A Time of Madness

by Marti Talbott

  Sawney could not have been more pleased. These three were unmarried, had no family left, he trusted each of them and he needed more men to protect the women and children.

  AS SOON AS HE COULD leave the celebration in the great hall, Neasan rushed up the first flight of stairs to find Paisley. She was not there, but he was not concerned. In the window of a second floor bedchamber, the very bedchamber Paisley occupied before her marriage, Neasan watched the MacGreagor’s gather in the glen. It was then he realized he was not truly familiar with any but Justin’s sons, and had no idea which woman was married to which man. It did not matter, the woman with white hair was not among them, and furthermore, Carley was not going either. The people honored Carley, listened to her and she could be of great benefit to him in the future.

  He continued to watch just to make sure Paisley didn’t change her mind. How easy it all was. Had he guessed, he might have taken the clan from Justin years ago.

  THEY STAYED IN A ROW across the glen and waited for the last three men to get on their horses. Then they waited a little longer for Sawney to give the signal. They numbered nine men, all well trained warriors, three women who held their eyes down for fear they would burst into tears, and seven children ranging from age three to not quite eighteen.

  Silently standing in front of the village watching were Neasan’s new Davidson followers.

  “How can this be happening?” asked Blare, seated on his horse next to Sawney.

  “I do not understand it either.” Everything Sawney believed in seemed to be slipping away in one short afternoon. “The lads do not come to fight with us and the lasses do not cry. How have they so easily turned against us?”

  Keter leaned forward and patted the neck of his agitated horse to calm him down. “I wonder if Justin knew.”

  “Surely he would have warned us,“ said Hew. “How do they forget their pledge to Father so easily?”

  “Father is dead,” said Sawney. “They have no pledge to him now.”

  On the other side of Hew, Daniel sighed. “Unless Neasan is even more witless than we think, they’ll not be without a new pledge for long.”

  “And if they do not give their pledge?” Hew asked.

  “Then he will most likely kill them. If not, he will banish them as he has us, and they will try to find us,” Daniel answered.

  “If they can,” said Sawney. For a few minutes longer, he looked at the faces of all the people he knew and loved. Did they expect him to say something, he wondered. Was he to forgive them before he rode completely out of their lives? There was no hint, no goodbye waves, no tears, and he believed, no regrets.

  “Which way, brother?” Hew asked.

  Disgusted, Sawney took his eyes off the people. “I have always wanted to see more of northern Scotland.”

  “So you have, we go north then.”

  Sawney glanced down the row to his right and then to his left. The men were all armed with swords, daggers, bows made of carved wood, and strings made of hemp. They carried a full count of arrows in sheaths hung over their shoulders and kept their bows at the ready, an easier weapon to use since the heavy swords often took two hands to wield.

  The women were being very brave, the older sons had control of the packhorses and the children were quiet. He nodded to Paisley, raised his hand and waved them on.

  With Keter and Blare in front and Lenox, Moffet and Diocail in the back to protect them, the small clan of MacGreagors turned around and started down the path that would take them out of their beloved glen

  Blare looked back once more searching for his mother, finally spotted her, nodded, and closed his eyes for a moment. No harder thing had he ever had to do than to leave Carley to the devices of an evil man. Yet she was right. His first responsibility was to his wife and children.

  A short distance after they left the glen, they found where the paths crossed and turned up the one that would take them north, to the best place to cross the river.

  ON A HORSE WELL HIDDEN in the trees, Bearcha took his time before he started to follow. Why Neasan chose him to do so was not a mystery; Bearcha was the only man left in the courtyard when Neasan came back out of the great hall. His command was simply to report back and it took no time at all to discover that the MacGreagors had taken the northern path. Even so, he followed for a time.

  A hunter by choice, Bearcha had a full head of shoulder length brown hair he tied in the back. He kept his brown mustache and beard trimmed shorter than most warriors, which made him appear less fierce. He also had a wife and one infant son who was born after the fever passed. While he seriously considered going with Sawney, he was not about to risk losing his wife or their only remaining child.

  NEASAN LEFT THE SECOND floor window and hurried down the stairs where several of the men were already celebrating. “Lads, come with me,” he shouted. He walked to the end of the great hall and opened the door, his door he was happy to realize.

  CARLEY WATCHED UNTIL she could no longer see her sons and was glad to leave the silent crowd. They were truly gone and as soon as she walked down the path, stepped inside her cottage, and closed the door, the tears she held back began to run down her cheeks. All alone, she sat down at her table and soon, her tears turned to sobs.

  NEASAN CLIMBED UP SO he could stand on top of the short wall in the courtyard and shouted for his followers to gather. He felt like a king looking down on his kingdom and couldn’t help but grin. He took a moment to look for Paisley, but again she was not there and he was not overly concerned. No doubt, the sorrow she felt over her husband’s death caused her absence and it was understandable.

  “The lasses and children will leave us now and the lads will give me their pledges.” Neasan watched as the women, including Dena, took the children away, albeit in a slightly unnerving silence. Nevertheless, when they did as he said, he felt even more empowered. They were beginning to comply, as well they should.

