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The news that already Murdoch and Iver had arrived at the castle brought fresh haste to their quest, and fortified by the bread, they hurried on for the rest of the day, pausing only to take refreshment at the occasional stream. Murdina was anxious to reach the castle as soon as possible, though, in her heart, she feared it may already be too later. To expose the truth after their marriage would surely be the worse for Freya, and what if Murdoch had intentions towards Ella?
“I should never have left, even though… in leavin’ I found the truth,” Murdina said.
She was speaking as much to herself as to Kin, but he now turned to look at her in surprise as she blushed and shook her head.
“I am sorry if I have led you on a false errand,” he said, but she sighed and gave him a weak smile.
“If I had nae come with ye, then I would never have known the truth. Tis’ a foolish thing to say. Forget it,” she said, but he put his arm around her and kissed her.
“I am glad you came with me–you took a risk, and now we know the truth, we can do something about it. Surely it would be far worse not to have known,” he said, and she nodded.
“Far worse, for I fear what is to be the case when this marriage is enacted,” she replied.
A dozen possibilities had occurred to her, all of them worse than the previous. If Iver married Freya, there was no telling what claim he would make on the clan. With Murdina gone, Freya was the eldest and Freya on whom the clan’s future responsibility rested. The thought was too terrible to contemplate, and Murdina tried hard to be hopeful, even in the face of despair.
They had come to the edge of the mull, where the moorlands gave way to the sand dunes, and far in the distance, silhouetted against the late afternoon sky, was the castle, her father’s banner fluttering from the turrets of the keep. Who knew what wicked deeds it now played host to, what treachery had been enacted there, and all with the stealth and cunning of two traitors, spies for the English, who intended to destroy the Jacobite cause by their devilry.
“Rest a moment,” Kin said, catching Murdina by the arm.
She shook her head, anxious to keep going, but the journey had exhausted her, and she stumbled, falling to her knees, and cursing.
“Bah! I am feeble,” she exclaimed as Kin helped her to her feet.
“You are not feeble, Murdina–you have the strength of ten men and the heart of a lion. But no one is invincible. Some fight battles, noble warriors in war, and those who use cunning to further their ends. We must use both in balance. There is a time for fighting, a time for resting, a time for watching, a time for waiting–we must discern all those and more,” he said, and she nodded, sitting down at the side of the road with a sigh.
The mull stretched out before them and behind lay the road back towards Creeston. Ahead lay danger, and behind lay escape. Murdina could walk away, disappear, and forget her responsibilities. She had spent her life longing for escape, but now things were different–something had changed. She could not run away and leave her sister to her fate, nor could she abandon her father, even if he knew nothing of what that fate would be. She had searched for her purpose, and now it lay before her. Murdina was determined to do all she could to help, and with Kin at her side, she was certain she would prevail.
“Ye have done much for me, Kin, ye have been loyal, and now ye prove yerself loyal still,” she said, and he smiled at her.
“Loyalty goes both ways, Murdina. Ye have proved yerself loyal, too,” he said, putting his arm around her and kissing her.
She rested her head on his shoulder, her legs aching, exhausted, and yet determined.
“I love ye, Kin,” she whispered, and he kissed her on the forehead.
“I love you, too, Murdina–and we shall always have one another, I promise. Even if we are forced far away, we shall have one another,” he said, putting his arms around her, their lips now meeting as she clung to him.
He was her hope, as she was his. They had been through so much together, and now their greatest challenge lay ahead. Would they prevail, or would they sink beneath the turbulent seas surrounding them?
“If only this moment could last forever,” she said, choking back the tears.
She had never felt this way for anyone, never known what it was to love another as she did at that moment. She would have died for him, and she knew he would die for her. She wanted his arms around her forever, to know the gentle tenderness of his touch always.
“It can in our hearts,” he whispered, but at that moment, there came the sound of horse’s hooves and the shouts of men on the road ahead.
The two of them leaped to their feet, seeking shelter from the approaching foe. But there was nothing but open moorland around them, no cover under which to hide.
“Run, Murdina!” Kin cried, drawing his sword, but Murdina would not run, she would not be cowed, and drawing her own sword, she turned to face their enemy, an enemy they would face together.
