Highland Magic Ch. 19

Cein returned to the keep two days after the news and was met by three leagues of men. He smiled grimly. Ah so the gossip did still travel at the speed of the wind in the Highlands. He nodded to the men leading the Hamiltons, Buchannans, and MacBains. The three leaders followed Cien and his men into the keep and sat around the table.

"Hamilton, Buchannan, MacBain. I see you knew to come to me."

"Aye, Cien Fraser. We know of our bonds to you, and have come to reclaim yer lady." Davis MacBain growled out in his raspy voice.

"And kill a few of them damned MacPhearsons. Aye?" Kevin Hamilton grinned.

Cien shook his head. "Aye, kill as many as you wish, but no harm will come to the lady Rose." He paused and looked at the three men. "Understood."

"Aye, Cien. We understand." Harry Buchannan agreed. Of the three commanders there, he trusted Harry the most. He'd fostered with him as a lad. Twas an English tradition, but his father thought it beneficial for him to learn from another Laird as well as he. Cien had never thought it wrong.

"We leave at day break."

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No one had come. I felt the dull ache in my head and was glad no one had come in the last two days. I sat on the small straw pallet next to the cold fireplace and wished against wish that I was back home sitting in my living room watching some episodes of FRIENDS. God, how I missed modern technology.

Instead I pull my legs up to my chest and shiver. At least they could give me some wood to rebuild my fire. But I knew they wouldn't maybe they were too afraid that I would kill them if they came into my chamber. Maybe they were as cowardly as I thought they were. It didn't matter. I was a witch in their eyes. I would die either way.

I shivered again and rested my head on my knees. Maybe I would luck out and get hypothermia and die in my sleep. I smiled a genuine smile. Yeah, that wouldn't be too bad. I mean, I was already colder than I had ever been in my life. Hypothermia wouldn't be to far off. Of course I could get phenomena and die slowly too. I didn't like that idea, obviously.

I started to hum to myself softly, rocking slowly back and forth. I knew I was reaching my mental breaking point. I was cold, exhausted, and ready to die. Yep, my toes were wrapped around that cliff. I thought desperately for a song I loved. There were so many, but my vocal cords found one that it liked and I began to sing softly to myself.

"Another day has almost come and gone
Can’t imagine what else could wrong
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war"

I turned my head flat against my knees and continue to rock slowly, clutching at my sanity with both hands.

I sang to my hearts content, slowly getting more energy into it and singing louder and louder. I never realize that I go from song to song, singing loudly and straight from my heart. I sing songs my mother sang to me as a child. I sing songs I loved on the radio. My heart seems to break inside of me with each note I sing, with each breath I take.

I never realized I was crying, listing to myself. I closed my eyes tightly and imagined myself at home in my room singing with the radio.

A sob ripped through my voice, but I shoved it back inside and forced myself to keep singing.

"I give you my destiny.
I'm giving you all of me.
I want your symphony, singing in all that I am
At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back....."

Cien flashes through my mind and I feel a sob in my throat, but force it back down. Cien with his beautiful eyes and powerful arms. He's smiling in my minds eye, and I can see he's happy. He picks me up and twirls me around. I laugh with him and wrap my arms around his neck.

I feel the tears slipping out beneath my lashes, but don't move to wipe them away. He kisses me in my minds eye and I feel his warmth against my lips. His warmth recharges me. I open my eyes slowly, and feel a renewed strength. Cien would be coming. I knew that, why was I giving up.

I feel the first genuine smile of hope I'd had in so long I could hardly remember cross my lips. Cien was coming. He wouldn't want to see me like this. I pushed myself back up from the floor and wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

Cien was coming.

I looked around me and found the ribbon Tilda had put in my hair so long ago and felt my heart shudder. Picking it up with renewed stubbornness, I tied my filthy hair back from my face and began pacing the room. I felt like singing. Really singing.

I opened my mouth and let the words tumble out. I felt like kicking some ass. And I was going to make damned sure everyone in the keep knew it. I began stomping hard and clapping my hands loudly to keep beat, and I felt more energy than I had in so long.

"I could be mean, I could be angry
you know i could be just like you
I could be fake, I could be stupid
you know i could be just like you!"

I screamed as I sang, and I knew they could hear me. They were listening to my every word. The question was, were they going to come up and do something about it, or were they going to chicken out and let me scream my lungs out for them.

My money was on me screaming.