Highland Song

by Young, Christine

  She hit the bottom of the ravine. Crying and calling for Slade, unable to see, Lainie crawled through the mud. A muffled groan floated toward her from a pile of mud and branches. A huge tree had been uprooted by the slide, roots tangled with shredded bushes stood sentinel in the dark night.

  On her knees, and using both arms, Lainie pushed the debris away. For every armful of mud she pushed away, two more took its place.

  "Slade."

  There were no more sounds in the stillness save that of her broken sobs and the falling rain.

  It was the same at dawn when Lainie realized she didn't have the strength to dig through the mudslide alone.

  #

  Filthy, wild-eyed, nerves ripped apart, Lainie scrambled up the hill slipping backward, pulling bushes and small trees with her. She prayed Lachlan was not far down the trail, and she prayed Jericho's men weren't right behind him. And if she met with Jericho and not Lachlan she would find someway to bride them. Slade was, after all a member of the King's army.

  They want the bounty placed on my head. They can have it. But first, they have to dig Slade free. I don't know how I can hold them at sword point but I'll find a way. I'll think of something. I won’t let Slade die.

  Lainie knew her plan was foolish at best. She just didn’t care. She could think of no other way to save Slade. If she didn't find Lachlan, she would have to approach Jericho and his mercenaries. She wasn't strong enough to dig Slade out from beneath the tree, Lachlan was and so were Jericho's mercenaries.

  She needed help, so she would take her chances.

  Lainie picked her way around the slide, leading her horse by its reins. Her hair and her clothes were coated with mud. So was everything except the sword, the longbow and the dirk she carried. She had wiped them down with a care her brothers had taught her. She had grabbed hold of Slade's longbow. It was loaded and ready to use. If nothing else, she could shoot an arrow straight through Jericho's heart.

  The trail Lachlan took was bordered by forest and brush. It was also wider, more well traveled than the one she and Slade had taken. Silence was impossible, but that didn't matter any more, speed did.

  Lainie heard the men first. Their talk was loud and raucous. She pulled her horse off the road and made her way parallel to the road on an animal trail. They had stopped to eat and were spread around a little clearing. A creek meandered near by. She had already decided Jericho would be her prisoner. It was just a matter of figuring out how she was going to go about capturing the man.

  Hunkered down behind thick berry bushes, Lainie told herself she was lucky not to be a prisoner herself. A quick count gave her a total of ten men.

  Hopelessness twisted darkly in Lainie's heart. Five men she might have managed to watch. Even six…

  But ten?

  I can't change what's out there. Grab Jericho, make a deal, and get Slade's help. No matter how bad it looks for me, what Slade is facing is worse. Trapped beneath a tree and mud, he was buried alive. At least she prayed he was still alive.

  I've got to get him soon. I can't leave him there. He'll smother if I don't get him out soon.

  Lainie refused to think about the possibility Slade was dead under the weight of the huge tree, waiting for help that might be too late. Lainie was certain she would know if he weren't alive. She would feel his death just as surely as she felt her life now.

  Wiping her eyes against her sleeve, she looked again at the men. The rain had stopped and a light mist fell. A hazy sun shown dully through the fog-like clouds, creating an eerie scene.

  Smiling grimly, Lainie eased back from the berry bush. As soon as she was moving into the open a hand shot out and clamped over her mouth. Simultaneously, a powerful arm clamped around her waist, pinning her arms to her body. Though she was holding a longbow, she had no chance to use it. An instant later Lainie was lifted off her feet, helpless but for her wildly kicking feet.

  "Slow down, lass," a deep voice said quietly in Lainie's ear. "It's your brother."

  Lainie went dead still then looked over her shoulder. "Hawke," she mouthed, no sound coming from her parched lips. "How did you find me?"

  Hawke's steel blue eyes looked back at her. The warmth she remembered in his eyes was lacking. He looked just like he used to look--before he met Callie--a man seeking vengeance.

  Lainie nodded to show she understood she was safe. Slowly, Hawke set her down. When she was standing on her own feet, he jerked his thumb, silently telling Lainie to move deeper into cover.

  As soon as she did, another man stepped forward. She didn't recognize him immediately because he stood in the shadows. But as he moved, she realized he had the same black hair and the same muscular build as Hawke.

  "Ian," she whispered.

  Relief swept through her. For the first time since the mudslide, she believed Slade might live. Hawke's hands moved silently, telling Ian what he wanted him to do. Ian nodded and moved past Lainie, embracing her quickly in silent greeting as he did.

  Lainie stared for an instant. Then eased farther back into the trees, pulled by Hawke's hand on her arm. As soon as it was safe to speak, she did.

  "There was a mudslide. Slade is trapped. I don't know how you're going to pull him out, but you have to find a way."

  Hawke's eyes narrowed. "Do you know if he is alive?"

  She nodded, unable to say anything for the fear sweeping down her spine. She didn't want to acknowledge in any way he might be dead.

