Page 59 of The Finest Scottish Fate

She threw up her hands in surrender. “I’m just saying… What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”

“Riders!” Jarrah shouted down to them. “From the south.”

“And they are not mortal,” Farbis bellowed. “Get yer arses up here!”

“How do they know they are not mortal?” Drummond leapt to his feet, caught hold of Evie’s hand, and helped her flounder up the incline through the ever-deepening snow.

“I don’t know, but if they say they’re not mortal, now is not the time to question them.” Wearing her jeans under her skirts for additional warmth, she wished she could shed the layers of wool and linen wrapped around her to be able to move a lot faster. Of course, she wouldn’t be nearly as protected from the weather. But thanks to the circumstances, sweat was currently trickling down her back.

Mercury met her halfway and lowered his head at Drummond, warning him to stay back.

“I am not the one ye need to protect her from, ye surly bastard,” Drummond told the unicorn as he launched himself onto the back of his mount, unsheathed his sword, and turned to scan the southern horizon. “If they are not mortal,” he asked Farbis, “what are they?”

“The Cailleachan Minions. Beira’s hags who ride out to ensure any sign of life is kept frozen to trap Scotland in eternal winter. They’ve done it before and appear to be trying to do it again.”

“How do we stop them?” Evie asked, then squinted harder in disbelief at the eight blue witches striking the ground with mighty hammers. Wherever their hammers hit, the ice and snow thickened. “And are they riding wolves?”

“Aye. They always ride wolves,” Jarrah said, “and since Lugh, the sun god, is one of the Seven, and Angus Óg, Beira’s son, is wed to Bride, another of the Seven who cursed us, I dinna think Lugh or Angus will be helping us as the legends said they did the last time to end Scotland’s eternal winter.”

“We must get the herd and MacMuirrow riders to the shelter before they reach us,” Drummond said. “There are large caves in this mountain that we’ve used before. Pray the lads had time to make them ready for winter. We canna depend on anyone other than ourselves.”

“I shall stay here and hold them off,” Jadrack said with a wry grin. “They dinna much care for the heat of my flame.”

Head spinning and heart wishing she’d studied Celtic legends that had suddenly turned out to be surprisingly real, Evie gave Mercury his head. “Get us to the herd. Fast as you can.”

“Evie! Wait!” Drummond’s bellow rang out across what had become a tundra belonging in an ice age rather than fourteenth-century Scotland.

Even though she didn’t want to, she pulled back on the reins and slowed the unicorn. “Give and take, Mercury. Maybe if I learn to compromise, he will too.”

The beast snorted, fogging the air with its doubts about that possibility.

She agreed, but needed to give Drummond a chance to change. Apparently, he had fears just like she did. She needed to respect that just as she wanted him to respect her need for his understanding. “We have to be fair,” she told the animal as Drummond thundered past them. “And the male ego is a delicate thing,” she added under her breath. Seemed like she remembered Grandmama saying something to that effect, too.

With no time for formal introductions, she joined Drummond in helping the pair of MacMuirrow riders herd what was a surprisingly small number of Highland cows toward a large cave that made the mountain look as though it were smiling. A quick count told her they were braving this onslaught of weather and mythical beings for a total of nine animals. Just nine? The way Drummond had acted, she would have assumed there were a lot more. Maybe there was something special about them, or maybe this was just one of the herds they were supposed to help. Of course, no matter the number, the poor, hairy beasts needed to be kept safe.

A rumbling explosion on the hillside behind them made her turn just in time to witness Jadrack in all his winged, fire-breathing glory. Both thrilled and terrified, she couldn’t look away or move, just sat there in the saddle with her mouth hanging open until Mercury took control and nearly dumped her in the snow to make her focus on the task at hand.

While Jadrack’s fire show kept the wintry hags at bay, it also frightened the cattle and made them even more difficult to funnel into the wide mouth of the cave, but eventually, they got all the beasts inside. The MacMuirrow riders, Sean Abernathy and Robbie MacMuirrow, quickly took over, urging the cows into a fenced-off area deeper within the massive cave.

Evie slid off Mercury’s back and tried to lead him farther into the shelter, but the animal locked his legs and refused to move. It appeared the unicorn preferred to stay at the entrance where he could stare outside. She hugged and patted him. “I know. I don’t like being cooped up either. Thank you for being here for me today.”

With a quiet grumble, he responded with an affectionate nudge of his head.

Eyeing the unicorn as though he’d just as soon spit on him, Drummond sauntered closer. “’Tis warmer over by the stalls. The coos give off a good bit of heat.”

“Mercury seems to want to stay here.” She stayed between them because the unicorn was glowering just as fiercely at Drummond. “This place is amazing. A perfect natural stable.”

Another fiery blast exploded close enough to fill the air with the tang of sulfur.

Drummond flinched, then quickly recovered. Evie felt for him. The impossible had become possible, and it was hard to swallow.

“I expected more cows,” she said, at a loss for what else to say. “I hope none were lost in this weather.”

“Nay, none were lost. This herd may be small, but ’tis special. Best bloodline in the Highlands and lusted after by every clan that sees them. These are the kine that sire and strengthen the rest of the herds.”

“Ah, I see.” And she did. She’d been to enough cattle auctions with Granddaddy to know how important bloodlines were.

Once again, the air just outside the mouth of the cave crackled, then burst into flames.