by Aury Dobsyn
Her thoughts drastically changed, remembering that just before she was pulled over the cliff there had been arrows protruding from her captor’s back. While frantically struggling to her knees, Ella’s eyes darted over the long stretch of beach, and then the shock of discovery hit her full force.
Macleod warriors were leaping the short distance off the cliff, pouring onto the beach below and brutally attacking Montgomery’s men. She first spotted Nicholas and Osgood, slaying the English one right after the other. As Ella’s gaze searched for Gavin, she glimpsed a large Macleod warrior that was unknown to her. Recognition came swiftly thereafter when she noted the man’s slight limp. My God, it’s Ualan. He’s here, fighting alongside the Macleods.
Ella was soon surrounded by the blackguard, who surveyed with absolute faith and utter satisfaction Gavin battling Montgomery a short distance away. She, in contrast, was a heartbeat away from true hysterics, watching her greatest love take on the deadly adversary.
With immeasurable trepidation, Ella was riveted by her husband’s confident, deft movements. Instead of parrying, Gavin evaded Montgomery’s attack with a quick diagonal or side steps, allowing him time to study his opponent’s aggressive moves. Hearing Roger’s heavy breathing scant moments later, she realized that Gavin’s patient method of combat would soon give him the advantage. Yet, despite the fact the he was panting from his excursion, Montgomery continued to attack with ruthless determination.
The sound of metal on metal soon rang out each time Gavin or Montgomery parried the other’s blade, signifying the change in battle tactics. Ella discovered the truth to why her husband was so widely feared. The savage glint in his eye coupled with the speed, dexterity and strength of each rigorous move would inspire terror in any man. After parrying, Gavin countered with a series of quick, but powerful horizontal cuts, effectively sending Montgomery into a defensive retreat. Yet, just as Ella predicted, when the vile English baron realized he was in danger of losing, he resorted to using treachery to gain the upper hand.
Giving the pretense of stumbling, Roger grabbed and threw a handful of sand at his opponent. Ella’s heart all but stopped seeing her husband disoriented, wiping his eyes to clear his vision. Without thought, she leaped to her feet and would have rushed to his defense had it not been for Edric grabbing her by the waist and halting her efforts.
Hearing Ella’s cries only fueled the fire raging inside Gavin. Yet, with blurred vision, he was forced to act in defense. Hearing the hiss of a sword cutting through the air, he bounded backwards, and then felt a slight gust of wind as Roger’s blade narrowly missed his face. Although his back was to the ocean, Gavin could hear the waves surge onto the beach a few paces away.
Montgomery took advantage of Laird Macleod’s blinding state by striking blow after blow and then with the flick of his wrist, sent his opponent’s sword flying through the air, landing with a splash in the water.
It was a risky move, but Gavin allowed himself to be disarmed, which gave him the needed time to wash the residue from his eyes. With his vision clear, he quickly saw that Montgomery had opened himself up, showing his confidence and belief that the battle was already won.
Gavin ducked under the diagonal slash Roger delivered and had intended as a deathblow. Grabbing the dagger from his boot and throwing axe from his belt, he lunged forward, keeping close to Montgomery so the man could not fully wield his sword.
Roger backed away in defense, parrying as best he could the mighty laird’s continuous swings of the dagger and axe. Sweat rolled down his face, and he began gasping for breath. His feet felt heavy in the sand, and he knew one wrong move would result in his death.
Images of Ella and Paen swam through Gavin’s mind as he attacked Montgomery. Knowing the pain this man had inflicted on his wife and brother, he became mindless to all but his wrath.
Roger suddenly leaped backwards, and with the distance he’d put between them was able thrust forward his sword. Time slowed as he watched Macleod’s axe deflect his blade, and then to his horror a dagger slice through his forearm. His eyes widened at the sight of his sword and decapitated right hand fall to the sandy beach. Blood and pain were immense as he dropped to his knees.
