Highland Chieftain

by Hannah Howell

  “Nothing good. Him and the four men with him are brutes. Men who hire themselves out to do the dirty work, like killing, and ye get no blood on you.”

  “Then we wait. At least we ken where they will be soon. Better than having to search the land for miles around just to get a sighting.” He sighed. “Anyone for a game of chess?”

  “Bored, are ye?” said Uven as he moved to sit on the pallet and watched Callum set out the chessboard.

  “I have been stuck in a cave for weeks.” Callum felt no more needed to be said.

  “Ah, true. I fear I would nay remain as sweet of temper as ye have.”

  “I dinnae understand how ye can say I am sweet-tempered.”

  “Ye arenae ranting.”

  Callum stared at his cousin as Uven studied the move he wanted to make. “I dinnae rant.”

  Uven just laughed as he made his move and waited for Callum to take a turn. “Aye, ye do, and what is happening here would have been sure to get ye enraged. We will sort it out. I have learned enough about the men to ken they are nay the smartest group. They will err or we will get lucky and we will have them.”

  “I pray ye have the right of it, Cousin. I want this over and done.”

  Chapter Eight

  Something began to trouble Bethoc as she drew near her house. She kept looking around but saw no one. Yet she began to creep toward her house, careful to stay in the shadows and use the trees for cover. She had just been to visit Callum, anticipating time spent in his arms after three days without him, only to be disappointed to find his friends there. Now she wondered if she might have a need of them soon.

  She stopped at the edge of the tree line and alarm hit her so hard it sped up her heartbeat, leaving her feeling winded. There were five horses tied up in front of the house. She looked all around the house but saw no sign of the riders or, she realized, her brothers. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she darted across the open area and crouched beneath the tiny window at the side of the house, the one closest to the woods.

  Bethoc was just about to peer inside when a cry of pain caught her attention. She felt her heart leap into her throat and prayed it was not one of the boys. If those five horses meant the men who had hurt Callum were here, she feared for her whole family. Men who would do what they had done to Callum were not the sort to show mercy to anyone, even children.

  “I told ye! I dinnae ken who ye are talking about!”

  Her father’s voice was high with fear. Bethoc looked at the five horses again and her heart sank. The men who had hurt Callum and taken Cathan had obviously found out who had stolen the boy from them. She might not consider Kerr Matheson her father any longer but her heart still clenched with fear for him. This could not end well. And where were the children?

  Risking the very real possibility of being seen, she took a deep breath and inched up to peer in the window. Kerr was tied to a chair and all five men had their backs to her. She could see no sign of the children in the house. Then, suddenly, her eyes met Kerr’s. He quickly averted his gaze but she had seen his fear. She had also seen a brief flare of hope, one that had died too swiftly. She wondered if it had been because Kerr could not believe she would help him or because he had the sense to know she could not.

  “Fool, we ken ye took him,” said the big man standing in front of Kerr. “Seems ye have a habit of taking lads and working them. Ye took the wrong lad this time. Tell us where he is.”

  “I dinnae ken.”

  “Where are your children? We ken ye have a large brood of them here.”

  “I dinnae ken. They should be here.” Kerr looked around. “Ye must have frightened them away.” His eyes widened with terror as he looked at the knife the man pulled out.

  “Ye need persuading, do ye? We have gotten real good at persuading people. Been practicing.” He laughed and it chilled Bethoc to the bone. “They gave up all they knew real quick. Now”—he grabbed Kerr’s hand and put the knife against his ring finger—“where is the lad Cathan?”

  Tears streaming from his eyes, Kerr said, “I keep telling ye, I dinnae ken.”

  She clamped both hands over her mouth and dropped to the ground when the man cut Kerr’s finger off. Kerr’s screams assaulted her ears. A part of her wanted to rush in and demand the men stop what they were doing. A smarter part of her kept her in place, letting her know she would accomplish nothing by doing so, would just get herself killed.