  The men stood alone in the courtyard, some smiling and others not. “He who will not give his pledge to obey my commands shall be banished, but his family shall remain.” He listened to the shocked murmurs with great satisfaction. There it was finally, his ultimate threat against those who were not completely on his side. Now they would be forced and a MacGreagor would never break his pledge. Suddenly, he wrinkled his brow. He’d forgotten to consider those who had no family.

  Neasan only half listened as one-by-one the men gave their pledges, and tried to think what to do should any of those without families decline. There was the possibility Sawney would come back to fight if he had more men, and banishments would certainly send him what he needed.

  Some of the men wore grins as wide as his, especially those in Dena’s family, and some seemed to hold back, but in the end, Neasan worried for nothing. Each man gave his pledge and the hardest part was over.

  Now it was time to choose his second and third in command. He’d thought about it often and decided it made little difference. He could appoint any man so long as he was not from Dena’s family. Choosing one of her brothers or even her cousins could be a grave error once it became clear he did not intent to marry her.

  “William will be my second in command and Catan my third. Keep to your normal duties until I say otherwise.” He noticed a disappointed look on the face of one of Dena’s brothers and wanted to laugh aloud. The brother was obviously just as witless as his sister was.

  Neasan turned his grin toward the other men and shouted loud enough for all to hear, “Let the feast begin!” He hopped down from the wall and headed back inside his new home. Just as he opened the door to the empty great hall and stepped in, Neasan remembered standing before Justin as a boy to receive his punishment from some unimportant infraction of the rules or other. For a moment, he thought Justin was standing there with his legs apart and his arms folded frowning. The foreboding passed as soon as his men filed in and began filling their goblets with wine.

  It was time to take a better look around. With his men watching, Neasan c
rossed the room, opened the back door, and got a good look at the kitchen. Then he came back and started up the stairs. His men wanted to follow, but if Justin kept the two upper levels private, so would he. He put a hand out to stop them, walked up the first flight of stairs and opened the door on his right. It appeared to be the bedchamber Justin’s two younger children shared before they passed. Neasan quickly closed the door.

  The opposite bedchamber was where Paisley grew up and although he had already been in that room, this time he would enjoy it more. Once he walked past the room Sawney and Hew left in a mess, he opened her door and savored the memory of seeing her standing in her window on a hot summer night. He could almost feel her there still. Perhaps he would take her in her very own bed, but then he had not yet seen Justin’s chamber and bedding his precious daughter in Justin’s bed would be even sweeter.

  Amid the laughter and the shouts of his men, he retraced his steps and started up the second flight of stairs. At the top, he paused. He was about to discover all that wealth and he wanted to cherish the moment. Slowly, he pulled the handle down and opened the door.

  The room held an ordinary bed, a table, four chairs, and two trunks. Neasan’s eyes sparkled as he walked to the first trunk and opened it, but what he found inside disappointed him. Blue plaids from long ago were nearly in shreds, the drawing of a child was faded and the only other items were two daggers, possibly belonging to previous lairds. Neasan closed the lid and opened the other trunk. Inside, the belongings were even more meager. It held a worthless goblet, extra candles, and spare leather belts.

  Neasan put the lid down and rubbed the back of his neck. It was here...somewhere...it had to be. He looked up and examined the ceiling for a hidden door or shelf, but nothing stood out. Still, he was not overly concerned. The wealth was there, where else could it be? Perhaps there were loose boards in the floor. That must be it.

  At any rate, this was his bedchamber now and he had all the time in the world to find Justin’s gold. Just then, he looked at the bed Justin died in and thought he saw something move. A new feeling of foreboding washed over him and suddenly he could not get out of that bedchamber fast enough.

  CHAPTER V

  MACKINZIE CAMPBELL’S long, red hair was braided, she wore a sword, a dagger, and a lightweight bow with three arrows in a sheath strapped over her shoulder. This day she was not happy, even though she was standing in her favorite place on the crest of the hill overlooking the ocean. She had not seen the stallion for days and she felt as if her only friend had deserted her. She looked for him on the beach, in the forest and near the waterfall, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Twice since that first day he had come back, casually walked up to her, and even let her ride once when she found a rock high enough to stand on so she could mount him. He seemed such a gentle horse, yet she could feel his strength and had no doubt he could outrun every other horse in Scotland.

  At first, she thought him wild, but he seemed not to fear people so it was possible he belonged to someone and had just wandered off. Now, most likely, his owner found him and he was unable to come for a visit. It deeply saddened her and with a heavy heart, Mackinzie went down the hill, turned north, and walked along the sandy beach toward home.

  IN THE COURTYARD THAT now belonged to the Davidsons, Grant motioned for his brother, Bryce, to take a walk with him in the glen where no one could hear. They were married to sisters, both of which were Justin’s nieces. “We should have gone with them,” said Grant when they were far enough away from prying eyes and listening ears. Already, many were uncertain whom to trust even if they had a need to share their thoughts, but these two brothers-in-law were normally likeminded and confided in each other often.

