by Alisa Adams
“If he thinks he can slay me in my own home then he is a fool,” Seamus said, almost hoping that the man would try. It certainly seemed like their lives would be easier without his influence casting a shadow over them.
“Seamus, I know he has caused us much anguish, but he is still my brother. I don’t want to see any harm come to him,” Sarina said softly. This came as a disappointment to Seamus. He was used to dealing with his problems by spilling blood. It was usually most efficient, but he knew that in marriage compromises often had to be made and Sarina would never forgive him if he killed her brother.
He knew what she was prepared to do when she believed that he had killed her father and he did not want to see the dagger be put to use. He wouldn’t tell her this, but in a way, the fact that she had even been willing to entertain the idea of killing him in his sleep endeared her to him. While it wasn’t the most honorable way to kill a foe, it did show that she was willing to go to great lengths to protect her family. Performing such a deed by herself would have been a great risk as there would have been nobody to rescue her.
Highlanders were a passionate people and they didn’t take kindly to people creeping into their land to kill them. If Sarina had done what Thomas intended, the Mackenzie clan would never have let her get away with it. Sarina would have been executed and another war would have broken out. But the fact that she had taken that risk for her family was noble and something that Seamus respected. He knew that he had married a woman of strong convictions, a woman who would always support him, and defend their family when it was needed. Some may have thought it strange that a plot to kill him could engender such positive feelings, but these qualities were what Seamus valued.
He allowed himself a sly smirk when he considered the fact that Thomas, by sending an assassin to kill him, had actually sent him the new love of his life. Thomas had sent Sarina to end his life, but in actuality, Thomas had sent him the one woman in the world who had the ability to save his life.
“If he attacks me, I will defend myself, but I will nae send anyone after him,” Seamus promised. Sarina clasped his hands and kissed them.
“Thank you, Seamus. That means a lot to me. You don’t know how worried I was about telling you all this. I am ashamed of my brother and I am ashamed of myself too.”
“I’m proud of you,” he said, placing his hands under her chin to tilt her head up. He kissed her lightly on the lips. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her into his arms and show her how much he loved her, to unleash the full force of his passion and love upon her, the two of them now being free of the doubts that shackled them. His body thrummed with desire and his heart beat fiercely for her. He opened up his arms and pulled her onto his lap. She fell into him and he was awash with her sweet fragrance and heavenly touch, her long hair sweeping across his face, her slender fingers brushing his skin, and her soft breath like a summer breeze.
In that moment, he was able to forget about Thomas’ death threat and focus solely on Sarina and their love for each other. As he took her on his lap, the box fell to the floor and the dagger dropped out, clinking as it landed on the stone floor. Seamus ignored it, losing himself in Sarina’s supple body and letting his hands fall over her curves, loving the warmth that exuded from her. A soft moan escaped their lips as their breaths became one. His eyes closed and he was plunged into a world where only she and he existed. Arousal swept through him like wildfire and seized him completely. His grip tightened on her as her body yielded to him. Ardent kisses left a trail on her body. She threw her head back and laughed joyously as they recaptured what had been present at the lake.
Then somewhere vaguely far away, he heard the sound of footsteps crashing against stone. There was a hammering at the door. Seamus was tempted to ignore it, the primal urges of lust too powerful for anything to break through, but the hammering continued and soon he tore himself away from his wife. He roared as he flung open the door to see Angus standing there.
“What dae ye want?” Seamus shouted, his nostrils flared. Angus took one look at him and Sarina and appeared sheepish at interrupting such an intimate thing. He bowed his head and averted his gaze as Sarina pulled a blanket over her.
“I’m sorry for interrupting, but something’s happened with her brother.”
“Thomas? What’s wrong?” Sarina asked.
“There’s been some more trouble with bandits. Thomas left here in a hurry. After he spoke with ye,” Angus said, gesturing to Sarina. “He said that he didn’t have any more business tae attend tae and was returning tae England. I dinnae wish tae argue with him, nae offence.” He nodded toward Sarina. “And I thought ye would be happy tae see the back of him. But apparently, he ran intae trouble. Rory saw him get accosted by bandits and he was taken intae the woods.”
