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“I al”
“Yes, you did,” she agreed “But we’re safe now”
“Aren’t we going to go down more?”
“No We’re going to stay here”
They huddled together for several minutes on the rock plate that protruded froo of her He recovered froh, and after another minute or two, he crawled away from her side to reach the wider section of rock that had been hidden by a thick overhang
Looking as pleased as could be, he folded his legs underneath him and motioned for her to come forward
She shook her head “I’m fine where I am”
“It’s gonna rain and you’ll get all wet It isn’t hard Just don’t look down”
As if to underscore his prediction, a clap of thunder rumbled in the distance
Ever so slowly she scooted toward hi like a druht throw up The child, it seee than she did
“How co down?” he asked as he crawled forward to peer into the chasm
He was dangerously close to the edge, and she frantically grabbed hold of his ankles and pulled him back “Don’t do that”
“But I want to spit down and see where it lands”
“Sit beside me and be quiet for a moment I have to think what to do”
“But how co down?”
“I just don’t”
“Maybe it onna puke?”
“No,” she answered wearily
“Does it scare you to look down?”
He was relentless “Why do you ask so many questions?”
He lifted his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug “I don’t know; I just do”
“And I don’t knohy it scaresout of h It makes me dizzy”
“Are all English ladies like you?”
“No, I don’t suppose they are”
“Most are puny,” he announced authoritatively “My Uncle Ennis told me so”
“Your uncle’s wrong Most ladies are not puny They can do anything a man can do”
The child hed so forcefully his shoulders shook She found herself wondering how in heaven’s naant
He turned her attention with yet another question “What’s your name, lady?”
“Gillian”
He waited for her to ask hied her “Don’t you want to know my name?”
“I already know your na about you You’re Michael and you belong to a clan led by a man named Laird Ramsey You’re his brother”
The boy was vehe his head “No, Michael isn’t my real name,” he said He cuddled up next to her and took hold of her hand “We were playing a trick when the rabbed me They put me in a wheat sack”
“Thatfor you,” she said “What kind of a trick were you playing?” Before he could answer her, she asked, “Why didn’t you wait for et away if you had only done what I told you to do And why did you stab my arm? You kneas your friend I unlocked the door for you, didn’t I? If only you had trusted me”
“I’lish Everyone knows that”
“Did your Uncle Ennis tell you that?”
“No, my Uncle Brodick did,” he explained “But I already knew”
“Do you trust me?”
“Maybe I do,” he answered “I didn’t mean to cut you Does it hurt fierce?”
It hurt like hell, but she wasn’t going to admit it because of the anxiety she saw in his eyes The little boy had enough worries on histo add to them
“It’ll be fine,” she insisted “I suppose I should do soh”
While he watched, she tore a strip from her underskirt and wrapped it around and around her ared her torn, bloody sleeve back down over the bandage
“There, I’m as fit as new”
“You knohat?”
She let out a sigh “No, what?”
“I hurtof an incredible feat and smiled when he held his hand up for her to see “Now I can’t do nothing to help us, ’cause ers burn”
“I iine they do”
His face lit up He was a beautiful little boy, with dark curls and the ray eyes she’d ever seen His nose and cheeks were covered with freckles
He scooted away from her and pulled his tunic up so she could see his chest and stoet scars”
“No, I don’t think you will,” she began, but then she noticed his crestfallen expression “Then again, I do suppose you’ll have some You do want them, don’t you?”
He nodded “Yes”
“Why?”
“All warriors have scars They’re marks of valor”
He was so serious she didn’t dare laugh “Do you knohat valor is?”
He shook his head “I know it’s good”
“Yes,” she agreed “Valor is courage, and that is very good indeed I i,” she added as she leaned forward to pull his tunic down over his belly “When we’re taken back to the holding, I’ll ask one of the servants to put soers and chest and stomach, and then you’ll feel much better Some of the older women remember me,” she added “They’ll help us”
“But we can’t go back,” he cried out
The change in him was so abrupt it startled her “Try to understand,” she said “We’re trapped here This ledge doesn’t go anywhere”
“I could crawl to the end and see if—”
“No,” she interrupted “The rock ht Can’t you see how it thins out near the curve?”
“But I could—”
“I cannot let you take such a chance”
Tears cao home”
She nodded in syet back hoive you ainst her and yawned loudly “Do you knohat ives you his word, you’ll co”
“I really ht about a few matters”
He snorted “He wouldn’t talk to you,” he said “Leastways I don’t think he would Gillian?” he asked then “I knoas supposed to wait in the stables for you, but then that ot scared and ran”
“Do you mean the baron went into the stables?”
“The ugly man with the red beard”
“That’s the baron,” she said “Did he see you?”
“No, I don’t think so When I was hiding in the trees, I seen him leave with two other men Maybe they won’t ever come back”
“Oh, they’ll coive the boy false hope “If not tomorrow, then the day after”
The child’s wrinkled browyears, and that saddened her Little boys should be outside running and laughing and playing silly tricks with their friends This little one had been plucked away from his family to be used as a pawn in Baron Alford’s scheh he’d been dropped into the htmare
“Are you still afraid, Gillian?”
“No”
?
??I never get afraid,” he boasted
“You don’t?”
“Almost never,” he corrected
“How old are you?”
“Almost seven”
“Almost?”
“I will be pretty soon”
“You’re a very brave boy”
“I know,” he said very matter-of-factly “How come those men stole ot to go to, and I was having a fine ti a trick on our families?”
“No,” she assured him “That wasn’t the reason why”
“Did I do sobad?”
“Oh, no, you didn’t do anything bad None of this is your fault You’ve just been caught in thefrom me, but he hasn’t told me what it is yet, and you’re somehow involved”