by Alisa Adams
Cristianna let out a whistle which made Darling jump in surprise and look up from the tartan.
Cristianna laughed lightly at Darling’s startled expression and whistled again. Darling turned curiously to see where Cristianna was looking and heard the low nicker of the three big draft horses. They ambled over to her and she patted each one. Turning to Darling, she nodded in thanks once again and then led the draft horses of Fionnaghal down the beach toward the caves.
4
Darling woke up the next morning with the tartan cloak still draped warmly over her. She smiled, grateful that Cristianna had given it to her for it had kept her warm and cozy in the night against the breeze coming off of the sea. She had also put her green overdress back over her shift and stays, which helped as well. The goats and calf had kept her warm all night, nestled all around her in the warm sand at the top of the beach.
She turned at a movement from the top of the beach and watched as the horses came over the small hill down onto the beach where she stood. Their legs are wet!
She rushed up the beach to the top of the hill, shielding her eyes from the sun, and looked out beyond the coarse grass, following what looked like an animal trail. There was nothing but rocks. Off to the other side of the beach, she saw rolling hills of more grass and what must be a loch, but that was too far. She peered all around, seeing the animal tracks in and around the rough country that stretched away from her feet. Her eyes followed one of the tracks until she saw a sliver of blue between the rocks. The horses found fresh water just above the beach!
She grabbed Tommy’s mane and pulled herself up onto the black horse’s back as she called to the goats and the cow and her little calf. Riding Tommy, she led all the animals to the water the horses had found. They needed no urging and thankfully it was not far. The little calf had an easy time of it.
A stream of fresh water was trickling from a small pool that had collected in between some rocks. While the animals drank their fill from the stream, Darling walked past the pool to a pretty waterfall that was not much taller than her head. It fell from more rocks above it.
She managed a very cold, but refreshing and quick bath. It felt wonderful to rinse the salt and sand from her skin and hair. She filled her waterskin and the flask that Cristianna had given her with the cool, clear water.
As she and the animals made their way back to the beach, she heard men talking.
She came to the top of the rise and looked down at the beach. Her eyes widened to see two men riding Highland ponies and another large man walking between them. One of the men who rode a pony was very tall, and not very muscular. The other man was smaller, with short hair. The little Highland ponies were both grey and the men were trotting them in circles very quickly around the larger man who was on foot. All three were laughing. She could hear the two riders of the ponies boasting how fast their ponies could go and the larger man saying he could walk faster than the small ponies.
Darling watched them closely. Those ponies had not been on the San Gabriel. Who were these men? She was startled when one of the men looked up and saw her and called out her name.
Darling stayed where she was, staring down at the three of them. Tommy let out a soft snort as the men on the ponies came trotting closer to the sandy hill with the large man between them, walking along and keeping up with them with apparent ease.
The three men froze at the sight above them. They looked up to the top of the sand dune to stare at the striking woman who had halted upon her horse. Her dark hair was whipping around her head in a riot of long, tight tendrils. She stared imperiously down at them with flashing dark eyes from where she sat on the back of a magnificent black horse. The skirts of her full, emerald-green gown billowed in the wind out over the horse’s glossy black haunches. Almost mimicking its rider, the horse’s head was held high on an elegantly arched neck as it stared at them with its nostrils flaring, sniffing them in the winds.
The beautiful woman and the black mare seemed as one, for both watched the men carefully.
They also saw that all the animals had halted around her. They saw the horses from the ship, the goats, the one cow they had brought, and its calf.
The woman kept herself and her horse at a safe distance at the top of the dune. The horse snorted and threw its head about, trying to look intimidating as it eyed the men.
Darling stared down at them as she patted her mare’s neck.
“Si, Tommy, you are mucho intimidante, a very fierce girl! I will let you know if I need you to strike your hooves against these men's heads for me.” Darling looked down at the men with a tight smile. “Buenos dias,” she called out as she studied the roughly-clothed men.
They all wore the same long tunics bleached by the sun and saltwater that the captain had worn. Their breeks were cut off short at the knees and made of the same fabric as their tunics. They were barefoot, like herself.