  "Is he hurt?" Hawke asked.

  "Most likely. I couldn't get to him."

  "What did he say?'

  "He groaned then I didn't hear anything else. I don't know if he could hear me."

  "I'm not going to ask you how you know he's alive, lass. I'm guessing at things I don't want to talk about with you until he's safe." Hawke stared at her as if he was probing for answers to unasked questions.

  "Did ye see Lachlan?" Lainie asked.

  Hawke nodded. "Aye, he's here too. We caught up with him just after he left you, and he told us your plan."

  "Good," Lainie said. "I was hoping he hadn't gone too far down the trail."

  "I took care of the guards," Hawke said. Go back to the slide and wait. We'll be there as soon as we can. See if you can talk to Slade."

  "Hawke," she started to protest. Lainie was tired of being told to go somewhere and wait.

  "Go. We can't do anything for Slade as long as Jericho and his mercenaries are out there planning on kidnapping you for the bounty Bertram put on your head."

  Hawke turned away for a moment, then stopped and looked over his shoulder at Lainie.

  "Don't forget, Lachlan is out there too. We're all here for you. Don't skewer him through because you think he is someone he isn't," Hawke warned her.

  Numbly Lainie nodded.

  Hawke ruffled her hair. "Now go on up to the slide and wait four us. No more arguments, you hear. We won't be long."

  "I can help."

  "Sure you can. Ye can do as I told you. Don't let anything happen to yourself. We wouldn't be able to find Slade if we don't have you to show us where to go," Hawke spoke in hushed tones, clearly impatient with her.

  "Then I'll go back to the slide. Slade might be calling for me," Lainie said unhappily, hearing the catch in her throat and not wanting to shed the tears welling behind her eyes.

  "Don't go down the hill until I’m there," Hawke said flatly.

  Lainie opened her mouth to argue. She had fully intended to find Slade and reassure him.

  "I mean it, Lainie. Mind what I tell you. I don't want to have to start digging you out to."

  "But--"

  "Lainie, without you," Hawke said roughly, overriding her attempts to speak. "We don't have chance in hell of helping Slade."

  Slowly, Lainie nodded and turned away, not even noticing the tears she was unable to hold back that were once again making silver trails through the mud on her cheeks.

  She was halfway up the path when the screams began and she heard the clash of swords. She supp
osed they started by using their longbows then moved in to finish the killing.

  By the time Lainie reached the slide, the noise was gradually subsiding. Silence returned to the mountain before she reached the part of the trail that had vanished into nothingness.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "I'll do what I think is right," Lainie said flatly. “’Tis not a fine thing to be telling me what to do with my life.”

  Shoulders squared, and with a determination she'd never known before in their presence, she faced her two brothers. Life had taught her a lot about men--more than she'd ever wanted to know.

  "You will not put yourself in danger," Hawke said in his normal overprotective manner. "If we hadn't come along, you would have tried to take on Jericho's mercenaries all by yourself with nothing more than a longbow and a sword. And now you want to go down to the bottom of that ravine to pull out a man who was taking you to Bertram."

  "Was," Lainie said emphatically. "He changed his mind and was taking me home. ‘Tis not what you’re thinking, Colin MacPherson."

  Hawke waved a hand in dismissal. "It doesn't make any difference now. We're here and we're going down. You're going to stay topside where it's safe."

  And let the man I love die?

  "I went after Jericho because I didn't care if any of those mercenaries died trying to dig Slade out," Lainie said with calm resolve. "You and Ian have families waiting for your safe return. I have no one. I couldn't do it by myself, but I'm not going to let the two of you take this risk."

  She turned to Ian. 'I'm the only one who knows where Slade is, and I don't have a soul who looks to me for anything at all."

  As Lainie moved to start down the steep mountainside, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.

  "I'm coming with ye, Lainie," Lachlan said.

  “As we all are,” Hawke said.

  Lainie shook her head, remembering that Lachlan had once wanted to wed her. She didn't want to use him, and she didn't want him to think she might have feelings for him. Besides, he wouldn't want her if he knew all that had happened to her and all she had willingly done with Slade.

  Like her brothers, Lachlan's eyes were filled with cold determination. She knew no amount of talking would change their minds.

  "Don't waste my time arguing, lass. We know he's under that pile of debris. Unless he walked away while ye were gone," Lachlan said bluntly.

  Lainie felt her heart lodge in her throat.

  "Either I go with ye or I go alone. I'll find him either way," Lachlan told her.

  Lainie didn't doubt it.

  "All right," she said her heart aching. "I'd like that. I'm not nearly as strong as the three of you."

  Lachlan let her go. Ignoring Hawke and Ian's objections, she stepped forward and tried not to loosen any more mud and debris during her descent. Lachlan followed.

  Hawke and Ian were right behind them.

