The Grants had come.
Chapter Eighteen
Maggie had led Braden and the others down a rarely used path to the loch. He couldn’t help but smile when he noticed Loki ahead of him, his slinger in hand. The others were gathered behind him. His brother was sheer magic with his slinger, able to catapult small rocks long distances with dead aim. He’d been doing it since he was young and living alone behind an inn.
Cairstine started to speak, but he squeezed her hip and covered her mouth. He pointed down to the loch, where he could just barely see the boat through the trees. It looked like there were several bairns in the clearing.
He heard Cairstine gasp.
“We found him. ‘Tis what’s important,” he reminded her with a whisper. “And now we’ll get him to safety.” She spun around and nodded, her lips sealed.
They all took their places, not needing to converse with each other because they had planned their roles in advance. Gavin, Will, and Gregor would find perches where they could back the ground crew up with arrows, while Loki, Connor, and Roddy would use their swords, and Braden and Maggie would go scoop up the bairns, the archers protecting them. Usually Braden preferred sword-to-sword combat, but he was grateful Maggie had suggested this change. His body could only endure so much.
“What about Loki’s group?” Braden had asked before they set out.
Maggie had snorted, quite like a man, and said, “Loki planned to leave his guards at the top of the hill to search for any other men in the area before he joined us. He and Connor and Roddy are probably the best swordsmen in the Highlands. They don’t need any instructions. With our three swordsmen and three archers, we can easily take on nine men.”
Cairstine gave him a questioning look and said, “Nine to six?”
Braden grinned. “You’ve not seen all the Grants fight before, so I’ll ignore that question. Do not worry about it. I’ll bring the bairns to you, all of them. Can you handle it?”
She nodded. “Aye, absolutely.”
Loki had worked his magic on the men near the boats, who had begun to argue and grab the backs of their heads. Braden moved close to Maggie and helped Cairstine dismount. “I’m leaving you behind in this small group of trees,” he said to her, stroking her back. “You’ll be safe. Maggie and I will stay on our horses, the others will fight on foot. When we grab the bairns, we’ll bring them back to you. Just keep them hidden and safe until this is over.”
She nodded, wringing her hands as she watched the activity by the loch. He understood how difficult it was for her to stay put and not go chasing after Steenie.
His cousins let their famous Grant war whoop loose, and chaos descended as they dismounted and went after the four bastards who’d smuggled the children. All of them were now on foot. He glanced at Cairstine one more time, the trust and hope in her gaze humbling him, then flicked the reins of his horse and flew into the middle of the clearing. The first thing he noticed was a wee lassie running in circles, so he headed straight for her, but she was too low to the ground for him to reach her. Then he saw Kenzie running toward him with a lass in his arms. “Here,” he yelled. “Hand the lassie up to me.”
Kenzie helped both lassies get settled on the horse.
“This way,” Braden said to him. “Run on this side of my horse so the archers won’t catch you.” He turned his horse back toward the trees while Kenzie raced along next to him. Once he was out of range, he handed the two lassies to Cairstine and spoke to Kenzie. “Help her, lad. Maggie is bringing more.” Then he turned back and headed toward the loch again once he noticed an older woman running with more bairns around her.
He saw Steenie at the same time Cairstine’s scream carried to him. A man was running behind the lad, his sword arched over his head.
“Circle, Braden!” Gavin’s instructions gave him exactly the information he needed, telling him how to approach and leave a shot for the archer.
He headed toward Steenie, who’d finally noticed him, and yelled, “Arms up, Steenie.” Fortunately, the wee laddie understood him. He stuck both hands into the air and Braden leaned over and grabbed him by the waist. He feared he was going to lose him, but he said, “Grab my neck, Steenie.” Then he circled around the attacker while Steenie grappled for balance on the horse. A second later an arrow sluiced through the air and caught the fool now in front of them square in the neck.
Steenie clutched him so tightly he had to say, “Let go, lad. I need to breathe.” The look of relief on the lad’s face released a knot of tension in his chest. The wee laddie was away from the kidnappers, and he’d soon be safe with his mama. Aside from Steenie loosening his grip, Braden could breathe again knowing that he’d fulfilled his promises to Cairstine. He’d show her he was a man of his word time and time again, starting with his latest vow to get to know her better once this war was over.
Braden headed to the trees and dropped Steenie into Cairstine’s waiting arms.
“Mama! You’re safe,” Steenie said as she grabbed him and hugged him tight.
Braden’s chest puffed out as he watched the two together. Cairstine glanced his way, such gratitude in her eyes that he was humbled.
But he couldn’t wait any longer, so he swung back around. They really had no idea how many bairns were there. The number of enemies still swinging their swords was down from nine to five, though two had decided to give up and fled back to their boat.
Braden saw Maggie grab one of the small lassies, but he noticed one of the older ones was spinning around in a panic of confusion, gripping a young girl in her arms. It was obvious she didn’t know where to run or who to trust. He shouted, “Hand her to me.” The girl, crying furiously, held the wee lass up so Braden could grab her. Then he slowed, “Give me your hand and you can climb on behind me.”
The lass stopped crying and let out a piercing scream unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Braden had no idea how to calm her. Then Cairstine’s voice carried across the distance to him and the girl. “Edith, trust him.”
Hell, but Cairstine knew the lass?
Edith must have recognized Cairstine, too, because she offered her hand to Braden and he tugged her up high enough that she could slide her leg over the horse behind him. Once she was steady, he led his horse away from the few battling men and over to the trees.
