“Hell is right.” Jamie skidded to a halt. His nostrils flared like a bull and his fisted hands jerked as if seeking something to hit.
Fiona looked at me, sympathy radiating from her kind face. I knew that look—it was the one people gave before breaking terrible news. “Your friend’s tryin’ ta leave the kingdom.”
“No, she’s not. She loves it here.” If anything, I’d have to hog-tie and carry her back to Alloway when the bridge opened for the Centennial. “And she’d never leave without me.”
But the panic on the faces of the three guys before me made me ask, “Why do you think Vee’s trying to leave?”
“Because—” Jamie harshly snatched another errant snowflake and held it before me as evidence. “The borders are tryin’ to stop her any way they can.”
Fergus cleared his throat. “We must hurry, m’ lairds. The mountain range is vast. We’ll need ta split up.”
I grabbed at Duncan’s arm in desperation. “I’m going with you.”
“Nay. If your friend doesna turn back, there’s to be a full-on blizzard comin’. We’ll not risk any more lives than is necessary. Fergus and I will go.” Duncan stepped in front of Jamie and angled his body to block him. “You’re our king now. You should stay behind as well.”
“Not a chance.” Jamie’s eyes were hard slits providing no context to his granite features or his flat voice.
Duncan pulled free of my grasp and crowded his brother’s personal space. “So you’d risk the crown then?”
Just as forcefully, Jamie leaned forward until their chests were less than an inch apart. “This isn’t just about Verranica. If she makes it across the mountains and through ta the other side, we’re all doomed.”
“Whoa!” I appealed to Fiona and Fergus. “Would someone please explain?”
As the brothers glared at one another, Fiona tersely elaborated for my benefit. “Doon’s borders are enchanted. Impassable. If anyone tries ta breach them, the kingdom itself’ll stop them.”
I thought of Vee—of how stubborn she could be when she got an idea in her head. I had no idea what motivated her to leave, but she would not give up easily. “What if she succeeds?”
“If she succeeds, the pact between Doon and our Protector will be broken,” Jamie ground out.
As much as I dreaded what he’d left unsaid, I needed to hear it. “And?”
He ran a trembling hand through his snow-coated hair, combing the wet, blond strands away from his face. “If she doesn’t get herself killed in her attempt to reach the border, the Covenant will be destroyed, and Doon will vanish into the mists. Don’t you see? If she succeeds, it will be the end of us all.”
The end? Numerous questions flitted through my head, but now was not the time. The snowfall was thicker, making it difficult to look at Jamie without shielding my eyes. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just get out of my way. I’m going after her. Alone.” He growled as I scrambled out of his way. But Duncan didn’t move. Coiled and ready to strike, Jamie angled himself closer to his baby brother. “You too.”
When Duncan still didn’t budge, Jamie raged, “Thas’ an order from your king! Stand down!”
A muscle ticked in Duncan’s jaw as he mutely took a halfstep to the side. Without the slightest hint of remorse, Jamie continued, “Don’t let that one”—he jerked his head my direction—“out of your sight until I return. That, too, is an order.”
As Jamie shouldered his brother the rest of the way out of his path, Fergus pleaded with him. “But, m’ laird, how will you know where to look for the lass?”
Jamie tensed, but didn’t turn around. In a voice thick with condemnation and colder than the winter storm, he answered, “Because I willingly gave her everything she needed, including her escape route. If Verranica succeeds, it will be me who’s destroyed Doon.”
CHAPTER 23
Veronica