Suffering?
Or was he sprawled in a rancid cell, dying?
Face pale, she shoved aside her food, and Rónán muttered a silent curse. She was thinking about her father. Which, at this moment, he could do bloody naught about. Nor could he overlook that as dire as their situation, he could have been stranded with someone far less worthy. He admired her resourcefulness and general calm, which now contrasted sharply against the ferocity she’d displayed in battle.
Deliberately, he turned their conversation to her comments of moments before. “Why will traveling be dangerous? Does Tír Kythyr supportthe English?”
“Aye.” As if distracting herself, she collected several pieces of plank fragments, wedged them within the dying flames. “’Tis safest if we travel by the cliffs until we reach my home. If we are forced to move deeper inland, we should travel only at night. God help us if they find meon their land.”
Dread seeped through him at the prospect of returning to Ireland. He grimaced, remembering the age-old disputes between the clans. Years had passed since he’d thought of the divisions in Ireland, the politics of the land.
“After over a century, one would think the bitterness between the clans would have faded.”
She arched a curious brow. “You have beento Tír Kythyr?”
“Through it,” he evaded, cursing the slip. He set down his cup of stew. “A long time ago.”
With night stealing the last wisps of day, she studied him, her gray eyes sharp withintelligence.
No doubt his vague reply had piqued her interest. Nor could that be helped. His past was one he wished to remain buried deep. Every man who entered the Knights Templar had a story, his own dark and unfit for hearing.
“Over the next few days,” he said, shifting the topic, “we will make sacks to carry the supplies we will need once we reach shore.”
She nodded. “I am ready to have land beneath my feet.”
“As I. How do you feel?”
Eyes heavy with fatigue, she offered him a weary smile. “As we were securing the makeshift sail to the damaged rigging, I was wondering if I would everbe warm again.”
A shiver whipped through him as he remembered how they’d battled the wind-driven rain, each knot made during the storm a victory. “Aye, the wind cuts right through your clothes and down to the bone.” He looked at the makeshift bed they’d fashioned. “With our sail naught but glorified rags, the ship doing naught more than lumbering in the swells, it may take several days beforewe reach land.”
“I hope ’twill be less.”
“As I.”
She added another broken plank to the small fire. “Though the wind is still strong, at least the stormhas moved on.”
“The choppy seas should calm during the next few hours.”
A groan sounded overhead.
He frowned. “I need to check the rudder to ensure we are still heading west. Finish eating while I do.”
“I have little appetite. Nor,” she continued as he opened his mouth to tell her to stay, “did I see you finish your food.” She pulled free the blanket that was wrapped around her. “I shall go with you. As agreed, I will take my turn with the rudder while you rest. Besides, I suspect if I fell asleep, you wouldna awaken me’til morning.”
An issue they’d argued over earlier. On a sigh, Rónán set aside his bowl. Stubborn lass. He sheltered the coals within the deep cavern created in the sand; even if the seas grew rough during the night, no embers would roll free,causing a fire.
He lit one of the tapers he’d found wrapped in a waxy cloth, pushed to his feet, and extendedhis free hand.
She accepted and stood.
He tossed the blanket over his shoulder and started toward the ladder. Her steps laden with fatigue, she walked at his side.
Tightening his hold on the taper, he climbed. An erratic dance of candlelight fractured the blackness as they made their way up. Near the top, he blew out the flame to conserve wax and prevent any ship, however distant, from seeing the light.
He wedged the taper in a split plank, climbed on deck, scanned the horizon. “We sail beneath a full moon, and it looks as though we are still heading west.” He turned to help her. Once she was free of the ladder, he handed her the cover. With the rush of the sea sliding past, he strode over and sat beside the rudder.
Lathir eased down beside him, offered him a length of the coverlet. “’Tis best if we conserve our warmth.”
