“Very well,” the guard said. “On your way then, I wouldna want to deter you from the king’s business.”
“Thank you,” Tessa replied.
With that they walked right by the guards. When they were out of earshot, Ian turned to her. “Tessa, you tempt fate.”
“Both of them are Blackburn kinsmen. They only follow Rannoch because they believe my father wishes it. ‘Tis unlikely they will mention this to Rannoch.” She smiled at him. “Have faith.”
“I shall try.” Tessa and Ian reached the family quarters without further incident. “Where is Katie’s chamber?” Ian asked his newfound friend.
Tessa grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside a door to their left. She put her finger to her lips.
Peeping through the crack in the door, Ian saw a woman coming out of the chamber across the hall. He looked at Tessa in askance.
“Maura attends Katie,” Tessa whispered. “Katie’s chamber is there.”
“Where Maura was?”
“Aye.”
Ian watched the servant disappear around the corner. He turned to Tessa. “I will go to Katie and tell her what has occurred. You need to be safe, little one. Leave the rest to me.”
With a frown, Tessa shook her head negatively. “We are friends. I would help.”
“And you will help. First, I must get your sister’s support. I promise I will keep you informed of the plan.”
“This is my room,” she said, indicating the chamber where they stood. “I shall expect to hear from you after you and Katie have talked.”
“You shall,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Thank you again for the rescue, Tessa. I am forever in your debt.”
“That you are,” she replied.
Ian opened the door and moved across the hall.
“Wait,” Tessa cried. She ran over and handed him some fresh clothes. “If you wear Blackburn colors you will blend in,” she said with a smile. “I dinna think the monk’s robe will be sufficient.”
Ian kissed the top of her head and took the clothes from her.
When Tessa disappeared, he slipped into Katie’s chamber and looked around. Katie was not there. The room had nice appointments. Tapestries hung on the walls and fine linens graced her bed in hues of red and gold. It made Ian think of the color of her hair. He could imagine her lying in the bed inviting him to join her.
Exploring the room, he noticed an arched door that led to another chamber behind the fireplace. Entering he saw a steaming bath. A large, metal tub sat in a corner by a second fireplace, but this one had a hearth set in the stone work at about waist height. It reminded him of a bread oven only larger. It contained a large, iron pot to enable a servant to heat water. A wrought iron hook with a long handle let you to tilt the cauldron and let the hot water roll through a trough that fed the bath tub.
Ian studied the arrangement. In the same area as the tub, there was a water bucket rigged on a crank with a long rope that allowed you to lower or raise it. He lifted a wooden cover on the floor and looked down into a dark well. The sound of water moving echoed from deep in the chasm. This let the room’s occupants obtain water for drinking or bathing without leaving the chamber. He wondered at its source. Some deep well or underground spring must run beneath the castle.
His attention returned to the heated water of the bath. If Katie ordered it prepared, she should be on her way. He needed to make himself presentable before she arrived. What she would do when she entered her room to find him naked her tub? With a mischievous grin, he shed his soiled clothes and stepped into the inviting bath. Ian sank into the hot water. It felt so good after all he’d been through. The wet heat soothed his bruises and sore muscles. The sweet scent of lavender surrounded him. He ducked his head under the water, wet his hair, and began scrubbing off a week’s worth of grime.
Chapter 11
Angus made camp a safe distance from Duntaigh Castle to avoid patrols guarding the surrounding lands. He looked at his captive. “How will we get in?”Assessing his captive, Angus growled. “You promise much and now you wilna help. Do you wish to save Katie Blackburn from my wrath?”
Keith twitched then nodded. “Aye, but if you are not a man of your word, I betray my clan.”
“Perchance my dirk needs to kiss your neck again. I could finish what I started. I have already told you I only seek to free Ian. I am a man of my word.”
“You do understand my concern.”
“Speak before I lose my patience,” Angus ordered. “Tonight we devise a plan. Tomorrow we ride.” When Keith remained silent, Angus motioned to one of his men. “George, place your knife into the fire. Get it nice and hot. Keith needs some encouragement.”
