“Hello niece,” Laird Stewart said as he revealed himself from behind one of the trees.
She quickly turned around and her eyes widened. “Uncle, what are ye doing here? And why are ye hiding out in the bushes? What is going on?” she looked at him curiously.
“I apologize for the diversion. It was safer this way. I heard rumors that yer laird has brought home a lass wit him. Is that true?”
“Aye, Lady Annella. They are to be married. Why?”
Rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger he stood there contemplating his plan.
“She is no’ to be trusted, Elspeth. She is an imposter. She has pledged her allegiance to the English King. She is imposing as a loyal Scottish rebel to help the English hunt down the Lairds and Earls who dinna follow the English king. And she has plans to have yer Laird killed. I have seen the English. They are camped out no’ too far away from here.”
“The English? I have heard they might have scouts in the area but I dinna ken why they would travel this far to the north.”
“Ye see? The cunning whore has planned all of this. The English is coming to destroy this clan and yer laird is to be hanged.”
“I must warn him,” she said in a panic.
“Nay, she will be expecting that. Nay, what ye need to do is bring the lass to me. I will protect the MacKinnon clan from her treachery. I have brought my men of arms in secret. We will imprison her and take her to Wallace himself where she can confess her sins. I am afraid that if ye tell yer laird that ye may put his life in danger. Now ye dinna want that, do ye?”
“Nay, of course not. Oh, thank ye, Uncle. I will see what I can do to bring her out here into the open, alone. I will no’ fail ye, Uncle.”
“Good lass. Ye were always my favorite, Elspeth,” he said as he patted her on the head and watched her run back towards the village.
Now that his bait was set, all he needed to do was wait and his whore of a wife will enter his trap.
“Yer home is charming and so vast. I dinna ken how I will possibly find my way around without getting lost,” Annella said as she held onto Rory’s arm while they walked across the footbridge and down into the gardens.
Rory chuckled.
“My lady, ye are so beautiful.”
Annella looked down and felt her cheeks begin to blush again. Rory reached out and cupped her chin in his hand raising her head up so that he could look into her eyes.
“Why do ye look down when I say that?”
Annella shrugged her shoulders and gave him an innocent look from underneath her eyelashes.
“A fiery lass like ye should be bold and confident, my lady, and ken that she is as beautiful.”
Looking up at the sky the clouds were moving faster and had begun to darken. “We should head back inside, my lady. It looks like a storm is a coming.”
“When can we talk about the approaching threat coming our way? Rory, I want to fight wit ye. I ken ye want me out of harm’s way but he killed my father and almost killed me. I dinna want ye to fight my battle, this is my fight.”
“Ye are so brave, lass. And aye ye are right. I want ye as far away from the fighting as possible. My men can handle any threat that comes to our gates. If Stewart comes for a fight, then we will give him one. But ye must promise that ye will no’ be near the danger.”
“What if I stay on top of the curtain wall wit the other archers?”
Rory smiled down at her, “When the time comes, we shall see what events unfold.”
Annella started walking down the hallway towards the direction of the stairs. She passed a small corridor. From the corner of her eye, she saw a glimmer of light coming from underneath a floor board that caught her attention. She could hear voices. She looked back down the hallway to see if anyone was nearby. When no one was in sight, she slipped into the dark corridor to take better advantage to hear what was going on below.
Leaning up against the cold wall, she closed her eyes to help her concentrate. It was not a habit of hers to eavesdrop but when she heard Rory’s voice, curiosity got the best of her. Rory was speaking with someone. Ewan, perhaps.
“Rory, a messenger came this morning. He said that his laird demands the release of Lady Annella. They are camped out a few miles away. They say that if we hand her over, there will be nay an attack. They just want the lass. About three dozen of ‘em. No’ nearly enough for them to actually win in battle against us.”
“Gather the men, we will surprise them in the woods at nightfall. They will no’ be expecting us to attack during the night. Send the messenger back to give them a message. Tell them that Lady Annella is no’ married to Laird Stewart and that she will no’ be leaving Dunakin.”
