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“What’s taking so long?” Mirren asked behind me. “I’m pretty sure I heard the death rattle when Skye breathed. She needs fresh airnow.”
The death rattle? Where had the child even heard that phrase? Maybe I could nip this particular brush with death in the bud. “Are you her doctor, young lady? I don’t think so. I am and I say her breathing is fine.” Determined, I offered Mirren my hand. “But by all means, let’s go.”
Chapter
Eighteen
Staying Within Parameters: When Love Is a Literal Battlefield
FromA Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
Iallowed Mirren to lead me out of the dining room. Purpose gave my steps some pep. Hardly bothered me at all when Buzz and Ponytail showed up to trail us. If they protested our destination, so what?
We made it to a ballroom on the bottom floor when I spotted several maids gathered near Mackenzie, who held a smart device and read aloud a story revolving around the collapse of a mountain. Like, the whole thing had come down? Normally I would’ve marched over there to learn what happened. Must be big, for all of them to crowd together, duties forgotten.
We continued past the back door and through a well-kept garden outside the maze. A soft, warm breeze scented with heather swirled leaves as we maneuvered aroundbushes. Black birds took flight, and sheep baaed in the distance.
We approached the thirty-foot stone wall. Two burly men with swords waited in front of a wooden door.
“We’re goin’ up,” Mirren announced without preamble. “You gotta move, ’cause I said so.”
I don’t know what I expected to happen. Unquestioned acceptance wasn’t it, yet that’s what we got. The pair stepped aside, and the door automatically parted. Well, well. I might be the teacher, but I’d just gotten schooled. In the world of berserkers, be confident of your place and exert your authority without wavering.
Before someone had a change of heart, I rushed the little girl through the opening. We entered an astonishingly wide hallway dimly lit by hanging LEDs. Unfortunately, Buzz and Ponytail stuck with us.
Mirren and I scaled a staircase, remaining hand in hand. Oh wow. There were multiple floors inside the wall. One contained barracks, another housed a training facility, and the third offered a common area where bare-chested men practiced their fighting stances.
When we reached the top, bright sunlight and a stronger breeze greeted us, whipping our hair about. Mirren released me to run ahead. Clutching her doll, she attempted to climb the railing. I gave chase, then lifted the girl and anchored her against my hip. She accepted my handling without protest, extending her toy in the air.
“Do you think the treatment is working?” she asked.
“Definitely.” I used my most serious tone. “Skye is breathing much better now. Look at the color in her cheeks.”
“Oh, yes, much better,” Mirren echoed, just as serious, and I almost laughed.
Soldiers bowed their heads in deference as they marched past us. A stark contrast to the treatment I was accustomed to receiving.
I scanned the land below, my mind whirling. How to get from here to there without being spotted? The guards had a perfect view of absolutely everything. Each opening and window, and the entire courtyard. There was no path to evade their notice.
Okay. So. This wasn’t what I’d hoped to find, but it was good to know. Unless a series of catacombs led underneath the wall, I’d have to leave the property with Callen’s knowledge, minus his presence.Or hidden in the back of a vehicle.
The underground channel had the highest likelihood of success. From my memory of history class, most castles possessed escape routes. Secret passages. Tonight I would slip my security detail and launch a search to see what I could find.
“My da is doin’ an excellent job of protectin’ us,” Mirren informed me.
“He is indeed,” I said, and carried her to the other side of the wall. A hilly forest and pasture stretched for miles. No buildings in sight. Hmm. Once I got past the barrier, I’d have a long trek to civilization. I would need provision.
Warm prickles danced over my nerve endings, and I frowned. Trouble itself seemed to waft through the air.
“All right,” I said, a tremor in my words. “Let’s head back.”
“Why?” a male voice asked behind me. “Are you afraid of being found out by your husband?”
I stiffened, my heart trading places with my stomach. No, no, no. I didnotjust hear Callen. Nope. He wasn’t here, witnessing my supposed crime.
Mirren gasped and squirmed to her feet. “Da! You’re alive, and so is Skye! I saved her!”
