The Highlander's Secret(4)
Chapter Two
Elign, Scotland 934 AD (eleven years later)
Wind whipped against the sails as Jain gripped the side of their ship while struggling to maintain balance. The deck was slick from the sheeting rain that came pouring down from overhead. The skies opened with the violent clash of Thor’s hammer on the ocean waves. The men around her frantically pulled down the sails, so they wouldn’t be shred to ribbons before they had a chance to make landfall.
“Ragnar, get down!” her father yelled.
Jain gasped, tripping over a coiled piece of rope and almost went flying overboard.
“Jain!”
A hand reached out to grab her and grabbed the hem of her tunic before she landed face first into the salty water. She glanced up and saw her brother Ragnar grinning as he held on to her while clasping the main post for security.
“Don’t worry, Jain. I’ve got you,” he called over the deafening thunder.
She smiled at him and pulled herself back to a more secure location. Her heart was pounding wildly, and even though the wind was raging and the sea was threatened to rip their ship in two, Jain had an overwhelming sense of calm.
They were Vikings. This is what they were born to do.
She trusted the men and her father to get them safely to the shore and knew they would be alright. As she settled into a dip between the oars, Leif and Ragnar laughed. It was exhilarating to be with them on such an incredible adventure.
Their father, Erik, sighed. “Children. You don’t even have the sense you were born with. What am I going to do with you?”
“Sorry, papa.”
“You should thank your brother, Jain. We almost lost you.”
“Thank you, Ragnar.”
Erik grinned as another crack of lightning split the sky. “Look ahead, children. You can see land on the horizon.”
Jain felt a thrill of excitement and strained her eyes to see.
“I don’t see it.”
Their father sighed. “Perhaps not, but it’s coming up just the same.”
“There it is!” Ragnar told her, pointing off into the distance.
Jain followed his finger until her eyes rested on a dark patch of rocks barely visible above the windswept waves. Her mouth fell open at the sight of it, completely dumbfounded. There was her family’s new home. Their hope for a new life and better farming land. It was beautiful.
Jain sat up gasping as she woke from the dream of her past. A sheen of sweat had broken out across her forehead and she panted to catch her breath.
Her eyes flickered to the wooden box sitting in the corner, which held her father’s brooch. On the day she saw her father die, Eamon gave it back to her before bringing her to Elign. She kept it hidden from the world, tucked away where no one else could see – a secret treasure from her past. It took a moment for her heart to slow and remember she was safe.
Aileen groaned, sitting up on the mattress next to Jain. “Are ye alright?”
Jain nodded, running her fingers through her long red hair, and threw her legs over the side of the bed so they would touch the floor. It was not the first time the horrible attack haunted her dreams, but it hadn’t happened in years. What could have caused her to remember such an awful time in her life now? She was ten and eight years old, a grown woman compared to the wee lass that Eamon pulled from the wreckage.
“Just another dream,” she assured Aileen quietly. “Why dinnae ye go back to sleep?”
Her cousin yawned, crawling out of the bed and hugging Jain gently. “It’s too late fer that now, I’m already awake.”
Jain stood up to grab her tunic off the chair and pulled the garment over her head. The soft gray linen added a layer of warmth above her shift and she pulled on an extra layer of knitted hose to protect her legs. The neckline and sleeves of her tunic were edged with dark blue fabric that had been embellished with a herringbone pattern. It was her favorite thing to wear in the winter months since Moira had given it to her a few years back.
She glanced back at Aileen after she finished getting dressed and offered a sleepy smile. Her cousin’s dark, brunette hair matched her eyes and fell almost to her waist when it was plaited in a braid. Jain had bound hers back as well, wrapping it around her head in a piece of cloth.
Together, they walked out into the living space, keeping quiet so as not to disturb Jain’s sleeping parents.
“Ohh, tis freezing in here,” Aileen whispered in a hiss. “I’d best get started on a fire.”
Jain padded across the dirt floor to grab her cloak and a bucket from the corner. “Ye do that, love. I’m going to milk Fiona.”
Aileen hummed an acknowledgment as she fussed around the fireplace and Jain walked out into the cold. It had been a blessing to have Aileen stay with them while her mother, Nora, was away. She was always pleasant and eager to help with chores, even though she missed her mother terribly. Despite the protests of Eamon and Keenan, Nora began traveling the countryside after her husband’s death to sell her wares and help bring in extra income. Jain knew they would have preferred she remarry, but Nora paid no attention. Jain had listened in awe as Nora pled her case after presenting the idea to them, arguing she had no wish to be another dependent widow. While she was gone, Aileen would always come and stay with Jain and her parents. Knowing his spirited and stubborn sister would carry out her plan regardless of his orders, Keenan allowed her to go but insisted she take two of the warriors with her.