“We can talk about in a few days,” Alick said. “The English are heading home. Let them go first.”
Wee John heard the name and sprang into action. “Engwish,” he said, swinging his sword and running over to his bowl to spit.
Derric made his way over to them, clasping Alick’s shoulder. “Congratulations on finding your mother and your wife. I wanted to tell you that before I leave. I’m back to see what I can do for the Bruce, although I may not leave until the morrow.”
“Derric, we need to talk,” Dyna said, lifting to her feet. She pointed to the door and he shrugged his shoulders and followed her.
“Branwen, you look tired. I hope your husband will leave you alone this night and allow you the sleep you’ve missed being in the dungeon,” Kyla admonished. As she said it, she gave Alick a glare over her shoulder that made Branwen giggle.
“He’s verra considerate of me.”
Kyla said, “Again, welcome to our clan. We shall have a celebration again when we head back to Clan Grant.”
Branwen glanced at her husband. They’d spoken of their future plans, briefly, but they hadn’t made any decisions. “He hasn’t said where we’ll live yet. It won’t be Thane land, so I’ll leave it to him.”
Kyla gave her son a puzzled look. “You should come home to Clan Grant.”
“But Alasdair and Els are both here with their wives,” Alick said. “I thought we might stay here for a wee bit.”
“A wee bit, aye, but then your brothers and sister would like to meet your new wife. And all your aunts, uncles, and cousins.”
“We have much to consider, Mama. We haven’t made any decisions yet.” Alick didn’t say anything further, instead making his way off to visit with his cousins. He glanced at her and said, “I’ll be right back.”
As long as they were safe inside a keep, and she had others to chat with, she didn’t care where he went now that he was her husband.
Her mind turned to Jep. Where would he live? She’d promised to speak with him, but it hadn’t happened yet. She grabbed Alick’s arm before he left. “I’m going to the stables to speak with Jep.”
He nodded, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad to hear it. If you need me, send a stable lad to get me.”
She headed out the door, grabbing a shawl to wrap around her shoulders. Although she was still unsure of what to say to him, she’d decided it wasn’t her place to say anything about his relationship with her mother. In truth, she was pleased her mother had been loved by a better, kinder man than Arnald Denton.
When she reached the stables, she found Jep outside, staring up at the stars. “Something wrong, Jep?”
He spun around, clearly surprised by her visit. “Nay.” He glanced at the ground for a moment before he lifted his head and said, “Asking for guidance. I don’t know how to make this right with you.”
“You haven’t treated me badly. You’ve always let me know how much you care for me, and that’s something I needed after I lost Mama.” She stopped, gathering herself to stem the tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. “I’m glad Mama had you in her life. I don’t wish to say another word about Arnald Denton. He does not deserve it. I’m pleased that I finally know the truth, and I would like verra much for you to continue to be part of my life.”
His relief was visible in his face. “I would like that, also. But my guess is you will be going to Grant land and my job is here on MacLintock land.”
She gave him a sly smile. “I asked Jamie Grant if he could use another helper in their stables and he said he’d be glad to have you. If you’d like to follow us to Grant land, it would please me.” Her heart needed someone from her old life, and she accepted Jep as her father. “We need to carry on as family, Jep. I don’t know if I can call you father yet, but mayhap ’twill be possible in the future.”
She reached for him then, and he wrapped his arms around her as if he’d been wanting to do it for some time. “Thank you for watching over me,” she whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, daughter. You have made me verra proud, and I’ll speak with Laird Grant on my own.”
They parted ways and she headed back to the keep, pleased with her decision.
She had a father who loved her, and that small gift pleased her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next morning, Alick stared into the flames of the hearth as they began to grow. He’d just come down from his chamber, not wishing to awaken Branwen. His mother was right—she needed sleep. But he couldn’t sleep because the blasted dream had returned. He thought he’d be rid of it after everything that had unfolded.
