Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander (15 page)

“May God be with you,” their
father called as they left the room.

“Tessa, what is it?”

“Come to the courtyard with me.
We need to talk. In the open where we can assure no one overhears us. There are
too many spy holes in this castle to assume our chambers are safe.” Smiling,
she led him down the passage.

They walked into the brisk air.
The clouds obscured the sun and the breeze whirled around to all the corners of
the stone-walled space. It was empty save for them.

They found a seat on one of the
benches and she took his hand. “I dinna think all the Innes clansmen are dead.
I believe that Ian still lives. I canna explain it. ‘Tis just a feeling.”

“Ah, your special gift.” Jamie
snorted. “Convince me with some other fact and perchance I will believe.”

Tessa shook her blond locks.
“Very well, I ken what happened between you and Sorcha.”

“What? How could you?”

“Always you doubt my abilities. I
saw you in my mind’s eye. I ken she found her way into your bed and that she
used her body to win your confidence.”

Jamie felt his face flush. His
wee sister sat happily telling him she had seen what he did with Sorcha. Could
the child really have such gifts? “I… I…. How could this be?”

“In time you will all believe in
my gift. If you canna accept it now, I will be patient. But will you at least
admit that I am right?”

Her white-blonde hair blew in the
breeze and her startling, blue-violet eyes seemed to reach into his very soul.
“Tessa, I am ashamed. I couldna resist her charms.”

“And it was a satisfying
experience.”

He stood and paced the courtyard.
“I canna discuss this with you. You are a child.”

“Not an ordinary one,” she
countered. “I dinna wish to ken the details, only that what I saw in my mind’s
eye was correct.”

“You befuddle me.”

“Do you trust her? Or do you think
Rannoch sent her?”

“I think Rannoch sent her. I
couldna resist her and he was aware of that.”

“Can you use her to suit our
cause?”

“How?”

“I dinna ken. Always when I see
Sorcha in a vision her loyalty is unclear.” Tessa pushed her hair back from her
face and sighed. “For some reason I see her as helping Ian against Rannoch, yet
this does not make sense.”

He walked over, sat down close
beside Tessa, and hugged her. “Little one, your special talent frightens us
all. We canna fathom how you could see these things.”

She pushed back from him and
looked up into his eyes. “Jamie, ‘tis as natural for me as breathing. At first
‘twas frightening, but I seem to have had it as far back as I can remember.
Each time I had a thought or dream or vision that came true, my confidence
grew. I am at peace with my gift.”

“I will go to see Brianna first,”
he confided. “I will try to do what father asked of me. Then I will brave
Sorcha’s tower and check on Katie.”

“You fear Sorcha?”

“I fear the weakness I now have
for Sorcha.” He looked away from Tessa’s innocent face. “I fear I will be
tempted to taste her fruit again if I go to the tower. I ken she would welcome
it.”

A spritely laugh bubbled out of
his little sister. “She has made you a man of experience. I dinna think this is
uncommon for someone of your age. Often laird’s pay whores to acquaint their
sons in the ways of the bed chamber. Da might have done this for you himself if
he were well.”

“Tessa!”

“I will leave off this
conversation as I see it makes you uncomfortable.” She stood and straightened
her skirt. “’Tis chilly out here. I think it is time for you to see Brianna.”

Jamie got off the bench and
grabbed her face with both hands. “My little seer, will you warn me if some
hint of danger enters your lovely head?”

“Of course, Jamie, nothing means
more to me than my family.”

He kissed her forehead. “Aye,
so,” he agreed. Releasing her, he took her hand. “Walk with me. Perchance you
could look into your mind’s eye and tell me where I might find Brianna.”

She laughed. “Brianna is in her
chamber preparing for an audience with Rannoch. If you hurry you can catch her
before she sees him.”

“How?” He grunted in frustration.

“’Tis not my gift. Maura told me
Rannoch requested an audience with Brianna. He has invited her to dine privately
with him at the noon repast. Surely this would mean that Brianna will spend the
whole morning in her chamber preparing.”

