Witch Girl: Chapter 8

Kieran rode into the forest. It was dark, damp and had a slight musty smell. "Shouldn't the air smell clean here?" he thought. "No matter. I just need to find the witch's hut, ask for the potion and be off." He drew himself up straight in his saddle and chose to ignore the strange forest around him.

He rode for about 10 miles down the trail his friends had told him about before coming to a small clearing. A beam of sunlight shone through the tall trees and rested on the little stone hut in front of him. A woman's voice could be heard singing a tune Kieran had never heard before. He listened for a few minutes, as her voice wove itself around him. The voice was young and pretty. He couldn't describe it as anything else, but the woman he saw a moment later rounding the opposite side of the hut was anything but young and pretty. She was old, with missing front teeth, salt and pepper hair that ran in greasy lengths down her back, her dress had seen better days and her black cloak had many patches and holes.

When she saw Kiearn, she stopped and stared a moment. Then her very bright blue eyes lit up as she smiled her toothless smile. "Ah, it is you. I was expecting you yesterday, but I guess you needed to be sure my services were needed."

"You knew I was coming?" Kieran asked. "I haven't told any of my friends that I would actually visit you. I just decided this morning."

"No, they didn't tell me. The wind did. I have seen you many times now as I watched your wonderful adventure. I have seen the young girl, who you have lost. She is many miles away from here. But I can bring her back to you, for a price." this she whispered, but she had a strange gleam in her eye.

"Bring her back? She's never been here. I was there, with her. And I actually came today to ask for a potion to forget her."

"Forget her, you say? Hmmmm, I believe I can do that, but that's not what your heart wants, is it? Think very carefully before you answer, deary. I can give, and I can take away."

This last cryptic remark hit Kieran's heart like a stone. He was reeling. Could this old crone actually bring Selena to him in this age? Is that what he wants?

The crone began to shuffle around her doorstep, cleaning the front stoop and humming that strange song again. It was almost Kieran's undoing, that song. He began to see Selena in his mind's eye. He felt her hand in his and his longing for her grew in his chest. "Yes, I want her back." The wind around him began to swirl and howl. His horse reared onto its hind legs nearly toppling Kieran to the ground. He held on tightly, but the picture of Selena grew in his head and he blanked out. When he woke, he was in a field of wild flowers. The air smelled sweet and clean. The crone and her little hut were no where in sight.


Selena was dreaming of Kieran again. She was in a castle surrounded by mountains. He was playing a beautiful tune on his harp on the dais of a grand hall. She was in the back of the hall, but when he finally looked her way, their eyes met and she felt a rush of energy that went straight into her heart. All of a sudden she woke up, but she wasn't in her room. In fact she wasn't even in a bed. She was in a field, surrounded by flowers who's scent was so sweet, it was almost too hard to breathe. It was either sunrise or sunset. Selena wasn't sure because she didn't know which way was east.

All of a sudden, a group of men on horseback rode into the clearing. They were big, burly and very dirty. Selena rose to run. She wasn't sure what else to do, but she wanted to reach the trees before they saw her.

Bad move. She heard the yell of one of the men as he witnessed her flight. She could hear his horse as it came closer to her, preventing her escape. She was almost to the safety of the trees, when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her across the horse's back. Selena screamed, but the man's fist came down on her head.

When she woke, Selena was on her back lying on the hard ground. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the position made her back ache. She heard voices behind her speaking a language she did not recognize. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She needed to get her bearings so she could find a way out of this situation. "Why does this seem like a romance novel?" she thought.

A few minutes later, the man who captured her kicked her in the arm. She grunted from the pain, and the man laughed. He then said something to his two companions in the strange language she had heard them speaking previously.

He roughly pulled her into a sitting position, and began to ask her questions. Or at least she believed he was asking her questions by the look on his face. She shook her head and said "No" she did not understand him. "Sasannach," he said then spat on the ground beside her. "Bloody English." His companions laughed.

"So you are English? How did you get yerself up here in the Highlands?" the man asked.

"I don't know." she said. She wasn't able to think of an excuse quickly, but it didn't matter. The man came up with his own explanation.

"Did someone leave you here to die? Maybe because you didn't please your master? Or did you run from some unpleasant event back home? From the looks of you, you must have been taken from your bed. A fine nightgown like this says you must be a lady, or a lady's maid. Well, maid is exactly what you'll be for me. I'm taking you home where you will belong to me, bring me meals and drink and tend to my every need, if you know what I mean." he laughed and his two friends did too. Selena fainted dead away.

When she woke next, she was on horseback again in front of the burly man. She was leaning against his very big chest. His manly scent was so strong, she was wishing he had some "Old Spice," to help take away the stench. His beard was long and touched the top of her head. Occasionally he would scratch it. "Lice," she thought and shuddered.

They rode for what seemed most of the day with only a couple stops for relief. Ewwwww, the thought of going in the woods is why she had never gone camping with her friends in college. The reality was even worse than she imagined! And she was not really allowed much privacy either. The man was afraid she would try to escape. Of course, the thought did cross her mind, but she had no idea where she was or how she could ever get away from him.

When evening came the man told her they were almost at his keep. "Keep, what's that?" she wondered. He raised his arm and pointed to the hill above them. On top was a stone castle. It was dark gray and foreboding. She groaned.

"What? You'd rather sleep on the rough ground tonight, girly?" he snickered. "Have it your way," he said as he began to throw her from the horse.