Trying to staunch the bleeding with his other hand, Montgomery looked up at Gavin, and spat, “You may kill me, but your death will follow shortly thereafter. I have over fifty men on that ship, and they will kill you as well as that bastard brother of yours. Paen always was a coward-”
His tirade was cut short by the Highland laird, who grabbed his hair, and then moved to the side, giving him a clear view of the ocean.
Gavin roared, “Are ye speaking of that ship and that brother?”
As blood seeped from Montgomery’s severed hand, he saw Paen and other Macleod warriors on his ship. Half of his men were thrown overboard, the other half were tied to the mast. Just before Gavin plunged his dagger into his heart, Roger took in the sight of soul wrenching defeat.
Turning away from Montgomery’s lifeless body, Gavin searched for his wife. She was surrounded by his men and kneeling beside Arth with blood and tears running down her beautiful face. Dropping his weapons, he went to her.
Ella stood on shaky legs, then limped towards him, unaware if he had discovered her secret yet. The truth would be known to him soon enough, and then he would decide her fate.
He read the fear in her glistening eyes as he watched her hobble over to him. Her pain was so vivid, and it was not just physical. Dear God, does she nae know how much I love her, how much I need her.
The terror Gavin endured these past hours faded the moment he embraced her. With his eyes closed, he laid his cheek atop her head, and inhaled her familiar scent. She is where she belongs, safe and in my arms.
“Isabel,” he whispered.
“You know. . . I’m Isabel Mackenzie,” she cried as she pulled away.
He brushed the hair from her face then stated, “Ye are Isabel Macleod, my wife.”
Like at waterfall, tears fell from her eyes as he continued, “Ye were a victim of Greystone’s revenge against yer father, and ye were nae responsible for yer mother’s death.”
She bowed and shook her head, but Gavin lifted her chin, and added, “Trust me when I say that ye were nae to blame. And that I love ye, will always love ye, little one. How could ye ever-”
“You still love me?”
His features suddenly turned serious. “My love for ye is beyond measure and without equal. I refuse to live without my wife. Ye are mine, as I am yours, now and always.”
Ella wrapped her arms around him, and cried, “I love you . . . love you so much.” Weeping like a babe, she turned her face into his neck, completely unaware how her life was about to change.
Gavin called out to his men. “Tell Alex Mackenzie that his daughter is safe and will arrive shortly.”
“Nae! He . . I . . .” Panic laced her voice.
“He loves ye,” Gavin affirmed, then cupped her innocent face. “He loves ye, and has been deceived for eight years believing ye were dead. He dinna write that missive.”
“You know about . . .”
“Aye, my love, I ken everything,” he paused, assessed her fragile emotional state, and then decided to reveal the miraculous discovery he’d recently learned. “Ella, yer Aunt Eleanor and Uncle James are alive.”
Gavin knew this would send her over the edge, which she proved a moment later.
“Alive . . .” Her sobs of joy outweighed her tremendous fear, at least for the present.
He held her close while she absorbed the revelation, yet was all too aware of how impatient Alex was to be reunited with his daughter. Lifting her into the cradle of his arms, he carried her away from the battle scene with his joyous men following in his wake.
When the Macleods were mounted, Gavin said to Ella, “Tis yer father’s right to explain all to ye, his beloved daughter.”
“I’m . . .I’m terrified.”
“I will be with ye, holding yer hand the entire ti
me,” he stated, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “I swear to nae leave yer side.”
Although she nodded, sheer black fright swept through her and shivers went down her spine at the thought of seeing her papa again.
79
Alex Mackenzie paced the length of the large tent set up outside the front of his castle. When he was told that his daughter was safe and being brought to him, he immediately gave the word to take back the Mackenzie fortress. The order came with explicit instruction to keep Baron Greystone alive. Once he saw his daughter, held her in his arms, he would finish off the bastard who had kept her captive in hell for eight years.
He was not a patient man by nature, and the wait was killing him. Continuing to pace, Alex thought about all he would say to his precious youngest child.
