“I want you two to be sticking close to home from now on, understand?”
“Yes, Da.” I nodded my head in agreement.
Fin scowled up at him, putting on his bravest face. “I don’t want to hide in the keep with the women and children, Da. I want to help the men. I can protect our home with you and the others. I’ve gotten good with a sword. Even Angus says so. Just ask him.”
“I know you want to help me protect your sister and the others, lad, but I need you to stay safe. You’re my heir, Fin, and for all you’re growing into a fine young man, it’s not yet time for you to see your first battle or to spill a man’s blood. No, do as I say and stay within the walls.”
“But, Da—”
“The answer is no, Finlay,” he said firmly.
“Come on, now, Fin,” I said to my brother. “Our father has a lot to do. We shouldn’t be taking up all of his time. There are a lot of people who will be needing to speak to him. We’ll find him again later.”
I tugged on my brother’s arm until he followed me from the hall and back to our rooms.
In every corner of the keep people were huddled together, speculating in hushed voices about the future of our clan. I walked faster and tried to block them out, praying that my father had a plan.
***
Tensions were high in the hall at dinner that night. I sat at the head table with my family and looked out across the room. The only smiles I saw were those on the faces of children too young yet to understand the danger that was headed their way.
Normally at dinner the hall was filled with laughter and cheer, music, or even a story or two if a traveling entertainer happened to be passing through our lands. But instead the air was filled with only the noise of stressed whispers and the scraping of plates.
My father and uncle seemed to have had another disagreement over something. Neither one of them was speaking to the other. Instead they chose to keep their eyes focused on the food in front of them. It was unlike them not to show a united front to our clansmen, and I worried that their obvious discord would only heighten the fear of our people.
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of my uncle’s gaze on me. I doubted that Father had convinced him to give up on his plans for me so quickly. It was the only reason why they would still be so angry at one another.
I turned to my uncle and caught his eye, then raised my eyebrows at him in a questioning stare.
He glared at me, then hastily returned his eyes to his plate. There was now no doubt in my mind. My uncle still believed that the only way to help our people was to hand me over to the MacGregor, but it didn’t matter so long as my father stood opposed. I turned back to my meal and finished eating in silence along with the rest of my family, then went to bed early. I was more than ready for the start of a new day.
CHAPTER 3
My eyes flew open, awakened from sleep by the weight of someone’s hand pressed firmly across my mouth. A large, hooded figure hovered over my bed, his face hidden in the shadows, and I lashed out in fear. With my fingers curled, I raked my nails down the back of the intruder’s hand, but when it wouldn’t budge I went for his eyes instead, resulting in a swift backhand to my face.
“Glenna, get a hold of yourself, lass. It’s me, Dougal,” my uncle’s voice hissed in annoyance. He removed his hand from my mouth and I scooted up the bed, pressing myself back against the headboard, trying to put as much space between us as possible.
“Uncle? What do you think you’re doing, sneaking into my room like this is the middle of the night and scaring me half to death? You hit me!” I raised my hand to the warm spot on my cheek.
“Aye, I’m sorry about that. I just needed to stop ye before ye blinded me. You’ll notice that I dinna actually strike ye that hard.”
Now that the shock had passed I realized he was right. My face didn’t actually hurt very much.
“What are you doing in here?” I hissed.
“I’m to take ye out of the castle, lass. You’re to be kept somewhere safe until all the fighting is over to make sure that the MacDougal cannot get his hands on you.”
I hesitated and eyed him suspiciously.
“Why did my father not come for me himself?” I asked my uncle.
“Because he is seeing to young Finlay.”
“Are my brother and I not to go together, then?” My heart plummeted at the thought of being separated from my brother for an unknown amount of time.
“We thought it best not to have the two of ye hidden together. In the chance that you’re found, it would do no good to have both children of the Gordon in one place.”
His explanation made sense and my doubts started to subside.
“All right,” I told him at last. “What will I need?”
“Just get yourself dressed and find a good cloak. We must be leaving at once. I’ll wait outside your door for you.”
Once the door was closed I jumped out of bed and searched in the wardrobe for my dark green gown. Simple in design and made of serviceable fabric, it was perfectly suited for a rough journey and seemed my best choice, as I had no idea how long I would be gone for. I tidied my hair into one long plait down my back and slipped my feet into my sturdy leather riding boots, moving as fast as possible so as not to keep my uncle waiting.
I pulled my hood up over my head to cloak my face and stepped out into the hall where my uncle was waiting. Silently, we made our way through the keep, watching carefully to avoid anyone who might be wandering the halls. No one was to know that I was leaving.
In the courtyard a lone clansman stood waiting for us, holding the reins of a single horse. The hood of his cloak was pulled down low over his face, making him unrecognizable, and he did not say a word when he helped me up into the saddle before disappearing into the shadows. Dougal mounted the horse behind me and took the reins, inching the horse closer to the gates.
The courtyard gates swung open just wide enough for the horse to slip through, and then we were off, galloping into the night.
