Highlander’s Venomous Snake: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Beasts Of The Highlands Book 7)

by Alisa Adams

  “What are we looking for, Caden? Something to do with Cat?” Gillis said eagerly.

  Kaithria looked at Gillis. “He is looking for someone,” Kaithria guessed. “There should be some men guarding the house, but I havenae seen any.”

  “Are they all dead?” Gillis said with great interest. “Did someone kill them?”

  “Ladies, you need to be quiet,” Caden said drolly when he got a chance to speak. “Part of scouting is silence,” he added with an arched brow.

  He noted they had changed into their plain skirts with their tartan shawls around their blouses and each wore a long cloak with a hood over their hair. Kaithria wore the black cloak that their mother had given her on the fateful day of her death, and had worn it ever since. It covered her black hair and fell forward partially hiding her unusual golden eyes and sun-kissed skin. The cloak was long enough that it draped over her horse’s haunches. It was hard to differentiate in the dark woods at nighttime where the rider ended and the horse began.

  It was growing noticeably colder out, but Caden knew the women’s tartans and cloaks would keep them warm.

  “Why are you out here in all this secrecy, Caden?” Gillis asked him as she patted Eckle. “And without thinking to bring us along? Curiosity is good for the cat you know.”

  “Curiosity killed the cat, Gillis,” Kaithria corrected her softly.

  “Nay Kaithria. ’Tis good for the cat, I believe,” Gillis mused.

  “Nay, Gillis,” Kaithria said. “The cat gets in trouble when it is too curious, ye see?”

  “Hmmm, that is true,” Gillis admitted with a soft laugh. She turned to Caden. “Caden, we are still waiting for you to tell us why we are out here,” she said as she looked back at him.

  “I am scouting because I am curious,” he said gruffly as he frowned and looked back and forth at the two talkative women. Women are so much more difficult than my men. Women do not listen, at least these women do not, he thought to himself. He sighed. “The grain kilns in Catriona’s barns should have been full. But they are empty. There is much that is strange around Sanside House. Catriona is alone here, with naught but that housekeeper. I do not like it. Where are her men, her guards? Rhona had no authority to dismiss them, so who did?”

  Gillis spoke up. “We saw no one but the housekeeper when we arrived.”

  Caden’s jaw tightened as he looked down the path. “I saw a man leave the house. He went up the hill to the sea cliff. Where was he going and why? And who is he?” he asked more to himself as he turned back to the women.

  Gillis nodded. “Let’s go find out. I am ready,” she said as she tapped the targe shield she had strapped to her back. “So is Eckle,” she said as she patted the scarred, old battle horse.

  “As am I,” Kaithria said softly from Dummernech’s back. She had a long Lochaber ax strapped along her saddle that went over her thigh. “Though I am nae looking for a fight. Only to end whatever is happening to Cat.” She looked meaningfully at Gillis. “We dinnae look for a fight Gillis, we end them. This is for Cat.”

  Gillis nodded at Kaithria. “For Cat.” She raised her chin and looked back at Caden as she patted Eckle again. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his tattered mane towards the top of his neck. Eckle threw his head up in surprise.

  Gillis frowned at the horse’s reaction. “I think I would prefer a more affectionate horse,” she murmured.

  Caden stared at the horse that Gillis was on. He truly was a battle-scarred warrior. One ear was hanging sideways, his left nostril had been cut and had heeled askew on his nose. He had a white scar that went through one of his eyes, leaving that eye clouded and probably blind. His mane truly was a tattered mess as was his tale. But he looked proud and alert, eager, yet calm.

  “You are on a warrior, Gillis,” he said in a clipped voice. “Not a pet.”

  Gillis snapped her fingers. “Never mind that. Let’s go see where that man went,” Gillis said as she and Kaithria started to move their horses past Caden.

  He stared at them with his eyes narrowed.

  “Hold ladies,” Caden said in a low commanding voice. “I will lead. And Gillis? How do you expect to steer that horse? He is holding the reins between his teeth.”

