Aidan (16 page)

“I
’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didna want te hurt ye.”

“En
ough o’ yer lies already. I canna believe ye bedded me only te find the stone so ye could turn it o’er te the English.”

“It’s no’ like thet,” she said, but he kept on talking.

“I trusted ye and brought ye inte me clan. I told ye aboot the stone, and I believed ye cared aboot it as much as I did.”

“I do.”

“Ye ne’er cared aboot anythin’, no’ even me, though I said I loved ye.”

“Ye say thet
te all the lassies ye bed.”

“What?” He
crunched up his face and his eyebrows angled. “I dinna ken what ye’er talkin’ aboot.”

“Kyla told me thet
ye say thet to a lassie and then ye go yer separate ways in the morn.”

“This isn
a aboot us, Effie. This is aboot the Stone o’ Destiny and how ye betrayed no’ only me but all o’ Scotland.”

“I had me reasons.”
Angered by his words, she raised her chin in defiance.

“No reason is guid enough.”

“They have me sister prisoner in a cage and will kill her unless I bring back the stone.”

He stopped and looked at her oddly, and for a moment she thought he almost cared. Then he just took her arm and dragged her back toward the wagon.

“I dinna believe ye anymore.”

“Ye’ve got te trust me.”

He stopped quickly and she crashed into his back. He turned around and looked down at her, and the fierceness on his face was nothing like the gentle, caring, man who’d brought her flowers, cooked her food, and given himself to her as a present.

“Ye betrayed me and tied me up and hit me o’er the head with me own sword, and led the English right to the stone. Dinna e’er say I have
te trust ye, becooz I willna trust ye e’er again.”

That cut her to the bone, but she knew she deserved it. All he’d been to her was kind, but yet she’d caused him some of the worst pain of all.

“What are ye goin’ te do?” she asked.

“I’m goin’
te take back the stone, what do ye think?”

“And how are ye p
lannin’ on doin’ that with a half-dozen men guardin’ it?”

“W
ell, why dinna
ye
tell me how do it? After all, ye seem te be the devious one who kent how te steal it in the first place.”

“I willna help ye steal it, if thet’s what ye’er thinkin’.”

“Ye will do exactly thet if ye e’er want me te trust ye again. And I dinna want ye alertin’ the guards either.”

“But thet stone is me sister’s future.”

“And it’s also the future o’ Scotland. Now are ye goin’ te help me or no’?”

“I canna,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fine. Then I’ll move it meself. But I swear if ye alert the guards, there’ll be a battle and I canna guarantee anyone will walk away alive. Including ye.”

She watched Aidan replace his dagger and sneak up to the back of the wagon and push the blanket off the stone. She knew he was strong, but moving that stone was more than any man could lift
alone. He didn’t care. He hoisted himself up onto the back of the wagon and bent down and started pushing it. His face turned red and his muscles bulged beneath his leine, and he moved it forward slightly.

“Ye’re n
e’er goin’ te move this yerself,” she whispered, her eyes searching to make sure the guards were still sleeping.

“Then hop on up her and help me, las
sie. Thet’s the least ye can do,” he whispered back.

She knew Aidan wasn’t going to stop until he had the stone. And she also knew it would be virtually impossible to move it without the guards hearing.
Tasgall shifted from the front of the wagon, obviously having felt it move. Then to her horror, he lowered himself to the ground and started to come their way. They both stopped and looked at each other and Effie knew they were about to be discovered.

“Give him some mountain magic,” said Aidan, handing her the
sheep bladder.

She grabbed it without thinking and rushed to the front of the wagon to give it to
Tasgall.

“Have a drink,” she told him, directing him toward the fire and the other guards who were sleeping. The man took it eagerly, and had only one sip before he leaned back against a tree and started to snore.

She heard the creak of the wagon, and when she looked back, she could make out the form of Aidan, on the ground and lifting the stone off the back of the wagon and dropping it right in front of his feet.

“What’s that noise?” asked a guard, opening his eyes.

“It was me,” she said quickly, bringing the whiskey to him as well. She managed to keep the guards from knowing what was going on, and when they were asleep again, she rushed back to the wagon to find Aidan lifting another large stone into the wagon instead.

“What are ye doin’?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“They’re goin’ te notice if the wagon is empty.”

“They’re also goin’
te notice thet the stone ye just put in here is no’ the same one.”

“No’ if it’s covered and ye keep them from lookin’ at it.” He flipped the blanket back over it a
nd wiped his hands on his clothes.

“Where’s the Stone o’ Destiny?” she whispered.

“It’s right there.” He pointed to the ground nearby. “I need some rope.”

“There’s some in the front of the wagon,” she said, “but what are ye goin’
te use it fer?”

“I canna
carry the rock back te the Highlands,” he told her. “I’m goin’ te drag it with me horse.”

“What h
orse? Where did you get a horse? I thought it was lame.”

“I borrowed it from an English guard thet tried te kill me.”

“Was he wounded?” she asked.

“Until I killed
him, he was.”

“I shot him
with an arrow, Aidan. Thet should prove te ye thet I am no’ a traitor. No’ really.”

“Thet proves nothin’. Now get back o’er there while I get the stone away from here. Dinna let them look at the one
in the wagon. With any luck, before they notice, they’ll be back te Liddel Castle and I’ll be far away from here with the real stone.”

Far away?
He sounded as if he wasn’t coming back. Effie didn’t want to believe he wasn’t going to help her.

“Then ye’ll come fer me and me sister, right?” she asked.

By the look on his face, he didn’t have to answer for her to know he had no intentions of helping her after what she’d done to him.

