with a shudder. “He devours whatever he claims and soon he would devour us all.”
Was that what the Dark Dragon was doing right now... devouring her sister? The thought turned her livid.
“That will not happen—I will not let it,” she stated with such resolve that it actually brought a smile of relief to McFarden’s face. “Now I must speak with my men.”
McFarden nodded and followed along with her.
~~~
Patience was not surprised to see that her warriors were not happy with the news that she would wed Hunter McLaud. She made it clear that she would continue to lead them and that Hunter would hold no authority over them. That seemed to mollify them and their heads began to nod in agreement when she explained that uniting the clans would give the Clan Macinnes a stronger foothold in the north.
She finished with, “I will have more to say once we leave McLaud land.”
Her warriors exchanged glances, knowing there was more to tell them, though not at the moment.
She walked amongst her warriors, having a word with each one, reassuring them and encouraging them and each one letting her know that she had their full allegiance. After that was done, she walked off to find a private spot. She needed time alone, time to think and sort through things, time to plan, and mostly time to pray that this whole ordeal would prove beneficial in finding her sister.
The land around here stretched on endlessly and was dotted with more large rocks than trees. A narrow stream cut a path several feet passed the village and that was where she wandered off to. The clear water gurgled along the rocky bottom and Patience stooped down to scoop up a handful and drink, then she found a small cropping of rocks to sit down by and rest her back against.
She dropped her head back for a moment and closed her eyes, though not for long and when she opened them, she was struck by how the brilliant blue sky reminded her of the color of Hunter’s eyes. With a sigh, she turned her gaze on the stream. She had been impetus when she was young, but learned to curb it when she realized it was not a good trait when it came to settling skirmishes. She wondered now if she had been too impetus in agreeing to marry Hunter. If she had given herself time to think on the situation, could she have arrived at a better solution? But time was not on her side, especially not for Heather.
Prayer was her only recourse at the moment, and she was glad for it. If she did not have that, she would feel as if she failed her sister completely. Heather would not lose hope. She would know that she and Emma would be coming for her, that they would not abandon her.
It seemed like years since Heather had been captured, but it had been only months, and that was too long. She desperately missed her sisters and longed to be reunited with them, though nothing would be as it once was. Life had changed for all three of them.
Rarely, did Patience cry. She preferred action to sobbing, so the tears that threatened her were quickly dispersed. She had no time to surrender to such nonsense. But try as she might, she could not stop a single tear from lurking in the corner of her eye.
Annoyed at letting it creep past her defenses, she brushed it away harshly.
“Sometimes tears help.”
Patience jumped startled to see Hunter walk around from behind her. She had trained herself to always be alert to her surroundings and to always pay attention to sounds, so it disturbed her not to have heard his approach.
“Go away,” she demanded, shooing him with her hand.
“You are upset and I daresay exhausted,” he said and dropped down to sit beside her, his shoulder nudging against hers.
Patience glanced over at his shoulder, ready to order him to move away and be gone when she realized how nice it would be to drop her head upon it and rest, if only for a short time. Instead, she rested her head back on the rock.
She tried chasing him away once again. “Go away.”
Ignoring her demand, he
Was that what the Dark Dragon was doing right now... devouring her sister? The thought turned her livid.
“That will not happen—I will not let it,” she stated with such resolve that it actually brought a smile of relief to McFarden’s face. “Now I must speak with my men.”
McFarden nodded and followed along with her.
~~~
Patience was not surprised to see that her warriors were not happy with the news that she would wed Hunter McLaud. She made it clear that she would continue to lead them and that Hunter would hold no authority over them. That seemed to mollify them and their heads began to nod in agreement when she explained that uniting the clans would give the Clan Macinnes a stronger foothold in the north.
She finished with, “I will have more to say once we leave McLaud land.”
Her warriors exchanged glances, knowing there was more to tell them, though not at the moment.
She walked amongst her warriors, having a word with each one, reassuring them and encouraging them and each one letting her know that she had their full allegiance. After that was done, she walked off to find a private spot. She needed time alone, time to think and sort through things, time to plan, and mostly time to pray that this whole ordeal would prove beneficial in finding her sister.
The land around here stretched on endlessly and was dotted with more large rocks than trees. A narrow stream cut a path several feet passed the village and that was where she wandered off to. The clear water gurgled along the rocky bottom and Patience stooped down to scoop up a handful and drink, then she found a small cropping of rocks to sit down by and rest her back against.
She dropped her head back for a moment and closed her eyes, though not for long and when she opened them, she was struck by how the brilliant blue sky reminded her of the color of Hunter’s eyes. With a sigh, she turned her gaze on the stream. She had been impetus when she was young, but learned to curb it when she realized it was not a good trait when it came to settling skirmishes. She wondered now if she had been too impetus in agreeing to marry Hunter. If she had given herself time to think on the situation, could she have arrived at a better solution? But time was not on her side, especially not for Heather.
Prayer was her only recourse at the moment, and she was glad for it. If she did not have that, she would feel as if she failed her sister completely. Heather would not lose hope. She would know that she and Emma would be coming for her, that they would not abandon her.
It seemed like years since Heather had been captured, but it had been only months, and that was too long. She desperately missed her sisters and longed to be reunited with them, though nothing would be as it once was. Life had changed for all three of them.
Rarely, did Patience cry. She preferred action to sobbing, so the tears that threatened her were quickly dispersed. She had no time to surrender to such nonsense. But try as she might, she could not stop a single tear from lurking in the corner of her eye.
Annoyed at letting it creep past her defenses, she brushed it away harshly.
“Sometimes tears help.”
Patience jumped startled to see Hunter walk around from behind her. She had trained herself to always be alert to her surroundings and to always pay attention to sounds, so it disturbed her not to have heard his approach.
“Go away,” she demanded, shooing him with her hand.
“You are upset and I daresay exhausted,” he said and dropped down to sit beside her, his shoulder nudging against hers.
Patience glanced over at his shoulder, ready to order him to move away and be gone when she realized how nice it would be to drop her head upon it and rest, if only for a short time. Instead, she rested her head back on the rock.
She tried chasing him away once again. “Go away.”
Ignoring her demand, he
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