Highland Oath

by Donna Fletcher

  “That’s amazing. How did you learn those things?”

  “Mostly from the forest itself, some from a tracker who took pity on me when I got lost in the woods one day and my father beat me with a stick for my foolishness, and—” Purity turned silent as if afraid to say more.

  “I won’t tell. You have my word,” Raven said, knowing Purity had another secret.

  “You must not ever tell,” Purity begged.

  “Never, ever, you have my word.”

  Purity leaned in close to Raven. “There is a woman who lives alone in the woods—”

  “The witch,” Raven whispered. “You visited her?”

  “No,” Purity said, shaking her head vigorously. “Father would punish me severely if I did that. I’ve come across her a few times and she told me some things about the woods I didn’t know.”

  “She’s knowledgeable,” Raven said. “I’d like to meet her.”

  “One day if we walk in the woods, we may cross her path,” Purity said.

  “Or we could hunt for her cottage,” Raven said excited at the prospect.

  “That could bring her harm and I wouldn’t want to do that.”

  “You’re right. Hopefully our paths will cross when we walk in the woods,” Raven said agreeing, not wanting to bring the woman harm, though hunting for her cottage would be much more exciting.

  “Raven!”

  Raven cringed at her da shouting out her name.

  Purity turned pure white hearing her brother shout out.

  “Purity, you better show yourself now.”

  Purity rushed to her feet, disturbing the sleeping kitten who hurried to cling to her.

  “Don’t,” Raven warned, grabbing Purity’s arm. “Give me King and go home.”

  “But Bayne knows I’m here,” Purity protested.

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s guessing. Hurry home, stop and gather some plants, and when he returns tell him that’s what you were doing.”

  “If he finds out I’m lying—”

  “He won’t. We’re the only two who know and I’m not telling.”

  “Raven!” her da shouted again.

  “I’m warning you, Purity,” Bayne called out.

  Raven held her hands out for the kitten.

  Purity kissed the top of the kitten’s head. “Go with Raven, I’ll be back to visit soon.”

  The kitten meowed softly and didn’t protest when Purity handed him to Raven. It was as if he understood her.

  “Go!” Raven urged again and Purity took off.

  Raven made her way out of the woods to hear Arran arguing with Bayne.

  “Purity has not been here. She has not asked me to wed her again,” Arran said, exasperated at repeating it.

  “Raven, have you seen Purity?” her da asked as soon as he spotted her, which had Bayne and Arran turning her way.

  “No, I haven’t,” she said.

  “You’re lying,” Bayne snapped. “You’re holding that kitten I caught Purity with one time when I was here.”

  “King is my kitten,” Raven said and the look Arran sent her told her he knew she was lying. At least he didn’t betray her, but Arran wouldn’t do that to family. “Purity may like the kitten, but King’s mine.”

  “You lie easily,” Bayne accused again.

  “That’s enough, Bayne,” her da threatened. “I won’t permit you to call my daughter a liar.”

  Raven could have sworn she saw a storm brewing in Bayne’s blue eyes and when they narrowed, she knew he was trying to keep hold of his temper.

  Bayne settled his stormy blue eyes on Raven, and she rushed to speak before he could.

  “Purity and I have become friends and she is welcome to visit here whenever,”—she settled a defiant glare on Bayne— “she wants.”

  The storm brewing in his eyes looked about to burst and the way he clenched his hands, Raven imagined he wished he could strangle her.

  Though she and Bayne were a distance apart, her da stepped between them. “What my daughter meant to say was that Purity is welcome to visit here anytime with your permission.”

  Raven smiled sweetly at Bayne, purposely claiming victory and it spread wider when he turned a deep scowl on her. Though, a twinge of fear struck when the storm in his eyes suddenly settled. She often heard the men and women alike claim, beware the calm before the storm. Was he about to unleash a storm?

  Bayne kept his eyes on her while addressing her da. “Chieftain Parlan, Raven will be of marriage age soon and I think the time has come for us to seriously discuss my offer of marriage to your daughter.”

