He knew what he had to do. He knew that he couldn’t carry the guilt of deceiving the woman he loved around with him. He knew he had to go back and beg for their lives, or at least that Sophia and her clan might be left alone. He pushed his feet out of the covers and shivered in the cold. His body was still sore from the beating he had received, but the medicine man’s lotion had worked somewhat and it was nowhere near as unbearable as it had been.
Jamie found his way to his feet and got dressed quickly. He allowed himself one last lingering look at Sophia before he pulled open the tent and walked out into the day that was breaking over the hilltops. He stopped for a moment at the edge of camp as he tried to consider any alternatives that could guarantee Sophia’s safety, but there were none. He had to do this. He had to be brave for Sophia, even if he didn’t feel like being brave for himself.
He sighed again and then stepped out of the camp and into the open countryside. He knew that the walk to his clan would take him at least the day, and so he hurried on his way. He had thought about leaving a message for Sophia for when she woke up, but he knew that any message left would only open him up to questions he wouldn’t be able to answer, and he figured that it might actually be best to leave her to her worries about him.
He walked across the country with his attention placed on the sky above him. He wanted to be heading back to Sophia by nightfall, and that meant keeping a good eye on where the sun was in the sky. He stopped, finally, when he heard the quiet chatter of his clan from just over the hilltop. He could feel his heart racing ahead, as his nerves started to kick in. He knew he had to do this, but he also knew there was a good chance he would never walk back out of his clan’s settlement again.
“Jamie, you’re back,” the leader of the clan said with surprise, as Jamie walked down in between the tents.
“Aye,” Jamie said.
“Have you brought us news of their secrets?” his leader asked him curiously.
“I have brought no secrets with me,” Jamie said, with a shake of his head. “I have only brought with me a request that you leave Sophia and her clan alone. They have asked me to join them and I wish to do so.” Jamie spoke with a steady voice that hid most of the fear that was rattling around in his body.
The leader of the clan laughed for a moment before his face dropped when he realized that Jamie was being serious. “Is that a genuine request?” the leader asked with bemused eyes.
“Aye,” Jamie said with a curt nod.
“You are crazier than even I thought you to be,” the leader said, and then he started to speak loudly, so that the whole clan could hear him. “This man here,” he started, and pointed at Jamie, “has betrayed us. I sent him into an enemy clan so that he might learn secrets that could help us, but instead he has fallen in love with some whore.” The leader continued without looking at Jamie, “This is not acceptable and you must be punished.”
“All I ask is that you leave us in peace,” Jamie said with pleading eyes. “They have no intention of attacking you. They are a peaceful clan,” he tried to explain.
The leader laughed again. “The clan is peaceful, or so he says,” he roared out to the group of men who had gathered around to watch Jamie’s punishment. “That means they should be an easy conquest,” he sneered.
“Do you not have a heart in that cold chest of yours?” Jamie asked the leader of the clan with resentment.
“Perhaps I don’t,” the leader said with a casual shrug. “I believe that I have a suitable punishment for you, though. You’re going to kill that pretty little girl’s father,” he said with eyes that glimmered with a sick sense of enjoyment.
*******
Sophia woke up with a start. The cold wind, which was tearing through the countryside outside of the tent had managed to creep beneath the sheets and was running its icy fingers up her neck. She shivered and slid over, expecting to come into contact with Jamie’s hot body, but there was nothing other than cold and emptiness to be found.
She opened her eyes in surprise and looked around the room. There was no sign of Jamie, nor any clues about where he might have gone. Sophia listened to the sounds coming from outside. She could already hear the crackling of the fire, as it steadily built up its strength and heat. She could hear the babble of conversation flowing from the other clan members as they all started to wake up and meet in the middle of the settlement, but she couldn’t hear Jamie.
She strained her ears, so that she could pick out each voice that she could hear floating in, but none of them were Jamie. She could feel a flicker of anxiety growing in strength, as she pushed off the scratchy sheet and allowed the cold air to feel the entirety of her. She stood up quickly, as goose bumps started to form on her skin and she pulled on a robe, which had been laid out beside the bed.
She walked out into the settlement and scanned the faces of the clan members who were already awake and moving. She knew them all, but none had the face that she was so desperate to see. She frowned as worry started to take a hold of her emotions, and she scanned the crowd for her dad, who she found sitting close to the fire.
She made her way over to him without a second’s thought, and only stopped when she had taken the seat beside of him.
“Good morning, father,” she said, as she watched her breath hang in misty clouds in front of her face.
“Indeed,” her father said brightly.
“I need to ask you something,” Sophia said quickly.
The sharpness in her voice attracted her father’s attention, and he turned his face to look at her. “What is it, daughter?” he asked with worry brimming in his eyes.
“I woke up this morning to find that Jamie had gone,” Sophia said. “I was hoping you might know where?” she asked him hopefully. It was the only thing left that would make sense to her, that her father had somehow spoken to Jamie since the night before and had sent him on some kind of quest or journey to collect something.
