The Twisted Laird

by Cherime MacFarlane

  Chapter Forty - Five

  He knew what he looked like and it suited Edan well enough. Shortly after waking in the old cottage, he walked up to the pond in the corrie. His hair was tangled with twigs and leaves from the night he had spent in the rain. Edan hacked it off at the base of his skull with his knife.

  Standing in the keep in his old bedroom, Edan was searching for old clothing he had not bothered to take to Glasgow. Finding what he was looking for in a corner, he smiled to see mouse droppings on the shirts.

  Back downstairs in the store room, Edan located several old, thread bare blankets. They would do. One was going to be his outside covering. The good, heavy leather coat would be rolled up into the bundle on the pack horse. It would not be good for a penniless half-wit to be seen with such an item.

  Wrapping the other blanket about his waist, Edan tied it on the side. The other matter was the color of his eyes. They were unmistakable. A thought did come to him, a covering over one eye would hide the different coloring.

  Sitting in the sun on the steps of the keep, Edan fashioned an eye patch from scraps of leather and cord he found in the store room. His blue eyes was a more easily found color, so he would cover his green eye.

  With charcoal from the fireplace, Edan darkened his face. Rubbing it into the skin of his hands and face, then down his neck, increased the look of someone too unhinged mentally to care about their appearance.

  "Do ye ken, luv, this doesnae bother me?" He fitted the eye covering on and tied the cord in a knot behind his head.

  "Dinnae mind me, sweet. I'm going tae be having conversations with ye here for ah bit. All will think me somewhat daft, which is nae more than tha truth."

  If he was able to talk to the dead, what would his Daracha respond? Tipping his head to one side, Edan closed his eyes. "Och! I was quite daft where ye were concerned. Ye may well laugh, lass, I didnae understand tha way of it myself."

  He loaded up a small pack on the other horse and began the trip down to Glasgow. That night he camped in the old Pict cave on the far side of MacFarlane land. His Da had shown both his sons the faint track over the back side of the mountain. Birk made sure they knew exactly where to look for the cave.

  Making sure it was where it was supposed to be, was all part of the plan. The second horse was also part of his plan. He would use it to transport his prey once they were immobilized. The cave was the place he was going to bring them to. Gagged and bound, they would have no idea where they were.

  "What do ye think of tha plan, my lovely? Will it suit? Ye do ken how desperate my need is tae settle accounts? Och! I thought ye might understand. Now, Hamish, mind yur mouth. Dinnae be so vulgar with ah lass present."

  Edan found talking with the dead an easy thing to do. He knew both his brother and his wife well enough to imagine their responses. But it was a dangerous game to play. His mind was able to conjure the words so easily, he could almost swear he heard their replies.

  Wandering down into the low lands, Edan crossed the ford at the Leven. There was a new ferryman. The new man backed away slightly from Edan when he rode over to talk with him. "Here now! Be on yur way. I've paying customers to deal with. Away with ye!

  Edan leaned over the horse's neck. "I'm only inquiring about my friend, Jock. I nae see him. Where might he be, do ye ken?"

  With a sharp shake of his head, the new man pointed in the direction of town. "I've nae time for questions. He's gone away, somewhere. Nae one kens. He an that cousin o' his, Ian, have taken ah flit. Tally would give ah fair bit o' coin tae have that bit o' information."

  "Brother, sweeting, do we ken tha whereabouts o' tha Smiths?" Edan looked back toward the bundle on the horse behind him. When he turned in the saddle, the ferryman was staring at him with wide eyes.

  "Neither me brother, nor me wife have any information on tha subject. 'Tis sorry, I am tae nae be able tae help."

  Easing back in the saddle, Edan turned his head again. "Brother, are we up for ah bit of ale? Nae, luv. We're nae getting drunk, there's nae enough coin for it." Edan pulled the animal's reins around to turn the horse toward town once again.

  Another quick look at the ferryman showed the man had retreated backward a substantial distance away.

  Turning back with a smile and a wave, Edan called out to the man. "Och! We'll see ye next time through, lad. Have ah care."

