by Alisa Adams
Kaithria, Keir, and Neely were handling two of the warriors themselves, easily overtaking them. Neely kept hitting the downed warriors on their heads until Kaithria pulled her away. Keir quickly tied their hands behind their backs where they had fallen to the ground.
Wolf let out a roar as two more warriors came after him and Swan. He drew back his fist and smashed it into the face of the one reaching out for Swan and then quickly hit the other man who rushed at him. He stood there heaving, looking down at all the warriors.
“Keir, tie them all up. Take note of their clan tartans. I’ll know who these men are!” he growled loud and deep.
Then Wolf looked back at Beak and the boys. They had huge, broad smiles on their faces and the little boys’ chests were puffed out with pride.
“Well done men,” he said quietly with a half grin and a shake of his head at the oddity of being assisted by them. An old man whose white hair stood straight up, who had a pipe seemingly forever stuck in the corner of his mouth, with his socks fallen down around his long bony feet, showing his knobby knees. And three little boys with golf clubs and stones.
Then he looked at Swan.
“Interesting form of distraction,” he said dryly to her as she blushed hotly.
“Och, she wasnae distracting them, but herself. She sings when she is frightened,” Neely called. “We dinnae dare tell her she cannae sing well.”
Wolf looked at Swan; her blush had deepened. “Were ye trying to distract them with the sound of yer voice or the words of that song?” he asked drolly.
“My voice?” Swan said with an arched eyebrow. “What are ye saying?”
“Odd choice of song then,” Wolf said, not allowing himself to say anything bad about her voice. “A war song?” Wolf asked.
Swan tilted her head at him. “Nay, a song of peace, not war.”
Wolf shook his head at her. “Ye sang only a few of the lines.”
He opened his mouth and sang quietly in a deep, smooth baritone.
* * *
“May the fates defend him upon that hostile shore,
Amid the rage of battle, where thund'ring cannons roar.
In the sad hour of danger, when deadly bullets flee,
Far frae the peacefu' plains of his ain countrie.
* * *
An' oh! what widows weep, an' helpless orphans cry!
On a far foreign shore now, the dear, dear ashes lie.
Whose life-blood stain'd the gowans of some far foreign lea,
Far frae their kith an' kin, an' their ain countrie.”
* * *
Wolf stopped. “Tis a song of war,” he said firmly and turned to go get his horse.
Swan stared after him with her mouth open. The rough Highlander has a beautiful voice, she thought, still startled and shaken by the rich, deep tone of his voice.
Beans came over and pressed against her legs, looking up at her adoringly with his tongue hanging out.
“Aye, ye did well, Beans. Vera well,” she whispered to the dog as she patted him, staring after the big Highlander.
Swan heard the voice of Grissy, Fee, and Effi calling to her. She looked over at the girls on Inch and smiled.
“Ye were splendid Lady Swan! And we think yer voice is most beautiful!”
Swan smiled up at them with pleasure.
“Lady Swan?” Neely called out. “Can ye fetch yer Peigi? She willnae come to me,” Neely said.
Swan looked over to see Peigi peacefully cropping grass beside Wolf’s horse Hell.
She sighed. Her mare was besotted.
12
They did not go farther that day. Instead, they went off the road where the ground was firm, into a wooded area where they found a clearing. They came to a stop within the clearing where there was a curious circle of upright stones, much like the others they had seen days ago. Not far away, surrounded by trees, was another closed circle of piled stones making up the wall of the circle. It was an ancient cairn and would do well for the night.
A lovely stream sang its way along through the woodland, dropping down from a ring of small waterfalls. It fell into a pool of crystal clear turquoise water that reflected the clear blue of the sky above.
Swan sat in a shaft of sunlight in the grass clearing. Beans was sitting loyally at her side. The dog’s eyes were closed contentedly in the sun. He had a regal crown of wildflowers on his head that matched the one on Swan’s hair. The girls were gathering even more flowers for they planned to make a necklace for the hound’s neck and one for Swan as well. They had already decorated Beans’ tail with a spiral of braided wildflowers. The flowers on the wolfhound’s coarse grey-brown fur looked out of place. He no longer looked fierce at all.