  Caught by indecision, she heard them ask again. To her astonishment, Kerr again denied any knowledge of the boy and screamed as he lost another finger. She could not understand why he was not giving the boy up.

  After the fourth scream, Bethoc decided she needed to move away. She could not just sit there and listen to him suffer. She scrambled across the yard and crouched down in the trees. It was not perfect for she could still hear his screams and pleas, just not as loudly. Bethoc knew that would have to be enough. She could not leave until she knew the children had left and for that she had to get around to the back of the house. That was going to have to wait as there was no place to hide there, even for a moment.

  Snuggling down into a shallow between the thick roots of the tree, she waited. Waited in hiding as Kerr Matheson died a slow, torturous death. Waited as five men learned nothing from him and searched the house. By the sounds she could hear they were destroying much of it. They came out the back and searched the whole garden, taking no care for the plants as they did so.

  Then they began to search the trees. She huddled down even more, pulling leaves over herself. Fear was a growing knot in her stomach as they searched and then one cried out. She dared a quick look and saw they were near the route of escape Colin had shown her and prayed he had been more careful to hide his trail from then on. He was a smart boy, she reassured herself, and would know he had to try to hide his trail.

  Cautiously inching out after the men ran to their horses and raced off down the trail, she tried to think of what to do next. She decided going into the house was dangerous and she certainly did not want to be caught there. Nor was she eager to see what they had left of poor Kerr. Following Colin’s escape path put her too close to the enemy and could mean they ended up between her and the children, which would be useless if not dangerous. The only other thing she could think to do was get back to Callum and, she prayed, all his friends, for they could help her and the children if it was needed.

  Staying within the cover of the trees, she picked up her skirts and ran. Every step of the way, Bethoc watched for the men after Cathan. They were on horses, which gave them some advantage but it also made them much easier to see and avoid.

  She halted just inside the trees and looked around. Colin’s route to the cave was long and winding, which it had been planned to be. He had told her how to follow but even as she had acted like she was paying attention to his words, she had been thinking how lost she would be if pressed to use it. As far as she could tell, she was there before the men. Taking several deep breaths, she bolted for the path up the hill. She moved just enough brush to get inside and hurriedly put it back. When she turned to speak, she found all of Callum’s friends were still there and so were Colin and all the children. Choking back a sob, she rushed over to Colin and hugged him.

  “Here now, Bethoc.” Colin awkwardly patted her back. “I told ye we would come here. Ye didnae need to fret yourself sick.”

  “Aye, but those men were there and they saw some sign in the back, right near where ye showed me how ye would escape and they have followed it. I feared they would end up between ye and me.”

  “Robbie,” Callum said, “think ye best get the horses up here. And the path up here should be brushed clear. How quickly do ye think they can follow the path ye took, Colin?” he asked as his friends moved to do as he asked.

  “Nay quick at all,” said Colin. “I made it twisted as I could, going round on itself in places, walking in the water in others, and walking on rock as much as we could. Nay matter how good they are at tracking, they w
ill have to keep stepping off the path to search out where the trail they just lost starts up again.”

  “Good lad.”

  Bethoc let go of Colin, hugged the other boys, and then picked up Margaret and hugged her. She had been so terrified for all of them she realized that, blood or not, they were her family. Now she feared they would still have to place their fate in others’ hands. After what they had just done to Kerr, she knew these men were not ones she could face alone.

  “How did ye get away?” she asked Colin.

  “Da came back to the house and told us to get out, to run, far and fast,” Colin replied. “He looked scared. Real scared. I dinnae ken why I did it, but told him he should come too. He said nay, said he wasnae good to us but will be now. Said he had stains on his soul. Asked him if he meant the bairns. He said aye, that he had smothered them as soon as they were born. I just left him there. We grabbed what we could and we ran, just as he told us to. I carried Margaret and Bean carried Cathan so we could move faster. I just left him,” he whispered in an unsteady voice, “and he is dead now. Aye?”

