The other man hadn't looked up at their entrance — Laird Donal had to gently interrupt him, rising to his feet to greet them both.
"Brendan, Helena, thank you for coming along to see me. Lord Weatherby, might I introduce Brendan MacClaran? A distant cousin of mine, and a tutor to young Jamie."
"Charmed, I'm sure," the man said, not getting to his feet. He turned his cold eyes to Brendan — then Helena shivered a little as they slid over to her. There was something about this man that she didn't quite like — not that he was dangerous, exactly, but something else. There was a simpering quality to his voice and his movements that suggested weakness… but his bearing and his title both told her that he was a man with considerable power. "And who's this?"
"Helena Crane," she said, not waiting for Laird Donal to introduce her. "Lord Weatherby, was it?"
"That's right," he said, clearly a little taken aback — his eyes slid back to Donal. "Another of these strays you keep collecting?"
"I'm Sir Baldric," the man behind Weatherby cut in quickly, offering Helena a little bow. There was something about the twinkle in his eyes that managed to make an apology for his Lord's rudeness, and she looked at him with some interest. "Weatherby's man. Always a pleasure to meet the women of this castle. My Lord and I owe the MacClarans more than a few debts, now, don't we?"
"That's true," Weatherby said grudgingly. "True enough, at any rate. Will you be joining us?"
He had a clipped, upper-class English accent — it had taken Helena a minute or two to place it. The man behind him though, Baldric — his accent was rougher, though still English. She wished she knew a little bit more about English accents — there seemed to be so many of them.
"Please join us," Laird Donal said, gesturing to a couple of chairs opposite Weatherby and Baldric.
As Brendan and Helena sat, Baldric joined them at the table. Helena couldn't shake the feeling that he was intervening on Weatherby's behalf — that he was there to stop the Lord from saying anything foolish, even as he deferred to him as his Lord. It was a curious dynamic, and one that made Helena hide a smile behind her hand. She couldn't help but like this Baldric fellow.
"I have a suspicion that we're here to talk about the same thing."
"Well, do go ahead," Lord Weatherby said testily.
It seemed he was a little annoyed to have had his audience with Laird Donal interrupted. What was an Englishman doing in Scotland? Helena wondered. What exactly was he Lord of? Didn't Laird Donal own these lands? It was curious… but she couldn't exactly derail the conversation to interrogate them all about the political history of the area. She made a note to ask Brendan about it later, or one of the women.
For now, they had to focus on the imminent threat of the creature she'd seen the night before — because she had a feeling that that creature would pay no mind to who it harmed, Scottish or English.
Chapter 19
Brendan offered a terse summary of the events of the last few days — the sheep going missing, the guards posted to try to keep an eye on the flocks, and finally, the confrontation that Helena had had with the creature, whatever it was. But just as she was about to chime in to offer a description of the creature, she was interrupted by Lord Weatherby, who had raised one shaking hand to point straight at her.
"You — you've seen it! You saw it! The Black Annis!"
"The what?" she said blankly. Lord Weatherby looked terrified, but vindicated — he turned proudly to Baldric, who was already shaking his head, a closed expression on his face.
"That's just an old legend," he said, shrugging his shoulders irritably. "You know that, Lord Weatherby."
"I know what I saw," the Lord said stubbornly. "And this confirms it. You, girl. You were about to tell us what you saw. Describe it exactly."
"My name is Helena," she said, raising an eyebrow at Lord Weatherby to let him know she wouldn't be taking any nonsense from him. "And I'd be happy to share what I saw, if you're happy to stop interrupting me."
Baldric collapsed into a coughing fit, covering his face with both hands as his shoulders shook — and when she glanced sideways, she could see both Brendan and Laird Donal covering their mouths with their hands. Lord Weatherby was glaring daggers at her, and she returned his gaze coolly. She didn't care how highly he thought of himself — good manners cost nothing, and she wasn't going to allow herself to be spoken down to by some pompous Englishman.
"I've seen it twice," she explained, glancing at Laird Donal for permission to continue.
