Aiden paced, furious with himself for leaving her alone. He ran his hand through his hair not believing that she would flee in secret when she had let him know she wanted to stay. So why would she run?
Collin came rushing in. “I heard what happened. Is there someone lookin fer her?”
Keir nodded and they stood there waiting for direction from Aiden.
“Why would she run?”
“Did ye upset her?”
Had he?
“I canna say. The lass was upset last I saw her but leavin wasna somethin she be courtin.”
He began pacing, speaking aloud to himself.
“Besides, she doesna need to leave when she has the power to cast a spell an . . .”
He suddenly remembered the results of her last spell.
. . . a spell gone bad . . . I told you I wasn’t very good at them.
“Would she be headin fer the fairy circle again?” Keir asked.
A quick moment of thought had Aiden shaking his head. “I doona think she would have left of her own wants. Doesna feel right.”
“Ye think she was taken again?”
Aiden threw up his hands and shook his head. “Besides me sister, Mother, an us, who else kenned of the passageway?”
“No one.” Keir said.
Silence as each man was deep in thought.
“The midwife.”
The men turned to Collin.
“The last time we were here, Anna said the midwife was with her when Reivers tried to invade the keep an they hid together in the passage.”
Keir rushed out of the study. “I will send men to each of the entrances.”
Aiden turned to Collin. “Find me mother an bring her here. We need Sarah’s help again. I will inform the council.”
* * *
“Kill her!”
“Yer brother said to wait.”
“Bloody hell, I said to kill her now!”
Riona tried to take the knife from the much larger man, her face flushed with fury.
“Do not make me hurt you.”
Riona stared at the man as he spoke distinctly, a hand gripping her upper arm.
Gritting her teeth, Riona jerked her arm from his grasp, fully aware it was because he allowed it.
She stormed up to Skye and sneered. “He will kill her anyway. Why wait?”
Skye stiffened and glared back at the girl.
Riona slapped Skye across the face.
Her head snapped to the side with the force, only sheer will kept her on her feet.
Slowly, Skye turned her head back, trying to get her vision to clear. “Why are you doing this?”
“He was going to marry me. Then ye come along and ye made him forget his promises to me.”
Riona began to pace, her arms stiff at her sides.
“This land belonged to my father and Aiden’s stole it from us. It belongs to us! Finley and me.” She spat when she stopped in front of Skye. “We were left with nothing. No lands, no family to take us in. They say my father was a traitor and they allowed a Scottish usurper to take over British lands.”
Skye remembered Elizabeth mentioning how her husband had gotten the land.
“Ye should not be telling her anything.”
“Bah! She’s going to be dead soon anyway.”
* * *
Collin found Elizabeth and his wife exiting the older woman’s chambers.
“Collin!” Anna rushed to him, her face anxious. “Doug read in the manuscripts and said that there was to be an attack through the passageways hidden in our rooms.”
Wrapping his arms around his wife’s body, he held her for a moment.
“We thought as much. Do ye think ye can contact Sarah in the study?” He asked of Elizabeth.
“Yes, but why?”
“Skye’s missin an we think she was taken by the use of Aiden’s passageway.”
Elizabeth’s hand went to her throat. “Oh, no! No wonder Sarah couldn’t get through to Skye and came to us.”
They watched as warriors slipped past them and stood guard at their chamber doors.
Collin explained to the women what they were planning as he ushered them to Aiden’s study.
When they entered, Elizabeth rushed to her son’s side.
“Collin explained everything.” She went on to tell of her conversation with Sarah as she sat in the chair in front of the fire that Aiden had made ready for her.
“Wait.” Aiden laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her as Keir brought in the midwife.
The woman threw herself at Aiden’s feet begging for mercy.
“Ye best tell me that which I need to ken, an fast.” Aiden demanded.
“I will!”
He knelt down and grabbed the woman by the cowl about her shoulders.
“Then begin, an doona make me ask anythin twice.”
“No, no, I will not.” She swallowed looking around at the stern faces.
“I be Edward Bowers’ sister, Margaret.”
Aiden suppressed the shock of hearing her speak without a Scottish brogue.
“So?”
Elizabeth stood and touched her son’s forearm. “Edward Bowers owned this keep before yer father.”
“Yes, yes! That be him.” The woman nodded vigorously.
“Why be ye on this land now?”
“Finley and Riona are my nephew and niece.”
“What?” The men said at once as the woman gasped.
“Please, have mercy.” Margaret began to blubber, fear making her hand shake as she reached out.”
Nodding at his mother who took a hold of the woman’s arm, he turned his attentions back to the midwife.
“Go on.”
“Edward died five years ago from a knife wound he received while in one of the many taverns he frequented after the king took this land from him. Finley swore to his father that he would reclaim what was rightfully his and sent me to seek a position that would enable me access to the castle and to report to him whatever news was of importance.”
“Perhaps that be why he tried to court me.” Anna pondered.