  Raven walked past her da so fast that he couldn’t stop her and she shocked everyone when she raised her hand and jabbed Bayne in the chest as she declared, “There’s no way in hell I would marry you—ever!”

  “Raven!” her da scolded.

  To Raven’s surprise Bayne smiled, though it wasn’t a sweet smile.

  “That’s not your decision,” he said. “And dare jab me again and you’ll be sorry.”

  That was a challenge Raven couldn’t ignore, so she jabbed him again. “Wrong, arsehole, I decide who I wed.”

  She was yanked so fast away from Bayne that King flew out of her arm, screeching and ran off. It took Raven a moment to realize it had been Arran who had pulled her away from Bayne. And probably none too soon since he looked ready to kill her.

  “She needs a firm hand and I have one,” Bayne said, looking to her da.

  Raven went to speak.

  “Don’t dare open your mouth,” Arran warned with a harsh whisper in her ear.

  She reluctantly clamped her mouth shut.

  “I don’t take a hand or a stick to my daughter and I won’t wed her to a man that does,” her da said.

  Raven was proud of her da’s response, though she wasn’t happy with Bayne’s reply.

  “I don’t need to raise my hand or use a stick to tame a wife,” Bayne said and when her da went to speak, he raised his hand to stop him. “I doubt you will have men falling over themselves eager to wed Raven and you know as well as I do what joining our two clans would mean. It isn’t only our two clans that would benefit. The other clans would benefit from our combined strength and wealth as well.”

  He unknowingly answered her question without her having to ask. She wondered why he would even consider marrying her. Now she knew. What she hadn’t known was that Bayne had already approached her da with the idea.

  “There are more important things to presently discuss. Marriage to my daughter can wait,” Parlan said. “Let’s talk in my solar.” He looked to his daughter. “Go to your bedchamber, Raven.”

  Not again. She couldn’t stand being stuck there for the day. “Please, Da, let me check on the kitten first.”

  “Then to your bedchamber,” her da ordered.

  Raven nodded.

  “I must join them, but I will check to make sure you do as Da says,” Arran warned.

  “I will,” Raven assured him.

  Arran let go of her arm. “You need to learn to hold your tongue.”

  Raven held it at that moment, not wanting to spar with her brother and make her situation worse. It would take her a while to find King and she’d start her search in places the kitten wouldn’t go.

  As she walked, not bothering to glance around for King, she thought of Bayne’s reason for his proposal of marriage. He was right about the benefit of a union between them and she worried her da might consider it. Her da had to have at least given it thought with the Clan MacDonnegal having been attacked.

  She shuddered thinking of Purity and how restricted it was for her at home. She could never live like that, never have a husband who commanded her like a servant. Bayne was also known for his strength. Tall and lean, many a large warrior thought him easy to defeat and were surprised to suffer defeat at his hands. It was said that many a warrior prayed they’d never meet him on the battlefield.

  She had always avoided Bayne when he visited. He forever wore a stern expression and
appeared ready to command when he looked at you. Others thought differently, since many a woman sent an inviting smile his way, which he ignored. He was a man bent on power and command and she wanted nothing to do with him.

  Raven thought about what she had discussed with Purity only a short time ago.

  Women are used as pawns to gain that power.

  She didn’t want to be a pawn. She had always believed she would wed a man of her choice. But what if she truly had no choice? What if she needed to make a choice for the benefit and safety of her father, brothers, and her clan? Would she have the strength to do so?

  Raven cast a glance at the sky. Gray clouds had gathered, though the air was still and unusually warm for the end of spring. She looked around the village that spread out not far from the keep. It seemed quiet to her today. There were not many people to be seen or children running about, not even the occasional bark of a dog.

  The calm before the storm.

  Was there a storm coming?

  Raven shuddered and turned toward the keep, surprisingly feeling the need to be alone in her bedchamber. She hurried her footsteps, turning her head toward the woods as she went, hoping Purity would be there tomorrow and they could once again talk.

