The Condemned Highlander by Donna Fletcher

12

Brogan hurried to stand, taking Annis with him, his worry growing as the mist suddenly rushed in to capture them. It had taken only moments for it to grow thick, leaving them barely able to see in front of them.

A growling snarl sounded close by, and Brogan’s hand went to the hilt of his sword only to recall that he had placed his weapon on the ground when they sat to eat.

“Do not let go of my hand while I reach for my sword on the ground,” he ordered.

Annis bent with him as best she could.

He heard her wince and swore unable to find his sword.

“Hurry, it pains me to keep bent like this,” she said.

Another quick search and he still could not find it and he could not go without it. “I need both hands. Keep yourself against me. Do not let our bodies separate.”

The wolf howled this time and Brogan cursed again. He hurried his search. It was not until he stood with his sword in his hand that he realized he could not feel her against him.

“ANNIS!” he cried out.

“BROGAN,” she called back.

Relieved to hear her but frightened beyond belief that he was unable to see her, he called out, “Talk, Annis, and I will follow your voice.”

“Brogan,” she called out again and sounded farther away.

“ANNIS!” he called out frantically, fighting to see through the heavy mist.

“Brogan.”

His name was so faint he could barely hear it and he went to call out to her again when he caught the glow of two beady black eyes as they rushed towards him.

* * *

“BROGAN!”Annis shouted until her throat pained her. His voice had faded away, but she had not moved. How had they become separated? Her heart pounded in her chest and fear had moisture dotting her brow.

The witch was here, and she had purposely separated them. This was her chance, possibly her only chance to find out what she needed to do to save Bliss and Brogan.

“Show yourself, witch!” Annis bravely called out.

“Foolish or courageous, I cannot decide which one you are.”

Annis turned at the sound of the pompous voice and stared in complete shock at the woman the parting mist revealed. She stood tall, erect, proud as if she were a noble and expected obedience. A staff as tall as herself, was grasped in her right hand. Various symbols had been intricately carved in it, forming a distinct pattern and a shiny stone set atop the staff and was secured with what appeared to be a vine of some kind. Annis thought of Elysia when she spotted the embroidery on the witch’s dark cloak. Elysia would have admired the beautiful designs and the skill it took to stitch them. Her hair was pure white, wisps of it falling across her brow and down the sides while the rest was plaited in an intricate braid that laid over her shoulder down to her waist. What surprised her the most was that though age lines graced her face, they did not hide her soft beauty.

“Did you expect me to be ugly, decrepit, and feeble as most fools believe witches to be?” she asked, continuing to be condescending.

Annis’s chin went up along with her ire. “It is your need to appear important that surprises me.”

The witch’s brow rose. “You do not disappoint, Annis. You are as feisty as I thought you would be.”

“I am determined and will not be deterred from saving my sister Bliss, but first tell me that Brogan has not and will not be harmed.”

“I am not interested in him. It is you, and only you, I will speak to,” the witch said with a sternness that left no doubt she would have her way.

“He is safe?” Annis asked, wanting her to confirm it.

“He is as safe as one can be who is cursed.”

“That does not appease me,” Annis admonished. “Is he safe, or isn’t he?”

Her pompous tone deepened. “Foolish or courageous. I definitely have not decided yet. Brogan is safe… for now.”

Annis felt her heart melt with relief, and she wasted not a minute in asking, “Tell me how to break this curse set upon the three lords.”

The witch waved her hand dismissively. “Not yet. It is not time.”

“Bliss has no time. I must save her,” Annis begged.

Again, the witch dismissed her concern with a dismissive wave. “Bliss is safe for now.”

Annis’s legs grew weak, her body withering with relief.

“You must be aware that I will not part freely with what you seek.”

“I have coins,” Annis said, annoyed she had not brought them with her to show the witch.

“Coins serve no purpose to me.”

Annis recalled Cumina warning her to be careful when bargaining with the witch. Though fearful, she kept her demeanor as strong as possible. “What do you want in return for the information I seek.”

“I have yet to decide.”

“When will you decide?” Annis asked, annoyed and not hiding it.

“When it is time,” the witch snapped.

“The bairn, the daughter of Lady Aila and Lord Brochan, she survived, didn’t she?”

“You are far wiser than those around you, which is why you have little patience with most of them.”