Keith swallowed hard. Still he hesitated. George handed the red hot knife to Angus. “Where would you like your first scar, Keith?” he asked moving toward his helpless captive. Kicking Keith onto his back, Angus planted a foot in the center of the man’s chest and knelt to bring the blade close. “Do you ken what a hot blade can do to yer face? Have you smelled yer own flesh burning?“ Angus singed Keith’s beard. It began to smoke and threatened to burst into flame. Throwing down the dagger, Angus rolled Keith over and shoved his face into the dirt to stop the beard from catching on fire. When Angus pulled Keith’s head up, Keith nodded his surrender. “Now,” Angus demanded.
“Ian is being held in a cell in the most remote part of the dungeon,” Keith began.
“Where is the secret entrance?”
“A trail leads to a cave on the far side of the mountain.”
“Brian’s underground escape route.”
“Aye, so, Milord.” With a heavy sigh, Keith continued. “The cavern creates a passage into the castle. ‘Tis large enough for horses, but it takes considerable time to navigate. There are chasms which capture those who dinna have a care.”
“He told his daughter of this?”
“Katie has served as mother to her siblings since Lady Katherine died. When the MacKinnon clan waged war with us, Laird Blackburn showed Katie how to get her sisters and brother out in the event of a siege.”
“The girl was very young when Katherine passed.”
“Aye, so, Milord, but capable.”
Angus snorted. “She must be if she succeeded in capturing Ian.” He watched Keith try to suppress a smile. “You are taken with Katie Blackburn.”
“Not in perverse way, Milord. She is her mother’s image, but Katie has courage often missing even among fighting men. She doesna think anything can stop her once she sets her mind to it.”
“Stubborn and willful.”
“Nay, Milord. She is brave and true to her family. One couldna ask for more in a daughter.”
Angus jerked Keith to his feet. “I tell you this. If Ian is harmed by her misguided plan, she will suffer my wrath.”
Darkness fell. Katie needed to see Ian. She had not taken him any food or water for hours. With what she knew now, she had to decide if she could trust him to help her out of this mess. Would he? He had said as much before and now her inclination was to trust him. She would feed him then decide if she had the courage to release him.
As she made her way through the narrow passage, she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was it anticipation or something else? Casting a nervous glance over shoulder, she continued on her way.
Inhaling sharply, she finally reached the stairs that would take her below. She bore a lantern in one hand and sack of supplies in the other. The deeper she got into the bowels of the castle the staler the air became. She could not imagine what it would be like to be in the cell. Especially chained in the way she chained Ian. There would be no sense of time as the hours passed. Ian took it in stride. He baited her to gain all the information he could. Then he used it against her… or was it to help her? His assumptions about Rannoch appeared to be correct. Should she release him or keep him captive? No good answer presented itself.
Katie descended the stairs and headed for the dungeon. In a hurry, she tripped on her skir
t and almost fell. Leaning against the wall, she tried to compose herself. Why was she so shaky? She knew the answer. When she reached Ian, she would release him and allow her fate to rest in his hands, his magic hands of fire. She closed her eyes breathing deeply.
What price would he exact for his help? She knew as surely as she knew she would give herself to him without reserve. The prospect excited her. Her body flushed in anticipation. She should be ashamed. Instead, her eagerness drove her to him. Composed enough to resume her journey, she straightened her dress and ran her hands through her hair. Would he still desire her?
A noise behind her made the hairs on the back of neck prickle. She stood still as a statue waiting for any further hint of treachery. Just when she was about to continue, she heard footfalls close behind her. Whoever followed hid right around the bend in the passage. Trying not to make a sound, she eased open the door to a nearby root cellar and crawled inside an empty grain barrel. She pulled the lid down, extinguished her lantern, and prayed for deliverance.
“God’s blood!” Katie heard Draco’s curse from beyond the door. “Where the hell are you, Katie?” he muttered. “You canna just disappear.”