“I’m sorry, Effie, but I canna help ye.”

“But if ye dinna help, me sister will die.”

“I still dinna believe ye even have a sister. It’s probably jest one o’ yer schem
es te get me inside the castle gates so they can torture me and try te get me te tell them what I’ve done with the stone. Well, I tell ye, it willna work.”

“Nay, I swear, what I’m tellin’ ye is true.” She felt the tears welling in her eyes.

“Guidbye Effie. I’m sorry it canna be different, as I really thought ye were the one fer me. But now I can sadly see, thet ye are no’ me angel.”

Their eyes interlocked for what seemed like eternity. She felt the burning gaze of his stare down to her very soul. She could see the disappointment on his face, and also the hurt because of her betrayal. She wanted to reach out and throw herself into his arms. She wanted to kiss him and feel safe in his protective embrace. And she wanted more than anything to hear him say he loved her again, even if he did say it to every girl he met.

“I am the one fer ye, Aidan. Please. I wanna be yer dream angel again. I . . . I love ye.”

She swallowed deeply, holding back the tears.
She had hoped professing her true feelings for him would make him see that there still could be a future between them. But he didn’t reach for her, like she’d hoped. He didn’t lean over and kiss her gently, nor did he take her in a punishing kiss. He didn’t even say a word.

He ju
st turned to finish the job he’d come to do. He looped the rope through the handles on the stone, then tied it to the saddle of his horse. Then he mounted his steed and dragged the Stone of Destiny behind him slowly as he made his way through the woods. In the moonlight she saw his back as he kept on riding away from her, never once turning around. And it was at that moment that she knew she’d lost Aidan forever.

Chapter 16

It rained off and on
the next few days, and Effie was cold and tired, and felt as if she wanted to die. If her sister’s life hadn’t depended on her, she wouldn’t care right now if her life ended.

She’d wronged Aidan. Even if she
’d had her reasons, she should have told him the truth in the first place. Mayhap if she had told him what she was going through, he’d still trust her right now. Or he’d still love her.

But now Aidan was gone, and
she’d never see him again. Once the guards discovered the fake stone under the blanket and relayed the information to Lord Ralston, both she and her sister would most likely lose their lives. And Aidan just rode away, never looking back. He no longer cared.

The guards hadn’t thought to look at the stone under the blanket. Thankfully, because of the rain, they’d decided to keep it covered. Travel had been slow
over the muddy, rocky path, but at least they kept hidden from the Scots, so there hadn’t been any trouble. One of the guards had always foraged ahead, and when he saw travelers, they had taken cover. And once they were past Glasgow they had made good time, having gone back to the main road, heading for the border.

She hadn’t spoken much to any of the guards or
Tasgall for the rest of the journey, and they hadn’t tried to talk to her either. Once or twice the guards seemed interested in possibly using her for their manly needs, but oddly enough Tasgall had seen to it that she wasn’t touched.

She saw the castle up ahead
now, and knew this was the end. She felt a sinking sensation in her gut, as she wondered if her sister was still alive or what they’d done to her while she was gone.

The rain had let up, but the day was still glum. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth as they rode across the drawbridge and into the court
yard. She saw her sister immediately, hanging in the cage from the front of the keep. Her heart about broke when she saw how wet Coira was from the rain, and how thin she’d become. Her sister was curled up in a ball on the bottom of the cage and lifted her head slightly as they approached.

“Coira!” Effie jumped from the cart and ran across the bailey, stopping directly
under her sister’s cage. “Sister, I’m back,” she said.

Her sister’s thin hand grabbed on to the iron bars and she raised her head slightly to see her.

“Effie?” she asked in a weak voice. “Please tell me ye found and brought back the stone.”

“Dinna worry,” she said, trying to reassure her though she knew all hell was about to break loose. “I willna l
et anythin’ happen te ye.”

“We’ve got the Scottish Stone of Destiny,” said one of the guards proudly as Lord Ralston hurried across the courtyard to meet them.

“Good, let’s see it. I can’t wait to give it to King Edward. I’ll send the missive inviting him here at once.” The man smiled and rubbed his hands together. “The king will be begging me to join him at court after this.”

The guard pulled away the wet blanket covering the stone and gasped. Effie just closed her eyes and tried to breathe and didn’t even turn around.

“What the hell is this?” said the guard aloud.

“That is no Stone of Destiny,” snapped Lord Ralston, “what are you trying to pull? I may not know what it really looks like, but any fool can tell that is just a river rock.”

Effie turned around then, spying the round stone covered with moss and bird droppings that Aidan had used to replace the true stone. It was smattered with mud, and dead leaves clung to it. It was only half as big as the true stone and even smelled bad.

“Thet’s no’ the stone we stole,” said
Tasgall, and then he looked over to Effie. “Do ye ken anythin’ aboot this?” he asked.

“Me? Nay. I dinna ken where the real stone is.”

“She betrayed us!” shouted the guard. “She must have told that Highlander to come and exchange the stone while we slept.”

“You left a witness alive?” growled Lord Ralston. “What the hell were you thinking?
Especially a Highlander. You know you can’t trust them. I’ll have all your heads for being so stupid!”

“Kill
her
, not us,” said the guard, pointing at Effie. “After all, she shot your best soldier with an arrow.”

“She shot
Dempster? Where is he?” asked Lord Ralston, looking around.

“He came back early since he was wounded,” said the guard. “Didn’t he arrive yet?”

“You idiot, he’s probably dead.” Lord Ralston swiped his sword at the guard and managed to sever the man’s finger. The soldier cried out and fell to his knees.