  Once out of sight of the ferry crossing, Edan kicked the horse into a fast walk. He wondered if Angus Williams frequented the pub near the warehouse. Who did Tally have running the warehouse now? Edan was quite certain Ian and Jock had kept their word.

  A quick check at the pub confirmed the ferryman's statement. Riding to the warehouse, Edan eased the horses past the gate. The warehouse appeared empty. Walking both horses through Gruggie's Burn, Edan came up on the back side of the place. He was able to bring both animals inside on the Clyde side of the property, as it was open to the burn itself.

  Edan decided to camp in the yard for the night. First, he made a careful search of the property. Dust was beginning to gather on the furniture inside. They were gone, which was a good thing. That left Edan with four men to deal with instead of six. It pleased him to find Ian had been truthful.

  Having discovered sanity was far easier to veer away from then he had previously thought, Edan curtailed speaking with Hamish and Daracha. Hamish had said they were going home. Daracha did not reply at all, therefore, they were not going to speak with him any further. Logically, it meant the dead and the living were not to speak. A command he recalled from the Bible.

  He would reserve his performance for those who needed to think he was quite daft. It would also be prudent to be as harmless as possible under the circumstance. He was going to be doing the killing. In order to finish his mission, Edan did need to stay alive. Living was necessary for the time being. Later was something he had not bothered to explore.

  First and foremost, was the elimination of the men who had taken Daracha from him. "An eye for an eye." Edan muttered as he set about making camp.

  The next evening found him on the Broomielaw. He walked the horses past a ship captain he knew quite well. The man took no notice of him. Edan sighed in relief. Now to find the men. His thought was to take them one by one. That would make matters easier.

  It took Edan three nights of working his way along Broomielaw Street before he found one of the men, stumbling on him by accident. He heard one of the captains having a disagreement with a stevedore. When the captain cursed Williams for leaving a job half done, Edan took notice.

  Following the man in the semidarkness of a spring evening, Edan watched the burly man meet with several other men near another ship. It seemed they were quitting for the night regardless of the unloading which still needed to be finished.

  Another captain protested only to be shouted down by the group of men. Suspecting the Morans might be in the group, Edan watched them carefully as they sauntered off into the growing darkness. Gathering behind a building, the men made themselves comfortable. Someone produced a bottle of hard spirits of some kind.

  No one was going anywhere for a while. Turning the horses, Edan took them to the far side of the building where he hobbled the animals. Carefully making his way back to the area where his prey was making itself comfortable, Edan leaned against a tree in the shadows and listened.

  Before the men had been there too long, Edan knew the faces of the men he was seeking. The man the captain cursed, was Angus Williams. With any luck, Edan would be making another trip to the cave, beginning in the early morning.

  More liquor materialized from somewhere and the impromptu party continued, until the lot of them were quite drunk. They were still moving unfortunately. Much like a bunch of insects, the group rose and started on their way to a nearby pub.

  Not wanting to alert anyone to his presence, Edan went back for the horses and trailed the group. As loud as they were, he would not lose track of them. Edan found a place to wait down the street from the pub, after hobbling
the horses again.

  Hopefully, they would not eat but only drink. There was little hope of that, as every Scot learned early on, if you ate you could drink more. He would probably have a long wait.

  Luck was with Edan. Three men left the pub and stood outside quietly talking. The Morans and Williams were discussing something seriously. The two Morans went back into the building. Williams steadied himself against the wall of the pub for a moment as he relieved himself at the corner of the building.

  Turning, the man surveyed the street as if looking for something. Edan thought he might be looking for someone. Moving out of the shadows of the building, Edan allowed his right leg to drag a little as he walked toward the other man.

  "Och! Laddie, would ye have a wee bit o' coin tae help out ah poor soul?" Edan mumbled as she sidled up to Williams.

  "Bloody beggar! Get along with ye! I've naught for tha likes of ye." Williams spewed spittle at Edan as he spoke.

  Edan purposely fell against the other man. It would be so very easy to ram a knife into him where he stood. But, killing him here was not part of the plan. He must stay the course. Pulling Williams down, Edan slammed the other man's head into the wall behind him, squarely into the piss spot Williams had made.