Suddenly, at the sound of approaching horses outside the tent, his breath hitched. So nervous was he that his hands began to shake uncontrollably. He gripped the back of the chair beside him and waited for the moment he had dreamed about since learning she was alive.
Ella followed Gavin inside the tent, tightening her hold on his hand until her knuckles were white. When her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the enormous tent, she saw the battle hardened warrior who was her father. Eight years had passed, but he looked the same. At two score and five, he looked at least ten years younger. Although, his blond hair and the stubble on his face was now sprinkled with gray, he still had the piercing blue eyes and strong, proud chin. She then saw the same longing in his expression that reflected her own.
She let go of Gavin’s hand, then slowly walked over to her father. When she saw his eyes sparkle with unshed tears, her powerful need to be forgiven replaced her fear. And with a fragile whisper, she broke the silence.
“Papa, please . . . please forgive me.”
Alex Mackenzie’s heart broke at hearing her first words to him in so many years. When he saw his daughter about to fall to her knees, he rushed over and enfolded her in his arms. He held his baby close, silently thanking God for bringing her back into his life.
“Isabel . . . Bella, my precious angel. I love ye. I have ne’er stopped loving ye.” He closed his eyes, savoring the gift the good Lord had granted him this day.
He pulled her back to cup her dirty, elfin face in his large hands and said, “Ye are a dream come true, my angel. Ye dinna ken how beautiful ye look to me. I have missed ye so much. The pain of losing ye . . .” He pulled her back into his arms, unable to continue, and cried for the second time in his adult life. The first was when he learned of his wife and daughter’s deaths. Now he cried at being given a second chance.
“Ye dinna kill yer mother,” he whispered into her hair. “I saw her afore she was buried. Trust me, she dinna die from an arrow wound.”
“I love ye, Papa.”
The sweetest words to Alex’s ears were spoken as he gently rocked her as if she were still a bairn. He explained how and why they were all deceived by Greystone, but did not loosen his hold until he saw the man standing beside Gavin at the tent entrance.
Alex pulled her back, looked at the face that was so much like Emma’s. “There is another who has great need to see ye”. With that said, he turned her to face her brother.
Ella’s eyes widen when she saw Guy standing at the opening of the tent. He starred at her for a moment before he spoke in a faint whisper.
“Bella . . . my wee Bella.”
Guy looked at the little sister who had followed him everywhere during her childhood. From the moment she had been born, he had felt an impenetrable bond between them. Most would have assumed her to be closest to Hamon, since they were closer in age. But for some reason it had been she and Guy who shared an unbreakable connection. Mayhap because their personalities were so alike or that they had spent so much time together. She had been fearless when he taught her to swim and do tricks on horseback. In truth, it was the trust she had in him to keep her safe that made her intrepid. And when he had been told she had been killed, a part of his heart died with her, knowing that he would forever mourn the loss of his baby sister.
Within a heartbeat, she was in his arms. He picked her up so her feet hung in the air, they way he used to when she was a little girl. She was slightly taller than he remembered, but was still small and delicate. Long moments passed as he held her, for fear if he let her go she would disappear.
With more emotion than he had ever displayed, Guy said, “I have missed ye so much, Bella. And I have always, will always love ye, my wee Bella.”
Her heart could not contain the rush of emotion at hearing that her brother still loved her. “I love you, I love you so incredibly much. Not a day went by that I did not think of you, or the memories we shared. I thought you would hate me.”
Slowly, he lowered her to the ground, cupped her face as the impact of what she had suffered hit him. She though he loathed her.
“Nae, sweet Bella. Ne’er are ye to think . . .” Emotion took hold as he choked out, “We love ye so much and-”
Guy’s words were halted when he heard the sound of horses just outside the tent. He smiled when he recognized Keir’s bellow of outrage, then leaned down and whispered in his sister’s ear, “I believe there is someone here to see ye, lass.”
