The Condemned Highlander by Donna Fletcher
2
Worry plagued Annis as she walked, Nolan’s words remaining strong in her head as did the tears that had gathered in his aging eyes.
“I thought it a dream. I prayed it was a dream,” he had said. “Then I saw you, your hair blazing red, and I knew—it had all been real.”
A chill had run through her, realizing what it meant for him and for herself. He had come face to face with the witch and had actually survived. Would she be that lucky?
It didn’t matter as long as she saved her sister. Bliss had been barely twelve years when their mum had died and with their da having already passed that left Bliss to care for her sisters. She had been a mother to Elysia and Annis at a young age and had done everything to keep them safe, well-fed, and most of all loved. Bliss had a generous heart and gave just as generously of it to people. It was what made her such a talented healer.
Bliss had sacrificed much and now it was Annis’s turn to do the same for her.
Annis made her way through the forest. Nolan had been right. Life teemed with sounds. The birds’ chatter echoed through the trees. A good breeze rustled the leaves, causing some to fall which in turn caused the crunch beneath her feet from the leaves that already carpeted the ground. And squirrels ran up and down the trees foraging for food to store for the coming winter.
She stopped a moment to listen more closely and enjoyed the melody of the forest, pleased no footfalls disturbed it. She thought once again about Nolan. How strange it must have been for him when complete silence struck, not a sound being heard. Had the forest gone silent in awe of the witch or in fear of her? Was that what heralded the witch’s appearance—silence? She shivered in anticipation of meeting the silence.
Chasing the disturbing thoughts, she continued on her way. If she kept her pace, she could reach the village after nightfall, but that was not to her liking. The darkness concealed whether it meant to or not, and she preferred to enter the village in the light of day when, if not all, most was revealed.
She slowed her pace with difficulty since she was used to a brisk gait and found shelter for the night under a grouping of large pines when dusk began to settle over the land. She didn’t bother with a fire, unfolding the blanket strapped on her back which also held what food she had and a few other necessities, and tucked it tight around her. A few munches of bread and cheese served for a quick supper and not long after she fell asleep.
Dawn’s light woke her and after finishing the cheese and bread Garda had provided, she set off for the village. Nolan had told her to look for the towering pines that appeared to kiss and the village would be there. The pines were as he described them, but she saw no village.
If she hadn’t plopped down on the ground annoyed while berating Nolan silently, she would have never seen the narrow path that led through the pines. Their low, sweeping branches almost concealed it entirely.
She made her way along the path, bending her head and nudging branches aside. It led to a clearing where the village sat, though she would not call the five sturdy dwellings and a few shelters, that a good wind would collapse, a village.
Annis approached cautiously, keeping her hand beneath her cloak near her dagger. She was prepared to use it, if necessary, the people she spied a motley bunch.
“What do you want here?”
Annis jumped and turned at the sharp demand to face a woman of sizeable girth. She had a pretty face, at least it would be if she wasn’t scowling, and soft blue eyes. Her worn garments appeared beyond repair even for Elysia’s talented hand. Her dark hair was piled on her head in a misshapen manor and her plump hands rested on her wide hips as if in warning.
Annis let few people, if any, intimidate her, regardless of their size or manner. Her chin shot up and she took a quick step toward the woman. “I want to know the directions you gave Nolan.”
The woman, not intimidated herself, took a step toward Annis. “I know no Nolan.”
Annis set her one hand on her hip while keeping her other hand near her dagger. “The gray-haired, skinny man who woke here passed out from drink.”
The woman laughed. “That’s most men.”
“The one you sent to the witch,” Annis said.
The woman’s laughter ceased, and her eyes narrowed. “You accuse me of being in cahoots with a witch?”
“What’s going on, Una?” a man, with similar girth to the woman, approached, his gait relaxed.
“This one here,” Una jabbed a finger toward Annis, “is accusing me of conspiring with a witch.”
The man turned a troubled expression on Annis. “We have nothing to do with the witch, if she exists at all. This is our home, small as it may be, and we bother no one and we prefer no one bother us.”
