“I’m sure he didn’t mean to cause you great pain. ” Cassy batted her eyes and licked her lips.
Duncan lifted a brow, enjoying the attention despite himself. “Would you like to sit on me?”
“Oh, puleeease... I think you’ve had enough for one night.” The lady draped an arm around Cassy’s waist. “I know I certainly have.”
“Ahh... come on. The party’s just gotten started.”
Cassy’s drunken weight nearly knocked them both over. “You can catch up with it tomorrow.”
Duncan waited two steps before offering assistance. His mind wrapped around the facts quickly. This was a maiden Grainna took notice of.
“You could use a little help, lass. Here, let me.” He pulled Cassy away from her.
She pulled back. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re injured,” he said, tugging again.
“Remember?”
“I’m fine, ’tis just a scratch!’” She tossed his words, and his accent back. “Remember?”
“Aye, I do,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Let me assist ye. We wouldn’t want ye to start bleeding again.”
Cassy started looking a little green. Her role of a human rope, in a game of tug of war, wasn’t mixing well with her intoxicated state.
“Listen, buster. I’m done.” The girl glared at him. “I’ve had a lousy flippin’ day and an even more memorable night. All I want is to be left alone. So if you don’t mind, we can manage just fine without you!”
Defeated and at a loss as to what to say, he let go after one final tug. Cassy almost fell, but somehow managed to stay on her feet.
With one hand around Cassy’s shoulders and the other trying to hold up her skirt to avoid falling, the woman he searched for walked away.
All Duncan could do was watch.
Fin strolled to the camp he and Duncan had made well past two in the morning. Whistling a tune and wearing a smirk. “Still awake?” Fin asked.
“Aye.” Duncan watched the stars.
Fin stretched out on his bedroll, still whistling.
“Enough Fin, you’ll bring attention to us.”
“No one cares if we’re out here.” He drew out his sack, took a piece of bread, and ate. “It’s not like at home, Duncan. There are no thieves in the trees looking for a fight or handout. Why do you think the men in this time are so large and slow?”
Duncan agreed. Still he was tired of the tune Fin was singing through pursed lips. He said nothing and continued to brood over the stars. Those at least appeared the same.
After a few silent moments Fin, knowing something was bothering his brother, spoke out. “So, are you going to tell me what has a burr up your arse? Or are you going to sulk all night long?”
“I found her.” Duncan’s voice was grave. His meaning didn’t have to be explained.
“And?” Fin waited for his brother to elaborate.
But when he didn’t Fin came to his own conclusions.
Laughter boomed over the treetops, stopping the crickets in their song. “Turned you down, did she?”
Fin held his sides without any effort to hold in his mirth.
“Nay! She didn’t turn me down. I didn’t even try,” Duncan said soberly.
“Why the hell not?” Fin asked. “Was she ugly?”
“Nay.”
“Then what?” Fin picked off more bread, tossed it in his mouth.
“I don’t think it would have done any good.”
Duncan suffered his brother’s laughter when he relayed the story of how he met the woman.
When the laughter stopped, Fin wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I don’t think you could have mucked it up more. I’ll have to come to the rescue, again.”
The thought of his brother setting eyes on the lass stiffened Duncan’s spine. He would think on why later, for now he simply told Fin no.
“Then you have a plan on how to handle her?”
“I’m working on a plan.”
“I’ll keep my eye out for others.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Duncan brushed off a leaf that had fallen on his arm. “Her friend called her McAllister. The blade she carried was ornate with Celtic carvings.” He saved the best for last. “There were specks of amber in its hilt.”
Sober now, Fin put the bread aside and asked, “Do you think Grainna knows of her?”
He nodded. “It was her friend who confirmed that and the truth behind her virtue.”
“Then she’ll be watched.”
“Aye, she’ll be watched.”
“Damn Duncan, I wish we had our powers of sight. How are we to know if Grainna is on to us?”
“We have to trust what Da told us. If we came here, as anything but mortals, we wouldn’t have stepped one foot inside Grainna’s village without her knowing it. We have three days until the solstice.
This gives us plenty of time to woo a maiden and keep Grainna here in this time and place.”
“I hope you’re right.” Fin leaned back, closed his eyes to get some sleep.
Duncan looked at the stars and pondered words the maiden had said during their brief meeting.
“Fin?”
“What?” he asked, half asleep.
“What is the word freak?” Duncan regretted asking when his brother had another fit of laughter.
Bells rang in her ears, waking Tara up like an alarm clock. No. Not bells, horns, and not in her ears, but outside their tent. Cassy rolled over, dragging the blanket over her head at the interruption of sleep. She would undoubtedly be hung-over, Tara thought, before stumbling out of bed and going to see who was making all the noise.
A man, dressed in a bright yellow and orange oversized shirt and brown pants, stopped blowing his horn when Tara popped her head out of the tent.
His voice boomed out, demanding the attention of all who stood by and watched. “Hear ye! Hear ye!”
He removed a scroll from under his arm and started to read.
“Madame Gwen has declared the fair maiden Tara and her chaperone Cassandra, to be the royal guests for the duration of the fair. Hereby granting them the privileges bestowed upon royalty. From this time forward, all are to bow and pay respect to our Lady of the court.”
The man stopped bellowing, rolled the parchment, and handed it to Tara. The spectators started clapping drawing in even more attention.
“Oh great,” Tara grumbled.
The man started to leave. Tara yelled, “Wait!