  She almost stumbled when she caught a glimpse of a woman in a dark cloak walking just inside the edge of the woods. Raven stopped and so did the woman.

  And that’s when the woman beckoned her with her finger.

  Raven went, too curious not to.

  The cloaked woman stepped back farther into the woods and Raven narrowed her eyes, not sure at what she was seeing. The trees looked as if they embraced her.

  “Don’t come any closer. No one must know I am here,” the woman said when Raven reached the edge of the woods. “Listen well, Raven, a terrible storm brews and when it finishes thrashing this land and people, nothing will be as it once was and it will take years before those torn apart are reunited. Stay strong. Your strength and courage will see you through this.”

  “I don’t understand,” Raven said, a terrible dread squeezing at her chest and stomach.

  “No one will. Blessings on you, my child.”

  Before Raven could say another word, the woman was gone. She didn’t know what to make of the encounter. She could ask herself who the woman was, but she knew the answer.

  She was the witch. How odd that Purity had only mentioned her and she suddenly appeared. Even odder was how the witch’s words had made her feel.

  Raven rarely cried. She’d get angry, but avoided tears. To her they served no purpose. However, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling. They ran down her cheeks and dropped from her chin onto her tunic.

  She could ignore the witch’s warning. After all, how did one trust a witch? Unfortunately, something deep in her heart believed the witch. She was about to lose everything she held dear and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

  Chapter 6

  Tankards were filled with ale as Parlan, Arran, Royden, and Bayne gathered in Parlan’s solar. A fire burned in the hearth despite the unusually warm day. The stone walls had a way of retaining the cold and one warm day wouldn’t change that.

  Bayne spoke after taking a seat. “My father heard from Chieftain Burnell.”

  “I thought we’d agreed not to contact anyone about the King’s actions,” Royden reminded.

  “My father did so before he spoke with you, and with Burnell’s land strategically situated, I think it was a wise move,” Bayne said.

  Arran offered his own insight. “Clan Learmonth is insignificant in all other ways, the keep is small and the clan size as well with most being advanced in years. Where his keep sits, is what matters the most—high on a hill. He can see troops coming in all directions and from quite a distance.”

  “And that was my father’s question. Were there any troops heading our way?” Bayne shook his head. “Chieftain Burnell confirmed that all was quiet.”

  “I’m not one to doubt Burnell’s word,” Parlan said, “but his seven ten years have left him frail and his clan not as protected as it should be. Did your messenger see anything out of the ordinary?”

  “You wonder if his clan is already under the King’s rule?” Royden asked.

  His da frowned. “It’s not a pleasant thought but it’s one that can’t be ignored.”

  “Actually, it was a servant who delivered the message since he has family there,” Bayne said.

  “So you can’t be sure,” Parlan said.

  “I wouldn’t swear on it, Bayne said. “I wonder also if there are other clans in the Highlands we don’t know about that have already succumbed to the King’s actions?”

  Arran shook his head. “It makes no sense, the King claiming Highland clan lands. He has enough going on with the King of Norway and the never-ending strife with England.”

  “If that is true, who dares to attack in the King’s name?” Royden asked.

  “I think it would be prudent to send our best scout to find out what goes on at Clan Learmonth,” Parlan said and the others agreed with nods.

  “I can’t imagine the audacity of someone who would attack and claim land, and the clan itself, in the name of the King,” Arran said. “Once he was discovered, he’d no longer have claim to it.”

  “Wouldn’t he?” Royden questioned. “He’d already have claim on the clan and land through a forced marriage to a chieftain and or lord’s daughter. Why would the King resign his claim when it had been made in his name? Maybe whoever is doing this wishes to claim only so much land, giving the King a foothold in the Highlands.”

  “We need to stay aware and be prepared,” Parlan said.

  “Father and I have discussed sending Purity to the convent,” Bayne said. “This way if attacked, she wouldn’t be vulnerable to a forced marriage.”

