Kiera glanced around the colorful woods as she delicately snapped berries from their stems. The leaves had lost much of their verdigris and were now multi-hued in oranges, yellows, and brown. In a few short weeks, she was certain, the woods surrounding Kilsyth would be bathed in the autumnal colors. A deeper red caught her eye — cherries hung in tight clusters on a tree farther in the woods. Oh, the sweet taste of ripe cherries! What a perfect treat for the upcoming feast!
The bushes grabbed at her skirts as she snaked past the branches and made her way to the cherry tree. As she moved, the sounds of the wood faded, and the birds’ chatter abruptly ceased. At first, she thought she had disturbed them with her presence, that she had been too noisy.
Then something else caught her ear.
Kiera gripped her basket and scanned the trees, trying to see through the brush and leaves. That something else, it was a sound that did not belong in the wood. It was a rustling made by heavy foot treads. The sky had darkened a bit more and her basket was nearly full. She had lost track of time and where she was. Has she moved too far to the south? She might not know who else was in this wood, but she was not waiting to find out.
Holding tight to her basket, she ran as best she could through the thorny bushes that scraped her legs and tugged at her skirts. The open glen was a few steps ahead —
Then she was yanked backward by her hair, stumbling to catch herself before she slammed into the ground and lost her berries. Shock hindered her for a moment as she tried to figure out what had just happened.
And who else was in the wood.
She need not have guessed. From their rough language and clanging armor, she didn’t have to raise her eyes to know it was the Romans.
Her stomach sunk to her feet. She had grown complacent, believing that this close to her village, she was safe.
Instead, she was alone, caught by leering Romans with the destruction of the Caledonii on their mind.
This was not going to end well for her.
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