Highlander's Veiled Assassin (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance)

by Alisa Adams

  “Martha,” Sarina hissed and eventually, Martha regained some measure of consciousness.

  “Where are we?” she asked groggily.

  “I was hoping you could tell me.”

  Martha looked around hazily and then groaned. “They’re taking us north,” she said.

  Sarina didn’t ask how Martha knew this from one brief glance at the surrounding area. She assumed it was something one picked up after living in the Highlands, but she wasn’t excited by the fact that they were heading north. Seamus had told her that the lands in the north were wild and it was even farther from her home. Sarina’s heart ached for her husband. Just as they had found a common outlook on life, just as they had started to become intimate, she had been ripped away from him. She couldn’t imagine the anger he would be feeling right now and she wondered if the bandits knew the world of hurt they beckoned. They were fierce men though and she only hoped that her life and her virtue would remain intact by the time Seamus came to rescue them.

  Because he was coming to rescue them, of that Sarina was sure.

  “Do you know what bandits do to their prisoners?” Sarina asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

  “I’ve heard stories. It differs depending on the prisoner. With men, they’ll make them dae manual labor. With some prisoners, they’ll try to ransom them off. With women, they’ll make them dae menial tasks, but with a lass like ye... I’d imagine ye’ll be taken as one of their women.”

  Sarina recoiled at the thought. “I’d rather die.”

  “They may nae give ye a choice,” Martha warned. “Best thing ye can dae is keep ye head down and behave yeself. Wait for Seamus tae come or wait until we can find a way out.”

  Sarina pressed her lips together and took notice of the bandits surrounding the wagon. There were five of them riding and as she twisted her head around, she saw another ten or so behind them, looking like a grim cloud coming over the horizon. This was the second time they had tried to come for her and this time, they had succeeded, but only because Seamus hadn’t been there to rescue her. And why hadn’t he been there? Because he had been out looking to rescue Thomas from the bandits. It seemed like a smart move by the bandits to cause such a distraction, but the more Sarina thought about it, the more she wondered if that was all there was to it.

  After all, it seemed fortunate that they were able to capture Thomas at just the right moment. She knew her brother could be crafty, but would he really stoop to such a low point as to deal with bandits? She didn’t air her suspicions with Martha because she wasn’t sure of them herself, but it was certainly something that she wanted to keep in mind. If it was then she would kill Thomas herself, forgetting the promise she had made Seamus make.

  They rode on for what seemed like an eternity until they turned off a narrow road and entered a network of caves. They had left the forest behind and were at the foot of the mountain ranges. Huge craggy rocks towered above them and the wind whistled through the peaks. The wheels trundled along the stone and the uneven ground threw Sarina and Martha around like a ship on tempestuous waves. Sarina was grateful when the wagon came to a halt.

  The door was open and she and Martha were pulled out. Martha was unbalanced and fell to her knees, crying out in pain as she was unable to brace herself against the impact of the unforgiving floor. She was pulled up and told to stop crying at which point Sarina exploded with fury. “How dare you take us from our homes and treat us like this. I demand to see your leader. I demand that you treat us fairly!”

  She was treated to a backhanded slap right across her face which made her cheeks sting. The shock of it was enough to silence her. Martha shook her head, indicating that Sarina shouldn’t seek to provoke the bandits. They were led through a network of caves. The world went dark and the caves were dimly lit by torches. The air in the caves was cold and inhospitable. Sarina wondered how anyone could actually live down here.

  Because she couldn’t see properly, she often stumbled over stray rocks and almost fell over on more than one occasion. She kept close to Martha and eventually the two of them were led to a wider chamber which had been made into a jail. There was another woman already there. Her face was dirty and her clothes were tattered and torn. The bandits threw Martha and Sarina down to the ground, telling them to stay put. The bandits walked off, one of them staying nearby to guard the prisoners.

  Martha groaned with relief as soon as she was sitting down. She leaned her head back against the rocky wall. Sarina was wrestling with the rope around her wrists, hating how it seemed to dig in even deeper with every movement of her arm. Firelight flickered and cast an orange glow across everything, making shadows dance across the walls.

  “It won’t do any good. They know how to tie them properly,” a small voice said. Sarina looked up to see the girl who shared their cell. She looked to be about the same age as Sarina, but she was very gaunt. Her face was dirty, her hair was tousled, and her eyes darted about furtively. She kept her distance from the newcomers and seemed ready to leap up and defend herself at every opportunity. Sarina hated to think what this girl had been through while being held captive by the bandits.

  “Thank you. I thought it worth a try at any rate. My name is Sarina, this is Martha. Who are you?” Sarina asked, hoping to at least make a friend out of all this.

  “I’m Emily,” the girl said. Her words trembled with fear.

  “How long have you been here Emily?”

  “I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sun.”

  “Where did you come from?”

  “I was traveling with my family when we were accosted by bandits. My father tried to put up a fight and was killed. My mother tried to run. They captured us both. Mother didn’t last very long,” she explained. Her accent was English which surprised Sarina, but it was good to meet a fellow native in this faraway land.

  “Well, not to worry. My husband shall be along soon and he’ll rescue us. We’ll take us with you.”