He nodded, his hand still pressed to his mouth as though suppressing laughter. Weatherby was aware of it, but he seemed to be subdued for now — his fear seemed to have outweighed his outrage, at least for now, and he was more interested in hearing what she had to say than he was in puffing up his ego any further.
"But the night before last, I was able to see it much more clearly than the first time — the mist wasn't as thick. And I was less convinced that I was losing my mind," she added, glancing at Brendan. "It was roughly human shaped, but much taller than any human being… maybe eight feet or so. And skinny, too — frighteningly thin and hunched over like an old tree."
"Its face, its face," Weatherby broke in, drumming his fingers impatiently on the table. "What did its face look like."
"I am getting to that," she said firmly, giving the man a sharp look. "Its face was long and haggard — its skin was pale blue, like the way people look when it's freezing cold. It had black eyes, and a mouth full of sharp jagged teeth… it was grinding them together. It made a terrible noise. And its hands — it had these great long talons on them that were gray, almost like metal. It reached out for me — it was hissing and screeching — but then Brendan rode to my rescue. It didn't seem to like the light," she said thoughtfully, that memory only just occurring to her. "It seemed to shrink away from the bright lights of the torches."
Weatherby looked almost like he was about to explode out of his seat. His close-set eyes were shining with vindication and he all but elbowed Baldric in the ribs as he spoke. "Didn't I tell you! Didn't I tell you that that was exactly what I saw! Didn't she just describe the Black Annis almost to the letter! The teeth, the eyes, the talon — girl — I mean, Helena, forgive me — what was the creature wearing? Do you remember?"
She hesitated, glancing at Brendan, who shrugged his shoulders, clearly a little taken aback at Lord Weatherby's enthusiasm for the topic. "It was wearing… pieces of leather, or something. Like badly tanned animal skin," she said, trying to remember the creature. "Maybe lamb skin. That would make sense — the first night I saw it, it was midway through killing a lamb."
Weatherby thumped the table hard, looking triumphant. Baldric just shook his head, clearly not convinced.
"Helena, I'm presuming that you're not from around these parts?" he said carefully, tilting his head to the side. She heard Brendan take a breath and wondered briefly how much Baldric knew about where the women of Castle MacClaran came from. Something about him made her feel like she could trust him… but she didn't want to give too much away, just in case. So she shook her head, not offering any more information than she needed to.
"Right," Baldric said, his eyes thoughtful. "I'd assumed not. Tell me — have you ever heard a fairytale about a thing known as the Black Annis?"
"No," she said honestly, shrugging her shoulders. The kind of fairytales she grew up hearing were mostly from Disney movies. She'd never heard of anything like that. "Not that I remember, anyway."
Weatherby was looking exultant. "You see? You see? She doesn't know the myth, but she still described the monster! It's the Black Annis, I told you, I told you —"
"I think I've heard this story," Brendan said slowly. "When I was at school —"
"In London, yes?" Baldric said, tilting his head. When Brendan nodded, he grinned. "I can hear it in your accent. London lad, hmm?"
"I was born here," he said firmly.
Helena looked between Baldric and Laird Donal, intrigued by the tension between
them. Just what was going on politically between these two countries? She'd have to find out later… for now, it was best to focus on the matter at hand.
"But I recall hearing a little about the Black Annis. Some kind of — monstrous woman?"
"Precisely," Lord Weatherby said, leaning forward with his eyes shining, clearly delighted to have been proved right by Helena's description of the monster. "The face of a hag, the black eyes of a monster… a jaw full of sharp teeth she grinds constantly, the long iron talons… it's all there. It's the Black Annis."
"You said you saw this thing?" Laird Donal wanted to know, leaning forward. "How long ago? And where?"
