“Aye. Still on the fire if ye want ‘em hot.”
“Good.”
The woman’s eyes flicked to Nathan. “And him?”
“Nae yer concern,” Lily said simply. “He’s with me.”
The woman gave a nod and stepped aside to let them in.
“I’ll wait outside,” Nathan announced.
Lily stepped inside.
The air was warm, but thick with the heavy scent of blood, sickness, and herbs. The girl lay curled up on a straw bed, her face pale and bloated. Her breath came short and coarse, her lips dry. One arm looked nearly twice the size it should be.
Lily took off her cloak and knelt by the child. The mother hovered close, nervous. Lily kept her voice calm as she checked the swelling, lifted the girl’s eyelids, and pressed gently on her belly.
“She’ll be fine,” she said softly, mostly for the mother’s sake. “But I need ye to listen close.”
The woman nodded.
“I willnae be around for a while. Something has come up. Ye need to keep the bandages clean. Change them twice a day, and make certain to keep her warm. If she cries, that is good. It means her body still fights.”
The woman wiped her eyes. “Aye, I’ll do everything ye say. And if there’s anything I can do for ye…”
Lily nodded, then leaned closer. She glanced toward the door. Nathan still stood outside.
“Do ye have a dagger?” she whispered.
The other woman nodded.
“Can ye bring it to me?”
When she stepped outside again, Nathan straightened. “Ready?”
“Aye,” she said.
They mounted their horses without another word and rode back toward the woods. Lily didn’t fight or speak out of turn. The air was colder now, and the sun was beginning to dip behind the hills.
Alasdair was waiting right where they’d left him. She slid down from the horse and met his eyes.
“So,” she said quietly. “Ye want to go to yer clan?” She took a deep breath. “Then let us go.”
Alasdair nodded, his hand resting lightly on his belt. “It is good to ken that ye have finally come to yer senses.”
Lily narrowed her eyes at him and managed a false smile.
Come to her senses? Not in the slightest.
CHAPTER 3
She folded her arms,her chin raised higher than it had any right to be. “So… whose horse will become me own now?”
Alasdair arched an eyebrow. “Yer own horse? Whatever do ye need it for?”
“Ye want me to go with ye, do ye nae? I want me own horse.”
“Nay.”
