“Nay,” Jude said as his hand bolted out to her. “I daenae want ye to go. If anythin’ I want ye to stay. But there are things that conspire against me that I daenae want ye involved in.”
Jude dropped the stick in his hand and rushed to her. Cupping his hands around her oval shaped face, he drew her eyes to his. Cleopatra could feel the heat of the tears pooling in her eyes, begging to spill down her cheeks. With her lip quivering, she tried to hold his gaze, but dropped her eyes as a pain ripped through the center of her being.
“Cleo,” Jude’s voice dropped so low that she could barely hear him. Her heart quickened as he lowered his head to hers. He was but a breath away from her when her ears perked. Instinctively, she whipped her head to the left. Coming out of the shadows of the trees, she spied Jude’s men.
“What on earth?” she gasped as her heart sank. It was clear by the way they moved, they carried something heavy, but it was no game they brought back.
“Hugh!” Jude screamed as he pulled away from Cleopatra and rushed down the path to greet them.
Cleopatra’s heart drummed in her ears as her blood ran cold. She curled her arms around her chest as all sorts of scenarios played out in her mind.
Please, not Hugh, anyone else but the boy. Spare the child.
“Cleo, fetch water,” Jude demanded. She took flight to the creak only to stop to collect the water jug. As she prayed, she plunged the jug into the cold, crisp waters. It took every bit of strength she possessed to carry the jug back to the camp site. As she approached, her heart sank as did her arms, nearly tipping the water out of the jug.
There, struggling for life was Adam with a long stick plunged into his torso.
8
“Adam,” Jude slapped Adam on the face as Adam’s eyes began to roll back. “Adam.”
“Hugh,” Adam moaned as he forced himself to pull out of the darkness.
Jude had seen this before. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Adam’s life was teetering on the edge of a blade. His heart pumped harder and harder as he looked Adam over once again trying to figure out a way to remove the arrow lodged in Adam’s chest.
“Ye need to hold,” Jude ordered as he looked up.
Cleo hobbled to the fire with the jug in her hands. Her eyes were wide with fright and for a split second, Jude wanted nothing more than to shield her from this gruesome sight, but there was no time to waste. Adam’s breathing was sparse and ragged.
“Come,” Jude demanded, waving Cleo to come to him. She didn’t shy away from her duties as he thought she would. She moved as quickly as she could to them. Ronan jumped up and grabbed the jug from Cleo’s hands and rushed it to Jude’s side.
“Hugh?” Adam’s throat gargled as he tried to speak.
“Aye,” Hugh said clinging to Felix’s side. The boy looked petrified by all that was going on. Jude knew the boy was far too young to understand what was happening.
“Hugh, love,” Cleo’s soft voice rose above the confusion and chaos. It was as if it were she alone that Jude drew his strength from. “Come with me. Let me show you the plants in these parts that can help your friend.”
“Ye can do that?” Hugh asked as he drew his eyes off Adam’s limp body. Cleo extended her hand out and nodded. Sighing, Jude realized he would have to thank her for taking his son away from here as he worked on Adam’s wound.
“What happened?” Jude asked as his eyes flicked to Ronan. Ronan shook his head and shrugged as he glanced to Felix.
“We were huntin’ in the trees. Spotted a fine doe in the clearin’. Before we fired the bow, an arrow shot out from nowhere,” Felix explained as he knelt beside Adam. Ripping a strap of cloth from Adam’s pants, he dunked it into the jug of water.
The moment the cold water touched Adam’s flesh, he jolted up and screamed. The sound echoed throughout the valley and made Jude’s heart sink. He knew there wasn’t much time. With wild, frantic eyes, Adam scanned the area around him. Pain crippled his every movement.
“Where’s the boy?” Adam demanded grabbing onto Jude’s shirt and pulling Jude to him.
“With Cleo,” Jude said.
“Is he safe?”
“Aye, that he is,” Jude asked as panic shot through him. His mouth parted as he stared into his friend’s eyes. “Was the arrow meant for me son?”
“Aye,” Adam said falling back down. His body twitched as Jude curled his hand around the arrow lodged into Adam’s chest.
“We need this gone,” Jude said. “Help me toss him over.”
Ronan was at Adam’s side ready to pull as Jude snapped the arrowhead off. He studied the shape for a moment before tossing it to the fire. Green flames rose up from the fire the instant the arrowhead fell into the coals.
“Poison,” Felix gasped as he scrambled to Jude to examine his Laird’s hand.
“Get off me, I’m fine,” Jude said pushing Felix to the side.
“But–”
“Nothin’,” Jude scolded. “It is Adam we must focus on. Ask Cleo if she kens of kingsweed. We need to stop the spreadin’ before…” Jude stopped and stared into Adam’s eyes as they turned white. “Nay, daenae leave,” Jude wailed as Adam’s body stiffened before falling limp. Ronan cupped his hand to his mouth and shook his head.
“That could have been any of us,” Felix whispered as Jude rolled Adam onto his back. Adam’s eyes were wide and fearful. Only a sliver of color remained as if he was looking up to the heavens. Carefully, Jude brushed his hand over Adam’s eyes to close them and leaned back.
Guilt, sorrow, and anger, all rose to the surface as he stared at Adam’s lifeless body. He pulled in a deep breath as his head whipped up. Sitting beside