  “’Tis his way. We fought over the reins and he...well, he won,” she said nonchalantly. “He still listens, and I steer with my legs.”

  Caden stared hard at her, and then at her scarred horse. “Harumph,” he grunted. He nudged Iris forward. “I am leading.”

  Kaithria and Gillis looked at each other. Gillis shrugged and held Eckle’s reins so that Caden could pass them on his giant mule. They followed him as they walked along the faint path. They did not get very far, however.

  Iris suddenly stopped. Caden looked around at the thick bushes growing around the spot. He could see nothing. He nudged the mule on.

  The huge mule would not budge at his urging. Instead, Iris’s ears flopped forward and then back as she let out a sharp, wheezing bray, followed by several snorts.

  Caden leaned forward hastily towards Iris’s long mule ears.

  “Shhh!” he whispered in her ear.

  She repeated her braying again, but this time it was quieter, as if she had understood him.

  “What is the matter with your mule, Caden?” Gillis asked curiously. “She is telling you something.”

  Caden gritted his teeth. “She is fine, she is not telling me anything,” he said back to her as loudly as he dared. “Walk on, Iris,” Caden commanded.

  Still, the mule would not move.

  “You must be kind to her, Caden,” Gillis called to him. “Mules really appreciate when you are kind.”

  “As do horses,” Kaithria said softly in an approving tone. “Be kind to her, Brother.”

  Caden could not help the snarl that came out of his mouth. He had already discovered this about Iris. But he would not admit it to his sister and her friend.

  “You are the most charming mule in all of Scotland,” he whispered in her ear, so low that the women behind him could not hear.

  Then he nudged her sides again, increasing the pressure until she took a small step and collected herself underneath him. Caden felt it and knew what was coming.

  Iris bunched up her hindquarters and jumped up in the air, surging forward over the path. Then she stopped and turned around, looking at the spot she had jumped over. Her ears were flopping forward and back as she stared at the ground and let out multiple brays.

  Caden leaned forward to see what she was looking at. The breath hissed out of him.

  He held his hand up to his sister and Lady Gillis. “Stay there!” he said forcefully in a low voice.

  He had been so focused on the sides of the path that he had not been looking at the path itself.

  There in front of Iris was a large telltale pit in the middle of the path. Even in the pale moonlight, he could see the sticks laying across the hole. They were thinly covered by leaves.

  Caden jumped off of Iris and knelt on one knee as he carefully brushed the leaves aside. He could just barely make out the sharpened sticks pointing straight up from the bottom of the hole.

  “Sards,” Gillis said with shock. “He who hesitates is saved,” she whispered ominously.

  Kaithria leaned forward over her saddle to see into the pit. In an aside to Gillis, she said, “’Tis ‘he who hesitates is lost,’ Gillis,” she said as she stared into the hole.

  “Not in this case,” Gillis said softly as she too looked down into the pit from Eckle’s back.

  Caden narrowed his eyes. If he and Iris had fallen into the pit they would have been impaled on those stakes. He took one of the thicker sticks and knocked the rest of the sticks and leaves down into the hole, leaving it exposed. He stood up slowly and turned to Iris.

  “You truly are a magnificent giant mule, Iris,” he whispered to her as he patted her neck. She stuck her head into his armpit, head butting him as she let out several soft, wuffling short whinnies and grunts.

  Ca
den scratched her behind her ears, grateful that she had planted her mulish hooves when he had demanded she go forward. She let out a long groan as he scratched her long ears, stretching her neck as far forward into his armpit as she could so that he could better reach her ears. He obliged her and then gave her one last pat and jumped back up onto her.

  Gillis nodded in approval. “’Tis best to receive credit and call it due.”

  “Gillis, really?” Kaithria said softly. “Give credit where credit is due, is the saying. The mule deserves the credit or any of us could have fallen into that pit.”

  “That is what I said,” Gillis stated matter-of-factly.

  Caden sighed and signaled to Kaithria and Gillis to walk well to the side of the path. Then he nudged Iris back into a walk.

