Ididn’t think I would ever be able to sleep but then I must have, because suddenly there was a nudge on my shoulder. A whisper, “Ash, tis time tae arise.”
It was black in the room.
I sat up. “Is something wrong?”
“Nae, but more men are comin’, we ought tae leave while tis safe.”
While he spoke he was rolling our stuff up and shoving the rolls into our bag. I shuffled over to the chamberpot, blinking, and pissed, trying to wake up. I needed to be fresh. I had gotten sleep, he had been guarding out in the hall.
I needed to be helpful. I returned to the middle of the room and finished packing our things while he pissed in the chamberpot, now totally disgusting.
He put our bag across his shoulder, and led me from the room, creeping down the steps so we wouldn’t wake anyone. We snuck through the now quiet ‘dive bar,’ empty but for a dozen men sleeping in front of the fire.
No one was aware we were leaving. Lochie pressed his finger to his lips.
But I already knew — stealth.
Ifoneof these drunk guys woke up we could have an issue. If more than one woke up we could be in real danger.
Once out, we rushed to the stables. Lochie paid for our horse while I waited in the dim light, looking around at the sleeping village. There was not a light to be seen in any direction, just the glow of the moon softly giving us a bit of light to see by.
Lochie hurriedly tied our bags to the saddle, then wordlessly helped me up on the horse. He climbed on behind me. The same shift of my hips as he slid into the saddle, right up against me. His strong hands took the reins and pulled Finny around. His thigh shifted alongside mine.
We rode down the main lane but then Lochie pulled Finny onto a side path, and urged him to go faster. We rode across a field at a quick clip until Lochie pulled Finny to a stop behind a building.
Lochie shifted in the saddle and watched behind us, tense and worried. “We are bein’ followed.”
He swung his leg back and dropped to the ground, then helped me down.
I hadn’t been able to see anyone coming, but now I heard horse hooves. Lochie jammed his hand into a bag, rummaged around, and pulled out our vessel. Wrapping Finny’s reins around his arm, he said, “Tis too dark tae see the vessel, we are jumpin’ blind.”
I nodded.
A man’s voice from inside the building was yelling in Gaelic at us.
Lochie whispered, “Wheesht!”
The men following us gained ground.
Lochie said, “Hold ontae me.”
I threw my arm around him, he clutched me to his chest, and twisted the vessel.
Nothing happened.
He shook it, he banged it on his hip.
I was frightened.
A man emerged from inside the building, yelling and waving his arms. Lochie banged the vessel, saying to the man, “I ken… we just needed tae... we will get off yer croft, we are tryin’ tae…” He glanced around the building. “Och nae, they are almost here.”
He shoved the vessel under his arm. “Climb back up.” I stepped on his knee and heaved myself up, but the man from the house grabbed at Finny’s reins. Lochinvar pulled Finny away, with me dangling off the side trying to get my foot in the stirrup or anything useful.
Lochie somehow managed to hold the vessel, hold the reins, keep Finny calm, argue with the man, and heave me up. He yelled, “Daena come close, or I will shoot ye!” as he swung himself up, and urged Finny into action — we raced across the field. I held onto the saddle horn. Not quite on, one side of my skirts caught up under Lochie’s leg, pulling me off center. I gripped with my thighs, my eyes closed tight, butthatseemed stupid — I forced them open but it was hard to see in the darkness, the wind rushing past. Lochie folded his shoulders forward, pressing against my back, his elbows clamped on my sides, his knees holding my skirts. Finny had a rhythm, gallop gallop gallop. We came to a stone wall, followed it until we came to a gap, crossed the lane, and raced into the woods.
We pulled Finny in behind trees in the darkness. Lochie slid off, held up a hand, meaning ‘stay,’ and crept away.
I hoped Finny was listening.
