Page 97 of Luthias

The chieftain whisked them out of her reach. “I’ll see to these, lass. Enjoy the day, my lord.”

“Traitor,” Emery muttered as she stalked past him.

As she accompanied Luthias out of the stronghold Emery mentally went through the rest of her avoid-the-laird excuse list. He wouldn’t believe she was afraid of horses because he’d already caught her petting them in the pen by the stables. Claiming breakfast had upset her stomach wouldn’t work, either; she’d eaten the same meal a dozen times now. She was tempted to lie and say she had promised to do something for the groundskeeper, but it would be too easy for him to walk over to the gardens and check.

“Cease your fretting, Mistress Parker,” Luthias said as he caught her hand and tugged her to stop outside the stables. “Naught shall happen between us that you dinnae wish.”

“Right, because I’m so good at saying ‘No’ and “Don’t do that’ to you.” She recalled how Darach and Taveon had kept exchanging those weird looks. “Wait, I get it. It’s because the guys wanted to get rid of me, not because of you and me and that quiet meadow by the loch thing. What’s going on?”

The laird put his hands on her waist. “Naught to worry you.” He lifted her off her feet and onto an enormous horse that the stable master stood holding by the reins before swinging up behind her. “Be at ease, my lady. ’Twill be good for us both.”

As Luthias walked the big horse through the woods Emery relaxed, letting herself lean back against him just a little. It did feel nice to get away from the stronghold and out into the fresh air. The smell of the forest, the sound of birds singing and the dappled light streaming down from the canopy all made her feel as if she were back in New Hampshire, which she still missed a lot.

“Have I really been that much of a nuisance for everyone?” Emery asked, glancing up to see the laird smiling. “For the guys to want to kick me out of the castle for the whole day, I mean.”

“’Tisnae you, my lady.” He tightened the arm he had tucked around her waist.

“Is it something to do with Callum Carack?” She felt him stiffen. “Boy, you really don’t like that guy, do you? Why would he disappear for a whole week?”

“He’s likely gone to court to tirl the king’s arse again,” Luthias said, sounding indifferent.

Something was still really bothering him, she thought. “Maybe you should tell me why you whisked me off on this ride so fast, my lord.”

He put his hand over hers and laced their fingers together. “Call me Luthias.”

“That’s not proper clan etiquette,” Emery chided.

He made a low sound in his throat. “What say you tell me of this museum where you worked? You havenae said much of what you do there.”

“I see I have to get tough. If you don’t tell me what’s really going on I’ll spend the whole day trying to guess,” she warned him. “I never run out of theories or get tired of talking, you know. Just ask Camdyn what I think the Loch Ness monster really is.”

“’Tis a monster in Loch Ness?” Luthias said hopefully.

“Nice try, my lord,” Emery said. “Come on. I’ve traveled through time with a magic sword forged by a Fae prince. I made friends with your armorer, who hated me at first sight. I’ve even put up with using the privies on a daily basis. How much worse could it be?”

For a long time he didn’t say anything, and then finally he sighed. “We’ve a crazed intruder on MacRoss land to catch. I ordered Taveon to lead a team of trackers to search the high ground while Darach inspects the stronghold and our outbuildings. I dinnae want you left alone until we find him.”

“Is this crazy guy the one who did something awful you found in a sheltering cave the other day?” She felt him stiffen and added, “It’s pretty hard to keep something like that secret from the vassal grapevine. I think even the villagers are talking about it. So why don’t I look at whatever it is? I may be able to tell you more about this disturbed person.”

“’Tisnae something any woman should ever see,” he said, his voice deepening with disgust, and then he told her what they had discovered inside the cave.

“I know that what you found is upsetting, and you want to protect me, but I’m not just any woman,” Emery reminded him. “I’m a fully-trained forensic anthropologist who analyzes bones and artifacts from burial sites. That’s my job in the future.”

“Why should you do such things?” the laird asked, sounding worried.

“It’s how the people in my time learn about yours. Death is never pretty or easy to look at, but it can help us understand so much that we don’t know. That doesn’t frighten me.” She looked up at him. “There’s another very good reason I should look at it, too. You already know what that is.”

“Mayhap ’tis the reason the Fire Sword chose to bring you to us.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “You’re certain you wish to do thus, my lady?”

Emery nodded. “If you let me have a look at the cave, I’ll call you Luthias––not in front of the clan, though. There’s already enough gossip about you and me.”

He changed direction, and led the horse down an older, less-used trail. A short time later he stopped at what appeared to be a recent rockslide and dismounted, lifting her out of the saddle before he waved an arm over his head.

When Emery looked up, she saw three archers retreating from a high ledge. “Do you think the guy who did this is planning to come back here?”

“I dinnae ken what the mad may do.” Luthias met her gaze and held out his hand. “I’ve had the men leave everything as ’twas when first found. If you feel sick, tell me.”

The laird helped her up the steep slope almost to the top, and then stepped out onto a narrow ledge in front of a partially-covered cave. He pulled aside the roots to reveal the interior, which contained a number of bizarre-looking assemblages.