When Ella heard her name being called by her eldest brother, she raced out of the tent.
With the unwanted help of the men standing nearby, Keir dismounted and stumbled towards his father’s tent. When he looked up and saw her up close for the first time in so many years, he was so stunned he fell to his knees.
She was so beautiful, looked so much like her mother. When she dropped to her knees in front of him and threw her slender arms around his neck, all the pain in his body was forgotten. As she cried into his chest, he remembered a similar scene from childhood.
Paen and Hamon had just left to be fostered by other clans when his wee sister raced towards him, blinded by tears that made her choke and hiccup. He held her close then, as he was now.
More memories assailed him as his sister continued to sob in his arms. Teaching her how to defend herself, wrestling with her and their brothers in the great hall. And her laughter! Dear God, her laughter could make the hardest warrior smile.
“Bella, are ye hurt?”
“Nae, but I have missed you so incredibly much. And I love ye.”
Keir closed his eyes and said, “I love ye too, dear sister. Do ye nae ken how precious ye are to me?”
He continued to speak, but not to her, “Thank ye, Lord. Thank ye for giving her back to us. I canna ever repay . . .” His voice broke and he cried his gratitude into her shoulder.
A short time later when she assisted her eldest brother to stand and they began walking slowly to the tent, they were startled by the thunderous sound of an approaching horse.
“Bella! Bella!”
Upon waking at Doran Castle, Hamon was told that his sister was alive. After that, nothing could stand in his way from seeing his Bella. During his ride images of her learning to walk and run came to mind. He had taught her about nature and animals. He remembered how much she loved being outside, just as he did. How she would cuddle up next to their wolfhounds when she had been scolded, but leap up when one of her brother’s entered the hall, then fly into their outstretched arms. She and her mother were, and would always be, the heart of the Mackenzie Clan.
Joy radiated from him as he lifted his baby sister into his arms, and swung her around as though she were still that wee spitfire he remembered.
“Bella! Bella, my God . . . I . . .” Like his father and brothers before him, emotion choked his words and moisture gathered in his eyes.
“I love you, Hamon. Thank God you are well. I was so worried about you.”
He pulled his head back from her shoulder and said, “I love ye, wee Bella.” He paused to look at the blood and tears on her pretty face. She was a mess, a beautiful mess.
“Ye look just like her, ye ken.”
“Like?”
“Like m
other.”
She began sobbing, but they were tears of happiness. Grinning ear to ear, he pulled her in tight, then noticed the crowd watching their joyous reunion as well as his brothers, father and Gavin. His smile could not be contained as he scooped her up like a babe, and carried her into the tent.
As soon as he sat her down on a stool, she bolted up and said, “Keir! I must tend to his feet. Guy, Hamon are ye hurt? My satchel . . . I must get . . .”
Amusement and tenderness flickered in Gavin’s eyes as he held out her satchel. Before taking it, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him with all the joy she felt.
“I will get ye some water, my love,” he said as he cupped her face. He then whispered, “I love ye, and am so happy for ye. I will be back in a moment.”
“I love ye,” she whispered. The tenderness in his voice made her want to weep again, but when she looked around the tent and saw the smiling faces of her father and brothers, she started giggling.
When Gavin returned a few moments later, he stood back with Alex and enjoyed the spectacular scene of Ella with her brothers. As she tended to Keir’s injuries, Hamon and Guy were trying desperately to clean her face. Stubbornly, she continued to move her face to see around their insistent hands.
Both Gavin and Alex burst out laughing when they heard her next comment.
“Get ye gone! Och, I canna see what I’m doing!”
Guy laughed along with his brothers, and then said, “’Tis good to hear yer Highland burr has returned.”
The siblings continued to speak and jest the way they did when they were children, keeping their sister well occupied so their father could slip out of the tent.
Gavin would never forget the smile on her face as she ministered to their injuries, or the frown that replaced it a moment later when she realized her father was gone.