“I’m sorry, Sophia,” her father said with puzzled eyes. “But I don’t know where he has gone. Did he not say anything to you before he left?”
“If he had then I would surely know about him leaving,” Sophia said a little bitterly.
“I’m sure all will be well,” her father said with a gentle tone, but Sophia could see the doubt starting to surface in his eyes.
She had known that her father was yet to trust Jamie. She knew that he had only invited him into their clan because Sophia had placed her faith in him. She could feel the anxiety building up and turning her stomach until she was quite sure that she was going to be sick.
She stood up quickly and walked away from the settlement so that she might have some privacy. She could feel the hot, acidic liquid pushing its way back up through her body and into her throat. She knelt down and opened her mouth. She wretched and her whole body stiffened with the shock of the moment. She could feel hot tears starting to tumble down her cheeks as her throat burned and her nose was filled with the smell of vomit.
She waited for a while after she had finished so she could be sure, before wiping her mouth on some leaves and standing up, that there was nothing left inside of her. She felt empty, as though a huge void had taken its residence inside of her, but that didn’t help the sickness that she could still feel. She walked slowly back over to the camp and scanned every face to ensure that Jamie hadn’t turned up in the time that she had been away.
“Sophia, I think we need to talk,” her father said from behind her.
Sophia jumped at the sound of his voice, and then turned around to face him.
“You look pale. Are you ill?” her father asked her with concern.
“I think I’m sick with worry over Jamie,” Sophia answered honestly.
“I understand,” her father said softly and then he dipped his head with a slight nod. “I need to talk to you though, daughter, about Jamie. He had been spotted on his way back to the settlement,” he said, and then he paused.
Sophia could feel her worry soften a little
at his words. “Really, father? Is he alright?” she asked quickly.
“Sophia, this isn’t easy for me to say to you,” her father said and then he paused again. His eyes were filled with worry, and Sophia could feel herself growing more anxious than she had felt before the conversation had started. “Jamie was spotted with another clan. It looks as though they are marching here to do battle,” her father finished.
“That can’t be,” Sophia said instantly. She could feel her head shaking violently over the idea that Jamie could betray her in such a way. “You’re wrong,” she said when her father said nothing. “He told me he loved me.” With that, her voice broke as she started to tremble with tears.
“It’s okay, Sophia, you will get through this,” her father said as he stroked her long hair slowly and softly.
“I’ve put our clan in danger,” Sophia said desperately, as she realized what Jamie’s betrayal really meant.
“Our clan has always been and will always be in danger, Sophia, you must not blame yourself.” Her father spoke sternly with a shake of his head and firm, supportive eyes.
*******
Jamie could smell the thick plumes of smoke in the air, as he scanned the faces of the men in front of him. Sophia’s clan had been expecting the attack, and that had been a great deal of relief to Jamie, who had been worried about them being attacked unexpectedly with no chances of success. He’d managed to break free from the leader of his clan a short while before, when he[S26] had entered into a fight with a broad-shouldered man, who Jamie knew as the cook.
Jamie was looking for Sophia, but he couldn’t find her. He wondered for a moment whether her father had sent her away from the battle, but for some reason he couldn’t believe that Sophia would agree to that. He scanned the wall of tents that lined the back of the settlement and then noticed how Sophia’s seemed to flicker with internal movement.
He made his way over to her tent quickly and walked inside before anybody else could see. “Sophia?” he asked into the darkness.
“How could you?” a timid voice asked from the shadows.
“Sophia, I didn’t do this. You have to believe me,” Jamie said quickly.
“I don’t have to believe anything you ever say to me again,” Sophia said sternly. “How could you lead your clan here? How could you risk our lives when we did nothing but help you?” she asked him with a desperate voice. She couldn’t help her tone; she was desperate to understand how Jamie could be so cold hearted.
“My clan heard about our meeting at the clan gathering. They told me that I had to learn the secrets of your clan, otherwise they would have killed you the day you had come to meet me,” Jamie tried to explain. “They beat me so that you would believe they had turned their backs on me and then I was supposed to go back when I had learned enough to secure their victory.”
“And that’s just what you did, huh?” Sophia spat at him. “You ran back to them like a good little boy and told them everything. Did you tell them about us? Did you laugh about the fact that I loved you? Did you laugh about the fact that I was too stupid to see through your lies?” she demanded to know.
“I never lied to you about how I felt, Sophia,” Jamie said tenderly. “The night that we shared together was too much for my conscience to take. I had to go back and try to bargain for your clan. I tried to stop my clan from attacking. I tried to do the right thing,” he pleaded with Sophia.
“How do you expect me to believe you after this?” Sophia asked him in a broken voice that matched the shattered feeling in her heart.
“You just have to,” Jamie said, because he didn’t know what else to say. He stopped and listened as footsteps started to approach the tent. His eyes darted over to Sophia, who was watching the entrance to the tent with her full attention. The cloth moved and a hand appeared, followed by a body.
