“It yet lives,” Niall said, pointing to the dog’s chest. Slow, shallow breaths lifted and lowered in a barely perceptible pattern.
Badly injured as it was, the kind thing to do would be to bring a swift end to its labors. Aiden reluctantly drew his dirk.
Niall stayed his hand. “Nay. Bring the creature to Ana. She can prove her healing skills to you without risking the clan.”
“‘Tis barely alive. It might not survive the journey back to camp.”
His brother shrugged. “If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But it’s surely worth a try. Deerhounds are spectacular beasts, capable of downing a buck. A shame to let it die if it can be saved.”
“Agreed.“
Aiden scooped the dog into his arms with a mild grunt. Heavy as a bloody woman. The dog whimpered at the movement, then lay still. Deep-chested, with a long tapered snout, it was a surprisingly beautiful creature.
“Lead on, then,” he urged his brother. “Let’s see what your wee healer can do.”
* * *
Isabail next tended the bites and scratches on Daniel’s arms and hip. Twelve of them, two quite deep—one on his biceps and another on his hip. Most of his injuries had ceased to bleed, but it was clear the deeper ones would need more than a strip of linen. Her healing skills were rudimentary at best. Under any other circumstances, she would have happily stepped aside in favor of the healer.
Her lips tightened. But she’d trusted Ana Bisset once before, and the outcome had been dire. Daniel deserved better.
“Will I lose the arm?” Daniel asked, peering at the wound with a tragic expression.
“Not if I can help it,” Isabail said.
“Yarrow would stanch the bleeding and cleanse the wounds.”
Isabail nodded. “Muirne, fetch me some dried yarrow from the stores in the caves.”
As the maid scurried off, Daniel eyed Isabail. “There are caves nearby?”
“Beneath the ruin.” She pressed a dry cloth against his biceps in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “Quite fortuitous that you insisted on bringing Gorm to Edinburgh with us.”
He gave her a sad smile. “I’m pleased that he led me to you, of course, but I mourn his loss most severely. John was so fond of him. But if his sacrifice allows me to bring MacCurran to justice, then it was worth it.”
Isabail lifted her head. “You have some plan in mind?”
A bitter edge twisted Daniel’s lips. “My priority is to see to your safety, of course, Isabail. But now that I am here in his camp and I have witnessed his association with the witch firsthand, I must act on my opportunity. I can prove the wretch is guilty of killing John, whether he did the deed himself, or not.”
“How?”
“By locating the necklace.”
Isabail lifted the cloth to peer at the wound. The flow had eased, but the wound still seeped. She pressed it back. “Queen Yolande’s necklace?”
“Aye. I must search MacCurran’s camp for it.”
Her eyebrows soared. “The king already believes MacCurran guilty of the theft. Why would you risk your life for no cause?”
“The queen’s birthday will be celebrated in a few short weeks, on the nineteenth of March. Would it not be fitting for the king to gift it to his true love then, as he was unable to do upon their wedding day?”
“I suppose,” Isabail said, a little dubious.
“Come now. Surely you believe in the grand gesture?”
She shrugged. “I’m not as convinced as you that the king is in love with Yolande.”
He smiled. “Why wouldn’t he be? In addition to being quite beautiful, Queen Yolande has given him the one thing he desires most, has she not?”
