Highlander's Rescue A Cree & Dawn Short Story (Cree & Dawn Short Stories Book 4) by Donna Fletcher
Authors: Donna Fletcher
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return to the room when she thought she heard a moan. She listened and it came again, a bit stronger this time. There was only one place it could be coming from and that was the other room. She approached it cautiously, seeing that there was no plank across it, which meant no one was being held captive in there.
The moan came again or was it a cry, Dawn could not tell and she could not walk away from a sound of despair. She lifted the latch and entered the room warily. There was no telling what could be inside.
She was met with complete darkness and she stepped back out and returned to Margaret’s room and fetched a candle. She entered the other room again. It was bitter cold and Dawn shivered even with her cloak on. She stopped when she saw bare feet tied to the bottom of a narrow bed. She held the candle up higher and if she had had a voice her gasp would have echoed through the keep.
There, hands and feet tied to the bed, lay Wintra.
Chapter Six
Wintra blinked her eyes several times, though it was painful, her one eye swollen, having caught a knuckle there when she had attempted to avoid a punch. She forced her eyes to spread wide, the one opening wider than the other. She was dreaming, wishing she was home and Dawn had arrived to be there with her for the birth.
Wintra struggled to speak, her throat dry. “How I wish you were real.”
Dawn hurried to the bed, tapping her chest repeatedly.
“Truly?” Wintra coughed to help clear her throat of the dryness. “It is you? I am not dreaming?”
Dawn leaned over her and gently rested her hand to Wintra’s cheek.
Tears trickled from Wintra’s eyes and she forced herself to keep speaking, though it hurt her to do so. “You came. You kept your promise.”
Dawn grew angrier when she saw how Wintra struggled to talk. She wanted to free her of the ropes but that would have to wait. Wintra needed something to drink. She sat the candle down on the small chest next to the bed and, letting Wintra know she would be only a moment, Dawn ran from the room and retrieved the bucket of water she had seen in Margaret’s room.
She scooped up a ladle full, then slipped her hand beneath Wintra’s head and fed it to her slowly.
The water refreshed her throat and Wintra asked, “Torr and Cree must be here with you.”
Dawn nodded, replaced the ladle in the bucket, then pointed to the floor, shook her head, pointed to the wall and waved slowly.
“They are outside?”
Dawn nodded and reached out to get to work on the rope that bound Wintra’s wrists.
“Torr and Cree will come for us soon?”
Dawn nodded, struggling to undo the knot that held Wintra secure.
Tears continued to trickle down Wintra’s cheeks. “I was so foolish, so stubborn. Torr must be furious with me.”
Dawn shook her head and patted her chest quickly, anxious to free Wintra.
“I know he loves me, and he is probably worried senseless.”
Dawn nodded vigorously, then smiled when the knot broke free, and she quickly freed Wintra. She cringed when she saw that her wrists were rubbed raw.
“I struggled to break free, but it was a useless effort. The wounds are my own fault,” Wintra explained, lowering her aching arms slowly to her sides with a sigh of relief.
Dawn grew alarmed when Wintra’s hand suddenly went to her rounded stomach.
Wintra drew in a breath and let out a long sigh when she released it. “You have come just in time. This wee one is ready to be born.”
Dawn’s worry grew. Cree and Torr would have to arrive soon if they were going to get Wintra away from here or else they would have no choice but to stay and have Wintra deliver the baby here. Dawn knew that she would have to be prepared for that possibility, and the first thing necessary was to get Wintra fed and the room warm.
She slipped off her fur-lined cloak and placed it over Wintra.
“That feels so good,” Wintra said, snuggling beneath its warmth.
The hearth was small but so was the room and if she could get a
The moan came again or was it a cry, Dawn could not tell and she could not walk away from a sound of despair. She lifted the latch and entered the room warily. There was no telling what could be inside.
She was met with complete darkness and she stepped back out and returned to Margaret’s room and fetched a candle. She entered the other room again. It was bitter cold and Dawn shivered even with her cloak on. She stopped when she saw bare feet tied to the bottom of a narrow bed. She held the candle up higher and if she had had a voice her gasp would have echoed through the keep.
There, hands and feet tied to the bed, lay Wintra.
Chapter Six
Wintra blinked her eyes several times, though it was painful, her one eye swollen, having caught a knuckle there when she had attempted to avoid a punch. She forced her eyes to spread wide, the one opening wider than the other. She was dreaming, wishing she was home and Dawn had arrived to be there with her for the birth.
Wintra struggled to speak, her throat dry. “How I wish you were real.”
Dawn hurried to the bed, tapping her chest repeatedly.
“Truly?” Wintra coughed to help clear her throat of the dryness. “It is you? I am not dreaming?”
Dawn leaned over her and gently rested her hand to Wintra’s cheek.
Tears trickled from Wintra’s eyes and she forced herself to keep speaking, though it hurt her to do so. “You came. You kept your promise.”
Dawn grew angrier when she saw how Wintra struggled to talk. She wanted to free her of the ropes but that would have to wait. Wintra needed something to drink. She sat the candle down on the small chest next to the bed and, letting Wintra know she would be only a moment, Dawn ran from the room and retrieved the bucket of water she had seen in Margaret’s room.
She scooped up a ladle full, then slipped her hand beneath Wintra’s head and fed it to her slowly.
The water refreshed her throat and Wintra asked, “Torr and Cree must be here with you.”
Dawn nodded, replaced the ladle in the bucket, then pointed to the floor, shook her head, pointed to the wall and waved slowly.
“They are outside?”
Dawn nodded and reached out to get to work on the rope that bound Wintra’s wrists.
“Torr and Cree will come for us soon?”
Dawn nodded, struggling to undo the knot that held Wintra secure.
Tears continued to trickle down Wintra’s cheeks. “I was so foolish, so stubborn. Torr must be furious with me.”
Dawn shook her head and patted her chest quickly, anxious to free Wintra.
“I know he loves me, and he is probably worried senseless.”
Dawn nodded vigorously, then smiled when the knot broke free, and she quickly freed Wintra. She cringed when she saw that her wrists were rubbed raw.
“I struggled to break free, but it was a useless effort. The wounds are my own fault,” Wintra explained, lowering her aching arms slowly to her sides with a sigh of relief.
Dawn grew alarmed when Wintra’s hand suddenly went to her rounded stomach.
Wintra drew in a breath and let out a long sigh when she released it. “You have come just in time. This wee one is ready to be born.”
Dawn’s worry grew. Cree and Torr would have to arrive soon if they were going to get Wintra away from here or else they would have no choice but to stay and have Wintra deliver the baby here. Dawn knew that she would have to be prepared for that possibility, and the first thing necessary was to get Wintra fed and the room warm.
She slipped off her fur-lined cloak and placed it over Wintra.
“That feels so good,” Wintra said, snuggling beneath its warmth.
The hearth was small but so was the room and if she could get a
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