  Lainie heard the sounds of more than one person following her, looked over her shoulder, and felt her soul aching for the loving family she had abandoned over a year ago. Though there truly wasn't room for more than one man to dig, the others might be able to help move the tree that she was sure had landed on Slade.

  She reached the bottom and realized more rocks had slid down since she was here last. Lachlan walked around the site examining everything. Hawke and Ian kept back a bit as if soaking everything in and trying to figure the best way to get Slade out.

  A mist so fine that barely dampened the already soaked earth hung in the air. Lachlan took in the place with a single glance.

  Lainie knotted her hair and looked from one man to the other. "I think he is under the tree and that large boulder. When I first slid down and called out his name, I heard him groan then nothing. Even though I shouted and shouted, he didn't answer."

  Lachlan's mouth thinned, but all he said was, "let me try it. My voice is louder than yours lass, and mayhap it will penetrate all this mud."

  Lainie nodded tightly and watched as Lachlan knelt. The pile of muddy debris looked like a grave to Lainie. She wasn't about to let it be Slade's grave, not while there was a breath left in her body.

  "Surprised, Aaron Slade was going against his orders and bringing you home," Lachlan said. "His reputation precedes himself, and I don't think he has ever done anything quite so rash."

  "Maybe he's not who ye think he is," she said tightly, knowing that despite the fact that he was not turning her over to Bertram, he meant to abandon her as soon as he saw her safe in the MacPherson castle.

  The only sound that came from Lachlan was a low curse as he forced himself to ignore the boulder lying on top of the massive tree trunk. His muscles bulged as he single-handedly tried to push the tree away.

  Lainie sank to her knees and sat down beside the stream running nearby her mind focused only on Slade. How on earth was she going to save him? Hawke touched her shoulder, she jerked wildly.

  Lachlan's deep voice boomed through the eerie stillness as he called for Slade. Silence followed. Lachlan called again. More silence followed. It was no different the third and fourth time Lachlan yelled Slade's name.

  "I'd give anything for a few more men Hawke said, handing a tree branch to Lachlan and Ian. "Best we get started. This may take a long time."

  The sound of tree limbs raking against mud and stone echoed down the narrow ravine as the three men began to dig.

  "Lainie, you can move as much as you can of the debris out of the way," Hawke said.

  Ian lodged a huge branch under a massive boulder and pushed down. The rock creaked and began to move. Ian swore in a combination of English and Gaelic.

  "You sure he's under the tree?" Hawke asked.

  Lainie nodded and watched as Lachlan, Ian and Hawke grunted and shoveled more earthen rubble from the tiny area. They spent the rest of the day in a rhythmic pattern of digging mud then pushing it aside. At times more mud and shrubs slid down the hillside adding their weight to what the foursome was trying to eliminate.

  Lainie barely noticed her exhaustion as she worked steadily, brushing tendrils of hair from her mud stained face then bending to the work once again.

  In time, Lainie could see some headway. A noticeable gap existed now between the ground and the tree. In one place, she could see through to the other side.

  "I see something," Lachlan called.

  "Is it Slade? Is he alive?" Lainie asked.

  "Can't tell. The mud keeps--"

  A shower of wet earth cut off Lachlan's words. He cursed in the kind of swearing invective learned in the toughest ports on earth. And as he cursed, he dug.

  It didn't make a difference how hard the three men worked. They could not stay ahead of the slippery ooze of mud that wanted nothing more than to take the place of the mud they'd just dislodged. The grim set of Hawke's mouth when he looked at Lainie told her this might be a hopeless cause.

  "The more mud I get rid of, more of it takes its place," Lachlan said, wiping away both sweat and mud from his face. "I got the biggest pieces out of the way, but the slippery mud just oozes right in to fill up the hole."

  "Were those Slade's legs?" Lainie asked, fear for Slade's life growing with each passing second.

  Lachlan looked at Lainie's shadowed blue eyes and pinched face. He stroked her tangled hair with gentleness.

  "I couldn't get a space clear enough or wide enough to be sure," Lachlan said. "But rest assured, lass, we won't give up until we find him."

  He looked away as if unable to confront the anguished hope in Lainie's face.

  She didn't ask for any more information. If Slade had called out in return, Lachlan would have heard.

  "At least we know he can breathe now. I don't think the tree has pinned him down, because there is enough space to hold all that mud coming down the hill. Lord, but I wish the sun would come out." He looked at the sky as if his spoken wish would come true.

  Lainie nodded, but her attention was on the ground beneath the tree and the constant rumble of the earth.


  "If he wasn't killed from the tumble down the mountain, I think there's a good chance of finding him alive."

  "Rest now. You can start in again as soon as I bring you something to eat and drink," Lainie said in a shaking voice afraid to acknowledge that Slade might not have survived.

  Lachlan's teeth were a white flash against his mud-caked face.

  "I wouldn't mind some water," he agreed. "I'll eat later when we find him."