One of the riders of the Highland ponies had dark red hair and a huge beard. He was very tall, wiry, but with a large belly. He looked totally incongruous on the small pony, though totally at ease, even with his long, thin legs hanging almost to the ground on the poor small creature.
The man who walked was much taller and broader than the other men. He had hair that was almost past his shoulders and a short, trim beard. He wore a belt with two swords crisscrossed over his back. His shirt differed in that it was a faded saffron color. He was smiling at the black horse, looking at her appreciatively.
The tall thin man pulled a soft cap off his red, wild-haired head and held it in both hands. “Buenos dias, Senorita Lion. I am Flain Aroya,” he called up to her in an odd, high-pitched voice. “This is Oger.” He pointed to the other small man on the other Highland pony. “He has a crate for ye.”
She watched as this man quickly jumped off his pony and untied a small crate. He held it in his arms, not knowing what to do.
The man named Flain Aroya nudged him with his dirty foot from where he sat on his small pony, motioning with his head for Oger to lift up the box that he held in his arms to show her.
Oger looked back at Flain with a frown for nudging him. With one hand cradling the box, he used the other hand to wipe the sand off of his hip where Flain’s dirty foot had pushed at him. At another motion from Flain, he looked back up the sandy rise at Darling and slowly stretched his arms out to her, holding the box. He did not make a move to walk towards her, but stood stiffly, arms outstretched. He did not meet her eyes; instead, he was busy warily eyeing the black horse.
Darling studied them. Three men and herself; one woman. She had to admit she was uncomfortable. Two of the men were much larger than her mother’s murderer. The same could probably be said of the third man, Oger. According to the captain, however, the man she had described to him as the murderer had drowned.
Still, at least two of these men looked rugged and tough.
All three looked like pirates.
Flain leaned sideways, putting one long, thin, boney foot on the ground as he simply stepped off his pony. He walked up to Oger and leaned down to whisper something in his ear.
Oger shook his head as he glanced warily again at Darling’s horse.
Flain walked behind him, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled them back, making him puff his chest out proudly. He then came up beside him and thwacked his belly, making him stand up tall. Then Flain put his hands on his own hips, threw his shoulders back, and swaggered forward a few steps with his chin held up and his back straight. He looked back at Oger and motioned for him to do the same.
Oger tried to walk like his friend, but he immediately hunched his shoulders and looked defensive, vulnerable...frightened of Darling’s horse.
The tallest one with the saffron shirt had been watching the two men. One hand was on his hip; his other was stroking his trim mustache as he grinned at Flain trying to teach the smaller man to walk proudly. He shook his head and took a step forward as he looked up at Darling. “We didnae come tae harm ye, ’tis the wolf’s troth,” h
e said, calling to her loudly in a deep, rumbling, baritone voice.
Darling cocked her head sideways at the man. “What does this mean? Wolf’s troth?”
Flain glanced over after one last exasperated look at Oger. He walked towards his large companion and turned to look up at Darling. “’Tis what his name means, Miss. Truth and wolf. The man doesnae lie, even at times when he should.”
Darling narrowed her eyes and frowned slightly. “What is his name?”
“I am Sandolf! Captain Sandolf MacKay, of the Scottish ship the Lioness.”
Darling sucked in a quick breath as she rapidly slid down from her mare. She scooped up her long skirts as she hurried down the sand dune with Tommy beside her. She stopped several paces away from them. “You made it through the storm?”
“Aye,” Sandolf said solemnly in his deep voice. “Barely. The Lion and the Lioness are both safely anchored in the old harbor inlet of Kinlochervie. We came to look for the San Gabriel and Captain Law. When we found him down the beach bringing crates off the wreck, he told us what happened.”
Darling took another step closer as the wind swirled her skirts back from her legs. She pushed her dark hair out of her eyes as she studied the three of them.
Sandolf motioned with his hand for Oger to come forward. “The box is for ye.”