He heard the bootsteps as they came down the stairs, so he glanced over his shoulder to see who approached him.
Dyna.
“Another dream? The same old one?”
“How did you know?”
To his surprise, his grandfather descended the stairs after her.
“You cannot sleep either, Grandsire?” he asked, stepping back from the hearth and offering the older man his chair.
“I sleep better knowing all my clan are safe, but I still wonder about many things. The spectral swords. Robert the Bruce. I don’t know what is coming next.” He took the chair with a sigh, rubbing his hands together in front of the flames. “Tell me about the spectral swords. It saved us in the courtyard with John. Did you experience it again?”
“It happened in our battle with the men from Thane Castle,” Alick said.
“Tell me everything,” Grandsire said, his gaze going from one grandbairn to the other.
Alick paused, considering what to say, then settled on, “When Dyna was finally able to draw from it, it was much different than the last times.”
“How so?” he prodded.
Alick looked at his cousin to see if she’d allow him to tell the truth—and also because he was hoping she’d take the lead on the explanation. Finally, she did. “It didn’t happen until I climbed on Derric’s shoulders.”
Their grandfather just stared at this declaration, absorbing the information. “Truly? His shoulders?”
“I tried climbing onto his back, but it didn’t work. But I could feel it starting so I pushed him to help me onto his shoulders. Then it came. The lightning. The thunder.”
“Everything,” Alick said. “My hilt got warm, the blade swung easier. Grandpapa, we needed it. We were losing.”
“How many?” he asked.
“Ten and five. We had Cailean, Els, and me, plus Branwen, Sorcha, and Dyna in the trees, but ’twasn’t enough. We needed more. The power worked, and it helped us turn the tide. It didn’t tire us as it has in the past, either.”
“And no John, nor Alasdair,” he said lost in thought, clearly pondering all the possible implications of this new development. After a moment, he shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of that. The spectral swords seem to be forever changing. The Battle of Largs was easy compared to this never-ending chaos.”
“We made it. ’Tis what matters, Grandpapa.”
“True.” He glanced at his grandson as if just noticing something. “Bad dream again?”
“Does everyone know about my dreams?” Alick asked, tossing his hands in the air.
“I would guess you would have them more often now,” Dyna said. “Your life is beginning to mirror your dream.”
Alick didn’t know what to make of that. “Because my mother was missing?”
“’Tis more than that,” Dyna said, cocking her head. “You’re forgetting how the dream begins—you couldn’t find your cousins. Now, Els and Alasdair have both married. I suspect ’tis the true reason why you’ve had that dream more often.”
“What?” He stared at her, incredulous over this remark.
His grandfather arched a brow at him. “Dyna’s quite astute, as always. Now that you are married, will you choose to live here with your cousins, or will you return to Grant land to live near your parents?”
“There are three parts to that d
ream,” Dyna said. “Only one of them is the fear of losing your mother.”
The more he thought on it, the more he realized she was right. The first part of the dream, losing his cousins, bothered him as much as the part about losing his mother. But what was the third part?
His grandfather got up and made his way to the kitchens, not saying anything else.
“So you think I fear leaving my cousins?”
“Aye, you cannot decide where you and Branwen should live, here at MacLintock Castle or on Grant land. If you choose Grant land, you worry you might lose your connection with your cousins. But there is a stronger piece. Grandsire.” She nodded toward the figure headed out the back door.
“I understand the piece about losing Els and Alasdair, but I’ve made my peace with that. I think it makes sense for Branwen and I to stay on Grant land. I can still fight with all of you when necessary. What does Grandsire have to do with it?”
Dyna came over to stand in front of him. “Alick, Grandmama was not the one who found you crying that day at the Ramsay festival. It was my mother.”
“What? Nay, ’tis most impossible. ’Twas Grandmama. She always hugged me and helped me feel better.”
Dyna said, “It may be Grandmama in your dream, but the true incident involved my mother. The question is why did you change the person in your dream?”
