus walked dutifully alongside them. Merida wished she could be on his back right now, if just to feel something sturdy and familiar beneath her. She hated feeling helpless. Being in such a vulnerable position—having to rely on strangers—it was not Merida’s way. And at present it could be very dangerous indeed.
In a short time, they reached the edge of the forest. Merida could make out a large stone curtain wall. It had to be at least a hundred hands tall.
Elinor brought them to a stop.
“We will have to leave your horse here for a short time,” she said as she dismounted her own horse and held out a hand for Merida.
“What? No,” Merida protested.
“It will not be for long,” Elinor said. “There are dozens of MacCameron horses, but our stable hands know them all. If we arrive with such a big, healthy horse, people will question who he belongs to.” She bit her lower lip. “People will question who you belong to.”
“I already told you, I belong to Clan Dun—”
“If you are really a DunBroch, then I should not have to explain to you why broadcasting such news would not be to your advantage,” Elinor said, cutting her off. “This peace alliance is still new. If I bring you into our castle, people will question your presence. Everyone knows that your chieftain would not send a young lass out alone. They may assume that you are here to cause trouble.”
Elinor bit her lip again as she looked between Merida, the curtain wall surrounding the castle grounds, and Angus.
“We should hide your hair.” Her eyes roamed over Merida. “One look at it and anyone will know you are either Clan DunBroch or Clan Carruthers. Neither will win you any friends in the castle. Here.” She pulled a shawl in the MacCameron tartan from the sack she carried and wrapped it around Merida’s head.
Merida flinched when she got close to the knot on her forehead, but Elinor was surprisingly gentle, making sure not to touch the injury.
“That is better,” Elinor said. “At least this will get you into the castle without arousing suspicion. You will have to remove the head covering when the physician arrives, but he will not hold your status as a DunBroch against you if I vouch for you.” Then Elinor leaned in close. “But if this is all a ruse, I will take my own dagger to your throat.”
Merida’s head snapped back.
“It is not a ruse,” she said. “I promise. I…I just need a bit more sleep, and then I will be able to think more clearly.”
And she needed to find that witch.