The man reached out and removed her hood. With his fingers on her chin, he forced her to look at him.
She rounded her eyes with recognition.
Errol.
Their gazes clashed and his pupils blew wide when he realized who she was.
“Shite,” he cursed. “Are ye daft?”
Errol pushed away from her as if he had been burned.
She scrambled to her feet. “I-I need yer help.”
“Did ye no’ get Anna’s message? I said nay.” He scraped his hands through his short hair. “Jesus. Do yer brothers ken ye are here? Yer da?”
“Of course no’,” she scoffed.
He groaned. “What have ye done?”
“Errol.” She touched his arm, but he snatched it away. “I really do require yer assistance.”
“There is naught that I can do for ye, that yer brothers cannae. Are ye trying to start a war?”
“Nay!” She crossed her arms defiantly. “Look. I can show ye why I cannae ask my brothers.” She pulled the weathered map from her pocket and held it out to him.
He gave her a bored look and made no move to take the paper.
“Please. Just look at it. Ye will see why I need ye,” she pleaded. Waiting, her breath hitched, she worried that he would turn around and leave her there.
With a sigh, he looked up to the sky and accepted the map. Unfurling it carefully, his eyes slid over the ancient writing. He studied it for a long time afore looking up.
“What is this?”
“A map,” she offered.
He narrowed his eyes. “I can see that. Where did ye find it?”
“In the Hart annals. Da tasked me with putting e’erything in order. This was in a small cupboard dug into the stone behind an ancient shelf unit.”
Errol handed the map back to her. “I cannae help ye.”
“Ye must!” She couldn’t help the tone of desperation that crept into her voice. “As ye saw, some of the map is on MacLeod lands. Alpin and Rory cannae help me there. Here. That is why I need yer assistance.”
“Nay.”
One word.
She hadn’t traveled this far to be denied.
“The map promises a great treasure. I will share it with ye,” she blurted.
He studied her face, and she felt small under his scrutiny. Errol MacLeod was a fierce warrior. Broad of shoulder, with massive arms like tree trunks. His size rivaled her older brother, Alpin. Both men were intimidating in their stature.
“I havenae time for silly games.”
“Ye have seen it for yerself, Errol. ’Tis no’ games or fodder.”
She wasn’t sure if she was convincing him, but she needed to try. If peace betwixt the clans was true as the map promised, she needed to find the treasure. The need to stop the constant battling driving Moira to insist on his help. The dream that the Harts and MacLeods could live in harmony was one she long strived for, but never thought possible. This was a glimmer of hope she had not kenned existed.