  Head butting Williams, laid the other man out. Edan scrambled to his feet and tugged him away from the building into the dark shadows. Moving quickly, but without panic, Edan went for the horses.

  In a very short time he was headed away from town toward the ford of the river Leven. His quarry was securely bound and gagged. Williams looked as if he were roped to the animal to keep him from falling off. Edan was simply conveying a drunk home.

  Not stopping to camp, he kept up a steady pace. Quite aware of the moment his prisoner became conscious, Edan ignored him. He watered the horses at a small burn and let them graze. He did not allow Williams to get off the horse. The man pissed himself and Edan held the horse's head, as he apologized to it, for the filth it was forced to endure.

  By the time they reached the cave, Williams was a complete mess. He had dirtied his trousers as well as pissed them. Edan promised the poor horse a bath as soon as Williams was disposed of.

  The man was making all sorts of sounds around the gag. Edan resisted the urge to throttle him then and there. Instead, he cut the rope that bound his legs to the saddle and pushed him off the horse. Hitting the ground, the man moaned slightly as his head hit the hard earth.

  Edan took the collar of Williams’ coat and pulled him into the cave. After dragging him down the main tunnel, Edan took Williams to a room which widened out in a somewhat circular shape. Two narrow corridors branched off from the room.

  Dropping his prisoner’s body to the floor, he went outside to care for the horses and build a small fire beneath a sheltering overhang.

  Taking a torch he had at the ready and lighting it at the fire, Edan walked back into the cave. Pushing the end of the lit torch into a crack where he found the remains of an old torch, Edan walked over to Williams and cut the bindings around his wrists. Sitting on a rock, Edan waited for the other man to become conscious.

  "Yur hands are free." Edan's words echoed slightly through the cave. "Here!" He tossed a knife to the man lying in his own filth on the cavern floor. "Ye ken, I'm going tae kill ye. I could have sliced intae your liver in town. But, I thought ye might want tae ken tha why of it."

  "Ye dim witted fool! I'm Tally Smith's man. Ye're going tae regret this bloody foolishness."

  "Och! I ken who ye are right enough. Ye're tha one who burned tha lumber yard on orders from Tally. Ye near killed ah wean an ye did kill my wife. Forget Tally, my count says an eye for an eye. Ye ken she died slow? An eye for an eye, Williams. Ye filthy bastard, I hate touching yur lousy flesh with my clean sgian, but needs must."

  Rising from the rock, Edan walked over to the wall. Grabbing the torch, he drove the head into the earth and suddenly, both men were in darkness. He heard Williams grab for the knife with the intention of scrabbling over to plunge it into him. With a slight smile, Edan waited for Williams to realize he was no longer there.

  Edan knew every inch of the room in the cavern. He had shut his eyes and felt his way around. All the loose rocks were gone. He had removed them. The softer leather of his old cowhide boots made little sound as he moved to the far side of the man. Reaching down along the edge of the wall, he picked up a loose shard of rock and tossed it farther back into the cavern.

  Turning toward the sound, Williams ran into the wall. A quickly stifled moan, told Edan, Williams has injured himself slightly. Taking two steps toward the noise, Edan jabbed into the darkness in front of him.

  A yelp of pain rewarded him. "Bloody wee bastard! Relight tha torch an fight like ah man." Williams shouted.

  Quickly tossing another pebble to his left, Edan sidestepped to the right. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Edan watched the shadow become smaller, as if Williams was bending over to avoid being stabbed again.

  Stepping out on his left foot, Edan sliced from left to right across the shadow in front of him. There was another yelp, which the other man hurriedly clipped off.

  Edan doubted he could get Williams to fall for the pebble trick again. It was no matter. Taking a half step forward on his right leg, Edan shifted his weight to his good left leg and lunged forward. Another cry of pain caused his smile to broaden.

  Like a wolf after a sheep, Edan kept making small slices in Williams' body. When the man finally sank to the ground, with his back against the rock wall behind him, Edan went down the tunnel and got another torch. Walking to the mouth of the cave, he lit it from the small fire that was burning there.

  Torch held high, Edan walked back into the cave. Rounding the slight bend, Edan pushed the pointed end into the ground a bit away from Williams. He walked around the man, knife in hand as he surveyed the damage.

