He breathed out an uneasy bit of a laugh. “I won’t,” he said, shivering. He tightened his arms around her briefly, then pulled away. “We should go.”
“Where?”
“Still west, I think,” he said slowly, “then north as long as we can keep to the trees. We need to find a better vantage point if we can. I want to know what’s coming.”
“Likely nothing,” she said honestly. “I’m not worth it to them.”
“You’re worth it to me, though. Let’s run for a bit longer, then we’ll find a place to rest. I brought food.”
“Not your offal cakes, I hope.”
He smiled, more truly then. “Your uncle Patrick supplied the food, so you can blame him when you see him for whatever he sent for us.”
She nodded, a jerky motion that left her feeling as if she weren’t at all in control of her poor form.
“Mairead, just a bit farther.”
She wished she’d had a tart remark to offer about her ability to carry on under extremely trying circumstances, but she had just been rescued from death by fire by a man dressed all in black and she could still hear the men in her clan shrieking her name behind her.
“Let’s run,” she said hoarsely.
He nodded and took her hand.
It was midday before she could finally go no further. She’d run when she could, then walked until she’d regained enough strength to run again, but she came to the point where she simply had no more strength left.
Oliver pulled her into his arms and held her close. She wanted to point out to him that he was trembling, but she realized he wasn’t the one shaking.
“I can’t feel myself,” she managed.
“You’re in shock,” he said, rubbing his hand over her back. “It’s what your body does when you’ve had something happen to you that’s past any warrior’s ability to bear.”
She would have smiled, but she couldn’t feel her face, either.
He pulled away and nodded. “There’s an outcropping of rock up that hill that will serve well enough as a perch. Can you go that far?”
She nodded, though the movement felt strange and uncontrollable. She glanced at Oliver to find him watching her with concern in his eyes.
“I am well,” she croaked.
He put his arms around her again and rested his cheek against her hair. “You are the bravest woman I know.”
“I don’t feel brave,” she whispered. She had to take a moment and simply breathe. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Again, I would—”
“Don’t say it.”
He laughed a little, uneasily, then pulled away. “Let’s go climb up that hill and make ourselves a spot for the afternoon. We’ll be safe enough, I imagine.”
She followed him up the hill and was more relieved than perhaps she should have been at the chance to simply sit and rest. She watched Oliver take a brief walk in both directions, then return and sit down next to her. The rock was warm and she supposed she would have been happy to close her eyes and sleep if she hadn’t been so unnerved.
That, and she could also feel a stillness coming from Oliver that spoke very clearly of his watchfulness. She didn’t dare hope shewas safe, so she forced herself to keep her eyes open and watch the land below them for any movement.
“What happened?” he asked finally. He glanced at her briefly. “After Jamie pulled me away, which I apologize for. I assumed you would be safe from them.”
“Then how did you know?” she asked wearily.
He grimaced. “I read it in a book.”