“Your answer is clear—the bairn survived and is now a grown woman. She is the one who can break the curse,” Annis said, her relief growing stronger.

The witch raised her staff, and the mist began to swirl around her. “There is far more danger to this curse than you know. Think wisely on what you seek, for the cost may be deadly.”

The mist swallowed the witch. “We will speak again.”

“When?” Annis called out.

“When I summon you.”

Annis could not see anything, the mist far too thick. She jumped at the sharp squawk of the raven that sounded near her ear and thought she felt its wing brush her cheek.

* * *

Brogan duckedas the raven flew at him and kept a keen ear, expecting another attack when the mist rapidly dissipated. He quickly glanced about, searching for Annis. Not seeing, her he turned and there she stood in front of him.

He grabbed her and squeezed her tight, her arms going around his waist and hugging him just as tight. He said not a word and neither did she. They simply stood hugging each other, squeezing tight, holding on, afraid to let go. Afraid to lose each other.

“I will never ever let go of your hand again when we are here,” he said.

She reluctantly moved her head off his chest, his familiar scent of woodfire and earth comforting. “You must. The witch will speak with me and only me.”

“You talked with her? She is real?” he asked, not quite believing it.

“She is real. I met her. She stood not far from me,” Annis said as if she could not quite believe it herself.

Brogan cast a cautious glance around. “You can tell me all of it as soon as we leave here.”

Annis agreed with a nod.

Brogan released her quickly, though grabbed her hand. “Your back. I needed to hold you, feel you against me. I forgot about your wounds.”

Annis shook her head. “Strange, my back doesn’t hurt at all.”

Brogan glanced around once more. “We leave now.”

They kept a good pace and Brogan kept his hand locked firmly around hers. He was not letting her go. Not now. Not ever.

When they left the path and headed toward the village, Brogan said, “Tell me everything.”

“She is not what I expected, and she is bold with her tongue,” Annis said.

Brogan grew alarmed. “Tell me you held your tongue.”

Annis shivered. “At first I did. Her presence intimidates, but my need for answers sharpened my tongue.”

Brogan stopped and took hold of her shoulders. “How many times have I warned you—she is a witch. You are not. You do not possess her powers. Her harm can be great. I have lived it these many years.”

Annis drifted into the crook of his arm. “And we will see your suffering brought to an end.”

His arm went around her carefully, waiting to see if she winced and when she didn’t, he eased her against him.

“She told me Bliss is safe for now. She said again it is not time, though she did not say when it would be time. She told me we would speak again, that she would summon me when she wished to speak with me. She also told me she did not know if I was foolish or courageous.”

“You are both,” he said hastily and continued to walk, keeping her tucked in the crook of his arm.

Annis smiled. “You have come to know me well.”

“I believe I knew you when we first met, and you fainted.” He laughed. “And when you came to, your tongue was sharp and unafraid.”

“You were—”

“My charming self,” he finished with another laugh.

“Concerned,” Annis corrected. “Your charming nature distracted from the concern you had for me. It did not allow me to see your kind soul.”

“It sneaks out every now and then,” he whispered as if no one was to know. “Tell me more about the witch.”

“She told me there is far more danger to the curse than I know but said no more on it.”

Brogan did not like that, not at all. “I will not see you placed in danger for the sake of the curse.”

“We must do what must be done or many will continue to suffer. Besides, I have you to protect me,” she said with a playful poke to his side.

“Aye, you do, and I will protect you, but I have not the knowledge nor skill to keep you safe against the witch,” he admitted to his own annoyance.

“I cannot say if she wishes me harm. I believe she is here at this time for a specific reason and that somehow, I am part of that reason. We can only wait and see what that might be.”

“I am not a patient man when it comes to your safety. Did she say anything that made you feel you could be harmed?”

Think wisely of what you seek. The cost may be deadly.

Her warning rang in her mind.

“Tell me,” Brogan insisted, halting after seeing something had upset her. “And I trust you will not lie to me since I have my eyes on your nose.”

Annis chuckled and covered her nose.

Brogan smiled and brushed her hand away, and said softly, “Tell me, mo ghràdh.”

She repeated her exact words since they continued to toll in her mind. “Think wisely of what you seek. The cost may be deadly.”