Highland Burn by Victoria Zak Page B

down over the trees, casting eerie shadows throughout the glen; frogs croaked and small nocturnal animals rustled in the undergrowth. As she passed an old tree, an owl hooted, causing her to jump. She shook her head at herself and laughed. Abigale, ye big chicken, ‘tis only an owl, for heaven’s sake . But still the darkness gave her the creeps.
    She continued her search through every blade of grass, every clump of flowers, but came up empty handed. If it wasn’t for the constant throbbing, she would have given up. It had to be around here somewhere; she had seen it. Hope of finding her precious flower started to fade and so did her energy.
    Walking over towards the loch she noticed, from the corner of her eye, a purple flower. The moon lit the flower as if it was glowing. A smile crossed her lips as she stopped and picked a few petals from the plant.
    ~~~~~
    Sleep always avoided James. Plagued with recurring nightmares, he preferred not to sleep. As of late the dreams had become all too real. Death was coming for him, he felt it deep in his bones. Rolling over on his back, frustrated, he cursed. Even the Bogeyman had demons nipping at his heels.
    James pushed aside his thoughts and decided a dip in the nearby loch would calm his nerves. He looked over at the clump of furs where Abigale slept. She looked to be deeply snuggled and resting comfortably. He couldn’t see her beautiful auburn head, for she must have hidden in the furs to drown out the snores. Aye, a quick dip in the cold loch would clear his head.
    As James approached the loch, he came across a small figure leaning against a boulder. Not being able to make out the image, he pulled out his dirk and crouched down. As he drew closer, the clouds in the dark sky shifted just enough to shed light upon the object.
    “Abigale?” His forehead creased in confusion. “What are ye doing out here, lass?”
    “James? I thought ye were sleeping.” She stood, trying not to show how much pain she was in.
    “Answer my question.” He crossed his massive arms in front of his chest. “What are ye doing out here?”
    “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk.”
    He didn’t believe her. No way would a lass be out here in the dark just to take a stroll. It was too dangerous. The glen was known for its abundance of wild boar, and when approached, the beasts could be quite nasty. Aye, she was hiding something from him; she was a horrible liar. “What’s that in yer hand?” He reached for the purple petals, but quickly she hid them behind her back.
    “Nothing. ‘Tis my business.”
    “Abigale, I’m in no mood for games.” James stepped forward then grabbed the flower from behind her.
    “Give it back!” She yanked the flower from his hands. “Ye have no right coming out here telling me what to do. Ye told me to keep my distance, now ye keep yers," she demanded.
    He noticed Abigale was uneasy on her feet when she tried to take a step away from him. She had swayed, lost her balance, and grabbed ahold of the boulder to steady herself.
    Went for a walk my arse, James thought. The lass was in too much pain.
    Hunched over, Abigale supported her weight with both hands on the boulder. Long auburn hair hung loosely over the sides of her face. Indeed she was in a great deal of pain. “What ails ye?” He brushed her hair away from her face so he could see her.
    She looked up at him and her blue eyes stole his breath away. “Nothing. I’ll be fine.”
    Even in pain the lass couldn’t be more beautiful, yet he was beginning to find out that she was as stubborn as he was. “Lass, ye dinnae look fine. Now, let me help.” Looking down he noticed a trail of blood running down her leg. “Yer bleeding.” Concerned, James grabbed her skirts and frantically started to push them up her thigh. He needed to know where the blood was coming from.
    “Enough… enough.” She swatted at his hands. “I'll let ye help if ye let go of my skirt.” Abigale