“Yes.” The woman agreed. “He made arrangements to meet ye at the social ye were having. That is when he began to visit here. He sold everything they had to give them the appearance of wealth.”
She turned to Aiden. “Riona was to draw ye in with her charms as well, perhaps to get ye to marry her.”
Gritting his teeth, Aiden glared at the woman. “What be their plan now?”
“I do not know—I swear!” She cowered holding her hands up as if to ward off a blow. “All I know is Finley was very interested in the hidden passageways I told him about. I had to tell him! When he lost control and Anna saw him beating his horse, he took his rage out on me, any time he found out I hadn’t told him even the smallest thing, even if it wasn’t true, he beat me.”
She curled up shivering. “I feared for my life.”
Aiden steeled himself as his mother nodded, indicating the woman was telling the truth. He knew what a man could do to another man, let alone a defenseless woman, when in a fit of rage but Skye and his people’s safety were at stake.
“Will he attack through the passageways?”
“I do not know. I was never allowed around when they discussed plans unless one of them said something off hand in front of me. But twould not be unlike him to try. I do know, he made friends with men of bad character and complains about needing the funds that he promised them. He believes he can take care of all his debts when he regains his inheritance.”
“Has he been behind the attacks before?”
“Aye. I heard him tell his man, James, to capture one of your farmers and beat him. Riona was pleased that the farmer thought her voice was believed to be from the female everyone was accusing of being a spy.”
Aiden looked over to Keir and Collin.
There was one question answered.
Finley was behind Ross’ brutal beating and most probably his death when he started to question him
self on who he had heard speaking.
“Where be they now?”
“I do not know. I have seen neither of them in two days.”
“Confine her some place outside the castle.”
“What will ye do with me? Please, have mercy.”
Aiden didn’t have an answer for her.
Turning to his mother after one of his men had taken the midwife away, he waited for her to confirm his thoughts.
“She tells the truth as she knows it, Son.”
“Aye.” Nodding curtly, he continued. “If this be eminent then have Sarah tell Skye to get to safety but to stay away from here, I doona need her to show up durin battle an have her to worry about as well.”
* * *
Riona sauntered up to Skye with a smirk on her face. “James here saw your little perversions with Aiden last night and told me about them.”
Mouth dropping, Skye blushed as shock and anger coursed through her veins.
“I always knew he was a filthy beast and ye are no better.”
“And yet you want to marry him.” Skye couldn’t help but say.
Livid, Riona slapped her. “So I can get back what belongs to me!”
Spitting blood and forcing herself to keep her bound hands from lashing out as well, she looked back at the girl. “Then what?”
“Then he dies.” She shrugged. “Finley plans on getting him drunk and placing him in my bed. I will cry rape and force him to marry me. Eventually he and his family will be killed and, because of our marriage, the lands returned to us. And it will work this time.”
James snorted causing Riona to whirl around and glare at him.
“What?”
“Tis not likely to happen now.”
“Ye know nothing.” Riona hissed.
“Finley and I both know ye ruined any chances of marriage with that display of childish behavior when ye returned from the prison camp.”
“If it were not for this whore, we would have been married by now.”
James laughed outright.
Riona’s face burned with red blotches as her fury took over. She stormed over to him and swung her hand.
Being faster, James caught her wrist and squeezed, his face becoming impassive as she cried out in pain, unable to do anything but drop to her knees.
More insanity, was all Skye could think as she watched, trying to break free from her bonds as they were preoccupied, wondering what she meant by ‘this time’.
James leaned down, her hand still in his as he sneered at her.
“Ye were worthless but is does not matter now, Finley should be entering the castle via the passageways and taking over.”
“What?” Skye gasped, forgetting about loosening the ropes.
Riona clasped her injured hand when James let her go.
“Ye bastard.”
James looked at Riona with disdain and walked away.
Skye watched as Riona stumbled to her feet and walked in the opposite direction as James, giving her a glare before she left the clearing.
Trying to calm her breathing, Skye knew the last time she had used the spell to get home, it had returned her to Aiden and she was resolved to try it again, even without a faery circle.
“Skye?”
Startled at the sound of her whispered name, she looked around.
“Skye!”
Blinking, she looked at the flames. “Sarah?”
“Yes, shhh. Keep your voice down. Are you alright?”
“Sarah! You need to get a hold of Aiden, you have to tell him that he’s about to be—”
“We know.”
Skye paused. “You know?”
“Doug found it in the books.”
“I need to get to him, do you think the spell I tried to use to get home will work the same way?”
“All I know is Aiden told me to find you and tell you to lay low until the fighting is over so he doesn’t have to worry about you.”
“Dammit, Sarah.” Skye whispered heatedly as she looked around.
“No, Skye, listen to me. Aiden already had it pretty much figured out before I said anything. What he doesn’t know is that you bring the bad guy to him.”
Sarah looked over her shoulder at her husband. “What was his name?”
Doug’s reply came from the background. “Pin or Fin something or other, too hard to make out.”
“Finley?” Skye asked.