"My men first reported it a few nights ago. I'll admit that I wasn't convinced by their story then," Lord Weatherby said, flicking his fingertips. "A week ago, animals started disappearing — sheep, lambs, that kind of thing. We thought it was wild animals or similar, set more men to guard the flocks." Baldric rolled his eyes a little, and Helena got the idea that it was Baldric who had handled this problem, not Lord Weatherby. "Anyway, that seemed to help… until four nights ago, when my men reported seeing the hag preying on the flocks in person. Just as Helena there said — tall, withered and monstrous with black eyes and long metal claws… I dismissed it, of course, as a delusion. That was … until I saw it myself."
He was clearly determined to enjoy the spotlight for as long as he had it. Helena sat back in her chair, suppressing a smile at the pompous Lord's theatricality. "I had decided to go for an after-dinner stroll to aid my digestion, you see. It was a lovely night, rather misty and chilly, but certainly bracing for the constitution. My health is very important to me. Anyway, there I was, strolling my lands, when I saw it. A shape, through the fog, stooped over. Well, I thought it was Baldric, at first — such a tall creature, who else could it have been?" He chuckled indulgently. "But as I approached, torch in hand, I realized that it wasn't Baldric at all. It was a hag… a monstrous hag with black eyes and sharp teeth. It shrieked a deathly shriek when it saw me, and though I bravely threatened it with my torch, I was unarmed, you see. So I bade a hasty retreat."
Helena couldn't help glancing over at Baldric during the telling of this story. From what she could make out of his expression, which he seemed to be keeping carefully neutral, this story was a rather modified version of what had actually happened. From what she'd learned of this man, she had a suspicion that he'd reacted with a lot less heroic gallantry than he was describing.
"So you saw the creature preying upon your flocks?" Laird Donal said, leaning forward with a frown. "That's a worry. Has it harmed any of your men?"
"Not yet, thank God," Weatherby said piously. "But I've put out extra guards just in case. And I thought I'd bring the matter to you, Laird Donal. After all, you people up here at the castle have a little experience with… well, the supernatural."
"I don't know at all what you mean," Laird Donal said blankly, and now it was Helena's turn to hide a laugh. "But the threats to your flocks are concerning… and given that we've experienced similar, I think it's important we act to deal with this threat, whatever it may be. I'd been operating under the assumption that it was bandits or brigands preying on the flocks. But that doesn't seem to be the case."
"We have worse news, too," Brendan said heavily. "It seems the creature has claimed some human victims. Two guards went to investigate the sandstone cliffs for traces of the creature. We found them yesterday morning, both dead and seriously disfigured."
Lord Weatherby's face went white. "The creature has killed people?"
"It has," Brendan confirmed. "Their wounds were consistent with the sharp, metal claws that people who've seen the creature have described." Helena shivered, remembering the sight of the men's bodies. She'd never seen a corpse before… it almost didn't seem real. But Lord Weatherby's mind was clearly elsewhere.
"You know what the Black Annis is famous for, don't you?" he said, leaning forward over the desk. "Not just for hunting lambs or looking frightful, you know that. The myth is much worse than that."
"What is it?" Laird Donal asked, sounding a little impatient. Lord Weatherby sat back in his seat, his voice theatrically low.
"They say the Black Annis is wild with grief for a child she lost, hundreds and hundreds of years ago. They say she hunts for lost children to take the place of her own child… that's why she eats lambs. She kidnaps children, Laird Donal. I'd keep an eye on the families of your men, that's all I'm saying."
Helena's eyes widened, and she exchanged glances with Brendan, who was obviously thinking exactly what she was thinking. Mary… the little girl's room with the footsteps outside it, the monster peering through the window at her for who knew how long in the middle of the night… she shivered, suddenly gripped by a cold dread even in the warmth of the room.
"There was one other thing," Brendan said heavily. "Oliver, the shepherd whose flocks we were guarding… we stayed with him. He showed us footsteps that he'd found around his home… footsteps that suggested that the creature stood outside his daughter's windows."
Laird Donal took a deep breath, clearly worried. Even Baldric looked worried, now. It seemed he'd been convinced by their testimony. "We'll station more guards," Donal said firmly. "As many as it takes to keep the children safe."