  “He is dead but he ne’er gave ye up to them.”

  “Suspicion that was what he meant about being good to us now. It was bad?”

  “Aye,” she whispered, hearing his screams and pleas. “It was verra bad.”

  “Then mayhap he cleaned some of the black off his soul.”

  She stared at Colin for a moment, thought of all Kerr had suffered without telling them anything, and nodded. “Aye, mayhap.”

  Callum stepped close and put his arm around her. “Ye were there.”

  “Aye,” she said, and knew she wept, could feel the sting in her eyes followed by the warm wetness of tears on her cheeks. “Only saw a bit but heard too much. And yet he ne’er told them,” she said in wonder.

  “Poor lass.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “I did naught to help him.”

  “And what would ye have done?” snapped Colin. “Rushed in to be killed at his side?”

  “Nay, of course not.” She glared at him. “I could have distracted them or something.”

  “How? By making them hesitate as they planned how to kill ye, too? Ye couldnae do anything. We couldnae do anything.”

  “The lad is right, Bethoc, e’en if he could be gentler in the saying of it,” said Callum, and gave the poor boy a hard look of reprimand. “Ye had five large, hardened men and ye, a wee lass, or the lads, all small, all weaponless. Nay, sad as it is, there is no cause for guilt here.”

  Robbie returned with the horses. “Simon’s clearing the path. No sign of the men yet.”

  “Good.” He looked at Colin. “Seems the lad here gave them a treacherous path to follow.”

  After putting the horses in the back of the cave with Stormcloud, Robbie walked up to Colin. “Winding with lots of rocks, a bit of water?”

  “Aye,” said Colin.

  Robbie patted him on the shoulders. “Good. If they are good trackers, ye delayed them, and if they arenae, they may ne’er get here.” He looked at Callum. “I saw a spot at the top of the hill I can safely watch for them.”

  Callum nodded and Robbie collected a bow and a quiver of arrows before he walked out.

  “He means to shoot them?” asked Colin.

  “Only if he has to. The moment he shoots one, they ken we are here and we dinnae want that.” He released Bethoc and crouched down in front of Cathan. “And how have ye been doing?”

  “Fine,” the boy said. “It wasnae so bad there.”

  “Glad to hear it. As ye can see, I was nay fit to be caring for ye. How did ye get away from the men?”

  “They were drinking and I slipped outside but then got taken by their da.” He glanced at Colin then looked back at Callum. “He kenned they would be looking for me but I think he thought he could hide me.”

  Callum nodded and looked at Bethoc. She still looked badly shaken. He hated to think of what she might have seen or heard but did not ask. The others did not have to hear it. He could tell she grieved for the man but was not sure he understood why. It was possible it was just years of thinking of him as her father that did it and he could respect that even if he felt the man did not deserve it.

  Simon came in and put the bushes back then glanced at Bethoc. “Is that the way they go?”

  Blushing faintly, she went to the doorway and made a few adjustments. “I was trying to make it look as if they were growing here and nay just tossed in front of the cave. They are dead now but dead things still hang on to where they are growing from.”

  “Ye wanted it to look natural.”

  “Aye.” She stood up and brushed off her hands. “I dinnae suppose I ought to cook anything.”

  “Nay, though ’tis tempting. There is cold meat, cheese, and bread in the basket ye brought. There is enough for everyone to have a little.” He rubbed his thigh in his broken leg. “I need to sit down, I fear.”

  Bethoc hurried over to lend him a hand. He looked a little pale and she suspected he had spent most of the day standing up. Once he was settled with his back against the wall, she took his walking stick. She was thinking of putting it somewhere he would have to ask for it before he could get up and walk around, when she took a good look at it. It was now covered in carvings the like of which she had seen on ancient headstones in the graveyard.

  “What have ye done?” She touched a carving of a dragon that curled sinuously around the stick. “This is beautiful.” She traced her finger over the carving.