  “Someone could be dispatched to the convent to get her,” Arran warned.

  “I’ve assigned a warrior the task to take his leave at first signs of an attack and get Purity to safety. Without her, no one would have clear claim to the clan or land,” Bayne explained.

  “It might be wise to send Raven. God knows she could use some heavenly guidance,” Arran said with a grin.

  Parlan rubbed the back of his neck, the thought weighing heavily on him. “I have given it serious consideration.”

  “It might be best. At least until we can make sense of what’s going on,” Royden said.

  “Purity leaves right after your wedding. I imagine she would be overjoyed if Raven joined her,” Bayne said.

  Parlan appeared reluctant to agree. “I’ll give it thought.”

  “Have you really spoken with my da about marrying Raven?” Arran asked, wondering why his da hadn’t mentioned it if it were true.

  “I had hoped you would wed Purity and unite and benefit two powerful clans, but since you have declined, I have no choice but to seek marriage to your sister,” Bayne said and continued before anyone could voice their opinion. “And before you object consider my concerns. Unrest is custom in the Highlands. Kings come and go, but what remains, what always remains are the Highlands. The land is part of us. It’s what gives us purpose and power, to lose it is like losing yourself. We all were born and bred here. We have spilled blood for the Highlands and countless men and women have sacrificed their lives for the Highlands. This is our home, our hearts, our souls, and we do whatever we must to protect it. If I must sacrifice and wed Raven to see that we don’t lose our home, then I will do that.”

  Bayne stood. “I have said enough. Let me know your decision on sending Raven to the convent and what you hear from your scout when he returns. My proposition to wed Raven can wait, but don’t dismiss it without considering what it would mean.”

  “So the only eye he had for Raven was how beneficial it would be to him,” Arran said after Bayne was gone.

  “He isn’t wrong in that aspect,” Royden said.

  “Are you suggesting I should have wed Purity?” Arran asked.

  “N
o. I can understand that she doesn’t suit you and as much as Bayne may be right, Raven will never agree to wed him. My thought is that Bayne talks of the Highlands being in his blood, being part of him. It begs the question—what would he do to keep his land, expand his land, gain more power, more wealth?”

  “He would wed a woman for who he had no love,” Arran said.

  “Aye, and would he join with the King to make sure he not only kept his land, but gained more?” Royden asked.

  Arran turned to his da. “Do you know if Bayne sought a marriage with Chieftain Thurbane’s daughter?”

  “What are you suggesting?” asked his da.

  “If Bayne wed Chieftain Thurbane’s daughter and I wed Purity, that would make for a powerful union. There wouldn’t be anyone who would dare go against us. But if Chieftain Thurbane declined his offer and I declined to wed Purity, what’s left to him?”

  “Raven,” Royden said.

  “And if not Raven, what then?” Arran asked, looking from Royden to his da.

  “Take what he wants,” Royden said.

  Arran nodded. “And he’d know where to get Raven if she was sent to the convent with Purity.”

  “I don’t know if I can agree with you on this,” their da said.

  “Agree or not, it’s something that we need to keep in mind,” Royden said.

  “I suppose you’re right,” their da reluctantly agreed. “It also helps with my decision about sending Raven to the convent. I think it is wiser and safer that she stays here with us.”

  “While I think the convent would benefit her, I agree with you, Da. Raven is safer with us, at least for now,” Arran said.

  Royden added his opinion. “I agree as well. Raven should remain home with us where we can keep her safe. And no marriage to Bayne should even be considered.”

  Arran laughed. “Raven wouldn’t agree to wed Bayne anyway, so it doesn’t matter. She’s determined to choose her own husband, and Lord help the poor soul.”

  Arran plunged into Flora repeatedly, her moans driving his passion, his need to fulfill a never-ending thirst inside him. Each time he’d coupled with Flora, or any woman, he thought he’d be quenched, but he’d always been left with an aching thirst that he feared would never be satisfied.