In the Arms of a King (My Warrior Lover) Read Free Page B

could hear the calls of strange birds in the trees, so gentle and musical. She breathed heavily and took in the scents of the forest – so rich, heavy in scent and so intoxicating. This truly was a strange world that Blaine came from, and she was excited to explore it further.
    They walked for some time. Sabina didn’t know how long exactly. She wasn’t used to telling the time directly from the sun, and without the modern convenience of a sun dial she lost all sense of time. But she knew she was tired…exhausted, in fact. Every so often, Blaine would pick her up and carry her some of the way, allowing her to catch her breath and rest her weary feet. She was grateful of the break, but she knew she was putting Blaine under further pressure. And he had enough to worry about already.
    ‘Let me walk,’ she said. ‘I can manage.’
    ‘You’re not as used to this terrain as I am.’
    ‘You can say that again. How much further?’
    ‘Not long now. If we just keep putting one foot in front of the other, we will be there before you know it.’
    Sabina struggled to do just that, but it was hard going. They stopped for a while by a stream and rested. Sabina took her sandals off and soaked her feet in the cool, refreshing water. But when she looked at her feet, she could see blisters coming up. Before long, walking would be agony. They rested for maybe half an hour, and then it was time to move on again. The woodland thickened and the trail was barely discernible. This was a place you would only come to if you knew exactly where you were going. Sabina dreaded to think what would happen if she became separated from Blaine. She would just wander lost in the forest until she died of starvation, or was killed by some strange mountain monster. She had heard the myths and legends about the strange beasts that lurked in the woods, and she had no desire to meet one of them. Blaine, however, seemed unperturbed by the dangers, and he strode onwards through the undergrowth, only pausing to ensure that Sabina was following behind him.
    The forest grew deeper and darker, and the going got tougher with each step. Sabina was struggling to keep up. But just when she thought she couldn’t make it any further, they burst out into a clearing. Sabina blinked her eyes as they came out into the sunshine. This was a large natural clearing that was as big as a gladiatorial arena. Just a few steps back in the woods, it had been invisible. She looked around in amazement. The clearing was grassy, with a stream running along one edge – probably the same stream that she had bathed her feet in earlier. All around the clearing, towering trees guarded the area like sentinels on duty. And right in the center of the clearing there was a village.
    Blaine turned to Sabina. ‘Welcome to Camlan,’ he said. ‘The ancient home of my people and the spiritual center of our world.’
    Sabina looked around in amazement. She could hardly believe that such a large settlement could be hidden deep in the forest like this. It seemed unreal. There was a mixture of wooden roundhouses, timber-framed cabins and large tents made from skins and leather. And all around were people – Scottish people. The majority of them were men.
    Fighting men.
    One of the men nearest to them looked up as they approached. When he saw Blaine, a big smile broke out across his face. He shouted something in Scottish and other men started turning to look. And then to Sabina’s astonishment, they started to cheer and applaud.  She pulled herself closer to Blaine’s side.
    ‘Who are these people?’ she asked.
    ‘They are my people. The Picts who belong here – true Scots who are as much part of this land as the grass and the trees.’
    ‘I don’t understand…what’s all this about?’
    Blaine looked at Sabina, his expression serious.
    ‘What’s this about? It’s about reclaiming what is rightfully ours. What the Romans took from us, we want back. What you see here, Sabina, is the