  The taller of the two, Bryce nodded. “Smile, we must pretend happiness even if we do not feel it.”

  “I shall do my best, but ‘twill not be easy,” he said through a forced grin. “Davidsons? Sons of David we are not!”

  “Lower your voice, Grant.”

  It was not any easier for Bryce to pretend, but he tossed his head of bountiful, curly blond hair back and laughed. “The man is daft.”

  “Of that, I am certain. He is dangerous too.”

  “Agreed.”

  Best friends since childhood, they were as different as night and day. Bryce was far more bold while Grant was most often the wiser of the two. Even the color of Grant’s dark hair stood in stark contrast to the blond Bryce, although they both had blue eyes. Both hunters, each day they challenged each other in one way or another and still neither stood out as the clear winner.

  The volume of the clan’s celebration was beginning to increase and both stopped to look back toward the Keep. Bryce nudged his friend and said, “My wife swears she will not serve Neasan, nor will she prepare food for his feast. I may have to strike her.”

  This time, Grant truly laughed. “Do allow me to watch.”

  Bryce wrinkled his brow. “You wish to watch me strike my wife?”

  “Nay, I wish to see what she does to you in return. Neasan may think it is simple, but a wife has many devices of revenge.”

  Bryce playfully slapped his brother-in-law on the back. “That she does, that she does.”

  ON HORSEBACK AND FOR the better part of two hours, the MacGreagors formed a single line of white shirts, green kilts and plaids. The women fought back tears while the men held their anger, worried about the future and fretted over the women and children. They kept to the narrow, winding path through the forest, going ever northward, first over two rolling hills, across a pleasant meadow and then past a good sized puddle where the last rain had not yet seeped into the ground.

  Birds chirped in the trees but the sorrowful MacGreagors did not notice, nor did they notice the sweet smell of the Scot Pine trees. But then, they lived with that smell all their lives and were used to it.

  Abruptly, Keter put his hand up to stop them and everyone tried to see what might be the matter. A beautiful black stallion stood on the path blocking their way to the river bank.

  Sawney had his father’s sword tied around his waist and touched it often, but it didn’t seem to help. His sorrow was sometimes clouded by moments of rage and he feared such sudden changes in his emotions meant he was going mad. He needed a distraction and this horse did just that.

  When Sawney made his way to the front of the line and slid down off his mount to get a closer look at the black horse, the MacGreagors held their breath. “‘Tis unwise to approach a wild horse, Sawney,” Keter cautioned.

  “Grandmother Glenna told of a horse like this once. He led the clan to our new land in the glen. Do you not remember the story?”

  “Aye, but that was not a wild horse. This horse has never seen a bridle; he has no marks on his head.”

  Sawney walked closer. The horse seemed to be looking him in the eye and Sawney truly saw nothing to fear. Instead, he reached out and rubbed the horse’s nose. From the tip of his ears to his hooves, the horse had not one spot of any other color on him. Even his eyes were black and when Sawney moved closer still, patted the horse’s neck and grabbed a handful of mane, the stallion held still and let him swing up on his back.

  Blare shrugged, “An extra horse will be a blessing. Turn him around so we can cross the river before dark.”

  Even with Sawney’s urging, the horse would not move. Instead, the stallion pawed the ground. “He warns us not to cross,” said Sawney.

  Keter rolled his eyes. “A horse only knows how to eat and sleep, nothing more.”

  While they were stopped, Lenox took the opportunity to make his way from the back of the line, past the women and children, and halted his horse facing Sawney. “We are being followed, at least we were. I believe he has left us now and gone back.”

  “Did you see who it was?”

  “Aye, it was Bearcha. He let me see him.”

  Sawney continued stroking the side of the black stallion’s neck. “Bearcha let you see him?”

  “Aye he did and he
is very good at hiding when he does not wish to be seen.”

  “Neasan sent him to see which way we went, but why? What does it matter?”

  Lenox shrugged. “Whatever his reason, we best not let him find us.”

  “I agree. You have done well, Lenox.”

  Lenox nodded, turned his horse around and went back to guard the clan from the rear.

  Sawney exchanged glances with Keter who was thinking the same thing. The path on the other side of the river would take them through more than one narrow passage where archers could easily cut them down one by one.

  KETER LOOKED TO HIS right and then to his left. There was a path beside the river that would take them east and perhaps that was a better choice. He walked his horse a few feet down the path and then halted to study the river. Convinced it was not too deep, he went back and motioned for the clan to follow him. To his relief, the black stallion carrying Sawney fell in behind Hew.

  The last man dismounted, untied a bucket he refused to leave behind, and threw just enough water on their tracks to make them unrecognizable.

  It was slow going, the horses found the rocks in the riverbed difficult to master and as soon as he thought they had gone far enough, Keter led them back onto the path. Hopefully, they would be far away by the time the Davidsons discovered they had not crossed the river. Yet time was not on their side, darkness still came early that time of year and the children were getting tired.

  Where the path going east and west crossed one going north and south, Keter took neither and instead led them into the forest. He kept going deeper and deeper into the woods until he found a small clearing where they could rest for the night.