The sun hadn’t yet risen when Lochlann roused her.
“Get up! Quickly now, we’re off.”
“Now? But the sun isn’t even up. What’s going on?”
“Donald said we must move now. Get up!”
Wondering what the fuss was about, she sat up, moaning at the pain in her muscles. Lochlann offered her a hand up, and she gratefully accepted.
Outside, Donald already had the wagons set and the horses harnessed. He stared impatiently down the road.
“Hurry up, lazy gits! Now!”
She scrambled to her bench, relieved he hadn’t tied her hands again this morning. He had either forgotten, or was in such a hurry he didn’t care. It allowed her to rip off another strip from her dress. She did so about a dozen times over the trip, tying them in places where Éamonn might see. It wasn’t much, but all she could think of.
What had been the panic? Had he spied Éamonn down the road? Hope soared in her heart as she craned her neck, but only saw darkness in the pale starlight. The moon had set, and she only heard the jingle of the horses’ tack. With a click of his tongue, Donald got both mares moving. The mule let out a bellow of protest, but he started off, as well.
The water glittered to the left, with more black mountains in the dim starlight. She nodded off several times during the harrowing journey. She’d only gotten a few hours’ sleep before being roused, and dozed in and out while the wagons bounced along the road.
She could have sworn she heard hoof beats other than their own, but that must simply be her active imagination.
All sorts of sounds lived in the deep of the night. Usually, they kept to themselves, only intruding upon waking folk with padded feet and the forgotten dream of terrors past. Sometimes, however, they would reach out and jerk someone from sleep’s embrace, an abrupt transition into the waking world. Such a brusque change left a person gasping, with peripheral awareness of slithering in the darkness. Katie knew there was a thing out there, something she couldn’t see or hear, questing for her, to hook and drag her into the night. It made her whimper in fear. Lochlann’s arm tightened around her shoulders.
What was out there? She had heard of fearsome beasts in the wilds of America, but couldn’t think of any equal horrors in Scotland. Unless you count the monster in Loch Ness, but that would be no worry to someone on land. Water horses were a danger, appearing on land as a beautiful horse. The foolish person who dared ride such a gorgeous beast would soon find himself drowning as the creature returned to its lair beneath the lake.
Irish legend told of a headless rider called the Dullahan, who rode a black horse and carried his severed head under his arm. Rumored to be a fearsome creature, it used a human spine as a horsewhip. If the Dullahan stopped riding, someone died.
She hoped it wasn’t the Dullahan following them in the black of the night.
I write historical fantasy novels, mostly set in Ireland, and a contemporary romance based on my parents’ 30-year search for true love. Don’t miss information on Celtic myth and history, as well as practical travel planning tips, and hidden places, in my travel books.
– Better To Have Loved – Contemporary romance based on the true story of my parents’ 30-year search for love
– Legacy of Hunger – Historical fantasy set in 1846 Ireland
– Legacy of Truth – Historical fantasy set around 1800 Ireland. Prequel to Legacy of Hunger. Available now!
– Legacy of Luck – Historical fantasy set in 1745 Ireland and Scotland. Prequel to Legacy of Truth, tentative release date January 11, 2017!
– The Enchanted Swans – Historical fantasy set in 500 BCE Ireland, based on The Children of Lir, an Irish Fairy Tale. Tentative release date March 8, 2017!
– Stunning, Strange and Secret: A Guide to Hidden Scotland
– Mythical, Magical, Mystical: A Guide to Hidden Ireland
More info at Green Dragon Artist :: Home ,
Christy Jackson Nicholas, Author , and
Tirgearr Publishing – Christy Nicholas
Green Dragon Artist Blog
Handmade at Amazon Store
Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon Canada, #1 in Paranormal Fantasy, Amazon Canada) Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with 'A', and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels. Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were. She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth. Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad. Facebook: www.facebook.com/greendragonauthor Homepage: www.greendragonartist.com Blog: www.greendragonartist.net Twitter: www.twitter.com/greendragon9
Historical fantasy, time travel adventure, and urban fantasy 
Can already tell I’m gonna love it – maybe more than the other two (if that’s even possible].Yay, on pins and needles wating!!
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Aww, how sweet! 🙂
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Presumably, I get better with each book. That’s the plan, anyhow!
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