Seamus scowled. He knew what Sarina was going to say and indeed, she wasted no time. “You must go after him. I have already lost one brother to bandits, I cannot lose another,” she cried. Seamus sighed. As much as he wanted to leave Thomas to his own fate, he knew he had to listen to Sarina, even though it went against his better judgment. The bandits were a scourge to the Highlands and were going to have to be dealt with at some point. They’d already almost taken Sarina from him.
“They’ve been getting bolder recently,” Angus said.
“Then perhaps it’s time for us tae give them a wee spanking again,” Seamus said, nodding assurance to Sarina. He’d see that her brother was brought back, but not before he had words with Thomas. There was much to say to a man who plotted his death.
Seamus gave a rallying cry to the rest of the Highlanders as he stormed through the castle, gathering a group of hardened warriors to go venturing into the woods in pursuit of the bandits. The young Rory was there and was telling Seamus where he had last seen Thomas. Seamus could tell from the excitement in his voice that he longed to follow the men into battle. Rory was too young to have fought in any of the battles, but he was old enough to remember the conquering heroes and to hear the tales of glory from war.
“There will be time enough for ye, but ye must stay here. This is men’s work,” Seamus said. Disappointment was etched on Rory’s face, but there was little he could do to argue with the Laird.
Seamus got on his trusty horse and felt the comfortable weight of his greatsword by his waist. He longed to feel the thrill of battle and thought that perhaps once Thomas saw his prowess, the Englishman would think twice about wanting him dead.
“Glad tae be back in battle?” Angus asked, noticing the smile on Seamus’ face.
“Aye, but I’m more looking forward tae when I come back with Thomas and he has tae face the fact that I rescued him. Maybe then I’ll tell him what he owes me,” Seamus said. He decided that he wasn’t going to tell Angus or anyone else about the plot to kill him as he didn’t want them thinking badly of Sarina. He knew from experience that there were some things that should remain secret within a marriage and this was one of them.
The hooves thundered away from the stronghold and the Highlanders roared with vigor. Their blood ran hot and they longed to feel the heat of battle once again. Seamus was at the front, leading them gallantly, his eyes fixed on the edge of the woods, eager to find the lurking bandits.
The bandits had plagued the Highlands for as long as Seamus could remember. They were like poisonous and ugly roots, always waiting to come back out no matter how much effort you took to rip them out of the ground. Just when a Laird thought the bandits had been dealt with, they came back in full force. This resurgence had only begun recently, but the brazen attacks performed so close to the castle showed a lack of respect. It seemed they needed to be taught a lesson and Seamus was more than a willing teacher.
Branches and bracken cracked under the impact of the horses’ hooves. There was no sense in being clandestine. The bandits no doubt had watchmen stationed waiting for a reply from the Highlanders. Seamus knew they were being goaded by them. The bandits wanted to test them and Seamus was going to make them re
gret their decision.
The forest was dark as the thick leaves shaded the forest from the glare of the sun, although some pinpricks of light did break through the green shade. The ground was covered with leaves and fallen branches. Seamus led the horses through the narrow path and had to slow their pace to ensure that they didn’t hurtle into a tree. Angus was close behind him, ready with his bow and arrow. Seamus had great confidence in his men and he wouldn’t have minded if an errant arrow struck Thomas. Such accidents were known to happen in battle after all.
Soon enough, there was an exclamation and an arrow whistled by Seamus’ head, flying past him and burying itself in one of his men. There was a loud grunt as the man fell from his horse and the riderless mare galloped away. The battle had begun. Mud was flung up by hooves as some of the Highlanders alighted from their steeds and ran into the forest, charging with great speed to meet the bandits in battle. The bandits rose from the bushes and foliage, seemingly springing from the ground itself. As he watched them, Seamus was reminded of an ancient tale Ciara had once told him of nymphs and sprites that were formed of soil and earth and rose from the ground.