  This time she moved off willingly as they continued walking along the path. Iris found three more of the pits and Caden jabbed the stick into those as well, caving them in so no one would inadvertently fall into them. He also found the path leading up the hill.

  He made a silent motion to the ladies, pointing up the hill through the woods. There was a small light showing and Caden thought that perhaps there was a cottage on the hill that the man lived in.

  “Let’s go pay him a visit,” Gillis said with anticipation.

  “Nay,” Caden said. “Not tonight. I want to get back to Catriona. I am uneasy that she is alone, and getting more so.” He stroked the hair back from his forehead. “There is a cottage up there. Perhaps he was just walking home.” He looked down the path. “Right now I am more curious about these pits in the middle of the path. I want to know why they are here.”

  Caden nudged the mule on. He trusted Iris completely if she veered around something on the path or walked straight over a patch of leaves. He watched her ears whenever they flopped forward as she stared at a dark patch on the path. He let her choose if she went carefully around these spots or not. He did not push or demand.

  They were almost around the other side of the house and were walking around another pit when suddenly Iris’s hind end went down. Caden had misjudged the size of the pit and one of her back hooves went through the sticks and leaves down into the pit soon followed by the other back hoof.

  Caden jumped off her back and ran to her head. He grabbed the halter and the rope he had been using as reins attached to her head and pulled.

  “Stay there, it’s larger than it looks.” He held onto Iris as he growled to the ladies, seeing their horses begin to throw their heads in the air. “Calm those horses!”

  “They are calm!” Gillis called back. “They are worried about Iris. We want to help!”

  “Caden!” Kaithria called fearfully to her brother. “We are coming around. Hang on to Iris.”

  “Come on Iris! Pull!” Caden watched as her front legs strained to keep her body from falling backward into the pit. She was making piteous hee-hawing noises as she tried desperately to regain her footing.

  In the opposite direction, Caden heard the sound of branches and leaves being walked on by heavy feet and the deep sound of men talking to each other. He stilled, looking into the woods. He could see several men in the dark, carrying large sacks. They stopped and stared in surprise at him.

  Caden braced his feet as his hold on Iris tightened. His whole body went taut and alert. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaithria and Gillis moving stealthily through the woods. Their black horses blended into the dark as they moved.

  Caden gave his attention to the men in front of him.

  There were four of them.

  They set their sacks down and slowly came towards him.

  “What are ye doing here?” one of them said in a threatening voice.

  Caden stood fast, raising his chest, flexing his fist that hung at his free side while his other arm kept a firm hold on Iris’s halter. He studied the men through narrowed eyes. The men were all in kilts and worn-out shirts. They were not armed, though all looked rough, as well as eager to be rid of him.

  “I will ask the same of you,” Caden said in a deep voice. It was the voice he used with his soldiers, and when he was talking to his deranged father. The voice that said, I am in charge and you will cease what you are doing and listen to me. He wanted their attention solely on him, not on the horses and the ladies riding them carefully through the woods to get behind them.

  “Perhaps you could give me a hand getting my mule out of this pit,” he said quietly as he watched them carefully.

  The men laughed. One spat on the ground.

  “Weel noo, we could help that huge, ugly thing into the pit and then eat him. He’s large enough to feed a whole village, do ye ken?” he sneered.

  Iris’s ears pricked forward as her braying increased sharply. She struggled mightily, trying to heave her body out of the hole with only her front legs. She was braying with each breath she took as the men slowly separated.

  And then they edged closer.

  Caden smiled grimly. He had his dirk in the belt of his kilt. But he had several sgian dubhs—small knives—rimming the interior sleeve of his right boot. It was his weapon of choice and he was a skilled knife thrower. He needed to keep his hold on Iris though or he feared she would slip further into the staked pit.

  He crooned softly to her as he hooked his fingers through her halter and bent to pull a small dagger out of his boot. He patted her leg first, as if inspecting it for injuries.

  “Easy Iris, I’ll not be letting you go,” he said gruffly to her under his breath as he kept his eyes on the men.

