Page 86 of Highlander’s Burning Touch

A string of words whooshed by Niven’s head, all the things he wanted to say to her, but couldn’t, now they were there.

In the end, he just leaned in, giving her a very slight kiss.

“Goodbye, Niven,” said Deva, her voice breaking with emotion. Quickly, she brushed the tears away as the boatman turned towards him expectantly.

“An’ ye sir?” he said, obviously waiting for him to come aboard. Niven hesitated.

“Nae,” he said, simply, “Nae, just the lass…”

He looked at the man intently. “Make sure she’s safe, an’ I’ll send message later…”

It was all he could manage without crying. Niven took a minute or two to compose himself before grabbing her by the arm and trying to comfort her.

Softly, he leaned into her ear and whispered. “Good lass,” he said, “Yer doing the right thing... one day, the Highlands will thank us!”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Is this it?” said Deva, walking through the corridor of the inn and casting her eyes around unsurely.

The innkeeper had let them in the backway, as the public saloon was full to the brim and very noisy.

“It’s market day on Thursday,” said the man, a wiry man with a beard like an unsheared sheep, “What did ye expect?”

He looked at them as if they should have known this but led them inside grudgingly. He showed them in via the backdoor of the hostelry, ushering them up the narrow staircase and then into a small room.

Before she had a chance to look it around, he disappeared into the gloom of the passageway. Deva was left staring at Allyth in stunned disbelief.

“Well,” she said in dismay. Deva eyed the small room. “I suppose it’ll have to do…”

Taking off her heavy shawl, Deva began arranging her things around the meager room. It was small with just about room for two narrow beds pressed together and little else.

“We were lucky to get a room of our own at such notice,” murmured Allyth. Without being asked, she set about getting the fire in the room going. “Normally folk sleep on the floor, downstairs…”

Her voice drifted off, but Deva was no longer listening. She wasn’t even thinking about the depressing room. Being on a boat in a blizzard had kind of rearranged her priorities. Right now, she was content just to be warm and dry.

As Allyth busied herself, Deva looked out to the blizzard beyond. It had been a miracle they had got here, let alone in one piece. She couldn’t remember the name of the place or even how many miles they had traveled that day. All she could think about was Niven and where he was right then.

Sensing her thoughts, Allyth caught her eyes. “He’ll be fine…” she said, touching Deva tenderly on the shoulder. Deva smiled and tried to remember that it wasn’t just her in this situation. There was Allyth as well.

“Aye,” she said slowly. But then turned her head quickly. A picture of Niven came into her mind, alone, cold, and injured. It was so clear that she blinked.

For a moment, she saw his face reflected in the dark window. Seeing her face, Allyth came over.

“What is it? Ye seem like ye’ve seen a ghost,” she said. Deva blanched. She thought she had.

“Och, nothing,” said Deva, quickly putting the thought out of her mind, but she could not stop her heart from pounding. The fact was she had no idea what Niven was doing now, only that he was galloping through a wintery Highland to almost certain danger.

A chill ran through her. Quickly, she sat down on the bed nearest to her. It was spit and straw and not the quality she was used to, but she didn’t care.

Even the poor comfort here seemed too much compared to what he was going through. Deva berated herself for being so weak. How could she have abandoned him so? She should never have let him go back.

Despair and tiredness built up in her, and without knowing it, she was weeping.

“Oh, Allyth,” she said, in desperation, “What have I done. I should have never left him…” Deva sobbed into the straw pillow on the bed, “We need to go back right now…”

Allyth came and put her arms around Deva, consoling her as best as she could do.

“Nae,” said her maid sensibly. “Niven kens what he’s doing,” she said. Deva stopped crying and looked at her.