Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“I am glad you whisked me away,” she said.
“We both needed it. I miss being with you and you alone.”
“You attempt to woo me?”
“Is it working?”
She laughed. “A wolf that woos.”
“I can howl.” He grinned and she blushed.
They feasted on bread, cheese, wine, and conversation.
He impressed her with his attentiveness and his leisurely nature. He was not in a hurry to end their interlude. On the contrary, he seemed to want the afternoon to lazily roll by.
She saw no reason to object. It gave her the opportunity to discover if her husband’s motive was sincere—to prove his love for her.
“I should alert you that Giann is in the area,” he said.
“Is she? Why?”
“She feels safe with the clan and goes where we go. She has helped us several times. She actually was the one who advised me that you would heal my people.”
Her mouth fell open. “You never told me that.”
Rogan placed his goblet aside and reached for her hand.
She snatched it away.
“I want to be honest with you—”
“That would be a change. You told me you had heard of my skills as a healer.”
“From Giann.”
Her eyes suddenly rounded. “Did you also know of the prophecy?”
“I learned of it only recently.”
“How recently?”
“After we wed,” he said adamantly.
“You spoke with Giann after we wed? Why?”
“Is that a cloud in the distance?” he asked, shading his eyes from the blazing sun.
“There is not a cloud in the sky and even if a thunderstorm burst overhead we would remain here until you answered me.”
He reluctantly obliged her. “I wanted to know if you were my destiny.”
“Her answer?”
“She told me that your destiny was written before your birth.”
“I want to speak with her.”
“You already have,” he said.
Her brow knitted. “I have never spoken with her.”
“The day we found you in the forest. Giann had summoned you.”
Aliss jumped to her feet. “I have had enough of this woman’s interference in my life. Her prediction has caused my sister and me nothing but grief since we were born.”
“What happened at your birth?”
“Giann arranged for our abduction.”
“She must have had a good reason,” he said.
“You defend her?”
“She sees the future with an accuracy that astonishes me. Therefore, she must have seen danger for you and your sister.”
“So we were told. We were kept safe until the prophecy could be fulfilled, averting the destruction of the clans.”
“That was all of it?”
“As far as I know. That is why I want to speak with her, to once and for all settle this nonsense.”
“Careful, Aliss,” he warned. “Giann is a powerful woman whom you don’t wish to offend.”
“She has offended me and she owes me answers and I will have them,” she insisted. “Where do I find her?”
“She will find you.”
“She had best do that or I will make certain I find her.”
Aliss made certain to scan the edge of the woods that surrounded the village for the next few days. She looked for the green glow that had frightened her on more than one occasion. Thus far, she had seen nothing, but she would not forsake her vigil. She would keep at it until she finally met with Giann.
It seemed that the truth was beginning to reveal itself, starting with Giann. Now it was time she finally addressed the issue of this isle. It had been a thorn in the side for both her brother Raynor and brother-in-law Tarr, though it was never clearly explained why.
Her impression had been that the abandoned isle lay unclaimed until Raynor and Tarr came along. Why the interest in it, she did not know. It certainly wasn’t a strategic piece of land. The only other possibility was that it actually belonged to one of the clans. If so, why leave it vacant all these years?
Aliss walked through the village in the early afternoon looking for Rogan. She hoped to ask him about the isle. She found him helping to raise freshly cut timbers for the walls of the storehouse.
Her eyes rested on his bare chest, where droplets of perspiration clung to him and glistened in the sun. He was a fine specimen of a man. His muscled arms strained under the weight of the split log he carried with another man. His leg muscles also showed the strain of the tremendous weight but he kept his pace and in no time had the log deposited in place.
He snatched his shirt off the ground and used it to wipe the sweat from his face then drank greedily from the bucket of water provided for the men. He was a chieftain, but when he worked with his clansmen he was one of them. You could see the pride on their faces when they glanced at their leader, and suddenly she also felt pride for her husband.
He was a good man. She had acknowledged that often enough. If only she could reconcile his betrayal; it was not an easy adjustment. The hurt over his deception would rear its ugly head when least expected. Just when she thought she had gotten past the pain, because of his endless and thoughtful attempts to reconcile them, there it was, stabbing at her again. Would she ever get over the hurt?