  She answered with a sharp wheezing hee-haw.

  Caden held the first knife ready, hidden in his palm, as his eyes followed the man nearest them. Just as the man lunged at him, a targe shield came whizzing at him from behind, hitting him sharply in the head. He dropped to the ground on his knees and then collapsed to the ground face-first with a groan.

  His companions stared in shock at their friend.

  Caden was watching the man closest to him and Iris. His knife was ready in his hand.

  “What are you doing on this land?” Caden thundered his question at the men.

  Their only response was to snarl and move closer.

  “Take another step and you will come to the same end as him!” he bellowed threateningly as he held Iris tightly.

  The men mumbled angrily to one another as they braced their legs and hunched their shoulders.

  Caden had his knife ready, but he did not want a fight with these men that could involve the women. They could be injured or killed. He had only just rediscovered his sister. He did not want to lose her again.

  Caden opened his mouth to say something more to them when out of the darkness of the brush he saw a Lochaber ax suddenly swinging at the man, knocking him sideways. The man fell to the ground beside his companion, stunned.

  Before the other two men could make a move, two large black horses came out of the woods, chests forward, their necks arched powerfully as they held their heads high. Their riders wore hooded, long cloaks. The horses trotted forward with high, dramatic knees as they snorted their breaths out sharply through their noses in a warning to the men.

  The men looked up at the horses in fear. One older man pointed to Eckle and screamed at the horse’s battle-worn face. “I remember that warhorse! He’ll kill us!” he screamed. “Grab those riders doon, and grab the horses’ reins before those horses kill us! We’ll take ’em, and have ourselves some real warhorses!”

  The man made the mistake of trying to grab Eckle’s reins, but of course, the horse had them between his teeth and the man could not pull them free.

  Kaithria threw her hood off and used that moment to bring Dummy up into a rear, high enough that none of the men could reach the reins. “Ye’ll nae be touching these horses,” she said firmly at the shocked men staring up at her.

  “’Tis a woman!” one of the men said in shock.

  Dummy took two steps forward on his hind feet, slashing down with his front feet.

  “Kai
thria!” Gillis shouted. “How do I do that?”

  “Grab the mane and—” but before Kaithria could finish, Eckle sat back and started to heave himself up with a groan.

  Eckle went up and then up further, surprising Gillis who grabbed hold of his mane with both hands. Her hood fell back off her hair, causing another man to point to her.

  “It’s another woman! Whot is this? Grab them!” the man yelled angrily.

  Eckle surprised them by walking rapidly forward, taking several steps as he slashed out with his hooves before crashing his front hooves down to the ground. He immediately heaved himself back up into a walking rear again as his front hooves pawed and slashed the air over the men’s heads. He came down again and this time he gnashed his teeth and swung his head at the men in a very dramatic display of ferociousness.

  “Good boy, Eckle!” Gillis exclaimed in awe as she held on.

  The men let out several sharp screams as they dodged the horses.

  Iris was panicking as the men got closer to her in their panic to get away from the rearing horses. She increased her struggles to heave her hind end out of the hole but only slid back further. Caden had all he could do to hold on to her to keep her from sliding backward while at the same time looking for an opening to fling one of his knives.

  But he didn’t need to. The two women and their old warhorses managed to squeeze all the men together.

  “Take your fallen friends and get off of Lady Catriona MacKay’s land!” Gillis shouted at them.

  Caden heard the men grumble something angrily back at the women.

  “What did you say?” Gillis demanded as Eckle reached out and gnashed his teeth at the men as he stomped a front hoof in warning. “If you do not do as we say you will have the full wrath of my cousins, the Ross sisters, come raining down on ye!”

  The men looked up at the woman on the frightening horse with their mouths open in fear. “Not the Ross sisters!” one of the men said.

  “Weel, they arnae here, are they? ’Tis just ye!” another man snarled up at her.

  Kaithria told Dummy to rear up again. Her black cloak fell in a dark drape over the black horse’s haunches as she stared down at the men like a dark, avenging angel.