“I love you, Tess,” he said.

“And I you,” she assured him.
“Come and talk to me after you have seen Brianna.”

“I will.”

They stepped inside and parted
ways. Jamie did not even want to know where his soothsayer sister was going.

Chapter 20

Ian woke to a wet cloth wiping
his face. He tried hard to focus on the face of the man bent over him. “Ah, you
live,” Jared MacLean said.

“Jared?” Ian could not fathom how
his brother-in-law suddenly appeared. The last he remembered he watched his
father and Erland slain by Draco’s sword.

“My father?”

“He is alive, but seriously
wounded. I already sent him to Asilinn.” Jared’s dark eyes swept over him. “My
wife will not be pleased I didna send you to Dunbocan with your father.”

“You did the right thing.” Ian
tried to sit up. His head spun at the movement and forced him back down into
the soft bedding. “Katie? What of Katie?”

“Katie Blackburn?”

“Aye, did you find a woman on the
battlefield?”

Jared’s jaw went taut. “One of
Rannoch’s men told me the order was to take Katie and kill the rest. I am sure
he took her. We searched for hours and found no woman. Only you and your father
survived this travesty.” Jared let out a short, bitter laugh. “The two men I am
sure Rannoch wanted dead more than all the rest.”

“Erland gave his life to save my
father.”

“Aye, so. We shall have to wait
on Asilinn’s cures to see if he succeeded.”

“Where are we?”

Jared looked around the room. “At
The Stagg Inn, your father’s rider found us out on a hunt. We came as fast as
we could, but only arrived in time to kill the men Rannoch left behind to bury
his dead.”

“The inn,” Ian echoed.

“Aye, and now that you are once
again with the living let me go and get the innkeeper to send up some food and
drink. While we eat, you can tell me about your little adventure with Katie
Blackburn.”

Ian nodded. His head throbbed
with every movement. He heard the door close as Jared left the room. What
accident of fate spared Ian when so many of his kinsmen had perished? He drew a
deep breath and felt every one of his bruised ribs protest.

The bed Ian lay in had fresh
white sheeting that smelled of lavender. A fire spit and crackled in one corner
of the chamber. Nearby a table and two chairs invited a weary traveler to find
respite near the hearth. Draped over one chair were a fresh shirt and a length
of the Innes plaid. Lifting his covering, he looked beneath it. His naked body
bore no blood or grime from the battlefield. It took awhile before he could
gather enough strength to sit up. Slowly he struggled to his feet and managed
to don the clothes laid out for him. Once dressed, he propped up in the bed as
images of the carnage ran through his brain.

A noise at the door drew his
attention. “May we come in,” Jared called.

“Aye, I’m decent.”

Jared walked into the room with
one of the tavern maids. The aroma of lamb stew hit Ian’s nostrils bringing
back a sweeter memory. Katie served him this the night he first laid eyes on
her. “Ian, can you come to the table?” Jared asked.

“Aye,” Ian replied getting to his
feet. He settled himself in the chair across the table from his brother-in-law.
The warmth from the fire seeped into his body flooding it with heat. The tavern
maid fawned over him as she set out his meal. He barely noticed. Ian looked
down at the bread bowl full of lamb stew and thought of the night that changed
his life.

“I’m Mattie, Milord,” the tavern
maid said as she rubbed Ian’s shoulder. “If there is anythin’ you need…
anythin’ at all, I am happy to provide it.”

Jared shot her a stern look.
“Leave us, Mattie, we have business to discuss.”

The girl stopped touching Ian and
scurried to the door. “Call if I can be of service,” she mumbled as she left the
room.

“Ever desired by the ladies,”
Jared commented. “Tell me about Katie Blackburn.”

Ian took a hunk of bread, dipped
it in the lamb stew, and tasted it. His first encounter with Katie assailed his
memory. “Katie came to The Stagg Inn bent on capturing me and holding me for
ransom,” he began.