“Yes! That’s probably it.”
Skye shook her head at Doug’s excitement when she was obviously a prisoner.
“Do you know what that means?”
“Sorry, sis, yer gonna have to spell that one out for me.”
“The story reads that the invaders were pretty much annihilated, but this Finley guy gets away, somehow you bring him back.”
There was a low comment made and Sarah snapped. “Bring, brought, whatever.” Sarah turned back to Skye. “Sorry, not getting much sleep lately.”
Nodding in deep thought, Skye frowned.
“Maybe he comes here and I use the spell that brought me back to Aiden and we both appear back at the keep.”
“Oh! That might be it. There is nothing saying you appear, but there are little references to witchcraft anyway.”
There was a pause as they both thought about the possibilities, Skye keeping an eye out for either James or Riona.
“You need to change the wording just a bit Aunt Gladys says.”
Skye groaned.
“No, listen. Take away the ‘I’ in the beginning and say ‘us’ or something so that whoever you are touching will return with you . . . hopefully. Then, at the end, instead of ‘return to where I belong’ make it ‘to whom I belong.’ Your heart will take you to Aiden.”
“Oh, that’s good! I can do that.”
“Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. They don’t seem intent on doing anything to me until Finley gets here so get some sleep. I’m really pushing it keeping in contact with you this long.”
“Well, I’m not gonna sleep well with you imprisoned again so I’ll keep an eye on you while out of site . . . Doug says we’ll take turns.”
“Can you help with the ropes a bit before you leave? They’re too damn tight.”
“Stand still”
Coming to stand closer to the flames, Skye held out her hands.
“Not too much, just enough to help me get them off when the time is right.”
A flame flickered closer to her before a few embers landed on the twine, singing it loose.
Nodding her thanks, Skye looked away from the flames and began to work on the cords around her wrists.
* * *
Aiden and Collin’s men hid in various places, waiting for an attack while the women and children were removed from the perspective battle scenes as covertly as possible.
It was early evening. About an hour before the sun was to set, it began to rain and that was when they watched the Reivers sneaking up to the main entrance of the passageways.
“I count around three score enterin the tunnel.” Collin whispered.
“So did I.” Keir affirmed.
Keir received a nod from Aiden and passed the information on via hand signals. The word would get to their men before the enemy could get to the end of the passageways and to the rooms they opened up to.
Aiden knew they had fewer men around the chambers but, no matter how cautious the Reivers were, they had the element of surprise on their side.
Two of the older boys were stationed on separate towers, they would ring bells to tell everyone when the fighting had begun on the inside of the keep so that their men on the outside wouldn’t begin the battle too soon and alert the others with the clamor of fighting.
“I doona see Finley or his man.” Collin whispered.
Aiden nodded. “Neither do I.”
“Tis likely the coward be hidin til it be safe.” Keir pointed out.
Aiden clenched his teeth. “Or he be the one keepin Skye prisoner.”
&
nbsp; “What do ye want us to do?” Keir asked.
Aiden struggled with that question before answering.
“Ye stay an fight. If there be anythin wrong with Skye, her sister has the power to help her. If tis truly bad, me mother will send one of the lads to me.”
The plan was simple; Years ago his father had prepared for such an occasion and had flour sacks taken apart and resown flat to reach from twenty feet into the passageway to where the tunnel broke off to go to the other chambers, then a fine layer of sand and flour was poured on top. The sand would damage their vision while the flour would cause any torches used to flash, causing pandemonium.
Rope was fastened in such a way that when pulled, it would release the sand. Men, on both sides, would get those stumbling out on either end and the rest would be dealt with easily enough.
If all went well.
* * *
Skye sat huddled before the fire as the rain fell, thankful for the covering James had tossed her when he’d brought her over to the fire, wishing it would keep her warm as well as dry since she could not use her bound hands to rub her arms.
Riona had thrown a fit when they hadn’t sought more reliable shelter and had stomped to the tent James erected and disappeared inside, snatching the ends closed as a final show of anger.
It had only been a few minutes since her aunt had checked on her and whispered that Doug was trying hard to read what Elizabeth had written about the invasion, but time had eroded much of the words and he wasn’t very optimistic. However, he was convinced about the references to Skye showing up with Finley.
She knew they were telling her this to keep her from becoming scared over what might happen to her while in captivity but they refused to tell her anything other than the immediate future, explaining that any knowledge about what might happen could change things and not for the better.
Resolved to discuss this refusal to pass information with her sister and Doug later, Skye watched and waited, still exhausted and feeling the effects of the emotional upheaval she had experienced since waking up.
Fantasizing about having an umbrella to keep the cold rain off her, Skye was startled out of her thoughts when someone came crashing through the woods towards them, James already on his feet, sword in hand.
Finley drew his horse to a cruel stop before the fire, leaping off with angry determination.
Skye took in his disheveled appearance while ignoring the furious demands Riona screeched when the girl found out it was her brother who woke her.
The Highlander’s Witch Page 26