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careful, or you’ll not be able to match my pace.”
    He laughed and shook his head. “Not likely.”
    â€œWhy don’t you two sit by the fire and rest a bit, while I gather a sack of food for you to take with you,” Dolca said.
    â€œCan’t we help?” Mercy offered.
    Dolca grinned. “Chained as you are, you’d be more hindrance than help.”
    â€œIs there anything we can do for you?” Duncan asked, wishing to repay her kindness.”
    Dolca nodded. “Survive.”
    Â 
    Duncan worried about the trail he planned to take. It was a route he had traveled many times and one he favored. It allowed him time alone, time to think and time to appreciate the beauty of his homeland. He loved the mist that capped the mountains and drifted down into the valleys. He loved the way the land dressed for the different seasons and watching the wildlife at play. Most of all he loved the peacefulness that pervaded his soul when he walked amongst nature. This was his home. This would be his children’s home. And he would gladly give his life to protect it.
    While he was accustomed to the treacheries of hill walking, he feared Mercy wasn’t. And there were many hills to traverse and slopes that could prove not only difficult, but tiring. Did she have the stamina to conquer them?
    There were alternative routes, but more than likely the soldiers were covering them. Not familiar with the treacherous hill terrain in this area, the soldiers were more likely to avoid it, giving him and Mercy a better chance of reaching their destination safely.
    So far Mercy had proven herself a determined one, but the land could sometimes be unforgiving and only brute strength and endless willpower could combat it.
    He glanced at Mercy from the corner of his eye. Since leaving Dolca’s a couple of hours ago she hadn’t spoken a word and he wondered what occupied her thoughts. He knew little about her, almost nothing, though in another sense he felt he knew her well.
    If he voiced his concern to her, she would no doubt tell him that she was up to the task. Signs, however, had warned him otherwise, her feet quickly blistering, her hands not a callous or scar on them, her gracious manner when speaking with others. It was obvious to him that she had to be part of the gentry. What he wished he knew was what had happened that she had lost her status?
    â€œLet’s stop a moment,” he said, slowing his steps.
    â€œWe haven’t been walking that long,” she said in protest, halting her steps.
    â€œI know.” He took her hand and her slim fingers quickly closed around his as he led her to sit with him on a large flat boulder. “We need to talk.”
    â€œAbout?” she asked, relaxing against him.
    Strange how he expected that of her; he would have thought it odd if she hadn’t rested against him. He hastily cleared his thoughts and answered, “The terrain we’re about to face can at times be uncompromising.”
    â€œThis whole ordeal has been uncompromising from the start, but what choice do we have? We do what must be done.” She smiled at him. “I will do my best not to slow us down.”
    â€œThis way will take more time.”
    â€œBut it is safer, isn’t it?”
    He nodded. “It is not a guaranteed safety and we may reach a point where we cross paths with the soldiers, but by then we should be on my land and there will be others to help us.”
    â€œThen it’s the path we must take.” She took the sack from him, reached in and brought out two apples. “To fortify us.”
    He took one from her and for a few moments they sat and enjoyed a small repast and then once again were on their way.
    By late afternoon gray skies had moved in overhead and Duncan feared another storm was brewing. The weather seemed to be at odds with him reaching home. They could stop now, though he preferred to climb the next hill before they