The morning sun rose over the Cairngorm Mountains in a brilliant, cloudless sky of cold azure blue.
The white commercial delivery van rolled quietly into the quiet village of Braemar, its diesel engine purring at a low, easy idle. The small highland town was just waking up; smoke curled lazily from stone chimneys, and the smell of wood fires and fresh bread hung in the crisp, still air.
Clara parked the van in a quiet turnout beside the River Dee, cutting the ignition.
Julian sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the clear, sparkling water flowing over the rounded river pebbles. He had cleaned the dirt and soot from his face using a bottle of water, and his injured shoulder had been freshly dressed with clean bandages from the van's first-aid kit.
He looked down at his hands. Th
