by Alisa Adams
“For what?”
“The lass, of course, and this time we got her.”
“What dae ye mean this time?” Seamus asked.
The bandit realized he had said too much and suddenly clamped his jaw shut. Seamus took him by the scruff of the neck and shook him violently. “I’m ready tae pull the truth out of ye one tooth at a time if I need tae,” he threatened. This wasn’t happening as quickly as he needed it to. Sarina and his mother were out there now, being taken to the secret lair of the bandits, and the longer he spent in this room the more chance there was of them being harmed. “This is nae good. I dinnae care why this has happened. I need tae find where they are,” Seamus muttered to himself.
Angus took out the knife and kneeled down in front of the bandit. He twisted the knife around in his fingers. The bandit’s gaze caught the blade and followed it on its journey around and around Angus’ fingers.
“Tell us where ye are hiding or I’ll make ye hurt,” Angus warned. The bandit licked his lips, but still, he didn’t say anything. Angus took the man’s hand and stabbed the knife into the middle of it, right through the bone. The bandit howled in pain and his head shot back. Angus brought the knife back up and blood dripped from the blade. The bandit cradled his trembling hand close to his chest.
“I cannae believe that a thief would be good without his hands,” Angus taunted. Seamus promptly took the other one and the bandit was too weak to resist. He laid it out flat on the floor. The bandit quaked with fear as Angus rested the very tip of the blade against his hand. Blood dripped down from the blade and pooled on the bandit’s hand creating a target of sorts. Angus lifted the blade and when he moved to thrust the knife into the bandit’s hand again, the bandit cried out.
“WAIT!” he screamed. Angus stopped the blade just before it was about to pierce the bandit’s flesh. The man had been broken. He promptly told Seamus and Angus that their hideout was in the mountains. The brothers marched out of the room, slamming the door behind them, and leaving the pitiful bandit cradling his wounded hand.
They had only been back at the castle for a short time before they mounted their horses and rallied the army again. Seamus and Angus barked out orders to the men who did as they asked. None of them liked the fact that the bandits had stolen into their home or that they had been tricked by an Englishman and none of them would refuse the call of battle.
“Did ye need me tae stay here?” Angus asked.
“Nay. I doubt there are any eyes on this castle. They already got what they wanted. I need ye by my side.”
“Good because I would nae miss this for the world.” The brothers clasped arms. “Although, ye dae realize this could be a trap.”
“Aye, but if it’s my time tae die at least I’ll be dying on the way tae save my wife.”
“Ye truly love her,” Angus commented.
“With all my heart.” Seamus wasn’t going to let things come to an end before he had the chance to tell her how much she truly meant to him. No man ever knew what fate had in store for him and his death may well have been written in the stars for that day, but Seamus wasn’t going to live his life expecting death. He was going to expect the future, a long and happy life with Sarina, and he was going to fight as hard as he could for that future.
Seamus straddled Shadow and rode her hard into the forest with an army of Highlanders behind him. He had no idea how many bandits were waiting for him or if they were expecting him, but he was bringing with him thunder and he wouldn’t rest until they had all paid for their sins. And if either Sarina or his mother had been killed, he wouldn’t rest until all the bandits were driven from his land. His body thrummed with anger, and as he rode his soul merged with that of his horse. They became the wind and blazed across the land.
23
Sarina nodded toward Martha and Emily to make sure they were ready for the plan to be set in motion. It had all come to Sarina quite quickly and she was proud of herself for thinking of it, although she would only be proud if it worked. If not, she couldn’t imagine the bandits would take kindly to being made fools of and she would surely pay the price. Emily was nervous, biting her nails, and worrying that the plan was too dangerous. She didn’t want to anger the bandits and as Sarina looked at her more closely, she could see bruises all along Emily’s body. The poor girl had suffered so much at the hands of these evil men and Sarina wanted to make them pay for their sins.
It was sad that Emily was so afraid of angering them that she had to be convinced to try and escape, but Sarina now felt a responsibility to the girl and wouldn’t leave until Emily was safe. Emily had nobody else now that her parents were gone and Sarina felt a kinship with her. They were both English girls lost in a land unfamiliar to them, but while Sarina had found a loving husband and family, Emily had found nothing but sorrow. They had both had their loved ones taken away from them, but only Sarina knew what it was like to be accepted by a new family. However, she was wise enough to realize that if things had gone differently, she might very well have been in the same situation as Emily was. If she had gone through with killing Seamus she would have been hunted as a murderer and may have been locked up by the very Highlanders she now called family if she had been caught. It seemed that the fate of a person could change dramatically and she found herself wondering what Emily would have been like had her parents not been ambushed. Sarina wanted to give Emily that chance to discover that life again.
Sarina rose to her feet and composed herself. She had been unsuccessful in freeing her arms from their bonds, but she hoped that soon she would have a better implement than just using the odd craggy rock. Sarina walked down the path and saw the outline of the bandit leaning against the wall. The light beside him illuminated him in an orange glow, but even in the dim light, she could see that he was an ugly man. His face was twisted with scars, he had a thick beard, and he stood stooped over, his shoulders rounded. He also smelled, as did most of the bandits, and she had to stop herself from gagging. In fact, she had to suppress all her natural reactions to him if the plan was to work.