Seamus drew his sword and threw himself into the maelstrom. Blood pumped through his veins and his muscles sprung to life. This is what he had been made for. The Highland warrior led the charge, cutting through the group of bandits. They wore dark cloaks to camouflage themselves, but at such close quarters, there was no hiding.
“Find the Englishman!” Seamus called out, wanting to make an effort to keep his promise to Sarina. He slashed his way through the bandits, leaving a trail of death in his wake, and was confused as to where Thomas was. He’d expected the Englishman to call out to him unless he was unable. He started to wonder if the bandits would have left him alive. He would have brought about a handsome ransom, but he was also annoying and Seamus wouldn’t have blamed the bandits if they chose to kill him.
Seamus heard the cries of warriors being killed. Arrows flew from Angus’ bow one after the other, each one hitting their target. The battle was intense, a flurry of violence, but something was wrong. He scanned the battlefield and looked at the fallen bandits. There was no prisoner and no camp. There was nothing to suggest that they stayed here which meant that Thomas was being held somewhere else.
Seamus strode through his enemies and kicked them with his boot, almost annoyed at the efficiency of his men. He was looking for one of them to be alive but most were dead. Eventually, he kicked one and they grunted in pain. Seamus grabbed the man by the neck and hauled him up. The man was ugly with a scar across his right eye. When he opened his mouth black blood dripped out, seeping between his yellow teeth. Fetid breath hit Seamus and he gagged.
“Where is he? Where is the Englishman?” he screamed. The bandit just laughed. Seamus took hold of him with both hands and shook him so violently that his teeth rattled. “Tell me where he is. Where have you taken him?”
The laugh turned to a cough and the bandit spat out a thick glob of blood. He was groggy but had an amused look in his eye. “Ye will nae find him here,” the bandit said, “he said ye’d come. He knew exactly what ye’d dae.”
Seamus let go and flung the bandit to the ground. The bandit groaned. Seamus was troubled. He sheathed his sword and furrowed his brow. Angus came up to him. “What did he mean by that? Why would Thomas want ye away from the castle?”
Suddenly, realization dawned on Seamus’ face. It wasn’t Thomas the bandits wanted nor was it Seamus. Thomas had employed them to capture Sarina.
“The crafty bastard,” Seamus said. He should have listened more when Sarina told him that Thomas was crafty. He should have made precautions. He ran up to his horse and jumped on. “Take that prisoner!” he cried before turning the horse around and galloping back to the castle, wanting to get back there as soon as he could, although he was afraid that it was already too late.
Shadow, the loyal gray stallion, galloped as quickly as he could. Seamus didn’t even care that he was in the midst of the forest. He rode at breakneck speed, branches whipping against his skin, but he didn’t care. Ciara had been taken from him by fate. He wasn’t going to let Sarina be taken from him too. His thoughts turned dark as he imagined what he would do to those who were responsible for taking Sarina, both the bandits and Thomas. Thomas had just rendered Seamus’ promise to Sarina meaningless. There was no way Sarina couldn’t expect her husband to not kill him, not now that Thomas had endangered her.
The castle appeared and Seamus urged Shadow on, but when he arrived, he already had a sense of gloom. People looked at him with solemn faces and were casting their gaze toward the castle. Seamus was eager to learn the truth for himself so instead of asking them what had happened he rushed in, hoping that he wouldn’t find a dead wife waiting for him there. Seamus heard a groan emanating from the chamber and walked in to find his father draped over the throne.
“Da, what happened?” Seamus asked. His father groaned again and looked up, at which point Seamus winced. There was an ugly welt under his father’s eyes and his face was bruised. Blood dripped from his nose and he was shaking.
“I… I tried. I tried…” he said, over and over again. Seamus hung his head and pulled his father into his embrace, noticing the absence of Sarina and his mother.