Annella heard Rory pound his fist on something hard making a loud thumping noise, causing her to flinch. She put her hand over her mouth to keep her nervous breathing quiet. She started trembling and her eyes filled with tears. Nay. I will no’ let Rory or his people die because of me. If that whoreson wants a war, then damn it he will have one. Annella quietly left the corridor and ran to the chamber.
Annella knew what she needed to do. She needed to leave, to face Stewart alone. She grabbed her bow and quiver and laced up her leather riding boots. She snuck down the stairs around the corner, waiting for the right moment when she could slip passed the guards and into the stable.
Walking back from the village, Elspeth saw Annella sneaking around the courtyard. Wondering what she was up to, she began to follow her. Traitor, Elspeth quietly spoke. How dare she come here, steal Rory from her and sacrifice her clan to the wolves. Elspeth was not going to let that happen. She thought that with no one around, this was the perfect opportunity to lead her into the woods for her uncle to drag her away unnoticed. Rory would be safe and she would be there for him to run into her arms looking for comfort from the hurt and betrayal. Elspeth felt that she worked too hard for some wench to show up and ruin it for her.
“My lady, is there something I can help ye with,” Elspeth asked as she entered into the stable closely behind Annella.
Surprised by her approach, Annella quickly turned around and dropped the reins.
“Ach, ye surprised me. I was just checking on my horse to see how he fared.”
Annella was unsure that she could trust the woman. She didn’t want Elspeth telling Rory that she had been out here. If he knew, he would stop her from going, but this was something that Annella needed to do.
“Ye ken, my lady, word that is that the English are hiding out in these verra woods. I heard they are camped out just south of here. Ye looked like ye were going to go riding. I was just worried about yer safety, my lady. The laird had said that nobody is to leave the castle grounds,” she said trying to act like she was deeply concerned.
If Annella was going to report back to the English, she was going to give her a false report to lead her directly into her uncle’s hands instead.
South of the woods? As soon as she could take her leave of Elspeth, she would jump on Finlay’s back and head into that direction as fast as she could.
“Thank ye for yer concern. But as I said I am just visiting my horse. I am used to riding him on a daily basis,” she said and turned her attention back to the stallion and began rubbing him down.
“Verra good, my lady,” Elspeth said as she walked away grinning hoping that Annella would take her bait.
Once Annella was alone, she mounted Finlay. Covering herself with an old cloak she found hanging on a rusty hook, she headed out the gates and into the woods. Looking similar to the other village folk, no one recognized her.
Chapter 14
Rory and the small band of warriors made it all the way to the peak of the mountain before they stopped. They hid behind the tall trees watching and waiting for the moon to rise high in the sky. They would use the darkness as an advantage. At the bottom of the hill, several English tents had been erected and several men of arms were standing guard around their campsite. Rory gave the signal and each man slowing descended down the hill in
a spread out formation.
From the corner of his eye, Rory watched as an English soldier walked past; he jumped out from behind the tree and launched his full body at him. Putting one hand over his mouth and the other wrapped around his head, Rory swiftly jerked the soldier’s head breaking his neck. Without even a whisper, the man quietly fell to the ground.
From the other side of the camp, Rory heard shouts of alarm, causing him and he and his men to advance inside the tented area. Swinging his blade, Rory cut down five more of his enemies. It was all too easy.
“My laird, we have tied up the rest of the prisoners but there was no’ a sign of Stewart or his men. All of these men be English,” Ewan said.
“Of course we are English, you filthy barbarians,” one of the prisoners hollered as he struggled against his bindings.
Rory walked up to the man and pressed the tip of his sword against his throat.
“Where is yer Earl and Laird Stewart?” Rory demanded.
The man looked at him with disgust and spit at him.
“I said speak or I will cut out yer tongue, laddie. Dinna be testing me.”
