Heart of the Highlands: The Wolf (Protectors of the Crown Book 2)

by April Holthaus

  Like a thunderstorm blowing in, clashing of metal and the sound of cracking bones shattered throughout the courtyard. Within moments, Fallon quickly found herself in the heat of a battle that had started as quickly as a brush fire.

  The air buzzed with the sound of arrows flying overhead embedding themselves into the guards who stood upon the platform. Fallon’s eyes followed a thin line of smoke as a fire-lit arrow sliced through the rope from which Rylan’s body had been dangling. Fallon’s breath caught in the back of her throat as the rope was seared clean through, causing Rylan to plummet to the ground.

  The crowd swelled making it nearly impossible to seek refuge. Desperately, she wanted to reach Rylan’s side, but she knew there was no way to get to him without injury to herself. Fallon sped toward the wall, and ducked behind a cart laden with hay. She could feel the ooze of the blood underneath her slippers as she made her way across the slippery, bloodied ground where men laid dead at her feet. She had never seen so much death.

  Following along the wall, she hid behind various carts and animals until she was within sight of Rylan. He laid there, still and motionless. Was he already dead?

  Passing the last cart, Fallon spotted a clear direct path to Rylan. Taking one step forward, she was grabbed from behind. A hand tightly pressed against her lips to prevent her from screaming.

  “We must go, lass. Tis no safe.”

  A familiar Scottish brogue whispered in her ear. Fallon spun around in his arms. Aldy?

  “I will no’ leave him,” she desperately cried.

  “He will be fine lassie.”

  Fallon turned back to glance at Rylan for the last time. She did not wish to leave him.

  “I am sorry,” she whispered, guilt weighing heavily in her heart as she turned and followed the old man to a break in the wall.

  Slipping away from the madness, she was surprised to see a horse saddled and waiting as if the creature had planned to help them escape.

  “Wait! I can no leave. They have my son!”

  “Yer son is safe. He has been taken to the Abbey in Langholm.”

  “How do ye know this?”

  “Because Rylan made sure of it. If ye trust my son, ye can trust me. Now ye must go.”

  “Yer son? Yer Rylan’s father? Yer Aldrich Arnett?”

  “Aye.”

  Fallon’s jaw fell slightly open.

  “Now, ye must go. Follow the path to the right, then go north until ye reach the banks of the river. Do no’ stop. May God keep ye safe, lass.” he said picking her up by the waist and setting her onto the saddle. Before she had time to respond, Aldrich smacked the horse on the rump, causing it to take off in a sprint. Fallon quickly grabbed the reins.

  Several miles outside of Falstone, Fallon kept to the path Aldy had instructed. Knowing he was Rylan’s father forced her to trust him. The thought that this road led her to Braeden brought immense joy, but her heart was still burdened with sadness as she was forced to abandon Rylan.

  While she journeyed northward, Fallon’s lips still swelled from Rylan’s kiss. A moment of passion she would never forget.

  Chapter 18

  Rylan felt life begin to slip away as he struggled for his last breaths. His muscles twitched until his body had gone limp. Rylan felt his body rise from the platform. This was it, his final hour, but to his dismay, he was not rising, but falling. Fast and hard. Had his life of sin swept away the glory of heaven? Was he to make peace with the Devil?

  With a hard thud, Rylan’s legs collapsed on the ground and buckled underneath him. With the noose at his neck severed, he took in a much-needed breath. Through the chaos and bloodshed, Rylan’s soul was awakened at the sound of salvation. The loud, harmonious sound of a horn blowing in the wind. Aid had come.

  Opening his eyes, Rylan gazed at the frayed end of a rope smoldering where it had been severed. Raising his right hand to his throat, he could feel the tight braided twine wrapped around his neck.

  I’m alive.

  Loud shouts brought him to the present. Rylan looked around and saw dozens of men fighting around him. His saving grace, two of his fellow Protectors, Daven and Alec fought fiercely to save him. Hacking is way through a sea of men; Alec reached Rylan and helped him to his feet.