21
As soon as Sarina had heard word that Thomas had been captured by bandits. her heart was in strife. She knew how difficult it would be for Seamus to save her brother after everything she had told him, but she couldn’t live with herself if Thomas died at the hands of bandits just like Matthew. Sometimes, it seemed as though her family was cursed.
After Seamus and the others had left, she went to the chamber to be with Seamus’ parents. Martha embraced her. “I’m sure ye brother will be returned safe and sound,” she said. Sarina wished that she could believe her. Seamus’ father seemed in his own world as always, mumbling to himself.
“I know that he is not the easiest person to like and he did not give a good account of himself, but he is still my brother and I worry about him in the hands of the bandits.”
“Seamus will bring him back. There is nothing that can stand in his way when he has his mind set on something.”
“I know what you mean,” Sarina said, smiling.
“Ye hae made him very happy,” Martha commented.
“He’s made me happy too. You all have. I’m just sorry that I’ve brought so much sorrow with me. First, Matthew and now this,” Sarina said, shaking her head.
“It’s nae anyone’s fault but the bandits.” Martha sighed. “Sadly, they hae reared their ugly heads once again.”
“Where do they come from?”
“They’re made up of people who cannae live a normal life. They’re crooks and thieves and villains, the worst of the worst. They live in the woods and strike out whenever they see anything they want. Sometimes there are many, sometimes there are few, but they’ve been around as long as I’ve been alive and probably will stay around long after I’m gone.”
“But why? Why wouldn’t these men just live in a place like this?”
Martha shook her head slowly as though she could not understand why people like the bandits existed. “There is always darkness in a man’s heart and sometimes that darkness is impossible tae resist. They dinnae want tae live by our rules, so they try and live by their own, but when the worlds collide, there are always casualties. And there are always more people who want tae join them because they see the bandits as free, as answering tae nae man.”
“It sounds horrid,” Sarina said, aghast. “I should hope that people had better hopes for their lives than that.”
“They hae naebody tae teach them otherwise,” Martha said.
Sarina was beginning to have pity for the bandits for it seemed that if they were given the same opportunities and same education as she had been given then they might actually be able to contribute positively to society instead of being a plague. Then there was a loud cry and the sound of people storming into t
he castle. Sarina’s heart beat frantically. She was afraid that without Seamus beside her to defend her she wouldn’t be able to survive. Her dagger had been left in her chamber on the floor. Without it, she was defenseless. She was about to rise and go after it when a Highlander fell back into the chamber. Sarina and Martha cried out. The Highlander staggered back and fell onto a table with a knife protruding from his chest.
His eyes lolled toward Sarina who screamed, but before she could run, bandits flooded the chamber. She and Martha both searched for weapons but could find none. Something snapped in Donald’s mind. Sarina was surprised to see him rise, strength flowing through him. He carried his old body forward, ready to meet the bandits and defend his home, his wife, and his new daughter.
“Be gone ye vile wretches,” Donald cried as he launched himself at the first bandit within reach. Martha reached out to him, ready to go and fight by her husband’s side, but Sarina pulled her back, knowing she would stand no chance. Donald’s attack took the bandits by surprise and he was able to wrest a rusty blade from the first man, slicing him through the gut, but the next bandit in line shrugged off Donald’s attack and hit him with a club knocking Donald to the floor. The bandits took no mercy on the old man and beat him until he was laid prone on the floor with his fingers twitching as they were trying to summon the strength of his youth but were only finding the well empty.
Sarina and Martha huddled together, eyes wide with fear. “You don’t want to do this,” Sarina said.
“My son will find ye,” Martha added.
The bandits grinned at them, raised their arms, and then the only thing Sarina knew was darkness.
The young lass awoke to the rhythm of a wagon trundled along a path. Her head throbbed, but when she tried to rub her temples to ease the aching pain, she found that she was unable to. Her hands had been bound in thick rope that dug into her wrists. Martha was groggy beside her and found herself in the same predicament. Sarina nudged the older woman awake. The two of them were alone in the cart. Bandits flanked them on horses. They were deep in the woods and there was no telling how far they were from the Mackenzie stronghold.