Dougal still had not told me where it was he was taking me, but wherever it was, I knew that he wouldn’t be staying with me. My father would need him back at the keep to help lead the men when the MacGregor attacked.
I closed my eyes and prayed for the safety of not only my father and brother, but for every one of our clansmen, the people in the castle and throughout our lands, that they would be protected from the terrors of the MacGregor and his hellhounds. I felt as if I were abandoning them, my escape an act of cowardice. But if I were captured I could be ransomed, or worse. And if Finlay were to be killed it would be a great blow to the clan Gordon.
No, leaving was best, even if it did put a sour taste in my mouth.
After riding in silence for hours my curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to risk my uncle’s annoyance.
“Where is it that you’re taking me, Uncle?”
“Somewhere you’ll be safe,” he said simply.
“But where is that? Am I to be the guest of one of the neighboring lairds?”
“Aye, lass, ye are, but I’ll not be telling ye which one.”
“Why not? Don’t I have the right to know who my host will be for the foreseeable future?” I asked with a huff. I had so little say in what was happening to me, I didn’t appreciate being treated like a child as well.
“It’s for your own safety, lass. The less ye know, the better off you’ll be, believe me. These are dangerous times.”
“It’s always dangerous times, Uncle, when the MacGregor men are roaming the highlands,” I said testily.
“Then ye should know better than to be asking me silly questions,” he snapped.
I fell silent, stung by his words. I fought the urge to let loose my tongue and speak my mind on the matter, but it would do me no good in any event. If he was determined not to tell me the details of our journey, then no amount of pestering him on my part would loosen his tongue on the matter.
But a kernel of disquiet was
growing within me. A small doubt nagging at the back of my mind.
“I want to go back,” I told him.
“What are ye on about now, lass? Ye know we can’t go back. There is not enough time.”
“I want to go back, Uncle. I want to speak to my father. I have to hear it from him myself that this is what he wants.”
“Did I not tell ye that this is what he wants? Is my word not good enough for ye now, then? Do you not trust me, Glenna, your own uncle?”
I realized then that I didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust a single word he had said to me that night.
“We’re going back,” I said, jerking hard on the reins he held.
The horse let out a loud whinny and kicked out at the air in front of it.
“Ye stupid girl!” my uncle yelled, fighting to get the stallion back under control.
He shoved me off of the horse and I landed hard in the dirt with the breath knocked out of me. Gasping for breath, I struggled to crawl away, but my uncle came up behind me and roughly rolled me over.
“My soft fool of a brother allowed ye too much freedom,” he snarled as he grabbed my hands and bound my wrists in front of me. “Now ye can finally be of some use.”
“You will never get away with this,” I gasped, the air slowly making its way back into my lungs.
“And you, my dear niece, are to be seen and not heard,” he said, shoving a rag into my mouth.
I struggled against him as he hauled me off the ground, but he overpowered me and placed me back onto the horse.
“Try anything stupid like that again and you’ll regret it.”
***
We rode for three days and three nights, stopping to rest only when the sun rose above the horizon, then setting out again when it began to set. Dougal seldom stuck to the main roads, choosing instead to lead the horse along the edges of the trees where he could keep an eye out for other travelers. He kept me bound and gagged so that I could neither escape nor cry out for help. With every passing hour my heart sank lower, knowing that soon any sliver of hope I held for being found on the road would soon be crushed by the hands of the MacGregor.
The sun was long set on the day as Dougal guided our horse carefully through the forest with only the moon to guide the way. Obscured in a cloudy sky, its light filtered down through the thick branches of the trees around us.
Dougal sat tense in the saddle behind me. Every so often he would stop the horse and cock his head, listening hard for something in the distance.
It was on one of these stops that I heard it: voices off in the trees. I was sure that Dougal would turn the horse to give us a wide berth around the group and was shocked when he headed straight in that direction. This couldn’t be where he was taking me, I thought. It was too soon.
Soon the voices grew more distinct, and the bright glow of a fire could be made out between the trees. As we got closer to the camp I shifted uncomfortably. There was a strange prickling sensation between my shoulder blades, as if we were being watched. I peered into the darkness, but could not see anyone there. Looking back at Dougal I could see that his mouth was set in a thin line as he continued to ride with an uncharacteristic stiffness, as if waiting for an attack.
“I’m thinking that will be about far enough for the both of you.”
We were still a ways off from the fire when a deep voice called out to us, and Dougal brought the stallion to a halt.
I could not see which one of the men had spoken, but all of the other voices quieted at his announcement.
Dougal climbed down off the horse and then pulled me down, keeping a hand firmly on my arm.
“I seek an audience with the leader of this group,” Dougal told them, his voice loud and clear.
“And why would he be bothering to speak to ye?” the voice asked us.
Dougal brought us a few feet closer still, never releasing me from his grasp.
“Because I have something of great import to discuss with him. All I need is a moment of his time.”
The horse whinnied behind me, drawing my attention. When I looked over my shoulder there were men coming out of the trees behind us, closing us in.