The little boys sat on rocks overlooking the pool, fishing. They were now using their homemade golf club sticks as fishing poles.
Beak was sound asleep against a rock, snoring away.
Neely and Kaithria were on the other side of the clearing, gathering the wild berries that were growing prolifically along the stream.
Wolf and Keir leaned against a rock at the edge of the clearing, talking quietly.
Wolf’s eyes had not left Swan where she sat in the sunshine with the wildflowers on her shimmering hair.
“We cannae go any further.” Keir’s voice brought him back to the moment.
Wolf grunted and looked away from the vision of Swan. “Aye,” he said quietly, before looking back at Swan and the children, and the incongruous picture of the wolfhound with flowers on his head.
Keir stared at Wolf, watching him thinking through all the possibilities. Keir knew there was only one that made sense.
“We head to McKay lands,” Wolf said, echoing Keir’s thoughts.
“Aye. But we must go through Sutherland lands to get there,” Keir added.
Wolf rubbed his jaw. “Tis a problem, that. The laird of clan Sutherland's son, Simon, has been using the Clearances to attain land. I dinnae know how much the laird is aware of it, however.”
“Laird Tavish Sutherland is a respected laird is he not?” Keir asked.
“Oh aye, but he will not want to admit that his son is not seen as anything less than admirable by the King.”
Keir nodded and looked over at Kaithria as she was gathering berries. The cloak and hood were gone. He was very glad about that.
“Keir,” Wolf said solemnly, without looking at him. His eyes followed every move Swan made. He watched as her long, slender hands stroked the huge hound’s head so gently. She laughed with the girls as she showed them how to braid the flowers and again as they placed the flowers on the dog. “With all these warriors looking for the boy, if anything happens, get them to the McKay lands. Get them to Catriona.”
“Get the boys to yer sister? Ye dinnae want me to get them to the King?”
“I mean the others. I will fight to get those boys to the King. Or the one boy if I find out which one is his son. But the others—Swan, Kaithria, old Beak, and Neely, the angry one.”
“Would Kaithria know which boy is the one?” Keir wondered out loud.
“I have asked her. She said the three all came to the priory together, when they were very young,” Wolf said as his eyes stayed on Swan. She was laughing again, her long, slender neck tipped up to the sunlight as she laughed happily at something the girls had said. He watched as she looked over to the boys. They had called her and she went to the pool and knelt beside them. She was talking softly, her face wreathed in smiles as she showed them how to tie their string better and cast into the pond.
She is a wonder, Wolf thought. He had been told she was timid and frightened of everything. He had not seen a timid woman. He had only seen a woman fighting for those she loved. He felt something in his chest, something deep in his bones, throughout his entire body, heavy and solid, filling him up. He got up to join them, for he could not resist the pull of this woman sitting in the sunlight with the children by the clear pool.
Little Albie looked up as Wolf came over. He had a
tear trickling down his face. He held up his stick for Wolf to see.
“I dinnae know how to tie the string and keep it on. Lady Swan has showed me, but I cannae do it,” he said with trembling lips.
Swan looked up at Wolf, watching with breath held to see how he would respond to the small boy.
Wolf squatted down in his kilt, his muscular thighs straining as he knelt on one knee next to Albie. “Let me see,” he said quietly.
He slowly tied the string, showing the boy each step in a deep and patient voice. The little boy put his fingers over Wolf’s, mimicking the movements as Wolf nodded and murmured encouragingly. Then he notched it into the wood so it would stay.
“There ye are. Let’s get ye a worm on it now,” he said as he scooped a worm up from the wiggling, squirming pile the boys had collected. Albie watched, his head bent closely to Wolf’s as he tied the worm onto the string with his big, rough warrior hands.
Swan’s heart did little flips as she watched. She was transfixed by the sight of the Highlander and the small boy, with their heads bent together over the tiny fishing pole.
Wolf showed Albie how to cast the worm out into the pool, and then handed the pole to Albie and watched, with quiet words of encouragement as Albie tried. Wolf put his hands over Albie’s to help him cast far out into the pool.
