An Oath Sworn

An Oath Sworn by Diana Cosby

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Authors: Diana Cosby
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.”
    Need you , his mind finished. She didna say the words, but in the moonlight, her eyes whispered the request.
    â€œPlease?” she whispered.
    Tenderness curled through him. If for only a few hours, being with her would help him as well as he battled the painful memories of this day. He gestured toward an area of smooth rock. “Bring your blanket over there. You can sit with me.”
    Â 
    Thankful he’d granted her request, Marie retrieved the tattered wool throw. When she returned, Colyne had settled into a sitting position that allowed him a clear view of their surroundings.
    At her approach, he motioned for her to sit before him.
    She spread the blanket on the stone and then sat. As she settled against the solid warmth of his chest, the steady beat of his heart pulsed against her.
    Drawing a deep breath, she stared into the sky. A trace of clouds edged the western horizon, and the moon, outlined by a ring of silver, hung over the treetops. “When I gaze into the heavens and see such beauty, it makes me wonder how anyone can revel in hatred.”
    â€œToo often people focus only on their own gain, nae on what is right.”
    The soft rumble of his voice was a balm to her bruised nerves. She nodded, thinking of the strife Scotland faced. “As King Edward?” He stiffened against her, and she knew she’d hit upon a concern uppermost in his mind.
    â€œHe believes his harsh actions are warranted,” Colyne said, anger pouring through his words.
    â€œThough I disagree with his method, he is overlord of Scotland.”
    â€œEarned through treachery,” he spat. “After Margaret, the Maid of Norway’s death, King Edward stated his good intent was in helping Scotland choose a king during their time of unrest. But, as many Scots suspected, his offer was naught but a guise in his efforts to claim Scotland.”
    Marie hesitated. She couldn’t reveal her royal connection, but she needed to warn Colyne that King Edward would stop at nothing to seize a country he already considered his. “He is a determined man,” she said carefully, “and will not halt his aggressions until all of Scotland has thrown down its weapons and sworn fealty to him.”
    His body tensed. “He can try.”
    â€œI know.” The slaughter they’d witnessed today was but a taste of the butchery to come if the English king was allowed to release his full wrath upon Scotland.
    â€œWith France’s backing,” Colyne continued, “we have nae only the means but another force for King Edward to face.”
    By the grace of Mary, he had no idea of how precarious Scotland’s ties were at this moment with France. If Renard had reached her father and convinced him that the Scottish rebels were behind her abduction, her father may have already severed the much-needed support for Scotland’s bid for freedom. “You are cold?”
    She frowned. “What?”
    â€œYou are shivering.” Colyne wrapped the woven wool over her shoulders, then slid his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “Better?”
    Until she spoke with her father, naught could make the situation better. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
    He pointed east. “Over there.”
    A flicker of white raced through the sky and then faded into the night.
    His warm breath sifted across her cheek. “They say when a star falls, ’tis a gift bestowed from the fairies.”
    Emotions tightened her throat and she nodded, unable to speak.
    Silence stretched between them, his concern all but spoken in the whispers of the night.
    She nestled against his muscled chest and laid her cheek against the hollow of his throat. “I shall try to rest.”
    â€œAye, you do that.”
    Weary, Marie struggled to sleep. But only after hours of tormented thoughts about what would happen if she failed to reach her father, and with Colyne still holding her safe in his arms, did

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