Highlander’s Bewitched Soul

by Olivia Kerr

  “Do you need me to repeat it?” Lewis teased him and Cameron shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “I'll hold those words close to my heart.”

  Lewis gave him an odd look, but Cameron did not carry on the discussion. He just hoped that Lewis would feel the same way after the battle.

  13

  All of Isla’s words were racing around in Cameron’s head and keeping him up at night. She said that David had no reason to lead them astray. She said he wanted a Scots heir on the throne. But he also threatened her life. David made his father pay for their services, instead of serving the gods.

  Something wasn’t sitting right with Cameron. His chest felt tight and his heart felt like it might explode.

  Cameron was normally a very patient person. If there was a matter that needed to be discussed, he was happy to wait until morning to do so, or even a more convenient time for the other party. However, this was something that couldn’t wait.

  He no longer suspected Isla of any wrongdoings. If she said anything at all outside of their private conversations, it was because David made her. He had to talk to his father, on the chance that David had forced her to lead them astray.

  Cameron knew that his father was a man that liked sleep, and he hated it to be disrupted for any reason. With the event of battle approaching, Cameron knew it had to be now rather than during the chaotic day.

  He threw the covers off his cot and started to exit his tent. Just before he left, he grabbed a flask of wine that he kept inside, in case he was thirsty in the middle of the night. His father liked wine, and even though Cameron didn’t, it was usually a gift his father would accept in exchange for a few words.

  Jacob’s grand tent was at the end of the line of tents, and Cameron had no trouble picking it out. There were many colors on it because Jacob insisted that their family tartan was known wherever they went. Cameron paused outside the tent for a moment, hoping to hear signs of life inside. When he heard none, he sighed and opened the tent flap anyways.

  “Father?” he said, as he stuck his head in.

  Sure enough, Jacob was snoring away. Cameron wondered if he really could wait until morning. However, when he thought of Isla’s beautiful face in his mind, he knew that he had to wake him.

  “Father?”

  Jacob snorted and turned over in his sleep.

  “Father, it’s Cameron,” he said. “We have to talk.”

  Jacob finally sat up, confused, and reached for his sword that he always slept with under his pillow. His great red hair was in his eyes, and Cameron thought he looked more like a highland man than ever before.

  “What is the matter, Son?” Jacob finally asked, when he realized it was Cameron and not some enemy coming to attack him. “The camp better be burning down or the Brits better be on our field.”

  “Neither,” Cameron said. “But it is about that. I have brought some wine.”

  Jacob glanced at the flask he brought and then nodded.

  “Alright,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Cameron said. He didn’t really want to drink himself, so he handed the flask over to Jacob.

  Jacob took it gladly and had a deep sip. “That is good stuff,” he said. “Where did you get it?”

  “The town just before this one,” Cameron said. “I wish you had been there, Father. They valued their wine flasks like gold.”

  “Sounds like a town I would have truly enjoyed,” Jacob replied, with a chuckle. “Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me? I am sure that it is not something as simple as sharing a flask of wine with your father.”

  Cameron thought about pointing out the fact that the wine was not being shared, but he decided against it.

  “I have decided that we should reconsider David's strategy,” he said. “And I want you to listen to my reasoning as to why.”

  “You have decided?” Jacob asked. “And pray tell, when did you get the authority to decide things when I am here?”

  “When you are here, not usually,” Cameron replied. “But when you are not here, Lewis and I decide everything together.”

  “I see,” Jacob said. “And Lewis is aware of this decision?”

  “No,” Cameron said. “I haven’t spoken to him about it yet.”

  “Why not?” Jacob asked. “I thought the two of you worked in tandem.”

  “We do, normally,” Cameron said. “But this is something I need your...blessing on.”

  “My blessing?” Jacob asked. “My goodness, Son, are you getting married?”

  “No,” Cameron said. “Not...not yet.”

  “Not yet?” Jacob’s eyes widened, and then narrowed. “Don’t tell me it’s that pagan lass. She got you in her clutches?”

  “It’s…” Cameron paused. “I don’t know how to start, Father, so I think I just better tell you everything. Isla and I have taken many walks together, and we have had many discussions. I am aware that you paid for her services, and that her services could be...far more than you are partaking in.”

  “Ha!” Jacob said. “Yes, David did offer that to me, but I wasn’t interested in that. If I wanted that, I’ll take it as the spoils of war, not pay for it with coin.”

  “I...see…” Cameron said. He didn’t think that was right either, but it wasn’t the main point of discussion at the moment. “Well...Isla has said things that made me believe David is not...on our side.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jacob said. “He wants a Scots king as much as we do.”

  “I am not so sure,” Cameron replied. “Isla fears for her life, disobeying David. He has threatened her more than once. Just before our council meeting, he told her that if she disobeyed him, she would pay for it.”

  “Pay for it how?” Jacob asked.

  “I don’t know,” Cameron said. “But she asked me to take her life if she had to continue living like this. Do you know what kind of misery she must be living, if that is what she asks?”