Jared’s surprise showed on his
face. “Ambitious girl.”

Ian took another bite and let the
flavorsome broth trickle down his throat. “She offered to sell her virginity to
me, playing the part of whore for hire so she could trick me and get me into
the barn.”

“What could a mere lass do to
capture you in the innkeeper’s barn?”

“Her kinsman Keith waited there
to help.”

“Dangerous lady.”

“Aye, but my desire for her
blinded my judgment.”

“They took you to Duntaigh
Castle.”

“Aye, and chained me in a dungeon
cell.”

“And still you found her
enchanting.”

“I plan to marry her.”

“Does she ken your plans?”

“We discussed them briefly.”

“Perchance she did grant you what
she first offered.”

Ian felt his face flush. “Katie
and I share a spark that cannot be extinguished. She is mine in every sense of
the word. The only thing left is to make her my wife.”

Pushing back in his chair, Jared
smiled. “She sounds as spirited as Skye.”

“Aye, she is. I am attracted to
fiery women who dinna conform to what is expected of them.”

“It has taken you so long to find
the perfect match. We will find a way to save her.” Drawing a velvet pouch from
his pocket, Jared handed it to Ian. “Your father gave me this. He told me to
give it you and tell you were not to have Katie again until this was on her
finger. Now his instructions make sense.”

“Father feared he wouldna live
long enough to give this to me himself.”

“Aye,” Jared said. “I canna wait
to meet this Katie Blackburn who has stolen your heart. Although she might have
to fight the tavern maids to get you. They argued over who would clean you up
and then all had a hand in it.”

Ian opened the pouch and dumped
the contents into his palm. His father gave this betrothal ring to his mother
when they wed. Golden and bejeweled, it sparkled up at him. “My mother’s ring.”

“He must approve of Katie. Angus
has carried this with him for years.”

“May God guide Asilinn in his
care.” Ian made the sign of the cross. “I am not ready to lose my father.”

“Neither is Asilinn, so that is
in our favor. You ken how determined my wife can be.”

Ian managed a smile. “I canna
wait here for the clans to gather. I must go to Duntaigh Castle and find
Katie.”

“There has been a change in plan.
The clans will gather at Dunbocan Castle to plan the attack on Duntaigh. I
canna have all our men here at the inn with no fortifications. Rannoch could
send someone to see why none of the men he left returned. I dinna ken how much
of an army he can raise. It could be the king of England will help him. Your
father said he could be Edward’s spy.”

“I see your point, but I canna
wait for the full plan to be in place. I will pack some provisions and head out
when night falls… less chance of being spotted.”

“Can you find the secret entrance
without help?”

“Aye.”

“You shouldna go alone. I could
go with you.”

“Nay, Jared. My father lies at
death’s door. I am going off to free Katie. When the Innes clansmen arrive from
Cairngorm Castle, I need someone who the men trust to take charge of them. They
will be hot-headed and ready to tear Rannoch limb from limb. You must keep them
from carelessness as they seek revenge for our fallen clansmen. They trust you.
They will follow you in my stead. Will you do this?”

“Aye, you have my word. If you
wilna let me go with you, take a few of my men,” Jared suggested. “Any of them
would volunteer to aid your cause.”

“I think this calls for a single
man and stealth. Not unlike your foray into Cairngorm Castle to steal my sister
and make her your wife.”

Jared grinned. “Best thing I ever
did.”

“I am glad you recognize that.”
Ian grew more serious. “Rannoch has plans for Katie and I must free her before
he can carry them out. I only hope I am not too late already. I will bring her
to the safety of Dunbocan then we will attack Rannoch.”

“What of her father and
siblings?”

“I dinna think Rannoch will harm
the others, but if it becomes necessary there are hiding places in the castle
where they could stay until we return with an army to dispense Rannoch.”

“What if Ross rode with you to the
secret entrance to Duntaigh? We will need to use this entry point in our
attack.”

“And if I dinna return, someone
can lead you inside.”