Oger took a hesitant few steps, arms outstretched with the crate, tilting his head away from the woman. He stayed that way, peering at the mare.
Darling came closer, keeping her mare by her side as she kept a tight grip on the horse’s mane. She studied Oger carefully before she reached for the box. Oger had straight black hair, cut in a bowl shape with bangs that were cut much too short at the very top of his forehead. The ends of the rest of his hair fell to the middle of his ears, going straight around the back of his head. Darling thought it looked very odd. She could not help but wonder what size bowl had been used. It must have been very small.
Oger still held the crate in his outstretched hands. He shoved it towards her as soon as she came close enough, keeping his eyes downcast.
Darling reached slowly for the crate as she kept her eyes on all three men. The one called Flain smiled and nodded at her as she took it in her arms.
“’Tis comida—food—for ye,” Flain said slowly and loudly as if she might be hard of hearing.
She backed away immediately, keeping her eyes on them until she was next to her mare again. She nodded her head briefly in thanks, noting that Flain spoke Castilian but also had a Scottish accent.
She looked down into the wooden box in her hands and saw flasks of ale and cider and several tins of oatcakes and dried meat. Her eyes flew back up to them, and her lips broke out into a wide, surprised smile. “This is very kind of you! Gracias, gentlemen!”
Sandolf moved forward. He tucked his hands into the front of his belt as he smiled even more widely at her. “’Twas the captain’s idea tae bring ye the food, lass. He said we’d find ye here on the sand watching for yer da.” He nodded towards the sea. “We were happy tae bring it tae ye for we had heard how ye had rescued some of the lassies as well as the animals in the lower birth of the San Gabriel. We thank ye for that. ’Tis a pleasure tae meet ye.” He gave her a charming bow.
“We mean ye no dano—no harm, Miss Lion” Flain Aroya said in a polite voice with a deferential nod, noting her reticence to come near them.
Darling grinned softly. “I understand as well as speak English, Mr. Flain. Mi madre was Scottish, and mi padre is from Castile.” She looked at Flain and Captain Sandolf with an arched brow. “My name is Miss DeLeon. Not Lion,” she said.
Oger said, “Can ye call off yer mare, miss? She is a beautiful horse, but an angry one, I think, and she wants tae take a bite out of me.” He looked back at his pony. “Or perhaps it is my Thunder she dislikes?”
Darling’s eyes widened at his words. She looked at her mare and back at the man, frowning at him.
Sandolf grinned crookedly and thwacked his companion on the back. “’Tis a fine horse she has there. Miss Lion will not let her mare hurt ye unless ye need some hurting done tae ye.”
Darling noted that Sandolf’s words were in a firm voice, but his green eyes held the hint of a smile. Her perusal of Oger ended as she looked at Sandolf. She thought he was an incredibly handsome and dashing man. He had also still addressed her as Miss Lion, not DeLeon. She gave him a frown of disapproval, which he noted, but instead, his smile grew broader.
Darling looked at the ponies. “Those ponies were not on the San Gabriel,” she said, with the hint of a question in her voice.
Flain beamed at her. “Och, nay, they were on the Lion!” He ruffled his hand in the disheveled, shaggy mane of the small pony standing sleepily behind him. “This is Lightning, the fastest warhorse there is,” he announced.
Darling cocked her head, then looked at Oger’s pony. “Your pony is Thunder?”
“Si,” Oger said proudly, forgetting his fear. “His hooves strike the earth like thunder!” he said with a raised fist as he boasted of his pony’s prowess. “He is a very strong and powerful warhorse.”
Darling smiled and nodded pleasantly; she wanted to giggle. The thought of these small Highland ponies as being the fastest or most powerful of warhorses seemed unbelievable to her. “Thunder and Lightning. I see,” she said politely.
Darling shook her head as she studied the three of them. “You are mucho curiouso pirates,” she said as much to herself as she did to the men. “You are kind. You are not what I expected from evil pirates.”