  “If ye are my two angels of mercy, then I know this is no’ heaven.” Rylan teased.

  “Well, we all cannae be as bonny as ye, Rylan,” Daven retorted as he helped Rylan to his feet.

  “Do ye have the strength to walk?” Alec asked.

  “Aye.”

  “Then it’s best we get the bloody hell out of here.”

  Rylan frantically searched the bloody field for any sign of Fallon, but she was nowhere to be found. He prayed she had fled before the attack had come. With his men keeping the line strong, the English could not break through the group of warriors who had come to Rylan’s rescue.

  “Go,” Daven called out to the two of them. “I will cover ye.”

  “Nay, I will stay and fight,” Rylan protested.

  “Ye are too weak to fight, Rylan. Ye can have faith in our men. Now go!”

  Rylan followed Alec and ran toward the gates as several men continued the fight. With Daven closely behind them, they were the last three to run past the battlement and under the portcullis where horses waited on the other side of the vaulted stone archway.

  Mounting a riderless horse, Rylan watched as Daven ran to the lever, lowering the iron portcullis. Its sharp spikes near the bottom looked like the jaws of a monstrous beast swallowing the English up behind its iron teeth. Once closed, the group of riders took off in a sprint with Aldrich in the lead. Rylan followed closely behind him with a new level of understanding as to how his rescuers had found him, and just in the nick of time.

  “Where are we going?” Rylan asked.

  “The moors of Saughtree across the border. Our men are stationed there,” Daven replied.

  For nearly an hour, they raced north until they crossed the border and were back onto Scottish soil. The battle-worn men dismounted and began unloading their packs. Rylan stayed mounted and stared up at the night sky. Starlight twinkled above him and his thoughts of Fallon and her son weighed heavy on his heart. He prayed they made it out safe. It gave him comfort that wherever Fallon was, these same stars watched over her while the moon guided them home.

  “Ye look to be a mon deep in thought,” Aldrich said.

  “Teach me humility, Father. For I have bled for king and country, and still I feel shame.”

  “Shame, my son, is a mere cloak. Do no’ fear who ye are, Rylan. Do no’ cower and hide as ye always have. Today, I have been given my son back and have been blessed by the heavens. I will no’ lose ye again.”

  “Father, there is something I must tell ye. Something I have kept hidden all these years.”

  “Ye dinna have to tell me, Rylan. I knew from the time ye were a lad that ye had seen many terrible things and I knew that ‘twas best to leave the past behind ye.”

  “But I have dishonored ye. I have dishonored my mother.”

  “Rylan, my son. Ye have ne’er dishonored me. It does no’ matter that ‘tis no’ my blood that runs through yer veins. Ye are my son. And I could no’ have been more proud. Ye are a good mon and have grown so much. Whatever happened in that castle, now or in the past, I know that ye would have done the right thing. And I am no’ the only one who has noticed. For out there is a lass who loves ye.”

  “How do ye know?”

  “I know many things, my son.”

  “Aye. Well, I dinna know if love is the right word, Father.”

  “From what I have seen, she may be blind to it, but she cares more deeply fer ye than I think she even admits to herself.”

  “I am worried for her.”

  “From what I have seen, Fallon seems like a verra resourceful woman. I am sure she found her way back to her son and that they are both safe,” Aldrich assured him.

  “But I will no’ rest until I am certain of it,” Rylan promi
sed.

  Rylan had no doubt Fallon was capable of returning to Scotland, but once she was reunited with Braeden, where would she go? Would she return to her home, alone and unprotected? Rylan felt a sense of responsibility toward her. After all, it was he who had gotten her into this mess in the first place and the very reason she had lost everything. How could he possibly replace all she had lost? And more importantly, would she ever forgive him?

  “I will take a few men wit’ me to go to the abbey. I need to make sure she is safe. Once I know she is well, I will return home.”

  “Attempting to argue wit’ ye would be pointless. So, I will bid ye a safe journey.”