Grandpapa came back into the hall, carrying a bowl of porridge. “She’s right, lad. Maddie was with me at the obstacle course. Aunt Sela found you. Now do you understand?”
He thought long and hard about this revelation, pacing the hall. In his dream, he was crying, his vision was blurry. He’d been picked up without looking at the person. Could it really have been Aunt Sela who helped him that day? “What are you trying to say? What does it mean?”
“In your dream, you changed Sela to Grandmama.” Grandpapa had returned and stood in front of him. “Mayhap you miss Grandmama as much as we all do.”
“And possibly more…” Dyna added.
“That I accept, but what else? Dyna?”
Dyna said, “You don’t want to lose Grandsire either, and he’s been staying with Alasdair.”
It was as if someone punched him in his gut. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, but she was correct. He hadn’t liked it one bit when Grandsire had gone to spend the summer with Alasdair. He brought his gaze up to the patriarch of their clan, ignoring the misting in the corner of his eyes.
Grandsire clasped his shoulder. “I’m coming back. You’ll not lose me yet, and we’ll not lose your mother again. This Christmas, after I return from my visit with your aunt Jennie, I’ll be at Grant Castle with you and your wife, your parents, and all your siblings. I’m not ready to move here yet. ’Twas a nice respite, spending my time with John and Ailith, but I expect there will be other great grandbairns on Grant land.” His grandfather winked at him. “Soon.”
Emmalin joined them, John and Ailith in tow. “Seanair, would you like one or the other?”
John raced over to Seanair’s side, laying his head in his grandfather’s lap. The old man arched a brow at Emmalin. “’Tis a new event.”
“He woke up from a dream. He kept repeating the same thought to me. You see what you can make of it.”
She headed into the kitchens, calling for one of the serving lasses. “Porridge and honey for three, please?”
“Seanair, you must find her,” John said, blurry-eyed from tears, his lower lip trembling.
“Find who, laddie?” Grandsire asked, his hand on the lad’s head. He brushed all the dark wild strands back from his eyes.
“Her. She’s my lassie. She needs me. You help her?”
Alick peered at his grandfather, looking for his reaction. The lad must have had a dream that had left a strong memory, something he understood all too well.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, John. Tell me all about it.”
Emmalin walked out with two bowls and said, “Porridge and fresh goat’s milk for you, John.”
His eyes lit up and he raced to his mother, his troubles clearly forgotten.
“’Twas easily forgotten,” Alick said.
“Don’t think ’tis forgotten for long. He’ll remember later.”
Perhaps Grandsire was right. He had to admit he’d missed him more than he’d guessed. His wisdom was priceless, his strength beyond measure, but his kindness was truly what made him irreplaceable. No matter what your problem, he’d help you through it.
Even if you were only two years old and missing a lassie.
***
It was nearly time for everyone to leave for Grant land. They’d spent a sennight together, enjoying their time together and with the Ramsays who’d stayed on for a time. But all were heading back home. It was high noon and the group was ready to depart after packing and sharing a large meal. Branwen’s heart hurt a wee bit at the thought of leaving her new friends and especially Lora, who’d decided to stay, but she was excited for her future with Alick.
Alick asked, “Are you sure you don’t wish to check on your brothers? See if they are hale?”
She shook her head. “Nay, my uncle will take care of them. If I saw them, they would blame me for all that happened. Mayhap someday, but not yet.”
Her uncle had sent them a missive saying as much, and apologized, explaining he had no knowledge of the kidnapping or Denton’s activities. He’d assured her he would take care of her brothers and invited her back, though he suspected she would reject the invitation.
“I wish we knew how much your uncle had known about everything, but I doubt we’ll ever know the truth,” Alick said, rubbing her back briefly.
There’d been no more mention of the English. Robert the Bruce was off to settle with his Scottish enemies. No one could guess how that would go, but the cousins had said if they heard they were needed, they would join their Scottish brethren.
