Page 81 of The Stag & The Owl
“I wanted, I needed to see you one moretime,” her mother said, her voice, her smile, cracking.“I neededto know if you were…at peace.”
“What did you see?”Alina squeezed out aroundthe lump in her throat.
“I saw an owl perched on a stag’s horns.Thestag was swimming into the sunset across a great sea, and then itwas walking through a thick wood until it came upon a lake ofsilver waters.Two girls were playing at the lake’s shore, one wasyou at eight years of age, and the other had long, white-blondehair and eyes that shone green as cut emeralds when she looked upat me and told me to go where it all began.”
“Oona the Swan,” Alina whispered.“It wasGreat-Grandmother telling you where I was.”She rubbed thegoosebumps that had risen on her arms.“I was there,” she said.“Roark and I went to Silver Water Keep, where our cousin, LairdOwen MacLeod, gave us shelter and found Captain Wallis to sail mehome to you.”
“Roark was there with you?”her fathersaid.
Alina nodded.“I’ve so much to tell you,” shesaid with a catch in her voice, “and I will.I will tell you all.”Well, almost all.“But first, can we start sailing for the LongFirth?Now?There’s no time to waste.”
***
“This is Beasty,” Roark told Gare as hehanded the gelding’s reins over.Gare said nothing, though hisglare spoke plenty.“I didn’t kill Leif,” Roark said.“I swear it.”He handed Etain’s reins over to Gare as well.“She gets along wellwith Beasty,” he said, patting the mare’s sleek neck.“They’ve beenthrough a lot together.How’s the colt, Ash, doing?”
Gare’s expression softened.“He’s doubled inweight since you and Alina’s been gone and is completely off thegoats’ milk.”He chuckled.“He and Smokey are pretty muchinseparable, the rascals.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“If’n you don’t mind me asking,” Gare said,“where’s Alina?”
“Don’t know,” Roark told him, which wasn’t acomplete lie.He didn’t know exactly where theTrade Windwas right now.“She and I became separated when we were attacked bya band of brigands.”
“Brigands?”
“She and Artur got away,” Roark assured himwith another half-truth.“She rode north.”
“I hope she’s all right,” Gare said.“Ialways liked her.”
Roark clapped a hand on Gare’s shoulder.“Ihope so too.”
Gare shook his head and started to saysomething else when Scott called for Roark to follow him and hismen to the manor house.According to the men, Roger intended to putRoark through a public trial before giving him a public hanging,which meant Roark would be held prisoner at the keep until hisfamily and whoever else Roger wanted to witness the trial showedup.Which they’d all agreed wouldn’t include Roark’s uncle, Bryce,who not only wielded a great deal of clout as laird of the MacKayclan, but had never liked Roger, and was why Niels and Grant hadridden for Yew Tree Keep two days ago.
Roark had told Roger’s and Owen’s men abouteverything that had happened to him and Alina since the day he’dmet her without going into the more personal details, and wasfairly certain they’d come to believe most of what he’d told them.It hadn’t been difficult to convince them of Leif’s attempt to rapeAlina, and to a man they’d condemned his soul for it.They’d alsoagreed not to tell Munroe or anybody else the babe Jenny carriedwas Leif’s.Not until the trial.
They headed for the manor house as they’dridden, with Scott and Ross leading Roark.Douglas and Toddfollowed behind.
The aroma of roasted meat and baked breadwafted from the dining hall, making Roark’s belly rumble.Theystopped at the hall’s entrance, and one by one the voices quietedas their presence was noted.Roark caught Craig’s and Peg’s quickglances before Roger stood at the high table.Roark had been at thereceiving end of Roger’s rebukes through the years, but never hadhe felt such white-hot hatred before.He reminded himself the manthought he’d killed his only son, which didn’t absolve him of whathe’d done, and had intended to do to Alina.
“Take the murdering piece of offal to myprivate chambers,” Roger ordered.
Roark sat on the bench between Scott andRoss, the same bench he’d sat on beside Alina what felt like alifetime ago.Then, he’d had suspicions about Roger’s deceit andlies.Now he had first-hand knowledge, if little actual proof.
He sat up straight and squared his shoulders.Whatever Roger had in store for him, Roark would face it knowinghe’d gotten Alina away from the sick bastard and on her way back toher family, safe and in one piece, if not a virgin.Yet she’d givenher virginity to Roark of her own free will.He hadn’t taken it, asLeif had tried to do.Roark didn’t regret accepting her gift.Hecould never regret loving her or her loving him.Even if it meanthis death by hanging for a crime he didn’t commit.
He sat stiffly as Roger entered the roomalong with Donald and Munroe.
“Where’s the girl?”Roger demanded.
“We don’t know where the girl is,” Scottsaid.“We were only able to take Roark.”
Roark clamped his jaw tight and lookedstraight ahead at nothing.Scott hadn’t lied.He’d phrased thetruth in a way that would keep to the story they’d all agreed on.One that would keep Scott and the others from having to explain whythey’d let Alina sail away, and keep Roger from putting all theirlives in more danger by preparing for a fight if and when KingJerrik showed up at North Shore Keep.A fight that Roark hadconvinced them they would not win and would do better to let Jerrikdeal with Roger.
Roger stepped in front of Roark and stoodthere until Roark looked up at him.“Where’s the girl?”hesnarled.
Roark shrugged.“Princess Alina and I wentour separate ways when a gang of men came after us in the Mounths.I was captured.She got away.”
Roger looked to Scott.