“Bring them to me,” a voice by the fire called out, and the men advanced on us.
In my fright I stumbled and clutched at my uncle as the men herded us closer to the fire and the voice of authority.
As we came into the circle of firelight I looked around to see men sprawled in the small clearing, about fifteen of them in total, not counting the men who were still behind us in the shadows of the trees.
These were the men who were going to decimate our lands? My mind raced with confusion. There was nothing more than a handful of men here. This was no great army. The messenger must have gotten it wrong. MacGregors or no, my father’s men would have easily been able to stop a group this small. Unless they hadn’t planned on attacking us, and my uncle had known that all along.
As I examined them they looked back at us with expressions ranging from mild amusement to outright suspicion.
“Which one of you is the man I seek?” Dougal asked them, pulling himself up to his full height.
The men broke out into raucous laughter, but no one stepped forward.
A hunched figure was sitting directly across the fire from us with his head low down by his knees, making it impossible to see his face. My stomach knotted tightly at the sight of him. I couldn’t explain how I knew, but something inside of me told me that this was the man who had spoken before.
“I am Dougal Gordon, brother of Cameron Gordon, the chief of Clan Gordon, and I demand to speak with your leader.”
“You’re a brave man to be making demands of us here tonight.” The voice came to us again, and this time I had no doubt in my mind that it came from the hunched figure across from us.
The head lifted and bright eyes the color of emeralds met mine. The light of the fire was reflected in them, making them dance and sparkle in a hard face framed by long black hair that fell to his shoulders.
I stood completely frozen in his gaze, and he didn’t speak again for a long moment as his eyes stared into mine. I swallowed behind my gag and broke out into a cold sweat. He was the most striking man I had ever seen, and the most fearsome.
Very slowly, he rose from his spot by the fire and my eyes went wide as my head tilted back to look at him. He was a giant, taller than me by at least a foot. His broad shoulders and chest tapered into a trim waist. His kilt ended at the knee, revealing thick, muscular calves. I swallowed, resisting the urge to take a step back in retreat.
“So tell me then, Dougal Gordon, what brings you here to make demands of the MacGregor?”
Terror clawed up inside of me and pushed me to action. I tore my arm out of my uncle’s grip and ran blindly for the trees. Blood pounded in my ears and I had only made it a few steps before my uncle’s arm wrapped around my waist and he hauled me back to the fire pit.
“No!” I screamed, but it was muffled by the gag. I kicked out wildly and struggled against his grip.
“Shut up, ye stupid girl. It’s the only way.”
I screamed at the top of my lungs and he clamped a hand over my mouth, forcing the gag in deeper. I choked on the taste of sweat, dirt and leather.
Through my panic I could see the MacGregor watching us with an expression of faint interest, but he said nothing.
“MacGregor. I bring you Glenna Gordon, eldest child and only daughter of chief Cameron Gordon,” Dougal told him.
“The lass doesn’t look to be very happy to be making my acquaintance. Why don’t ye tell me why you’ve brought her here?”
I strained against Dougal’s grip, but he refused to release me. His arms were tight across my ribcage, keeping me trapped.
“We got word that your men were soon to be on our lands. The Gordon wants no trouble from you, MacGregor. His daughter is a peace offering. Leave our lands be and she is yours.”
Furious with what I was hearing, I reached up and dug my nails i
nto the flesh on the back of my uncle’s hand, then ripped down as hard as I could.
“Ye wee bitch!” he spat, yanking his hand away and shoving me away from him.
I fell into the dirt on my hands and knees, just barely missing the fire. I used my few precious moments of freedom to tear the gag out of my mouth.
“My father will have your head for this!” I shouted. “The devil take you, Uncle. You’ll never get away with this.”
“And just what do ye expect me to do with her, Dougal?”
The MacGregor did not even bother to glance in my direction, completely ignoring my outburst as if I had not spoken.
“It matters not to me. Take her to your bed or put her to work. Do with her as you please. Just leave our lands in peace.”
“And what if me and my men think we would find more pleasure in stealing your cattle and taking what we choose? Or gathering my forces and decimating your lands? I have no need of her.”
The MacGregor looked down at me with narrow eyes. I felt as if he looked straight into the core of me, burning through me in an attempt to see all that I was. I could not have felt more exposed if I had been standing there before him in naught but my shift.
“Damn ye, MacGregor. Is your heart truly so black? Maybe ye really are the devil, as they say,” Dougal spat.
The MacGregor’s bright green eyes flashed in anger and he took a step forward. The fire was the only thing separating him and my uncle, and I was sure it was the only thing that kept my uncle from losing his head in that very moment. I was almost sorry that it barred the giant man’s path, so angry was I at this betrayal by my own blood.
“Take her.” The MacGregor’s command was devoid of all emotion.
Two of his men advanced on me and I swung out wildly with my bound hands, trying to fend them off as they hauled me to my feet and dragged me off to the side.
Claimed by the Highland Wolf Page 2