“You heard, now begone,” Una ordered and shooed Annis off with a wave of her hands.
“Tell me the direction you sent the man and I’ll leave you in peace,” Annis said, keeping an obstinate stance.
“Where the cursed lords should go—to hell,” Una said.
“Una, hold your tongue,” the man scolded softly. “We want no visits from them.”
“And I have no wont to say a word to them,” Annis assured the man. “I am only interested in what direction you sent Nolan, the wiry, gray-haired man who unexpectedly found himself here after a drunken stupor.”
The man eyed her suspiciously. “You know the cursed lords?”
Annis saw no reason to lie. “My sister Bliss was forced to wed Lord Rannick. I search for the witch to save her.”
Una’s hand flew to her chest. “The poor soul.”
The man shook his head. “I grieve for you.”
Annis’s stomach knotted, his words making it seem that she was already too late to help her sister.
A chilly wind suddenly swept around them, a far too cold wind for the harvest season, causing them all to shudder.
“Una, fix us all a hot brew if you will before we send the lass on her way with what we know,” the man said.
“Aye, Da,” Una said and turned and headed to the closest dwelling.
He pointed to a bench and Annis followed him over to it.
“Sit,” he offered in a gentle tone. “I am Iver.”
“Annis,” she said and spotted the tiredness on the man’s face, not from lack of sleep, but from years of endless toil and hardship. The curse had taken its toll on more than the three cursed lords.
“Our village thrived at one time.” He waved his hand around after joining her on the bench. “There were many more dwellings. Then the curse was cast and over time everything changed. I will tell you what I tell everyone, including the cursed lords who came searching for the witch. It is a tale that was started when someone spotted an old woman who once lived by the hills.” He gave a nod in the distance.
Annis turned but could see nothing because of a mist that hung there, and she thought of the mist Nolan had told her about.
“You can see the hills when the mist clears, though it lingers most times, which only adds to the tale of the witch in the hills. The tale grew in preposterous proportions until it became a myth more than a tale. The more it was recited, the more people believed it. It was no wonder the cursed lords came in search of the woman, and I could not blame them. Part of me wanted it to be true, wanted the curse to end.” Iver shook his head. “But the old woman was never found.”
Una joined them, handing her da a tankard before handing the other one to Annis.
Annis was happy to take a drink, a chill running through her, and the heat settling in her hands from the tankard promised warmth. However, the hot brew held barely a taste, but then the small group obviously possessed little and still they shared with her.
“Thank you, Una, the brew is pleasing and warms me,” Annis said.
She smiled and Annis was struck by how a smile could transform someone. Una was more than pretty when she smiled.
“You don’t believe the witch exists?” Annis asked, looking to Iver.
“Nay, in all my years living here I have never come across the witch,” he said.
“Then what of Nolan’s tale?” Annis asked.
“He left still feeling his drink. It could be nothing more than a dream or to him a nightmare,” Iver said.
Annis continued to question him, not ready to even consider defeat before she barely had gotten started, especially with Nolan delivering her the message from the witch, if it was true. “You said the cursed lords came looking for the witch. Did the three come together?”
“At first, and they left disappointed. Lord Brogan and Lord Rannick returned but again they left disappointed. Then Lord Rannick came alone.” Iver turned his head away and Una shivered from the memory. “It was after he returned home from his journey across the sea. I could not believe the change in him. A scar marred his fine features and his once fair skin had bronzed from the strong sun of foreign soil. His eyes, though,” —he shook his head— “they were soulless. Whatever humanity that was left in him was gone.”
A sharp stab of fear struck Annis’s stomach, twisting at it. If she hadn’t been gripping the tankard, her hands would have rushed to rub at the pain, little good that it would do. It did, however, strengthen her resolve to see this task done and save her sister.
“Where did this old woman live?” Annis asked.
“At the bottom of the largest hill, which is why she’s called the witch in the hills,” Iver said. “The tale is that she resides inside the hill to keep safe, but if she is a powerful witch, she has no reason to hide or fear others.”