  “All women say such things when the slightest thing disappoints them,” Jacob scoffed. “There is no cause for concern.”

  “I do not believe that is the truth,” Cameron said. “I have gone over and over the situation in my mind. I do not believe that Isla’s life is safe.”

  “Of course her life is safe,” Jacob said. “She is a demigoddess. It can be as sad as she wants it to be. The gods will protect her.”

  “Regardless of whether or not that is true, she is mortal here,” Cameron said. “And David could end her mortal life.”

  Jacob scoffed again. “So she has you wrapped around her finger,” he replied.

  “That is correct,” Cameron said. “Although I would not put it in such a terrible way. I wish to marry Isla and keep her safe from all of this. As well, I wish to reconsider David's plan.”

  “You’ve gone mad, Son,” Jacob said. “And I will not consider any of those things.”

  “But Father…” Cameron protested and Jacob shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “And I wish for you to not speak of them again.”

  Cameron gritted his teeth. “I am afraid I cannot do that. I need—”

  “You need to stop talking!” Jacob said. “What you are proposing is mad and I consider it insubordinate of your commander and disobedience of your father.”

  “I do not mean either of those things. Father, please see reason.”

  “There is no reason to see,” Jacob said. “Besides, does your religion not forbid you to marry a pagan? You have always held your religion above the rest of us, insisting that we let you worship your god. What would your god say about this?”

  “Conversion is possible,” Cameron said and Jacob roared with laughter and shook his head.

  “Conversion to what?” he asked. “Would you convert for her?”

  “No. She would convert for me.”

  “Why would you not be willing to convert for her?” he asked. “If she is indeed the woman you love?”

  “Father…” Cameron started but Jacob finish
ed the wine flask and threw it to the side.

  “No,” he said. “Do not ask me again.”

  “Or what?” he asked and Jacob’s eyes widened.

  “Or what?” he growled. “I will throw you from this army. I will tan your hide so hard you will beg for death. I will disown you.”

  “You will disown your son and heir, your only one left, because he married a pagan?” Cameron asked. “A girl of your own religion? And additionally, you would throw your best commander from the army?”

  “You think too highly of yourself, Cameron,” Jacob said.

  Cameron was seeing red. He didn’t know what to say. He knew that anything he said would result in Jacob yelling at him even more. He knew that if he continued to speak, he might even be disowned then and there, and he could not handle such a thing. He needed his father’s support.

  That thought stopped him.

  Did he actually need it? Or did he just think he did because he had it all his life? His father had never been full of emotion or graced him with kind words, but he had always been there.

  If he ventured off with Isla, it was clear that he would be venturing off alone.

  In Cameron’s eyes, it wasn’t any different from what Isla was doing. She was willing to leave everything she knew to be with him, and she was willing to risk her life on such a whim.

  He needed to be brave and do the same.

  “Thank you, Father,” he said and stood up. “I appreciate you listening to me in the middle of the night.”

  “I better not find you gone in the morning!” Jacob called out to him.

  “I could never do such a thing,” Cameron said. “There is the battle to prepare for, and I always honor my promises.”

  With that, he left Jacob’s tent and stormed back to his own.

  His father had made up his mind, and Cameron had made up his. With or without his father’s blessing, and with or without the military, he would march back from the battle, and he would take Isla to safety. He would fight off anyone who tried to stop him as well, from David to Jacob himself.

  Cameron wished that he could feel peace as he drifted off to sleep. He wished that he could feel as if his path forward was clear. However, it felt misguided and he dreamed dark dreams until the sun rose.

  He had never wished for death, and he certainly did not want to tempt fate. For one brief moment as he rose, though, he considered how easy it would be to simply die in battle. Everyone would call him a hero and mourn him and he would not have to make any of these difficult decisions.

  He knew that God would not let him escape so easily. The path before him would be rocky, but his faith and his heart had been tested before, when he chose Christianity over paganism. He was certain that he would survive them being tested again.

  He rose and felt the dawn air on his face. He turned his head and saw Isla exiting her tent. Seeing her there made him smile, and he remembered, while looking into her eyes, exactly why he was fighting. It was all for her, and the hope of a sweet kiss once more.

  14

  When Cameron saw Lewis, he knew that it was his last chance to salvage what he had built here. Lewis had always been the best friend he could have ever asked for, with his lack of judgment and his calm and compassionate ways.

  He knew that if Lewis was involved in the plan, there was a chance his father would dishonorably discharge both of them. Knowing Lewis, though, he knew that Lewis would prefer to at least have the option to choose his own fate.

  He was prepared to go to Lewis alone, but he realized that his argument would be far more effective if Isla was beside him.

  He crept out of his tent and found her praying in the same position as the beautiful morning before. She looked to him with hope, and he gave her half a smile and beckoned her over.

  “We are going to talk to Lewis,” he said and she paused.

  “We are? Why?”

  “Just trust me,” he implored. “Do you trust me?”

  “I do,” she said.

  “Good.” He was no longer afraid to take her hand. Everyone who mattered already knew of what was brewing between them.

