Onyx (7 page)

“Isna the
t what ye’re doin’ te me?” he asked, shoving his dagger back into his belt. He glared at her as he made his way to his mother, with Aidan and Ian right behind him. “Mathair,” he said, reaching out and running a hand through her hair. “How could this be true? How could ye, such a gentle lass, e’er have killed a man?”

“I’m sorry, Onyx,” she said.
“I shoulda been honest wit’ ye from the start. There are so many things ye need te know, and now ’tis too late fer me te tell ye any o’ them.”

“I dinna
understand any o’ this,” he said, “but jest tell me what is this stolen item they are lookin’ fer? And do ye even still have it after all these years, or did ye sell it fer coin?”

“
I planned on sellin’ it, but jest couldna,” she told him. “Aye, I still have it. ’Tis a book, Onyx. A very special, expensive and rare book.”

“Then tell me where it is and I will get it so
they’ll release ye.”

“T
hey’ll never release me, son, so dinna believe it. I am goin’ to die becooz o’ what I did. I killed one o’ the king’s baron’s, but only becooz he killed me husband.”

“I willna
let that happen,” he promised. “And if they so much as touch a hair on yer head, I will avenge those who harmed ye, I swear I will. And I will avenge the people who killed me faither as well.”

“Nay.
” She shook her head sadly. “I avenged me husband’s deith and look where it got me. I willna let ye do the same, especially fer me deid husband.”

“He is me de
id faither as well,” he reminded her.

“Nay. He is me de
id husband, Onyx, and leave it at thet.”

“What does the
t mean, Mathair?” He shook his head, not understanding what he was hearing.

“That’s enoug
h,” said the guard, grabbing his mother by the arm and leading her out the door into the cold, night air.

“Wait!” he called, following after them. “I will f
ind the book and bring it te ye,” he said. “Just dinna hurt her.”

“You don’t know where it is,” said the guard
. “Now just accept the fact your mother is going to get what she deserves.”

Onyx knew if he just let them walk away with his mother, he’d never see her alive again. And she was being so stubborn,
that there was no way she was ever going to tell him where to find the damned thing. He didn’t understand why.

“Ian,” he said softly so no one could hear.
“Go get our horses from the stables and be quick aboot it. Aidan, stay near me and have yer sword ready.”

“What are ye doin’?” asked Ian.

“Jest do it,” he said, “or me mathair is as guid as deid.”

Ian rushed off, and Aidan leaned over and whispered in
to his ear. “I dinna have me sword, only me dagger.”

“Why the hell no’
?” he whispered back.

“This
was a birthday celebration, no’ a battle. Besides, I . . . fergot it in the stables when I was . . . celebratin’ earlier.”

“Then
figure out a way te get one, becooz we’re goin’ te need it.” He followed after the guards who were now lifting his mother up onto a horse.

“T
ell me where te find the book, mathair, please.”

“Ne’
er,” she said, and spat at the guard. The guard lifted a hand to hit her, but when he heard the sword of Storm MacKeefe as well as several other Scots being pulled from their scabbards, he stopped.

“I wouldna do thet if I were ye,” said Storm in warning, and the man lowered his arm.

“What difference does it make?” asked the guard. “She’ll be dead in a few days time anyway.”

“No’
if I can help it,” said Onyx under his breath. He saw Ian bringing the horses around, and knew he had to do something fast. Lady Lovelle walked past him just then, and he reached out and grabbed her, holding his dagger under her chin and backing away from the English guards. She screamed, and got the attention of every man there.

“God’s eyes, what the hell are ye doin’?” asked Aidan from behind him.

“Did ye find a damned sword yet?” he growled back at him. “If no’, it would be a guid time te do so.”

“Onyx, what are ye doin’?” asked Storm.

“I’m gettin’ the answer I need,” he said. “Now Mathair, tell me where te find the book or I’ll kill her, and I’ll be joinin’ ye at the gallows as well.”

“If ye dinna get th
e rest o’ us killed first,” complained Aidan, reaching out and with one quick kick, he’d claimed the guard’s sword from his hand before he knew what happened. He then held it forward to protect Onyx. “I’ve got me a sword,” he said, “now what the hell do we do?”

“I’m thinkin’
,” said Onyx.

“Well, ye
better think faster, as I’m no’ sure how long they’ll put up wit’ this.” Aidan held the tip of the sword toward the guard who was attempting to get it back.

Ian rode up behind them with their horses
just then, and threw Aidan his sword he’d retrieved from the stables. Aidan held one sword in each hand, and Ian sat atop the horse with his sword drawn as well.

“Nothin’ like a little birthday excitement, I see,” said Ian
under his breath.

“Dinna
kill her, Onyx,” said his mother. “Dinna be a damned fool. Ye’ll never get away wit’ it.”

“Then tell me where te
find the book.”

“It willna
matter, they’ll kill me anyway.”

“Nay
, I guarantee they willna.”

“Dinna
lose any sleep o’er it, son,” she told him. “But then again, ye ne’er did sleep well unless ye were on the hard ground.” Onyx just nodded his head and smiled, letting his mother know he understood the message she just gave him.

“I’ll get the book and bring it back, but in the meantime, I’ll take some assurance with me thet me mathair willna be harmed before me return.”

He pulled Lady Lovelle with him, holding her by one arm as he mounted his horse. Aidan backed toward his own horse, holding a sword in each hand, waiting to take down anyone who dare try to come after them. Ian held his sword out as well, as his horse nervously jostled beneath him.

Onyx
then pulled the woman up on the horse after him, putting her in front of him, still holding his dagger to her throat.