"What are we going to do, just wait for it to attack again?" Lord Weatherby demanded, sounding outraged. "What if it takes one of my prize horses? Or a child?" he added, a little lamely.
"We'll hunt it down," Baldric said firmly, his jaw set and his face grim. "Whatever it takes, we'll kill this thing. You said it didn't like bright light? That's something we can use against it. There've been reports from the servants' cottages of something shambling about there in the night," he added, gritting his teeth. "We'll post more guards down there, too."
"More guards? Is that all? I thought that you MacClarans would have something more useful than that," Weatherby said irritably.
"Like what, Lord Weatherby? What kind of weapons do you think we have at our disposal?"
"I don't know! Magic, or something! Aren't you all witches up here?"
Laird Donal's face went cold. "Lord Weatherby, I understand you're upset and worried for your people, but I'll remind you that the rumors you refer to are not only false, they're deeply dangerous to myself and to my people. Need I remind you of the seriousness of the charge of witchcraft? When women have been put to death on this very land for similar charges?"
"You're right," Lord Weatherby said stiffly. "Of course, you're right. I just…" He heaved a sigh, clearly frustrated. "This is a supernatural monster we're dealing with, yes? There's no denying that."
"I wish there was," Laird Donal said heavily, shaking his head. "But it appears we need to face the fact that what we're dealing with isn't a bear, or a band of robbers. It's a monster. Perhaps this Black Annis you've spoken of, perhaps something else… but a monster. Do what you can to protect your people, and we'll do the same. We'll keep in touch, Lord Weatherby, until this threat is dealt with and our lands are safe again."
Clearly sensing he'd been dismissed, Lord Weatherby bristled… but Laird Donal was stoic in the face of his vexation. Irritably, he got to his feet and swept out of the room, his elaborate velvet cloak sweeping behind him. Sir Baldric lingered in the doorway, his sharp eyes resting on Laird Donal's face.
"You'll do what you can?" he asked, his voice low.
Was there subtext here she wasn't picking up on? Helena narrowed her eyes, sensing something was going on here.
"All you can?"
"Aye, Baldric. We'll draw on all the resources available to us, you have my word on that."
Baldric nodded — then turned and was gone. She could hear him accelerating down the corridor to catch up with Lord Weatherby, who was speaking in a raised voice — mercifully, she couldn't make out any of what he was saying. Laird Donal sat down heavily at the table, scrubbing at his face with the heels of his hands.
"My apologies for inflicting him on you,
Helena and Brendan," Donal said regretfully. "He appeared quite without warning — and a lot earlier than he's usually awake. This creature really must have him frightened. He'd never admit to any kind of belief in the supernatural if it didn't directly affect him…"
"What did Baldric mean by that?" Helena asked, curiously.
Laird Donal chuckled. "Baldric' has ten times the brains of Weatherby. We're deeply grateful that he's the Lord's right-hand man. He knows a lot more than Weatherby about the women of this castle and where they've come from… and we trust him, too, with that information. I meant I'd ask our resident witches what they've got to say about this Black Annis situation," Laird Donal explained with a smile. "And needless to say, that information — if there is any — will go to Sir Baldric and Sir Baldric alone. He's a good man."
"The Black Annis," Brendan said thoughtfully. "I do remember that myth, now. But it's an English story. What's it doing here?"
"Whatever it's doing here," Laird Donal said firmly, "it's not welcome to stay."
Chapter 20
They left Laird Donal's chamber an hour later after going over the details of the encounter with the monster in depth. She felt strange thinking of it as the Black Annis — to her, it had just been 'the monster' for so long that giving it a name felt odd. And though she'd seen it with her own eyes, she still felt deeply strange to think of it as being some kind of … magical creature. It just didn't seem real. They headed for the courtyard, both of them needing some fresh air after such a long time inside — but there was a fine drizzle falling and they were forced to sit on the steps where the castle would afford them some protection from the weather. But even there, drips kept hitting them, and irritably, Helena suggested they go and sit in the stables, which were at least undercover.
Highlander Hunted: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander In Time Book 8) Page 15