She stepped lightly and managed to get about ten feet away from him before he noticed her presence, although she had to clear her throat to properly announce herself. It seemed as though the bandits weren’t as disciplined as they should have been. This bandit’s head had been dropping, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had fallen asleep.
When she cleared her throat, he stood to attention and brought his rusty sword to bear, startled. When he saw her, he relaxed, although he didn’t drop the sword. The sight of him made her quiver with fear. One wrong move and she doubted he’d have any qualms about running her through with that sword and she’d never see Seamus again, but she couldn’t simply wait and hope that Seamus would come riding in to save the day.
“What are ye daeing? Get back there,” he cried, gesturing with the pointy end of the sword. His voice was gruff and his hair was tinged with gray. Sarina didn’t let him dissuade her. She sauntered forward, walking slowly, swaying her hips in a hypnotic rhythm. Framed in the soft glow of the firelight, she looked even more beautiful. She was young, radiant, and noble blood flowed through her. It wasn’t her ego that suggested to her she was the prettiest girl these bandits had ever seen, but a deduction based on the way they had all looked at her.
No matter what, men were men and they were easy to manipulate. She imagined many of the men were starved of physical pleasure and this gave her an advantage over them.
“I’m so sorry,” she said softly, speaking in a gentle, alluring way, “I don’t mean to be a bother, but it’s just that the cave is so dark and scary. We thought we heard a noise and, well, we hoped that a strong man like you would come and make sure that nothing was waiting to kill us. We know how these mountains can hide all kinds of creatures like bats and things.” She remembered what Seamus had told her about these mountains.
“Get back with ye,” the guard said, thrusting the air with his blade again as Sarina approached. She hadn’
t expected him to be so reluctant, but she wasn’t done with her charms yet.
“Please, the three of us are very scared,” she continued, “I know I shouldn’t be talking to you, but I just know you can help us and there’s simply nobody else to turn to. You seem strong and vigilant. I know that once you peek into the darkness any beast that’s hiding there will be scared off. You’ll be our hero and, well, the three of us would be very grateful.”
She slowly lifted her hands and ran her finger along the blunt blade of the sword. It dropped as she touched it and grew closer to the bandit. She reached out to him and stroked his face. His beard was coarse and revulsion crawled inside her like a million spiders, but she showed no trace of it on her face. She tilted her head down submissively and opened her eyes wide. She noticed how his breath grew haggard. He licked his lips and his eyes darted down toward the exit, no doubt wondering if an opportunity like this was worth risking the ire of his brethren, but bandits like him were opportunists. Their lives were mostly devoid of joy or pleasure, so when a chance like this came along, even if it seemed too good to be true, it could not be refused.
He nodded and started walking behind her. Sarina made sure to stay a few steps ahead, turning her back on him, and continuing to sway her hips seductively. The more deeply he was distracted the better it would be for all of them.
“We’re so grateful to you for this. You really are such a brave man. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone braver. You know, it’s awfully cold in this cave as well. We’ve all had to huddle together for warmth and I’m quite sure that you’re cold as well. It must be lonely standing there all by yourself; perhaps you’d like to join us?” she suggested.
He stumbled and for a moment, she thought he would actually fall over. He must have been thinking that this was the best day of his life and a little part of her felt cruel for playing on his desires like this, but she didn’t feel guilty for long. These men were criminals. They had taken her and Martha against their will and made countless people suffer.
She rounded the corner. The bandit’s eyes were still focused on her hips, so he didn’t notice Martha and Emily lying in wait. As soon as he turned around the corner, they were there to tackle his legs and bring him crashing to the ground. He yelped in pain and his sword clattered against the rocks. He thrashed with his arms and legs and broke free quickly, but Sarina had planned for this as well. As soon as Martha and Emily had played their part, Sarina picked up a rock and brought it smashing down on the bandit’s head. His eyes rolled back and he slumped down unconscious, all the strength leaving his body.
The women got to work quickly, pulling the body into the dark shadows. Sarina grabbed the sword and cut through the rope, saving some for the bandit. They bound his hands and legs together and they also gagged him so that he couldn’t cry out for help. Since they had no idea how long they would need to escape, they couldn’t take the chance that he would regain consciousness and alert the other bandits to their ploy before they had a chance to see it to its completion.
“We did it. We actually did it,” Emily murmured in disbelief. Sarina was pleased to see that she was starting to realize she didn’t have to remain in this world.
“That was the easy part. We still have to find some way to get out of this place,” Sarina replied, gripping the sword tightly in her hand. Martha had recovered from the blow to her head and the three women made their way along the rocky corridor quickly, not wanting to waste any time. Thankfully it was just a straight line back through the mountain or else they would have gotten lost in the stone labyrinth.
Occasionally, they passed a chamber which held bandits, but these men were resting and the sounds of their snores echoed around the chambers. The women had to tread carefully to not disturb them. The sword felt heavy in Sarina’s hand and she wasn’t sure how well she would be able to use it if required. She had seen her brothers and Seamus fight, of course, and they had made it seem easy, but now that she was holding one for herself, she didn’t know how they managed to dance so elegantly during a swordfight.