  Emily shook her head vehemently. “There is no escape. If you try to escape, they kill you. That is the way it always happens. We have to stay here and do what they want us to do. If we disobey them, they’ll leave us to die.”

  “That’s not going to happen, Emily, I promise you… What kind of things do they make you do?”

  “Simple stuff mostly like clean up after them. I do it all. I’m a good girl. You will too. You’ll see. They’re not bad really, not if you do what they say,” she said, curling her arms around her body defensively. Sarina wasn’t exactly a world-weary person, but she knew when someone was suffering and her heart went out to this poor girl. It was clear that Emily was trying to convince herself that her captors were not evil, but the way she carried herself and twitched nervously betrayed her words. Sarina was determined to find a way to save Emily and themselves. She wasn’t sure they could wait for Seamus to find them.

  “What can you tell me about the bandits, Emily?”

  “They’re mean. They’re fierce. They don’t like it when you say no to them.”

  “Do you know how to get out of here?”

  Emily shook her head. Sarina asked her some further probing questions, but it quickly became clear that the girl didn’t know much. Emily had spent the majority of time here in these caves and her view of the world was extremely narrow. She didn’t seem to comprehend that there were people out there who could help her. Sarina was determined to show her that she was wrong.

  Sarina first tried to get out of her bonds by dragging them across sharp rocks. The pain in her wrists was almost unbearable, but she kept trying, knowing that with her hands free the chances of them escaping would increase dramatically. Emily didn’t say anything, but she rarely looked away from Sarina, only when she was in danger of catching Sarina’s gaze.

  Sarina found Emily somewhat amusing. She was like a small animal, like a mouse who would dart into the kitchen looking for a chunk of cheese, always wary of running into anyone, and scurrying about in dark corners,
then once she’d found the cheese, she would rush back to her dark home and wait there until she grew hungry again. But she was also filled with steely righteousness and knew that the bandits would have to pay for this. They were guilty not just of crimes against her family, but also against innocent people and they would have to pay. Her eyes were gradually being opened to the suffering of the world. At home, she had been sheltered from matters such as these, but living in the Highlands had shown her how people with access to less wealth lived.

  “What could drive these men to do such evil things?” she choked.

  “They have nothing else to strive for,” Martha said, her voice a deep groan. She breathed heavily. The journey had taken its toll on her far more than it had on Sarina and Sarina knew that she wouldn’t be able to rely on the sturdy Highland woman if they were to get out of this alive. She would have to do it by herself.

  “There has to be a way out of here,” Sarina said, mostly to herself as she looked around, trying to see if there was any avenue for escape. The path through the cave continued on, but it only led into a deeper, darker abyss and Sarina didn’t like her chances of finding her way through that. She wanted to get back to Seamus, not spend her life wandering through these winding caves.

  “There’s no hope,” Emily replied. “The best thing you can do is get used to the way things are going to be. This is your life now.”

  “Not if I can help it,” Sarina stated. Her heart swelled with pity for the young girl, but Sarina vowed that she would never be so defeated, that she would never let herself get into such a state of hopelessness. “There’s only one guard. There must be a way to get past him.”

  “Even if you did there are dozens more out there and there’s no way you can slip by them without raising the alarm,” Emily countered.

  “Let’s worry about those after we’ve gotten past the guard. Emily, I need to know now, are you with us or are you going to stay here?” Sarina asked, her eyes blazing with determination.

  “I… I want to come, but they’ll only punish me if I leave. I try to be a good girl for them. They’ll hurt me…”

  “I promise they won’t hurt you. If you come with us, I’ll keep you safe. You won’t ever have to come back here again. You’ll be free, just like you were before.”

  Emily nodded softly. She didn’t seem convinced about Sarina’s plan, but the poor girl seemed as though she would have gone along with anything if somebody was convincing enough. Sarina turned her eyes to Martha who winced with pain.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Like all my bones hae been rattled. I cannae remember the last time I was hit sae hard. I’ll be fine though lass. Ye dae what ye hae tae dae. I’m nae gaeing tae stay here any longer than I hae tae. Those wretched bandits are nae gaeing tae look after us and I’ve lived tae long tae see myself be a prisoner.”

  Sarina nodded. It was settled. They would find a way to escape, but how to go about doing that was the question. Her hands were still bound by the thick rope. She searched the ground for any kind of weapon, but her reach was restricted by the rope. There were a few rocks and sharp stones around, but even when she grabbed them, there was no way she could wield them in a deadly manner, certainly not enough to inflict any damage on the guard. There seemed to be no hope until she looked down at her body and realized that she had another weapon of sorts. An idea began to form in her mind. She turned to the others.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do…” she began. Martha and Emily listened intently.

  22

  Seamus stormed around the chamber, feet stomping, nostrils flaring, and blood boiling. His wife and his mother had been taken from him from his own home. This was a taunt. The audacity of the bandits could not go unpunished nor could the twisted manipulation of Thomas. His father, Donald, groaned as he was tended to by Rory, the young boy tenderly wiping away the blood on his face. Donald continued to groan about how he had tried to fight them off but had been too weak. Seamus was tired of listening to his pitying whines.