The door to the chamber sprung open. Light flickered across the floor from his torch. She looked through a knot hole in the barrel. He lit the lantern affixed to the bracket near the door and kicked at the very barrel where she hid. Katie watched as he circled the room testing the walls and looking behind crates.
At length, he left the chamber forgetting to extinguish the lantern he lit. She waited a long time. Katie listened as he checked other chambers, tapped walls, and cursed his luck. Finally, she heard him move away, but which direction? She had to take a chance and free Ian before Rannoch or Draco found him.
Wary she slipped from her hiding place and peered out the door. Ian waited in his cell for her return. Snatching the lantern Draco left, she ran down the stairs into the dungeon. Dank, close air smothered her. Ian had been in this prison for days. Desperate to see him, she ran the rest of the way to the entry of the secluded cell.
Something was wrong. She stood in the dark anteroom and glanced in the bars of the outer door. “Ian,” she called. No answer came. Katie went for the key and realized the door to the cell hung open. She held up her lantern so she could see the interior of the cell. The manacles and leg irons hung empty on the wall. Where was he?
Fear gripped her heart.
Chapter 12
Rannoch had his healer tied to the bed, pleasuring her in every way she had taught him. A knock at the door interrupted them.
“God’s teeth,” Sorcha cursed. “What is so urgent now?”
Rannoch left her and cracked open the door enough to see who was there. “You have news?”
“Aye, Milord.”
He opened the door and ushered Draco into the chamber. His companion looked at the bed and grinned. “Sorry to invade your privacy, Milord.”
Sorcha pulled on her restraints to no avail. She lay open for the feast the view presented. Rannoch walked over and kissed her forehead, then pulled a cover over her.
“What is your news?”
“I followed Katie Blackburn to a passage near the kitchens. She gathered food in a sack and made her way further below stairs towards the dungeon.”
“The dungeon?”
“Aye, Milord.” Draco paused, shot a look at Sorcha, and then turned back to Rannoch. “Sorry, she distracts me.”
“If I appreciate your information, perchance Sorcha will let you have a taste after you have told your tale.”
“You would share me?” Sorcha snorted.
“I, too, have a taste for outlandish things in the bed chamber,” Draco said with a smile.
Rannoch laughed when he saw her expression turn to one of interest. “You have captured her imagination already. Tell me more of the dungeon. Where is Katie now?”
“I dinna ken, Milord. She vanished into thin air very much like the other night.”
Rannoch stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You will gather a few men and we will search near where you lost sight of her.”
“Would you leave me here like this?” Sorcha asked from the bed.
Rannoch shook his head. “Nay, my naughty healer, Draco and I will pleasure you first.”
Sorcha smiled.
Her father lay still as death in the darkened room. Rushing to his bedside, Katie brushed his hair out of his face. “Da, can you hear me?”
He tossed restlessly in the covers, and then opened his eyes. “Katie,” he whispered.
Hugging him to her chest, Katie shed tears of joy. “You grow better.”
Brian Blackburn nodded weakly. He tried to speak again, but no sound came out of his mouth. Exhausted by his effort, he relaxed back in the bed.
Katie paced the floor. How should she begin to tell him of her folly? His hand touched hers, drawing her attention back to him. Even with no words, his eyes asked the question. She could hear his voice echoing in her head. ‘What have ya done Katie Blackburn?’
Sitting on the bed beside him, she took his hand in hers. Was it her imagination, or did she feel a little squeeze from his fingers? “Da, I have done something unforgivable.”
His eyes closed for a moment then he gazed at her again in askance.
“I captured Ian Innes. Keith helped me. He didna want to, but I wouldna take no for an answer.”
Her father’s eyes showed disbelief.
“I ken ‘tis nigh impossible to imagine I succeeded at such a feat, but I did. I locked Ian in the cell block in the deepest part of the dungeon. I didna tell anyone, especially not Rannoch. ‘Twas Ian who suggested Rannoch might be up to no good. This idea made me use the spy hole. You already ken I confirmed Ian’s suspicions with what I overheard there.”