“Jamie, you found her,” the clan leader said with a mocking sneer. “Good job.”
“You need to stop this,” Jamie said with a level voice as he turned to look at his leader.
“Oh, but don’t you understand? I can’t stop this. Only you can.” The leader spoke through an evil grin that made all of Jamie’s blood run cold in his veins.
Jamie reached out and took the sword out of his leader’s hands. It felt heavy and weighted, as he pulled it over to his body.
“You need to do what is best for your clan now,” the leader said, as his eyes shot over to Sophia.
Jamie took a deep breath and turned to look at Sophia. Her eyes were wide with fright and it broke Jamie’s heart to see her look at him like that. He couldn’t understand how she could ever think that he would harm her, but then again, his leader had just given him a sword, so clearly his plan had been well hidden by his stony face.
He turned quickly back to his clan leader. “You’re right. I need to do what is best for my clan.” With a nod, he thrust the sword forward and pushed it through the leader’s stomach.
The leader fell to his knees as his eyes gazed down to the sword. “You’re a traitor,” he spat, as blood started to trickle out of the corner of his mouth.
“Only to you,” Jamie said firmly, as he pulled the sword back into his hands and then turned to look at Sophia. “We need to end this battle now,” he said quickly, and then he turned and walked straight back out of the tent and into the fight, which was happening all around him.
*******
Sophia smiled as she looked over at Jamie. He had been sitting with her father for the last hour, as they discussed wedding plans. The wedding had been delayed, of course, when Sophia had found out that she was carrying a child. She’d always had her heart set on wearing her mother’s gown and she couldn’t stand the idea of not fitting into it.
Many months had passed since the battle at the settlement. When Jamie had killed his old leader, that had lifted him into the position of power and he had called back his clan straight away. There was by some miracle only one life lost that day, and it had been the that of the man who had insisted on going to war.
Since the battle, the two clans had united under their new leadership. Jamie had stood to the side and allowed Sophia’s father to take the reins, but only under the condition that her father would teach Jamie everything there was to know about being a good leader, so that one day he might step up and take his place.
It seemed that at last there was peace between the warring clans and somehow Sophia had managed to bring them together with nothing more than her beautiful heart.
*****
THE END
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Warrior Of The Highland
Abi walked out into the small settlement that her clan had built up the night before. The fire was already being fed by two of the younger soldiers, but it was still bitterly cold. She shivered and felt strands of her auburn hair fall out of the clips she had placed them in. She walked out into further into the camp with her arms tightly crossed against her chest.
People were already starting to rise. The sound of swords clashing in the distance told her that there were already people out practicing. That was a good thing; her clan needed more people like them. They all had a heavy battle ahead of them and if they weren’t prepared, many would die. She tried to push that thought out of her head, as she made her way over to her father’s tent.
She could hear his deep voice booming from beyond the walls, so she didn’t bother to call out before entering. She walked in and stopped, as she took in two other people other than her dad. She examined their faces to find familiarity, but there were none. They were strangers and it was a dangerous time to be a stranger.
“Father, who are these men?” Abi asked without greeting him.
&n
bsp; “Oh, Abi, I see you’re awake.” Her father said brightly as he stood up and walked over to her. “I would like to introduce you both to my daughter.” He said as he rested his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.
“Should you not introduce them to me?” Abi said growing ever more agitated at being left out of the loop.
“Of course, this is Douglas and Alistair.” Her father said, as he pointed first to the dark haired man who looked like a brute and then to his smaller sidekick whose hair glowed fire red.
“Might I have a moment alone with my father?” Abi asked both the men without looking at either one of them. She waited for them to leave, but they didn’t move. She looked over and scowled at them. “Have you manners? I said leave.” Abi said, and she held the eyes of the brutish looking one, so that he knew she meant it.
He nodded and then walked out of the tent with the red haired man following him. Abi waited for a moment after they had left, so that she could be sure that she wouldn’t be overheard. “What business do you have bringing strangers into our camp?” Abi said sternly. “We are going to war father, we cannot simply trust whoever walks past.” She cried out in frustration.
“Abi, restrain yourself.” Her father said sternly. “I am the leader of this clan and I know what’s best for it. These men aren’t strangers, I’ve known them for some time and one of them is to be your husband.” He finished.
Abi shook her head. “I think you’re mistaken father.” She said quickly.
“Abi, our clan has no hope of victory without others on our side. A marriage is the fastest way to unite two clans, and you are of an age now where it can be arranged.” He explained.
“And what about what I have to say? What about what I want?” Abi said, because she couldn’t believe that her father would really do this to her.
“This is for the good of the clan Abi; I cannot put your individual needs above the greater good.” He said and he shook his head sadly.
“You think that a forced marriage is for the greater good of the clan?” Abi asked him with shock.
SEALing The Victory Page 37