  “Be quiet! And if ye cannae be quiet then leave me in peace,” he thundered. Donald and Rory both looked up at him, scared.

  “I’m sorry, my lad,” Donald said.

  “Sae ye should be,” Seamus said without remorse. Donald hung his head and sobbed. Rory helped the older man up and they hobbled out of the chamber. Other Highlanders were dragging out the bodies of the dead, ready to make a pyre.

  “Ye are tae harsh on him,” Angus said, ever the voice of reason. Seamus twisted his neck and glared at his younger brother.

  “He was here, with them. He let them be taken.”

  “What could ye expect him tae dae? He’s nae been right in the head for a long time now, it’s a wonder he managed tae put up a fight at all. And dinnae forget that he hae just lost his wife tae, just like ye hae. He dinnae need ye wrath.”

  “He should hae done more.”

  “I think ye are angrier with yeself than with Da.”

  “Dinnae presume tae know my thoughts.”

  “I know ye well, brother. Ye blame yeself.”

  “How can I nae? I was blinded by this trick. He knew just what tae dae tae get me away from the castle then he sent in these bandits tae take what was most precious tae me.”

  “What are we gaeing tae dae? We dinnae know where the bandits hae taken them. We cannae search all the forests and the mountains,” Angus said.

  “I will hae words with the prisoner,” Seamus growled.

  Angus was right. Seamus was angrier with himself than with his father and he regretted the way he had unleashed his frustration upon the old man, but apologizing for that would have to come later. Right now, time was of the essence. Every moment that passed was another moment where his mother and wife were in danger, where they were at the mercy of the bandits. He knew well the reputation of the bandits and what they did to their prisoners, especially women. His body bristled with tension as he thought about how he was going to make them all pay for what they had done.

  He walked through the castle to a small room near the kitchen, a dark room where the light barely shone. The prisoner had been strung up on a wall, stripped of his clothes, and left with no scrap of food or water. The man looked like a demon. He was wild-haired and his body was dirty and pock-marked with wounds and scars. He had lived a hard life, but there was no room in Seamus’ heart for pity.

  Seamus marched so quickly that Angus could barely keep up. He stormed into the room and grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck. The bandit’s eyes were dazed and bloodshot. The fetid stench of dried blood lingered around him.

  “Where did ye take her?” Seamus asked, his fingers digging into the flesh of his neck. The man grinned and once again, Seamus had to look upon the stunted yellow teeth which were framed with dried black blood. It was enough to make him nauseous, but he barely had any room inside himself for anything other than pure, unadulterated wrath

  “WHERE?” he asked again, but the bandit only laughed. Seamus dug his fingers in more tightly until he felt the flesh begin to buckle, but it only seemed to amuse the bandit more. Seamus tore his hand away and turned his back to the man in frustration. Then he lashed out in anger. With the back of his hand, he struck the bandit again and again, the bandit’s head twisting this way and that under the force of every blow. But still, the bandit laughed.

  “Get him down from there,” Seamus ordered.

  “Are ye sure that’s wise?” Angus asked. Seamus glared at him. Angus dutifully entered the room, pulled out a knife, and cut down the ropes that were holding the bandit up. The bandit fell to the floor in a heap, his bones cracking against the hard floor. Seamus roared as he kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying. Then Seamus put his mighty paws on the man and lifted him up, throwing him against the wall. The bandit fell into a crumpled heap. He was so malnourished that he barely weighed anything and posed no challenge for a man of Seamus’ strength.

  Seamus saw nothing other than a red mist. The anger
flooded through him and he wanted to unleash it all on this man. This man represented all the bandits, Thomas, and anyone else who had ever done Seamus wrong. Seamus fell to his knees and, as he did so, he brought both his fists crashing down onto the bandit’s back. The bandit cried out in pain, his body pummeled against the floor, but still, he did not talk.

  Seamus was about to hit him again when he felt Angus’ presence. Angus placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. “Dinnae stop me, brother!” Seamus cried out, lost in the full flow of his anger.

  “Look at yeself. Ye are acting like a monster! Dae ye really think this is the way tae get what ye need? Ye’ll only end up killing him.”

  “That is more than he deserves,” Seamus replied dryly.

  “What he knows will die with him tae,” Angus reasoned. His words were sharp enough to cut through the foggy haze in Seamus’ mind. Although every fiber of his being wanted to hurt this man, Seamus managed to hold his fists by his side and turned away, spitting as he did so.

  Angus looked at his brother with pity and then bent down to face the bandit himself. The man’s body was a mess and, although he wore a smile, there was definitely fear behind his eyes. Angus took the man by the hair and dragged him to the middle of the room into a sitting position.

  “Ye’re gaeing tae tell us what we want tae know,” Angus began.

  The man shook his head.

  “I cannae believe ye want tae die. Tell us what ye know. What are ye daeing working with an Englisman? Dae ye hae nae honor?”

  The bandit smirked. “Men are all the same. Englishmen, Highlanders, they all look at us with scorn, like we’re naething more than dirty animals. But the coin is all the same and he’s paying us enough of it.”