  Lewis was already awake when Cameron entered the tent, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. It was much easier to speak to someone who was awake than half asleep.

  When Lewis saw Cameron, he smiled. His face, however, changed when he saw Isla. It wasn’t that his smile died. It was more that he realized what Cameron had come for was serious.

  “Hello,” Lewis said. “I assume you both have something important to speak to me about?”

  “How did you know?” Cameron asked.

  “Something about the way you both came in,” Lewis said. “What is it? What’s happened?”

  Isla looked to Cameron and he realized that he had not fully explained why he had brought her there.

  “Lewis,” he said, “I would appreciate your help in the matter that I am about to explain to you. But know that with or without your support...I am going to go ahead.”

  “Alright,” Lewis said, with a smile. “I’m intrigued.”

  “Isla…” Cameron took a deep breath. “Isla is not here of her own free will or worship choices. She is here first as a prisoner of David and second as a prisoner of my father. Or perhaps it’s the other way around. It doesn’t matter.”

  “A prisoner?” Lewis raised his eyebrow.

  “I…I’m just…” Isla was in tears and Cameron went to her side in an instant. He put a hand on her shoulder and both of the men waited until she could speak again. “I hate to ask either of you for aid when it is my fault that I am in this situation.”

  “What situation?” Lewis asked. “If you are held against your will, that is not any fault of your own.”

  “David farms out her services as if she is cattle,” Cameron said. “And while my father has not taken advantage of certain things, others have. In addition, I am suspicious that David’s plans are not as they appear. He threatened her life if she disobeyed whatever he said during the council meeting. That is not the way a man who is confident in his plan, spoken to from the gods, would behave.”

  “That is...interesting,” Lewis said, and turned to Isla. “Is that true?”

  “It is true that he did those things,” she replied, “but I cannot speak to his motivation. There is nothing that I know that contradicts his actions. I don’t know if it is a thought, a feeling, or a vision.”

  “Visions and dreams can show us the path that we must walk,” Cameron said and Lewis quirked an eyebrow.

  “That's...is that biblical? Or is it pagan?"

  “It’s both,” Cameron said. “And there are more similarities in our religions that others would like to admit. Regardless, it doesn’t matter. The more I think about this, the more I realize that something isn’t right. If we take David’s plan to the battlefield, then we may well be walking to our deaths.”

  “Have you spoken to your father about this?” Lewis asked.

  “I have,” Cameron said. “He offered to throw me out of the army and disown me.”

  “He did?” Isla said in shock. “Cameron, please forgive me. I never wished to cause a rift between—”

  “It does not matter,” Cameron said. “If he wants to march to his death and deny me happiness, then he can. But that does not mean I will make those choices myself.”

  “Deny you happiness?” Lewis asked, confused. “For winning the battle?”

  “For marrying Isla and taking her away,” Cameron said.

  Isla gasped.

  He realized that he had not yet put into words the fact that he planned to marry her. Of course, they had talked about running away, and they had talked about their difficulties in getting married, but he hadn’t stated his intention until now.

  “Oh,” Lewis said, and looked between them. “Well...congratulations.”

  “You’ll help us?” Cameron asked.

  “I am not sure how I can help,” Lewis said. “But I will if I can.”

  Came
ron let out a sigh of relief and turned to Isla. She had stopped crying and was looking at Lewis with wide eyes.

  “You will?” she said. “But you heard what Jacob said. He could—”

  “Well, if we do what Jacob says, then we will all be dead and none of this will concern our souls in the afterlife or heaven,” Lewis said. If this was another situation, Cameron would have sighed. Once again, Lewis had done a fantastic job of disguising what his thoughts were.

  “That is exactly what I believe,” Cameron said. “I do not believe my father has the foresight to realize this. He put all his hopes, and much coin, in David’s faith. He was blind to what was actually going on.”

  “The problem is that we are not really aware of what is going on as well,” Lewis said.

  “We have a better idea than my father does,” Cameron replied. “Isla, are you sure you have no indication of what David could be attempting? Has he ever sided with the British?”

  “I don’t think so,” she answered. “And whenever he is away from me, he always seems to have an explanation of what he has been doing, whether it's physical or just observant. He has never made me doubt his whereabouts.”

  “Does he owe you the truth?” Cameron asked and she shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “Of course not. In his mind, he owes me nothing. We do not have an equal relationship.”

  “Why have you not run?” Lewis asked.

  “The syrup,” she said. “The syrup that gives me dreams and visions would kill me if I didn’t have it.”

  Cameron did not like the sound of that, and he turned to Lewis.

  “Do you have experience in these matters?”

  “I do not,” Lewis said. “But I can ask some questions, without revealing the details. What is your plan to escape?”

  “After the battle,” Cameron said, “we will head to the beach. Everyone will be celebrating and they will expect us to walk off, as they have gotten used to us being together. They will not know about the boat that is waiting for us. What they will not be expecting is us to get in the boat, and sail off.”

  “Just like that?” Lewis asked.