Alick and Branwen sat at the table long after the meal had ended, and no one made a move to leave. “Lora, we’ll miss you,” Branwen said. “You may change your mind and come our way. I’m sorry we couldn’t locate your dear sister Coira.”
The lass’s eyes filled with sadness and a touch of resignation. “Mayhap we’ll try again in another moon. I don’t know where my sire could have moved to, without a word to anyone. But I’m happy for you, Branwen. I do hope you’ll come back.”
Branwen squeezed Alick’s hand. “Aye, of course. In the meantime, I’m verra excited to see Grant land and meet his brothers.”
Suddenly John jumped up from his spot and yelled out, “My lassie is coming!”
Emmalin shot a worried glance at Alasdair and whispered, “Nay. He’s going to have his heart broken.” The wee lad hadn’t mentioned the dream for days, and it had been nearly a sennight since he’d come downstairs and gone to Alex for comfort.
John hurried over to the door and sat down with his wooden weapon on his lap. “I wait for her.”
Alasdair said, “That could be a long, long time.” He glanced over at his wife, clearly wondering what they could do about it or what had prompted his comments.
“Where’s Dyna?” Branwen asked. “She disappeared after the meal. I did wish to say good-bye to her.”
A storm came out of nowhere, the thunder so close to the lightning that the sky lit up. John hopped up and churned his wee legs over to his sire. “Papa, what is dis?” He stared up at the top of the hall as if the roof were going to cave in on them.
Alasdair picked up his son and said, “Naught to be afraid of, John. ’Tis just a thunderstorm, and sometimes it means good things. Remember?”
“Aye,” he said, holding up his sword. “My do yat?”
“Not this time, laddie. But you did it with Seanair before.”
The door flew open and Dyna came in, lightning shooting through the sky behind her. Derric entered directly behind her, a plaid over his head protecting something, or someone, he was holding.
John squealed and fought against his sire to be put down. “My l
assie! ’Tis my lassie, Papa.”
A look of shock passed over his face as he lowered John to the ground. At the same time, Derric dropped the wet plaid from over the two of them, setting a wee lassie down on the floor.
Branwen couldn’t believe her eyes. She glanced at Lora, who was so excited to see her sister she’d already jumped out of her chair.
“We found Coira,” Dyna said, giving Derric a big smile.
Lora ran to her sister, but her sister headed in a different direction.
The wee blonde lass, three summers old, ran straight to John.
He held his wee arms out and ran to her, shouting, “My lassie.”
The two hugged each other in the middle of the hall, with Derric and Dyna directly behind them. The door flew open in a surge from the storm, and flashes of lightning illuminated the two wee ones in the middle of the hall, hugging each other and giggling.
The thunder echoed all around them, but it didn’t matter.
John said, “I found you, lassie.”
Coira said, “I love you, too.” Then she spun around to hug her sister.
“That’s so sweet,” Branwen said, smiling at him. “Why do you suppose they feel that way? ’Tis most odd, is it not?”
“Nay,” Alick said, “I think if we’d met at their age, we’d have done the same. Some souls are meant to find each other.” He leaned in to kiss her temple. “I was meant to find you.”
***
Derric tugged Dyna back out into the courtyard, into the storm, while everyone else watched Coira and John. “What does it mean, lass? More of that spectral swords foolishness?”
Dyna said, “Thanks for helping me find Coira.”
“Aye, I hope we have the need to work together again, lass.”
“Soon,” she said, feeling a fire rage through her as bright as the lightning above them. “That bastard was disgusting. He was only too happy to give his own daughter to a couple of strangers. Fool needs to learn a lesson.”
Derric took one look at her and said, “Bloody hell. Do you not know how you excite me when you talk like that?”
She took one step closer and gave him a look that said, I dare you.
The Scot's Pursuit (Highland Swords Book 3) Page 21