  Rylan made a promise to himself that once he found Fallon and Braeden safe and sound, he would leave and never disrupt their lives again.

  Chapter 19

  Fallon raced toward the monastery gates. Swinging the gate open, she made her way past a group of monks who walked in silence, their heads down, covered with brown cowls. Running down the beaten path, she pushed open the chapel door. Once inside, Fallon frantically scanned the room. Her heart flew when she spotted Braeden sitting on the far side of the pews, speaking to another young man.

  Blinking away tears; she called out, “Braeden!”

  Braeden turned to her and smiled. It gave her comfort when she saw the calming sense of peace in his eyes. Fallon’s tense shoulders dropped instantly with relief.

  Braeden leapt from his spot and ran into his mother’s arms. Clinging to him like a buoy in treacherous water, she openly blessed the saints. Tears fell freely from her eyes. She held him as tight as she had when he was just a wee bairn being placed in her arms for the very first time. When he was born, Braeden was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. With ten little fingers, ten little toes, and a mop of dark brown hair on his crown, he was perfect. And when he entered her world, Fallon’s life had changed forever. It was the validation she needed to know where she belonged and where she did not.

  Before Braeden came along, she’d considered moving back home with her family, but when she found out she was with child, she knew that the Highlands was no place to raise a family and living under her father’s roof was no place to raise a son. To share the Sutherland name would have been a curse for them both.

  Fallon had known all along about her father’s dealings with the English as well as the treason he had committed against the King. If she had stayed, she would have been branded a traitor just like the rest of them. It was why she took on the Montgomery name. Though she knew little of their clan, the Montgomerys did not partake in politics and seemed to be the best clan in which to take refuge. Fallon knew that if she had to do it all over again, she would still have chosen the same path. She would do anything to protect her son, even if that meant she had to lie, even to him.

  “Mama, why are you crying?”

  Fallon looked down at her son and wiped her eyes. How do you express to a child the fear a mother feels at almost losing her only child? It was a feeling she did not know how to explain nor want to relive, even in her own mind. Braeden was her life. Her legacy. Losing him would have scarred both her heart and soul. Mothers are not meant to outlive their children.

  Fallon put her hands on Braeden’s soft cheeks. He was such a sweet lad. So full of life and wonder, and if Fallon could shelter him from all the evils in this world, she would build a wall of bricks around him until she no longer had strength left in her hands.

  “Tis just because I am so verra happy to see ye,” she said, placing a soft kiss to his forehead.

  “Mama, I want ye to meet Innes. He is thirteen summers and is the son of a butcher. He taught me a new game, would ye like to see?”

  Fallon smiled at her son’s enthusiasm about his new friend. Besides Leoric, Braeden did not have a chance to make many friends, a fault Fallon meant to reconcile. Fallon followed the two young lads to the courtyard and joyfully watched them kick a small leather ball back and forth.

  Her mind felt at ease, though her thoughts fell to Rylan. Had he survived the ambush? Would she ever see him again? In truth, she did not think their paths would cross again, but in the deepest caverns of her heart, she secretly hoped they would, even if it were to just allow her the chance to thank him and say goodbye.

  Rylan’s dark brown eyes burned in the back of Fallon’s mind, causing her heart to constrict. She could still feel his touch, his smell, his taste. She sighed, thinking fondly over their short time together.

  “Braeden, say goodbye to yer friend. It’s time to go home.”

  “Perhaps I can be of some assistance, my lady,” an older gentleman said.

  “No thank ye. I know my way,” she said, not wanting to accept an offer from yet another stranger.

  “It’s alright, mama. This is Charles. He helped me escape. He is a friend of Rylan’s,” Braeden confirmed.

  Fallon stood and grabbed his hand.

  “I’m sorry, I dinna know. Thank ye so much fer caring for my son. It means the world to me.”

  “Ye dinna have to thank me, my lady. I only kept my promise to an old friend.”

  “How do ye know him?”