  "I think there's ah good chance ye might well bleed tae death, laddie. Ye're making an awful mess on tha floor here, what with tha cac, blood and all."

  "We didnae mean tae kill yur woman. 'Twas an accident. Ye're MacGrough, are ye not?"

  "Aye, 'Tis tha lame MacGrough what has cut ye tae ribbons this night. Did Tally tell ye I was nae much good for keeping mine safe? I may nae have kept her as safe as I should, but it was ye who caused tha fire. It was ye who couldnae control yur horse 'cause ye were so drunk ye could hardly ride. It was going tae be an easy job, just ah cripple an ah flock of hens. Should I make it easy on ye an slice yur throat?"

  Backing away, Edan sat on the rock again. He reached down to rub his leg. "Tis ah bit tender this night. But, I've more work tae do shortly. I'm going tae drag yur worthless, over ripe body out intae tha dark an let ye bleed out. Ye can try tae run. Do so, if ye can move. Then again, I could always slice yur hamstrings an leave ye tae tha night creatures."

  "Have mercy, MacGrough. Please, slice me throat. Kill me an have done with it."

  "I dinnae think I've any idea what mercy is now. It's been burned out of me. First tha butchery at Culloden, then my heart was torn out. I dinnae ken "mercy". I will tell ye this, all tha rest are going tae meet with me in this cave. But, Tally will be last. Is it mercy for me tae tell ye, ye willnae be tha only one tae pay with his life?"

  Edan pried the knife from the man's hand and pulled him out into the night. Williams screamed twice as Edan jerked him over the rocky floor. In the end, Edan did cut his throat.

  Sitting out before the small fire, Edan stared out at the star filled sky. A shooting star flung itself across the darkness above him. Glowing red for a moment, it winked out.

  "God! I ken, I'm as great ah wretch as Tally, the wee lump of cac. I cannae ask ye for forgiveness. I'm going tae do this three times more. There's nae question of it, I'm ah murderer. I've sinned against ye an I'm going tae do it again.

  Chapter Forty - Six

  The rowan tree at the end of their property was starting to set the fruit the huge clusters of white blooms had promised. Masses of bright red berries w
ere beginning to attract birds.

  Lara was cuddling with Cadell on the blanket Rhona had spread beneath the deep green leaves. Playing a quiet game with the boy, Lara did not look up when the birds lifted from the tree in a flurry of shiny wings.

  With Ailene's little head tucked into the curve of her neck, Rhona was swaying slightly from side to side. The rush of wings caught her attention. Looking up, Rhona caught sight of a man astride a horse just at the end of the lane.

  "Edan!" She whispered his name. The manner in which he rode told Rhona exactly who was at the end of the drive. Turning to face him squarely, Rhona raised her head and lifted Ailene higher on her shoulder, so he might see his daughter.

  Shifting her gaze to Lara, Rhona called out to the girl. "Lara! Sit up an look behind ye." Looking up at the same time, the place where he had been was now empty. But Edan had come to check on them.

  "What did ye see?" Lara called out to her.

  Rhona shook her head in a short dismissal. "Naught, luv. I was mistaken."

  It seemed he was not yet finished. But even that short look was a good thing. To Rhona it meant he was thinking about something other than revenge. "Lass, yur Da came tae see ye." she whispered in the infant's ear. "Sweet Ailene, I ken he saw tha color of yur hair. An I'm sure seeing ye put hooks intae his heart. I pray it did. He needs tae come home. He has been tae long in tha cold."

  She told no one else of the brief visitation. It would do no good. Rhona made note of the day and that it was toward dusk. She would take care to be here again at the same time and see if the wild thing he had become, could be lured back into the fold.

  Jamie kept tabs on the news about town. So far, nothing had been heard of either of the Smiths. Tally was still doing business as a tobacco importer and he was still seeking news of his nephews.

  They returned to the house, Lara was carrying Cadell, who was attempting to hold his head upright so he might see. Ailene was asleep against Rhona's shoulder. Jamie and Rut had taken over the smaller bedroom when Rhona moved into Edan's room. Married now, they were settled into the house, happily.