"No!" she screamed. It was bad enough that she was in such a bad situation, but the thought of sleeping on the ground in a land she didn't know scared her much more than sleeping in a scary castle on a hill. "At least it's shelter from the elements, and what ever else is out here on this land." she shivered at the thought.

They rode into the main entrance of the "keep" as the man had called it. People came out and called to them.

"What have ya here, Fergus? Looks like you found something more valuable than a few cows!" an older man said.

"Yes, Laird, we tried to reeve the cattle of Clan Ferguson, but they came after us before we could get a single heifer. We got away, and as we were riding through the fields below their keep, we came across this little filly," one of Fergus' companions answered.

"Ah, and such a fine filly she is," the laird said. But Selena heard Laird and believed it was his name not his title, since she did not know much about the clan society of Scotland. All Selena knew was these people were dirty and seemed like they hadn't seen a bath in a long time.

Fergus began to dismount from his horse, then he grabbed Selena and pulled her down in front of the laird. "Bow to yer betters, English," he said as he forced her into a low bow. Selena didn't fight him, and remained completely silent.

"What's yer name, English?" the laird asked as he ran his hand through her very clean hair. Next, which unsettled her the most, he bent down and breathed her scent. "MMMM, good enough to eat," he whispered in her ear.

"Take her to my chamber," he ordered.

Fergus scowled, but handed her over to a woman who seemed to be around Selena's age, but it was hard to tell past all the dirt on her face.

The woman lead her away from the courtyard and into the keep. She didn't say anything to Selena as she lead her to a door on the second floor. Selena followed her into the room. The woman turned and left the chamber, locking the door as she left. Only she had locked the door on the outside. Selena was once again trapped. She walked to the window and stared across the hillside. In the distance she saw another castle, or keep, that seemed to shine across the miles to her. A flash appeared in the distance, and it seemed to be in the shape of a harp. Selena screamed and fell back from the window. Turning around she found a chair near a large fireplace and sat down fast. The fire was pleasant and its warmth began to spread through her numb body. "Where am I? How did I get here?" were her lasts thoughts as she drifted away into a deep slumber.

The morning light woke Selena. A beam of sunlight was right across her face.

"Awake so soon?" she heard Laird speak.

"Hmmm?" Selena asked as she stretched her limbs, which seemed to scream at her which ever way she moved. Her bottom hurt from riding a horse and the inside of her thighs were on fire. She hadn't been on a horse since she was 17, and that was only once. She didn't feel very comfortable on horseback and had never tried again after that. Now she remembered that her thighs had hurt the next day then too.

"My name is Riley. You are welcome here, lady. What is your name?" he asked.

"Riley? I thought your name was Laird?" she said.

"That's my title, not my name. I'm the chief of Clan McLeod. Laird, or the McLeod is how others refer to me. Riley is my given name. My father was Laird before me and his father before him. I am a man of honor. You have nothing to fear from me.....," he said as he motioned for her to tell him her name.

"Selena Hall, and I don't have any idea how I came to be in your keep, sir." Selena answered.

"Hall, you say. I've heard of your family. Seems they live on Clan Ferguson land. I will see if we can get you back to your family soon, Selena Hall."

"Sir?" she began but he raised his brows. "Riley," she started again, I do not believe they are my Hall family. My family lives many miles away from here. I wish I could explain how I ended up in the field where your men found me, but I can't. I believe I have lost that memory completely." she hoped that would put an end to his questions she knew he wanted to ask.

He smiled. "Yes, you've forgotten. Maybe you fell from a horse and hit your head on a rock. It's been known to happen. A cousin of mine lost his memory in just that way a few years back. His memory is restored now, but we sometimes tease him about that time when he didn't even know his own wife. Maybe something similar has happened to you. Know this, Selena Hall, you are now under my protection. No one will lay a hand on you while you are under my care. For your safety, stay away from Fergus. I saw the look in his eye. That one will try to make you his own. And if that is what you want, then I will give you my blessing. But if that is not your wish, keep out of his sight. I will have a room prepared for you today and new dresses brought to your chamber. You will be a permanent guest in my home. All will know that you are a lady who has wandered from her family because of a head injury and must be treated as such. Come, take my hand, and I will lead you to break your fast." Riley said as he began to walk to the door of his chamber. "One last thing, you must remember to call me Laird in the presence of others, but you may call me Riley when we are alone." he said and winked as he said "alone."

"Such a lovely girl," he thought. "Maybe she was sent here for me. I have been lonely since Margaret's death last year. I miss her, but there is something about this girl. Maybe I can learn to love again." He smiled down at her. "Yes, a beauty. I will take this slowly and see where it might lead."

Somewhere in the distance, Selena heard a young woman singing the most beautiful song. It touched her heart, and she could not explain the emotion that rose in her as she listened. "Do you hear the singing, sir, umm, Riley? she asked as they left his chamber.

"Singing? No, we never have singing here. Not since my wife died of a fever last year. I have been unable to bring music back into the keep. Margaret, my wife, loved music and would sing as she went through the day. When she died, I asked that no one sing again."

"I am so sorry to hear of your loss," Selena said as she shivered again, and not from the cold. Was she hearing his dead wife, she wondered. "Oh, please, now I'm hearing ghosts."

Only the voice she heard was not a ghost, but the Goddess in her young maiden phase, not the old crone, who Kieran had met in the forest.