  “Rylan and I go back many years. And we have helped each other out from time to time. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Charles De Walt, Duke of Annandale. I met with Rylan while he was imprisoned and he asked me to watch over the lad. He was a good man.”

  “He still is a good mon.”

  “Yes, well. I am sure Nathanial Blackwell offered him a quick, merciful death.”

  “I am afraid that Lord Blackwell lost his chance to find out.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

  “Rylan killed him.”

  “Really? Well I guess they say it is better to not know when it is your time than to know how it will end and be powerless to stop it. I am sure I will hear all about it when I return to London next week. Anyway, pardon my intrusion, but I overheard you mentioned you were leaving. My entourage is stationed just outside the monastery and we were heading back that way in the morning. If you wish, you may accompany us and we can see you home safely if you are heading northbound.”

  “That is verra generous of ye. Thank ye.”

  “Tis no problem, Lady Fallon.”

  “Well, if ye excuse me, I wish to speak to the friar about a room for the night.”

  “Yes, please do. They offer modest accommodations. I will meet with you again in the morning. Good night, Lady Fallon.”

  As Fallon stepped inside the chapel with Braeden trailing closely behind, Charles summoned Innes forward.

  “Have word sent to the Sutherlands. Tell them Blackwell is dead and that I now hold the key to the Highlands. If they want their peace treaty with England they will have to go through me.”

  “But what of Braeden and his mother? Will you not be bringing them home?”

  “Of course not, boy! Now run along. I will need to deal with this situation swiftly. James will be leaving for France soon, and all the pieces need to fall into place before then.”

  Everything is going just as I planned.

  Chapter 20

  Rising earlier than the birds, Fallon lay awake next to her son and watched him sleep. Running her slender fingers through his hair, she recalled the first moment she beheld him. It was love at first sight. She remembered laying him on her chest while he slept in her arms. He was so tiny then; his head full of hair, and chubby round cheeks. She called him her little bean. Nearly eight years later, and her wee little one had grown into a beanstalk.

  Her kiss upon his head caused Braeden to stir awake.

  “Mama?” he said in a crackly morning voice.

  “Aye?”

  “Do ye think Rylan is dead?” he asked.

  The question was heartbreaking to answer, but in truth, she did not know.

  “I dinna know, my sweetling.”

  Digging in his pocket, Braeden pulled something from it and held out his hand. Opening her palm, Braeden placed R
ylan’s golden medallion in her hand.

  “Where did ye find that?”

  “Rylan gave this to me. He told me that it would protect me when I needed it. If he is still alive, do ye think I will have to give it back?”

  Fallon softly chuckled.

  “Oh, Braeden. I am sure he meant to give it to ye.”

  “Good. Because I really like it,” he replied, tucking it away safely in his pocket. “He gave me this, too. He said it would protect me even more.”

  Then he pulled something else from his pocket. Fallon looked closely, recognizing the wee carving she’d spied on Rylan’s blanket when he was burning up with fever. She realized it was a wolf. Anyone who saw the medallion and the wolf together would know that Braeden was under Rylan’s protection as well as that of the crown. Fallon felt the wall she’d built around her heart start to crack.

  Fallon hugged her sweet son. Like all children, his innocence made all the chaos of the world more bearable. Children were not born with hatred in their hearts. They held no prejudices or judgements. Everything to them was simply black and white. There were no grey areas. Fallon had learned a great deal from her son's outlook on life. Children had the ability to see light in the midst of darkness. Something adults often lost sight of as they got older. If only more people could see the world through Braeden’s eyes, then perhaps there would be less evil in the world.

  “Mr. De Walt has offered to escort us home. We will need to get ready soon if we are to leave.”

  “Will Leoric be waiting for us? I have so many things to tell him.”

  “I am sure he is. Now run along and get dressed.”

  “Yes, mum.”

  Braeden eagerly sprung from the bed. As his stomach growled, he asked for permission to leave the room to go to the chapel’s kitchen. At a nod of her head, Braeden ran from the room, leaving the door open behind him.