“
Get them,” shouted the guard, and Storm’s sword was up, and the English faced off with the Scots.

“Nay!” shouted Lady Lovel
le. “Everyone put down your swords now. No one needs to die because of a crime committed so long ago. I’ll go with him if it means I’ll get my mother’s book back. Do you hear me? I’m going of my free will, so nobody needs to fight.”

“Baroness
,” said her guard. “We are sworn to protect you. We can’t let them take you.”

“And you’re also sworn to pay fealty to me
, and I order you to take the woman back to England and wait for my return.”

“He’ll kill you,” snarled the guard.

Onyx felt her body tense in his arms, but she kept her calm composure. “If we don’t return in a sennight, then kill the woman, as I’ll most likely be dead,” she instructed.

“We can’t allow t
his,” said the guard. “It’s much too dangerous. You can’t take the risk, you might be harmed.”

“I give the orders,” she snapped, “and I’ll not be told what to do. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, now go . . . before I tell the king you all have defied me and it will be a risk for you instead.”

They hesitated, and spoke softly among themselves, and Onyx didn’t think they were going to agree. This was a risky move on the baroness’s part, and he’d never met such a brave woman to do something in such a rash manner. The English on one side, the Scots on the other. Each with weapons in their hands and ready to fight at any instant. Then, the baroness’s guard looked up and answered for them all.

“Aye, my lady, we beg your forgiveness. Your word is our command.” The guard bowed, then gave the order for the others to follow, and they headed off quickly with his mother in tow. The Scots stood and watched, and slowly lowered their swords only after the men were out of sight.

“Aidan, let’s go,” shouted Onyx, turning his horse an
d following Ian. Aidan jumped atop his horse and they headed away towards the Highlands just as the bells of the nearby church started ringing, signaling that the new year was here.

“Happy bloody b
irthday te me,” Onyx mumbled under his breath, thinking this was the worst birthday he’d ever had in his life.

Chapter 4

Lovelle looked over her shoulder, and in the moonlight she could see her men as they headed in the opposite direction toward the border. Her heart beat furiously in her chest, and she was so frightened she thought she would swoon. If there had been any knights present, they wouldn’t have abided by her wishes. But these men were all footsoldiers and easy to control. That’s why she’d chosen them to come with on this journey to begin with. Because she knew it was risky, and any knight she knew would never abide by an order like she’d just given. She was lucky to have obtained some of the king’s soldiers’ tunics to give her men to wear, to scare the Scots into holding back from attacking.

Still, she just raised her chin and kept her cool composure, not want
ing her captors to see her fear. She did what she had to do to keep a bloody battle from breaking out.

The man named Onyx had his arms around her as they rode much too fast through the dark
ened night, heading North toward treacherous terrain. Her body jolted up and down, and though the man had lowered his dagger, his hand still gripped it around her waist, while his other hand held on to the reins.

The moonlight shone off the
hilt, and she noticed the dark, cracked stone with the jagged light line running through it. But she had no idea what real color it was since her world was mostly in black and white.

But t
he dagger was ornate, and looked very expensive. She knew these Highlanders were simple men, living off the land, and wondered where he’d obtained such a luxurious weapon. The night was cold, and though she had her fur-lined cloak wrapped around her, the Highlanders only wore their tartans and billow-sleeved leines, but no cloaks at all. They went over bumpy terrain, and she almost fell off the horse since they were moving so quickly. She reached down to steady herself, and grabbed onto his leg, and in the process, she felt his legs gripping around her body tightly to keep her from falling.

“Och,” he said,
“ye dinna need to feel up me tartan at a time like this. And yer damn hat almost took out me eye. Careful how ye swing yer head me
bonnie cailin
.”

She quickly pulled her hand away at his words, and placed them on the saddle horn.
She didn’t like being scolded or accused of trying to grab him, but she did like the way he called her a bonnie cailin. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she knew bonnie meant pretty, and that was good enough for her. Especially coming from a man who was her enemy. Her own husband had never taken the time to call her any endearment, let alone pretty. It felt good.

“I’m not feeling y
ou up,” she told him in her defense, noticing his bare legs sticking out from under the plaid. He wore tall, leather boots tied around his legs with some kind of cord, which covered most of his bare skin.

“Where are we goin’ Dagger?” asked his friend
named Ian with the dark hair, as they made their way up the mountains.

“Aye, and
why didna ye bring along a lassie fer me?” asked the blond one who they’d told her was named Aidan.

The men
both had wide chests and thick necks and she was certain muscles – big ones – under their clothes. She felt suddenly very foolish for telling her guards to leave her with them, but she hadn’t had a choice. She couldn’t allow a skirmish to break out, especially since she’d seen children and women in the pub. Even if they were Scots, they were still innocent people. And she wasn’t the heartless bitch she knew Onyx probably thought she was right now.

“We’re goin’ te
the MacKeefe camp,” he told them.

“Why there?” asked Aidan. “I did
na hear yer mathair say anythin’ about our clan’s home.”

“She didna
,” he explained. “But by her words I think I ken exactly where te find this book.”

They rode in silence throughout the night, and as they climbed the mountains an
d the air became thinner, Lovelle found herself getting light-headed and tired. The snow fell softly around them, and before too long she felt herself dozing off. She jerked once as she almost lost her balance, and Onyx pulled her closer to him, his arm protectively around her. Then she must have slept, because the next thing she knew, they’d stopped, the motion jarring her awake.

When she realized her head was leaning back against his chest, she sat upright, her spine rigid. “Why are we stopping?” she asked, looking around, but not seeing any kind of a c
amp. They were in the mountains now, and she could hear the trickling of a brook nearby.