Her father’s head came off the pillow with difficulty. He gripped her hand. “Free him,” he hissed. “He will help you.” Spent, he collapsed back into the ticking.
Tears streamed down Katie’s face. “I canna free him. He is gone. I dinna ken if he escaped somehow on his own, or if Rannoch found him and moved him. Da, I am so afraid. If Ian is hurt or killed, it is my fault.”
Her father let out a ragged sigh and shook his head in disgust.
“I’m sorry, Da. I ken ‘twas stupid. But now, what am I to do?”
“Find him,” her father choked.
“Aye, so.” Determination sprung in her breast. She must right her wrong by finding Ian and assuring his safety.
“Keith….”
“He isna back yet.”
Again, her father strained against the potion that bound him. “Send Jamie to Angus,” he rasped.
Katie stared at him in disbelief. “You would have me send Jamie to Angus alone? Laird Innes might kill him.”
Her father shook his head negatively. “Send him,” he said in quiet demand. “He will help us.”
Bewildered by her father’s trust in their enemy, Katie wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “You are sure?”
He nodded.
“I shall explain it all to Jamie. Tell him what he should say to Laird Innes. Perchance it might work.” She smoothed the folds of her dress before she could meet her father’s eyes again. “Ian seemed willing to help me, but I didna trust him. I didna free him when he offered save us.”
“Send Jamie…. Find Ian…..” Brian closed his eyes. “You can do it, child…. You must.”
Katie grazed his cheek with a kiss. She stood and searched for some grain of courage to forge ahead as her father had directed. He opened his eyes once more. “I’ll do it, Father. I must undo my foul deed. I’ll find a way.” She thought she saw a smile flicker through his face, then his eyes closed and his breathing turned heavy. Laird Brian Blackburn fell asleep. He left her as quickly as he had come.
As Katie made her way through the hallways of the castle, she thought of happier times, parties, and laughter that seemed to have vanished into the dark gloom encasing them all. At length she reached Jamie’s
chamber and rapped lightly on the door. “Jamie, it is Katie. May I come in?” she called.
The door opened and he ushered her inside. It looked as if he were about to retire. He smiled. “’Tis a bit late for a visit, Katie.”
“Aye, so,” she agreed.
She glanced around his chamber. Her father had given his only son and heir a room that rivaled the master’s chamber. Jamie made it comfortable with the furnishings he chose. He had a desk and sturdy chair placed near the fire. In the other corner, there were shelves to house Jamie’s collection. Katie always thought it a bit odd her brother saved some very unusual things and placed them on his shelves like treasure. Special rocks, the antlers of a deer he had slain, the occasional animal bone, and bits of Highland plants all found refuge in Jamie’s room. Her father said Jamie appreciated all God’s creations and she should accept his interest in these things.
“You wanted to speak with me?”
Her brother’s voice drew her from her inspection of his collection. “Father sent me. He wants you to go on an important mission.”
Her brother’s eyes gleamed at the prospect. “Did he speak? What does he wish me to do?”
“Sit down, Jamie. I have much to tell you.”
Her brother’s eyes glazed when Katie told him what she had heard. She left out the details of what transpired between Rannoch and Sorcha.
“So the Red Witch and Rannoch have been poisoning father and now they have cut back and he can tell you his desires.” Jamie summarized.
“Aye, so. I ken ‘tis hard to believe.” Katie ran her hand through his thick, blond hair. “There is more. Keith and I captured Ian Innes and put him in a cell in a secret part of the dungeon.”
“You did what?” Jamie shook his head in disbelief.
“I am not proud of this, Jamie. ‘Twas a mistake that only serves to tweak Laird Innes in our hour of need.”
“And father thinks he will still help us despite this?”
“Aye, Ian is missing from his cell and I dinna ken where he might be. Angus will come to help his son. We can only pray he will see fit to save us from Rannoch in the bargain.” She drew a ragged breath. “I fear for your safety as I send you to our enemy.”
Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander Page 8