I truly doubted I was capable of it.
He wanted to protect me. He thought I was a princess. I doubted he really understood how far out of my element I was.
I was frightened, Torin was tense. I was huddled low while he crouched above me. I looked up at his face, his jaw set, his gaze intense.
It began to rain.
At first I was thankful because the cloud of midges dissipated.
But a few moments later I was drenched.
I prayed that the loudness of the rain, the dampening of sound, and the lowering of visibility would make it difficult for them to see us as they approached.
My pulse pounded as three riders emerged from the rain, and slowed, scanning the woods around the path.
One turned his horse, squinting through the storm. “He up ahead?”
Another said, “We passed him.”
Their eyes swept the roadside, way too close for comfort. I pressed my nails into my palms and held my breath.
Then one man pointed. “He’s up ahead.”
They turned their horses and moved on, disappearing into the rain.
Torin whispered, “Och nae.”He swiped water from his face, his eyes still sharp, calculating.
I asked, “What do we do?”
“I need tae get ye tae shelter.”
He stood in the shadows, watching for a minute before he crept a few more steps away. I kept my eyes on him, hard — visibility was low in the late afternoon rain. I felt like if I took my eyes away, for even a second, he would disappear.
He quietly returned, shaking his head. I wondered why... then realized,he looks like a man who has just come up with a dumb idea.
He crouched down in front of me and put a hand on both of my shoulders. “Princess, I am goin’ tae follow them for a bit, tae make certain they arna lyin’ in wait.”
He pulled the cloak up so the top edge covered my head. “I wish ye had a hood.”
I just blinked, incapable of saying anything from the shock of what he was about to do — I croaked out in disbelief, “You’releavingme here?”
He reached in his sporran, pulled out the vessel, looked it over, then placed it in my lap. “You will have this, and yer horse. Dude is in the bag.”
I whispered, “But I don’t know how to ride a horse! What if something happens to you?”
“Ye will stay here and be verra quiet. I winna be long.”
“But… but… it’s too loud. I can barely hear you. It’s scary. It’s almost dark! What will happen?”
“Ye will go verra quiet and ye will wait and nae think of anything at all. I promise I will be back.”
“How will you find me? You keep doing this! It’s not okay to leave me in the middle of the wilderness!”
He pressed a finger to his lips. “Wheesht?—”
“Don’t wheesht me!”
“I ken right where ye are, stay right here, and I will return verra soon.”