She set down the crate as they stared at her, surprise on their faces. She smiled and held up a hand, motioning for them to stay there as she turned and hurried up the beach to some large rocks. She scooped up her gown and underskirts and knelt down in the sand, facing the rocks. She pushed the sand around and then came running back to them. Her face was bright pink as she stood in front of them. One at a time, she placed a beautiful, heavy, gold chain necklace in each of their hands and closed their fingers around her gift. Then she patted each of their hands as she smiled at them.
“There! My gift for you in thanks for the food you brought me!”
Oger looked down at the gleaming gold necklace in his hand with widened eyes. “Isnae this from the ship, Miss Lion?”
Flain nudged him, hard, as he looked at Darling. “We thank ye, miss,” he said and then glared at Oger.
Sandolf opened his big hand to look at the gold necklace she had given him. He stared at it for a long while he repeatedly cleared his throat.
Darling stepped up to him and put her hand over his. “Do you not like it? Would you prefer a ring or brooch, perhaps? Or a locket?” She looked at the ground, thinking of her mother's locket, which she had yet to find. “But I do not have a locket. Mi madre had one, but it was taken when she was killed. Perhaps you have seen some lockets in the crates on the ship?”
Sandolf managed to clear his throat as he looked down at her. “I am sorry aboot yer mither, miss.” He looked back down at the gold necklace in his hand. He spoke in a strangled voice as he tried desperately to quell his shock at her gift. “Nay, no crates of jewelry have been opened. But ’tis fine Castilian gold ye have given tae us, Miss Lion. Thank ye.”
Darling’s smile blossomed widely. “That is good then! You are all good men. Not evil pirates any longer! I am so happy and proud of you that you will be stopping your unpleasant pirating! You will have a new start and a new life at Kinloch Keep. You are making the right choice by leaving your thieving ways.”
She nodded approvingly at them while they stared at her, stricken.
“Mr. Flain,” she said as she walked away from Sandolf and back to him. She plucked his tam out from where he had stuck it in his belt and motioned a finger towards his head. “Lower your head, sir...” When he just stared at her curiously, she said, “Your skin is very fragile. You need to keep this on. The sun is burning your face, and you will be in pain later, I fear. Lower your head down for me?”
&n
bsp; He stared at her as his mouth slowly dropped open. He looked at Sandolf, who just shrugged, and then at Oger, who motioned for him to do as she said. Flain slowly bent at his waist and lowered his head.
Darling reached up and deftly arranged the hat on his head so that it shadowed his forehead and nose.
“There! Mucho better!” she said with a bright smile. “And it looks quite charming on you as well!”
Oger looked up at his friend. “Se ve bien en ti—it does look good on you, Flain, and did I not warn ye about the sun and yer skin?” He made a tsking sound at his friend as he stared up at him. “Why did I find the hat for ye if ye will not wear it?”
Sandolf looked at Flain and managed to contain his grin as well as his shock over their “gifts.”
“Aye, ye look vera charming, Flain,” Sandolf said with a big grin and an arched brow.
He turned to Darling and thanked her again, then quickly turned to leave with another quick look at Flain, but the man still stood frozen, staring down at the woman. Sandolf looked over at Oger. He was scratching his head as he looked from the woman to the gold in his hand.
Sandolf cleared his throat loudly at them. “Men!” he commanded in his baritone voice. Both Oger and Flain straightened up and looked at him as he jerked his head for them to take their leave. Oger immediately jumped on his pony and started off in a very fast, short little trot, back the way they had come.
Flain stepped forward with a dazed grin. “Ye should come doon the beach to the caves, miss.”
Darling shook her head adamantly as she clutched at her skirts and backed away. “No! I mean you no insult, but I would not feel safe. Not with three ships full of pirates.”
Sandolf had been about to walk down the beach when he stopped. He hid his grin as he turned to Darling. “Captain Law has sent most of the ship’s crews to Kinloch Keep. They will either report back if the MacKenzie or Sutherland clans have taken it, or they will reopen it and start any needed repairs for us. The remainder of us will be busy unloading what we can off of the San Gabriel.” His eyes sparkled good naturedly as he looked down at her. “Ye really should come tae the caves, miss.”