  “I was a wee bit bored,” he said, smiling faintly at the way she kept tracing his carving and trying to ignore the tightening of lust in his groin, something he was too tired to do anything about.

  She gave him a cross look and set the walking stick next to his bed. Then she went about the business of setting all the food out. Carefully dividing it up left everyone with a nourishing but small meal. As she passed out the food she noticed that Colin was seated next to Simon while Margaret sat on his other side. Setting aside the food meant for Robbie, she took hers and Callum’s over to him and joined him on the pallet.

  Callum bit back a smile when Bethoc joined him on the bed as if she belonged there. He had no intention of pointing that out, however. It would make her too aware of what she had done and she would leave. It was good that she was so comfortable with him and he wanted to do nothing to spoil that.

  “What should I do about your friend Robbie’s food?” she asked.

  “Leave it. He will return soon, once he is certain those men didnae track the boys here.”

  “How can he be certain of that?”

  “He can ken how long it would take for them to get here according to all the boy Colin told him, even if the fools get badly lost. He has a skill for things like that.”

  She had absolutely no idea how, but said, “Weel, that is convenient.”

  Once done with his food, he took her hand in his, and asked, “Will ye introduce me to the boys?”

  “Oh! I am sorry I didnae do that. Just thought they had introduced themselves.”

  “Nay, they just burst in and told us what was happening. Then ye arrived.”

  She sat up and signaled the boys to come over to the pallet where they lined up nicely. “Ye ken Colin, aye?” Callum nodded and shook the boy’s hand. “He is the eldest at sixteen. Bean stands next to him and is fourteen. Then there is Liam, the boy with all the freckles, who is twelve. Gavin is next at ten. Georgie here”—she rubbed the boy’s head—“is newly turned eight. Magnus is six and has a knack for recalling whatever he has seen. Then there is your Cathan.”

  They were a varied lot. Colin looked most like Bethoc even if Callum knew they were not related, only his black hair was straight. Bean was fair-haired and blue-eyed. Liam had red hair and brown eyes to go with his many freckles. Gavin was surprisingly handsome even at ten with his thick, rich brown hair and smoky gray eyes. Magnus was the sort of child who could get whatever he wanted with his curly blond hair and wide brown eyes set in th
e face of a little angel.

  Bethoc had a fine horde of boys to care for, he thought. He also suspected they would stay with her until they were old enough to set out on their own and, even then, would not go far away. A man who took her on would have to take on the whole lot of them. It would be a daunting chore.

  Yet Callum realized even that did not stop him from thinking of taking her with him when they finally cleared this mess away and he could return to his lands. What he really needed to think on was what he intended to do with her when he got there. There was something between them, something that pulled at him, but he was not sure what. Until he was, and knew in his heart what he could offer, it would be cruel to take her away from the only place she had called home.

  One thing he was sure of was that he had never felt for another woman what he felt for her. He wanted to give her things, to take care of her, and keep her safe from the harshness of the world. He certainly had liked bedding her, gained more pleasure from it than he had ever had, even including his first time with that talented dairy maid. But more than that, he had no urge to get up, dress, and leave when it was done. In fact, he had dreams of waking up in the morning curled around her, waking her up slowly with kisses so that they could make love again in the early morning light.

  Margaret appeared at the side of the pallet, went around to the side that was not wounded, and crawled on the bed. She inserted herself between him and Bethoc and settled down, closing her eyes. Bethoc said nothing, just idly played with the child’s curls and sipped her cider. Nothing could make the situation clearer to a man than that. If he took Bethoc with him, he took on the whole family. It was another reason to be absolutely sure what he wanted before he gave in to impulse.

  “They are gone,” said Robbie as he walked in and Bethoc held his food out to him. “Thank ye, lass.”

  “Where do ye think they went?” asked Callum.

  “My guess would be back into the village to have an ale. Got weary of going in circles trying to find the lads.”

  “Ye dinnae think that is the last of them though, do ye?”