There was only one tense moment when Emily, in her enthusiasm, stepped forward without watching where she was going. She kicked a few pebbles which skittered along the floor. The men that were sleeping almost stirred. One of them actually turned around and the girls had frozen for fear that he was going to wake up and discover them. If the alarm was raised, they had no chance of escaping.
But thankfully, the bandit had turned around and fallen back asleep again and the women continued on their journey back through the mountains. It wasn’t long before they saw daylight break through the mountains and they all smiled with hope, but then their pace slowed and they eventually came to a complete stop. In the distance, they could hear the voices of the bandits and they began to realize the enormity of the task that lay ahead.
“What do we do now?” Martha asked.
Sarina wracked her brains.
“They’re out there waiting for us. They’re going to see us as soon as we step out and they’ll just take us back. They’re going to punish us for what we’ve done. We shouldn’t have done this at all. I knew it was wrong. Please, let’s just go back. Maybe they’ll go easy on us if they see that we’ve done what was right. Please,” Emily begged, tugging at Sarina’s dress. Sarina’s face was as hard as stone.
“No, we’re not leaving here. If we go back now then we’ll always be prisoners. Even if we get rescued by Seamus, we’ll know in our hearts that we didn’t do all we could to survive. It’s important that we try now because that is the spirit of the Highlands. I haven’t known what it truly means to be a Highlander until now and maybe you don’t know yourself, Emily, but you’re a Highlander too. We all are and we must do what we can to fight against those who seek to bully us and capture us.
“I am not going to stand by and let these bandits rule over my life. Emily, if you truly wish to return and live this life then I will not stand in your way. I believe that everyone should have a right to choose the path of their life. I will tell them that you had nothing to do with this and they will not punish you, but I firmly believe that you should come with us. I’m sure your parents wouldn’t have wanted you to live like this. There is still a life for you out there. You can still be happy. We will help you with this as much as we can and there is a place for you at our home,” Sarina told her then quickly glanced at Martha, hoping she hadn’t overstepped her position.
“You are the Laird’s wife, it is your choice who you let into the house,” Martha said, smiling.
Emily seemed confused and rolled her lower lip under her teeth then she nodded confidently. “You’re right. I’ve let these men rule my life for too long. I have my own life to live. I want to make them pay for what they’ve done to me and my family, but the question still remains: What are we going to do? We only have one sword. That’s not enough to take on the bandits,” Emily stated. Sarina smiled, proud that Emily was making the brave choice rather than the easy one to continue living in fear of her captors.
“The wee lass is right,” Martha said, “sae, I will create a distraction. Ye stay here and wait for my signal then when their attention is drawn tae me, ye will get on a horse and ride back tae the stronghold.”
“Martha, no, we can’t do that,” Sarina cried, horrified at the thought of letting Martha stay here alone.
“Aye, ye can and ye must. There is nae other way. I hae lived my life, it is time for the two of ye tae dae the same. Sarina, tell my boys that I loved them, and take care of Donald. He will nae understand, but tell him that I was thinking of him.” Her eyes were glistening with tears. Sarina wanted to argue with her, wanted to tell her that there was another way, but deep down, she knew there wasn’t. She threw her arms around Martha and whispered thank you in her ear.
“Ye can thank me by naming ye first daughter after me. Take care of Seamus and make sure the Mackenzie name is never forgotten. Ye are a fine lass, Sarina. I could nae hae asked for a better wife for my boy,” Martha
told her.
Sarina had to wipe tears from her eyes as she promised to do what Martha asked. They crept toward the entrance of the caves and Martha got ready to run in front of the bandits’ eyes to get their attention while Sarina and Emily were poised to sprint to a horse and ride away as fast as they possibly could. Sarina’s heart hammered in her chest. She hadn’t felt this nervous since the ride to the Highlands.
“Did you hear that?” she asked. From outside, there was a familiar voice—her brother’s. Her brow knotted and, ignoring all their careful plans, Sarina walked forward into the daylight. Martha and Emily tried to pull her back, but they reacted too late. The English tone of Thomas was distinct from the rough Highland brogue of the bandits and there was no doubt that it was him, but she couldn’t understand why he was there. She had harbored suspicions that he had something to do with this, but she had dismissed them quickly, not believing that even he would stoop so low. However, it seemed as though she had overestimated her brother’s capability for deviousness.
“You,” she cried when she saw him. She ran at him with her rusty blade drawn and got ready to swing with all her might, but she was surrounded by bandits who all drew their weapons, ready to fight her. She had been so incensed at the sight of Thomas that she now realized she had completely blown the plan and had jeopardized Martha and Emily’s safety. She looked back at them ruefully as the sword was wrested from her grip. Emily and Martha were brought to her side as well.
“What are you doing here?” she asked her brother.
Thomas looked a world apart from the bandits, ever dapper, the English gentleman amid a crowd of rogues. “Oh, I suppose I could spin some yarn about coming here to save you, but quite frankly, I’m tired of lying,” he said, pinching some dirt off his tunic.
“You mean you’re working with these people?”