Hesitantly the man replied, “The Earl did not come with us. We joined Stewart’s men because he said that he could track the girl into the Highlands. However that traitor and his men escaped us this morning and we haven’t seen him since.”
Where would he have gone? Rory’s mind carefully considered the man’s words as the gut-wrenching panic to set in; causing the hairs on his arms to rise. It’s a trap! With him and his best men gone from the castle, the castle now had little protection behind its walls.
“Tie the prisoners together and bring ‘em to the dungeon. We must hurry.”
“What is it?” Ewan asked.
“The castle is nay safe.”
Ewan knew exactly what Rory meant and tightened the rope holding the prisoners. Leaving a few men behind to bring back the prisoners, Rory and the rest of them raced back to Dunakin as fast as they could.
Dashing through the gates into the bailey, Rory was thankful that everything looked to be normal but he knew how deceiving looks could be.
“Close the gates. I want this place searched. Every room if ye have to,” Rory roared as his men looked at each other in confusion.
Rory ran up the stairs into the keep and up to his room to make sure that Annella was asleep and safe in his bed. Ewan closely followed behind. When he opened the door however, there was no sign of her.
Spotting Lil down the hall he called out, “Lil, where is Lady Annella?”
“I dinna ken where she is, my laird. I have nay seen her since this evening. I thought she was sleeping in her chamber.”
“What do ye mean ye dinna ken where she is?” Rory hollered at Lil.
“My laird, I saw her head up the stairs towards yerchamber after she returned with ye this afternoon but that was the last time I saw her.”
Rory tried to remember the events after their walk. He knew he had gone into the library to speak with Ewan and his brother. Could she have heard us talking? Rory then looked over into the wardrobe and froze.
Noticing the change in his behavior, Ewan asked, “What is it?”
“Damn it…she’s gone. How the hell did she get past the guards?”
Running down the stairs, Ewan ran after him and called out, “How do ye ken she is gone?”
“Her bow and quiver, they are missing. She must have heard us say that the English were here. She must have gone to surrender herself, that daft woman. She could nay have gotten far.”
What could she be thinking? Rory’s insides tightened with nervousness. If Stewart got his hands on her, he may never see her again. He could not let that happen. He almost lost her once; he would not lose her again.
Jumping on the back of his horse, Ewan and Rory disappeared through the gates. Time was short; no time to gather the men to join them. Racing through the woods, he called out for Annella but there was no answer. He felt both anger and fear at the same time; a deadly combination.
Elspeth watched as Rory and Ewan rode off into the woods. Annella headed south, just as she had anticipated. She inwardly smiled as she saw Rory and Ewan race into the opposite direction. Mounting a horse she stole out of the stables when no one was watching she headed in the direction her uncle was waiting. As a worker in the kitchen, no one would notice her absence or find it odd that she would be wandering outside of the village.
She quietly entered the woods and once out of sight, raced through the trees to find her uncle. When she got to his camp, she saw Annella tied to a tree with a gag in her mouth.
“Ah, Elspeth. Well done. Ye have made yer uncle verra proud,” Stewart said grinning.
Uncle? Annella gave Elspeth a deadly stare. She wanted to yell and rip her hair out for her deceit. She purposely led her right into Stewart’s lair. She knew that she couldn’t trust the woman from the start. She struggled to loosen her bindings but was unsuccessful.
“Will ye now be taking her to Wallace? I am sure that Laird MacKinnon will be verra grateful that ye unmasked this traitor for what she really is. Perhaps ye will be rewarded.”
“Ah niece, trust me, I have my reward,” he said as he walked over to Annella and licked the side of her cheek. Unable to stop him, Annella tried to turn her head away from him but with force, he held her head in place. She pulled on her ropes only causing them to bite harder into her skin.
“I will return now and tell Laird MacKinnon that ye have found a traitor in his midst and are leaving to seek justice,” Elspeth said as she began to walk away.