Bhric and Charlie asked for his help then too. The next thing Swan knew, the three little boys were clustered around Wolf as he showed them how to tie their strings, which was much better than Lady Swan’s method, they declared. Then he showed them his way of tying the worm, which they also thought was better.
Swan sat back and watched Wolf and the boys with a content smile. She was enjoying the peaceful scene at the pool on this warm day in the sunshine. Her heart was full and she thought it would never be better than this day, for one, if not all, of these three little boys would be taken from her. By this man.
Beans came over and nudged his way under her arm. She stroked his coarse fur, gently, so as not to disturb his crown of flowers or his necklace of flowers or even the flowers around his tail. She looked back at the girls but they had made their way over to Kaithria and Neely and were picking berries. Beak was with them, eating more than he was putting in the cloth bag. Her eyes searched for Keir. She saw him at the edge of the clearing, keeping watch over everyone.
Swan turned back to watch Wolf and the boys again. Wolf was speaking in a lulling deep voice to the boys, telling them a story about the fairy pools, like the one they were fishing in.
He spoke of the beauty of the pool with its clear water, surrounded by rocks and small waterfalls. That the pools were so beautiful they attracted fairies from all over. The fairies guarded the pool and those around it, and loved to play in the waterfalls. The young boys were mesmerized and so was Swan. She watched as a very tired Albie climbed onto Wolf’s lap to listen to his story.
Swan tightened her lips to control her laughter as she saw Wolf look down at the small boy in his lap, his hands away from his sides, not knowing what to do. He had an uncomfortable expression on his face, but as Swan silently watched, Wolf slowly closed his arms around the little boy as he snuggled further against the big Highlander. Within moments Albie was asleep. Wolf sat there, talking quietly with the other boys as they fished, telling them to keep their voices down when they got loud, so they wouldn’t wake little Albie.
Swan sighed and smiled softly at the sight. She wanted to say something to Wolf but hesitated, not wanting Wolf to know it was noticed that he was being soft and gentle with a child.
A soft whistle came to her ears before Swan could decide to speak to Wolf, however. She quickly looked over at the sound to see Keir melt into the woods, motioning Kaithria, Neely, Beak, and the girls back into the shadows with him. Keir made a motion to Wolf. Swan turned to see Wolf give a sharp shake of his head and then motioned his head to Keir, telling him to go.
Wolf slowly stood up with the sleeping little boy in his arms.
Swan started to stand, confused at what was going on. Wolf was staring at the opposite side of the clearing but saw her moving out of the corner of his eye.
“Stay where ye are Swan,” he said calmly under his breath, “and hold Beans to ye.”
Swan put her arm around the dog who still lay at her side. She kept her eyes on Wolf.
Wolf’s eyes narrowed as twenty or more warriors came out of the woods opposite the side of the clearing where Keir and the others had gone. He tightened his hold on the little boy who was sleeping so trustingly with his head on Wolf’s shoulder.
The warriors stepped into the clearing and looked at Wolf.
“What are ye doing here on Sutherland lands?” the leader of the men demanded.
“We have stopped to rest,” Wolf said quietly in a firm voice to the young warrior leading the others.
Swan stood up then, and the warrior's eyes went to her. Beans immediately came to stand at her side, as did Bhric and Charlie, who clutched at her skirts.
The lead warrior nodded his head to her.
“I see ye are here with yer family then,” the warrior said with great interest as he stared at the older warrior. “What clan are ye?”
Wolf hesitated, his jaw firm.
Swan answered, fearing he paused too long. “McKay,” she said with a glance at Wolf.
“I thought so,” the warrior said with a tight smile as he looked at the renowned Highlander with the reputation to match the fierceness he saw in the man’s chiseled, hardened face. “Ye are Laird Wolfram McKay, arnae ye?” the leader asked bluntly. “I am Tam Sutherland, me uncle is Laird Tavish Sutherland.” He paused, waiting for the Highlander to show respect for him as the Laird’s nephew. When he got none from the stern-faced Highlander, he continued. “I recognize the brooch ye wear on yer tartan. The only laird who wears such, given to ye by the King it was. In thanks for yer allegiance to the King, and yer many battles fought, and won, for the King. Ye are a Loyalist.”