“You waste your time like all the others,” Una said. “And like all the others, you make our lot worse.”
Iver stood and laid a comforting hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Lay no blame on her, Una. Annis wants only to help her sister.”
Annis had to ask. “How does my presence make your lot worse?”
Iver spoke, tears brimming in Una’s eyes as she turned her face away. “Our village was once part of the Clan MacRae.”
“Lord Brogan’s clan?” Annis asked, surprised.
“Aye,” Iver said. “We were one of the outlying villages. We hunted for Lord Balloch, supplying him with meat for the winter and were allowed to keep a portion for ourselves. Then one day a few people took ill at the MacRae keep and they blamed it on the meat, claiming the witch had tainted it. Lord Balloch ordered us to hunt no more and we were scorned and banned from the clan. Lord Balloch ordered us to remain here and chase anyone away who came in search of the witch. Some here attempted to sneak off and find a better life. But they were caught and returned. There are only a handful of us left and I fear my daughter will be the last and destined to live her days out alone.”
Annis sprang off the bench. “I won’t let that happen.”
Una laughed. “And how will you stop it?”
Annis squared her shoulders. “I will find the witch and see an end brought to this troublesome curse.”
“What makes you think you can do what no one else has done?” Una asked, a hint of hope on her tongue.
Annis thought of the message the witch had given Nolan. “I know something no one else does. Now point me in the direction you pointed Nolan and I’ll be on my way.”
Iver pointed toward the mist. “At the foot of the hill you’ll find a place where two paths cross. You’ll see one is less traveled. That’s the one I told Nolan not to take. It’s not far, though the hills look a distance away. You’ll reach it soon enough. You need to be careful. Lord Balloch sends his warriors now and again to make sure the path shows no signs it’s been traveled. Anyone they find there goes to the keep’s dungeon.”
“I am grateful for the warning,” Annis said and took a drink before handing the tankard to Una. “I will break this curse.”
Tears returned to shine in Una’s soft blue eyes. “I pray you do.”
Annis forged ahead with determination and more than a dash of fear, the forest feeling as if it spread its arms to welcome her. Or did it mean to take her captive?
The mist lifted as she got closer, leaving a clear view of the hills. There was a grouping of three hills, ranging in size from tall to small. Heather covered a good portion of the smaller hill. Trees consumed the lower part of the middle hill, while a mixture of large stones and trees covered the largest hill.
She didn’t have far to go to reach the bottom of the hills where she was sure she’d find where the two paths crossed. She was so intent on her task that she hadn’t paid attention to the sounds around her. She heard the horses too late to hide.
“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!”
Annis turned to see two warriors approach and was reminded of what happened to those who Lord Balloch’s warriors caught—the dungeon. She didn’t think about it, she hoisted her cloak and ran for the dense growth of trees. The warriors would have a difficult time getting around them with their horses, giving her time to make her escape.
“YOU WON’T ESCAPE US!”
“SHOW YOURSELF!”
Annis buried herself amongst the preponderance of trees to keep out of sight. Fearing she’d suffer much more than the dungeon from the warriors if they caught her, she searched the ground for a rock that would fit her hand with a good grip. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that her fist could deliver a sufficient punch to a man, but a thick rock would add significant weight to it and give her a chance. At least she wasn’t petit like Elysia. She was of fair size and from working with carrying stone and wood to build, her body was hard, whereas most women’s bodies were soft, hers had strength to it.
She had seen only two men and if she could catch one unaware with a hefty punch, the other would come to his aid and give her time to put a good amount of distance between them. She only hoped it would be enough.
The forest grew quiet, and she waited. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she caught the sound of footfalls nearly upon her. She responded without thought or hesitation. She swerved around, swinging her fist that gripped the rock with full force.
Her eyes went wide as the man drew his head back to avoid the blow, but it caught the corner of his mouth and he stumbled back.
“Brogan?”
He whipped his head around and he realized too late that blood poured from the side of his mouth. Annis paled, her eyes rolled back in her head, and he barely caught her before she hit the ground.