“’Tis a dangerous task. I would
prefer to have a way to get inside if you find you canna come to Dunbocan as
planned.”

“Aye,” Ian agreed. “I will show
Ross how to get in then he must return to you. He can help with the planning of
the raid. Give me five days. If I havena made it to Dunbocan with Katie by
then, attack.”

“As you wish.” Jared stood and
stretched. “I thank God your sister is not here to complain about our plans.”

“Me too.” Ian rose and threw
another chunk of peat of the fire.

“Get some rest if you can. I will
see to the preparations and tell Ross he is taking a little trip. The innkeeper
will pack some provisions for your journey.” Jared paused at the door. “When
you bring Katie back to Dunbocan dinna take the main road. There is a little
used trail that is more direct and will baffle Rannoch should he be after you.
Ross knows of it. I will draw you a map before you leave.”

“How long will it take?”

“’Twill take you a day and a half
to go to Dunbocan from Duntaigh on this other route. ‘Tis safer, more remote.”

Ian embraced his brother-in-law.
“You are a true brother to me.”

“We are bound by blood.” Jared
grinned. “You are my children’s favorite uncle.”

“I am their only uncle.”

“Aye, so,” Jared said with a
laugh. “Rest, you are far from fit.”

Jared left the room and Ian sank
back in the comfortable bed. Was Katie safe from Rannoch’s wrath? He would know
soon enough. Despite all his troubles, he fell asleep in no time.

Hours later he woke to Jared’s
knock at the door. “All is in readiness.”

Ian rose and gathered his
weapons. At dusk, Ian and Ross headed toward Duntaigh Castle.

Jamie rapped lightly on the heavy
oak door. Brianna opened it and stared at him. “Jamie.” Surprise showed on her
face.

“May I come in?” he asked.

She pulled the door back to allow
him entry. “It has been some time since you saw fit to visit me.”

“Aye, so. I have not been the
best brother.”

“Sit,” she offered waving her
hand toward two velvet cushioned chairs near the fire.

Her spacious room overlooked the
courtyard where he just sat with Tessa. Brianna liked fine things. She stuffed
her chamber with opulent furnishings, sumptuous bedding, and ornate furniture.
Her taste for luxury showed in every corner. Brianna shared their mother’s
taste for excess. Before her death, Lady Katherine Blackburn designed a
similarly appointed chamber to share with the laird of the keep. Their father
left every detail in place when she died as if he hoped she would suddenly
appear and take up residence again. Jamie settled into a chair by the fire.
Brianna sat in the chair across from him

A pile of dresses lay strewn in
disarray on the huge, four-poster bed. His sister wore a low-cut, emerald green
velvet gown that made her eyes shine like emeralds. Her fair skin contrasted
with her rich, golden-brown hair. Brianna’s snow white breasts rose and fell
with every intake of breath. Until his time with Sorcha, Jamie had not noticed
his sister’s change from a girl to a ripe, young woman. No wonder Rannoch
courted her. “Going through all your gowns?” he asked.

Her face scrunched into a frown.
“’Tis none of your concern. What do you want?”

“I came to talk with you.” He
grinned at her. “It seems you were having quite a time deciding what to wear. I
like your choice.”

Brianna shrugged then laughed.
“Aye, so, it is Katie’s dress, but it makes my eyes look so green. I borrowed
it. What did you want to talk about?”

Jamie felt her eyes moving over
him. “Katie.”

“What about Katie?”

“She captured Ian Innes and held
him in the dungeon.”

“What? How?”

“I dinna ken, but Keith helped
her. Later she regretted her actions. She helped Ian get out of the castle. The
Innes clan had come looking for Ian and they aided in the escape. Katie went
with them.”

“Our sister has clearly lost her
mind.”

Jamie hung his head then looked
Brianna. “There is more. Sorcha came to me this morning and told me Rannoch
found them and slaughtered all of them except Katie. She saw the carnage.
Sorcha said Katie is not herself. Rannoch has tasked Sorcha with finding some
cure.”