Wolf nodded to him and offered a tight smile in return. “I am a Highlander.”
Tam studied him. “I dinnae know ye had married. Word was that the Wolf would never marry. Yet here ye are…” Tam said.
Bhric and Charlie looked at Wolf. They were smiling up at him adoringly.
Swan looked over at Wolf as well, her cheeks pinkening.
“Ye may not know, milord, but there are many warriors out and aboot,” Tam said as he looked with interest at Bhric and Charlie, and then with a pointed look at Albie in Wolf’s arms. “They are looking for a certain young boy. About the age of yer sons.” He paused, his eyes narrowing as he spoke slowly, with just a hint of malice in his voice. “They’ll do anything to take the boy. Particularly if they doubt ye are the boy’s father.”
“Our da is the fiercest warrior of them all,” Bhric yelled at the warrior as he puffed out his little chest.
Swan squeezed his hand and shushed him.
“Are ye some of those warriors?” Wolf said in a threatening tone.
Tam stilled, his face reddening. He did not answer Wolf’s question but posed one of his own. “Laird McKay, I must ask what ye...are doing on our land?”
“We are on our way back to McKay lands, to visit me sister,” Wolf answered. “It has been many years. I knew not that we had wandered onto Sutherland lands. The children were struck by the fairy pool, and so we rested a while.” He motioned with his head to the pool at his back.
“We will leave immediately,” Swan added politely. She had one hand on Bean’s head, and the other arm around the boys.
Tam’s eyes went back to Swan and then the dog at her side. His brows furrowed as he studied the big wolfhound.
“Yer dog has an uncanny likeness to me cousin Simon’s hound that went missing when he went—” He stopped short of what he was going to say. He smiled thinly. “Though certainly it cannae be him, for me cousin’s dog would have killed those children by noo, and yer ladywife.” He smiled with uncertainty. “Nor would he allow anyone tae get close en
ough to put...flowers on him,” he said with chagrin.
“Beans is our dog!” Charlie said churlishly as he rushed to the dog’s side and put his arms around its neck.
Tam Sutherland gave a short, clipped laugh as he watched the dog’s tongue lolling out with happiness. The hound licked the little boy’s face happily. “I see that, young McKay,” Tam said. “But the likeness is uncanny...even the same scars,” he added with narrowed eyes. “Laird McKay I’ll need ye to come to the castle with us. I am sure me uncle would like to speak with ye.”
Wolf spun around at a rustle in the bushes behind them.
Out stepped Beak, who looked at them all in feigned surprise. “Och, good day to ye! Pardon me, I was just making use of the bushes,” he said, scratching at his buttocks through his woolen kilt for added effect. “It’s been a long journey with the little McKays!” He puffed on his pipe as he walked casually over to Wolf, who still held little Albie. “Shall I take yer son, milord?” he asked, holding out his arms.
“Nay, I have him,” Wolf said. “Lady Swan and the boys, as well as my man Beak here, will accompany me to Laird Sutherland. Ye can understand that with the circumstances ye described I’ll not be leaving them here. Unguarded.”
Tam stared at Wolf.
Wolf’s jaw was firm, his face stern, strong, as he looked down at the younger warrior from his superior height.
The two warriors stared at each other, neither yielding.
“They are safe on Sutherland Land,” Tam finally said. His voice was harsh and loud. He pointed to Beak. “Yer man there can see to them.”
Albie stirred on Wolf’s shoulder with a small whine.
“Nay,” Wolf said as he patted Albie’s back, rather roughly, for it was new to him. “I think not.” He held out one arm to Swan.
She came to him instantly, bringing along Bhric and Charlie.
Wolf wrapped his arm around her and was pleased when she looked up into his face, with one hand resting on his chest. He placed a light kiss on her lips and winked at her with a small smile when she started to look surprised at his gesture. He did not look away from her when he addressed Tam.
