“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?
She took a breath. Was she marching forward into the enemy camp? Or did she march into the arms of love?
“You search for me?” Rogan asked with a smile.
“I thought a stroll might do us good, though you might prefer a spot under a shady tree.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
They made their way to a favorite spot under the large oak tree. Aliss crossed her legs beneath the deep blue skirt she wore and left the ties of her tan blouse open, needing a reprieve from the heat of the day.
“Everyone prospers here,” she said. “It is a good place.”
Rogan nodded and wiped again at his perspiring brow with his shirt. “That it is. It will provide abundantly for the clan.”
“How did you come to know the beauty and bounty of this land?”
Silence greeted her query but she waited with patience.
“My father brought me here as a lad.”
“He was familiar with the isle?”
“He knew the area well, because he was always searching for land that would provide adequately for his clan.”
A solid answer she could not dispute. Why then did she believe there was more to what he told her?
She decided bluntness was the best course of attack. “Is that why you wanted the land? Because your father made you familiar with it?”
“It is a good piece of land.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Why the curiosity?” he asked.
“I want to know the reason why you ransomed me for this land.”
“You weren’t curious before when I once intended to explain.”
“I am now,” she said.
He stood. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“It does to me,” she said, jumping up.
He grabbed her chin. “What should matter to you is how much I love you.”
He kissed her then, hard and quick, a surprise attack that stunned and left her speechless. And with the desire to taste more of him. Why did she continue to desire him when she felt so betrayed? She should have more sense than that and keep her mind focused.