“Grab her,” Stewart said to his guard pointing in Elspeth’s direction. “Sorry, lass. But I’m afraid ye will have to come wit us. Ye see lass, I have come for my wife, Annella. I was the one who led the English here. Following the foolish rebellion only gets ye killed and banished. The English may be ruthless, but if ye vow to them, they are like yer own personal guard dogs. I was the one who helped them seize Annella’s castle and kill her father. And now that we are married, her lands, title and coin are rightfully mine. So ye see, I can nay have ye going back to tell yer laird where me and my men be. Ye too are now a traitor and it will be by my hand that takes the life of Laird MacKinnon, nay the English.”
“Nay I dinna believe it. Ye said…I thought… What have I done?”
The tall guard standing behind the bushes seized Elspeth’s hands and tied them together. Struggling to free herself, she fought off her captor and ran as fast as she could, dodging tree after tree. She felt awful. She betrayed both Rory and Annella. She easily allowed her own uncle to trick her because of her jealousy and now was going to kill Annella and Rory and it was all her fault. She had to get back to the castle, to warn Rory and beg for forgiveness.
Behind her, she heard Annella yell out a muffled scream. She turned, whipping her long black hair around and saw her captor release an arrow in her direction. When it hit its mark she looked down at her stomach where the arrow hit and fell to the ground.
“Nay,” Annella cried out as she saw Elspeth falter. Their eyes locked onto each other as if Elspeth was asking for her forgiveness.
“Ye four, make sure she is dead and bury her body. We dinna want her to be discovered. The rest of us are leaving. Meet us back at the Wild Boars Inn. Make sure ye are nay followed.”
“Aye, my laird,” the men replied in unison.
The night was getting colder as the hours passed. Aside from the sound of the crunching autumn leaves kicking up from under the horse’s hoofs, the woods were silent. Clouds moved in, covering most of the moonlight. Rory was starting to feel hopeless, but he was determined not to give up on Annella. He knew that she could be in grave danger.
“Rory, we have searched for hours. It is too dark out here to see anything,” Ewan said feeling distressed that their search has come up empty.
“Ye can go back if ye want to, Ewan. I am going to find her.”
And just out of luck, as despair filled Rory’s heart, he saw a sma
ll group of men in the distance holding onto a lit torch. Quietly slowing his horse, Ewan and Rory watched the men as they were searching for something, or someone.
“What do ye suppose they are doing out here in the darkness?” Ewan asked.
“I am nay sure. Let’s get a closer look.”
Together they rode in silence trying to avoid the horses from making too much noise from the littered forest floor. Rory could hear the men talking amongst themselves but they were too far away to hear what they were saying. He slid off his horse and readied his sword as Ewan did the same.
“There she is,” called out one of the men in a gruff voice.
“It’s about time. We should have been back hours ago and me legs are killin’ me,” replied another.
Squinting his eyes, Rory looked down where the man was pointing the torch. He saw a young woman curled up on the ground with her hair all tussled around her face. Annella? Instantly he was enveloped with fear. He felt the color drain from his face and his hands began to shake; he was barely able to hold onto the hilt of his sword. He dropped down to the ground on one knee and rested his bowed head on his arm using his sword as support.
But his fear and anguish did not last long. His nose flared with every deep exhale. He raised his head and affixed his eyes on the men before him. They didn’t know it but they were already dead. All thought left his mind. Instinctively, he grabbed his sword he bolted out of hiding and sliced his nearest opponent.
Filled with rage and adrenaline, he fought the four men like a wild beast. Ewan stayed back knowing that it was vital to give Rory the space he needed, not to mention that the way he swung his sword around, he too may be caught in the path of his blade and rage.
The bodies of all four men were scattered across the ground. Rory stood trying to control his breathing. Ewan watched as he ran over to Annella’s limp body.
Ewan walked up next to him, placing his large hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Bending down, Ewan brushed the hair out of her face. Taken by surprise, he took in a sharp breath.
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