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leave until you have given me your word that you will reside here for
the next few days. You are in no condition to journey to Scotland.”
    “Very well, but I nae like it.”
    “That is because you are my stubborn, little ox,” he
said with affection as he kissed the top of her head.
    The pet name, or rather insult, he often used always
brought a smile to her face. She hugged him with what little strength she had,
then said, “You must be on your way, I will see myself into the abbey.”
    James eyed her for a moment, then said, “Very well.
Gabriel, are you ready?”
    “Ella is nae coming with us,” Gabriel choked out.
    She knelt in front of the little boy, took his smaller
hand in hers, and said, “My courageous friend, I must stay to wait for Aunt
Eleanor, but ‘tis our hope to go to Scotland and make a new life there.”
    “With my clan?”
    “Aye, we will ask your clan for their protection.”
    “They will give it. Mama and Papa will love you and
Aunt Eleanor.” He then looked up at James, and said, “Him too.”
    Ella wanted to laugh at the little imp, but understood
why he was wary of her uncle. “If you wish, call him Uncle James. I think he
would like that very much. And if you’re good, he will tell you about the land
of the dragons and gryphons.”
    “What are gryphons?”
    “You will find out soon enough.”
    A look of sorrow past his features before Gabriel wrapped
his arms gently around her, and said, “Thank ye, Ella. I will miss ye.”
    “I will miss ye too.”
    She soon stood alone in the clear moonlight after
watching Gabriel and James ride off. The cool night air did little to alleviate
the pain she felt seeing them leave without her. She doused the unwarranted
emotion, mounted Apollo, and then headed back to Greystone to retrieve her aunt

4
    Ella was half way to Greystone, riding past the high
cliffs that overlooked the ocean, when she heard movement in the woods a short
distance away. Despite being in severe pain, she reined in Apollo, and then
listened intently. Hearing nothing but crickets at first, then suddenly a twig
snapped, followed by the whine of a nearby horse.
    Sucking in a breath, she kicked Apollo into a pace
that would be difficult, if not impossible to match. Leaning over her horse’s
neck, she raced along the cliffs towards the line of pine trees bordering the
forest entrance. Before entering the shelter of the dense woods, she turned to
look over her shoulder.
    The quick glimpse confirmed a single rider, who was
from neither Greystone nor Montgomery, was following her. The man must be an
outlaw seeking to steal her horse, or worst her virtue.
    Aware that he was gaining on her, she shifted her
weight in the saddle, and then used her left calf to turn Apollo right.
Galloping to the top of a small incline, she rode along the ridge, and then
abruptly cut back down the hill. Her heart pounded in her chest as she cleared
the narrow brook with easy grace and began weaving in and out of trees. She
headed into the shadows of the dense foliage, praying that limited light and
rougher terrain would prevent the man from continuing his pursuit.
    Alas, it hindered him not at all. With righteous
indignation, she used the advantage of being more familiar with the land, and
then proceeded to lead him a merry chase.
    Close to an hour later and no closer to Greystone, she
became aware of her sole disadvantage. More than one man was hunting her. They
had fanned out, herding her away from Greystone. The precarious position she
found herself in would not have been so grave if not for her rapidly depleting
energy.
    Spying the English boy amidst the thick foliage, Laird
Gavin Macleod slowed his steed to a halt. He was beyond irritated that his
initial assumption had been wrong, and that this lad was no mere servant on
some errand for Greystone. No serf owned such valuable horseflesh or would have
the time to acquire the riding skills this boy obviously possessed. He surmised
from the colors