Once he set her feet on the ground, Edith, still in a panic, screamed, “Eva, where are you?”
Cairstine stepped out and said, “Here, Edith. She must be here.” She pointed to the three lassies behind her, all of them now sobbing.
Edith shot over to the group, picking up her sister and holding her tight, sobbing uncontrollably. Then she turned to Cairstine and looked at her, but there was no recognition in her eyes.
“Edith,” she said, “I’m Cairstine…your cousin.”
***
Cairstine stepped closer. All the bairns who’d been brought to her were safely hidden amidst the trees, including Steenie and Kenzie, so she moved closer to speak to the poor girl. Could it truly be her? “You are Edith, are you not? Edith of the Muirs? It must be you. I’ll never forget your sire teaching us all to scream like that if we were ever in trouble.” She patted her shoulder and said, “You did it perfectly. Your sire would be proud.”
Edith nodded, still holding Eva tight against her. She looked pale and shaky, as though she were about to drop.
Cairstine spoke gently to her. “Is this your wee sister, Eva? I remember her as a babe. I’m your cousin. Your mother was my sire’s sister. Papa was laird of the Muirs.” She reached up to brush a few stray hairs back from Edith’s face. “I thought you’d all died in the attack six years ago.”
“Cairstine? Truly?” Her voice came out in a tremulous tone, and her hands shook.
“Aye, ‘tis me. Trust these men. Where have you been? I didn’t know you survived. Where is your mother?”
Edith hugged Cairstine and then stepped back to lean against a tree. Eva still clutched her sister, but her gaze followed Cairstine. �
�When the men came for us a sennight ago, they killed Mama. Mama, Eva, and I were visiting Aunt Fina when the attack on the castle happened many years ago. The three of us have lived with her ever since, but these kidnappers came when Aunt Fina was out hunting. ‘Twas just Mama and the two of us, and she couldn’t fight them off.” Her shoulders slumped before she lifted her gaze back to Cairstine. “I did not know you survived that day, Cairstine. We thought everyone had perished but the three of us. Mama and Aunt Fina went back several times over the next year searching for anyone, especially Papa, but never found any survivors. Our clanmates who were away and had escaped the brutality told Aunt Fina to keep her distance because the attackers were monsters. We were afraid. But no matter how much room we put between us and Muir Castle, and how careful we have been, this happened.”
“Nearly everyone perished during the attack. I was the only one taken captive. Corc was allowed to stay on.” She pulled Steenie away from Kenzie and said, “This is my son, Steafan. I call him Steenie. Steenie, these two are your cousins, Edith and Eva.” Turning back to the lasses, she smiled and gestured to Braden, “And this is Braden Grant. His cousins are the ones who saved you.”
Eva took her thumb out of her mouth and smiled at Cairstine. “May we go home with you?”
Cairstine didn’t know what to tell her, so she simply nodded. She wished to keep the lasses calm.
Of course, she had no idea where she and Steenie would be living.
Braden kissed her forehead and said, “Do not worry. We’ll go back to Clan Grant to feed everyone. We don’t need to decide everything just yet.” He said to Edith, “We have hundreds of guards to protect you.”
Edith whispered, “Hundreds? Those men, the ones that killed Mama, they’re not all here. Please protect us?”
“We will. There are at least fifty Grant warriors at the top of the ravine, and my guess is another hundred are on their way. Clan Grant has over five hundred warriors. We’ll put an end to this atrocity and send someone for your Aunt Fina, if you like.”
Edith’s eyes misted and she kissed her sister’s forehead. “Eva, you see. They’ll protect us from those nasty men.”
He tugged Cairstine close, but soon someone whistled. It was an alert Braden recognized, for he helped her up and then took Steenie by the hand. As he led them over to his cousins, Steenie’s wee friend, Kenzie, bolted past them to stand at the side of a tall man—his sire, no doubt.
The cousins met in a circle, and Braden quickly introduced her and Steenie to everyone they had not yet met. She still didn’t understand all that had transpired. Where had that boat been headed?
Maggie said, “Well done, we have a better understanding of how this organization works, but we still don’t know who runs it. Mayhap when we return and get to talk to everyone, we’ll be able to find out more.”
Braden tugged on her hand. “I’ll explain everything later.”
She nodded, unsure if she could handle all that information at the moment. Looking at the wee lassies still sitting near the trees, she couldn’t imagine what they’d all been through.
The one called Loki said, “Well, there are nine less rat bastards. ‘Tis something. This sale is not taking place. Wherever they were headed, someone will have a long wait.”
Steenie leaned against his mother and giggled with his hand over his mouth from Loki’s comment.
“I was so scared.” Kenzie wrapped his arms around his sire’s waist. “But I knew you’d come, Papa.”
“Did either of you hear any names?” Will asked. “Do you know who the leader was?”
Kenzie said, “Nay.” Then he scowled, stepping back to search the area as though he’d forgotten something. “Where did she go, Steenie?”
Steenie hopped in place three times. “I forgot Hilda. Where is she? Mama, Hilda was with us. Hilda?” He ran toward the trees opposite them, but before he could disappear from sight a woman stepped out from behind the tree cover, a fearful expression on her face. Maggie and Will approached her along with Kenzie.
Will asked, “Are you a part of this group?”
Hilda broke into tears. “Only because they forced me to care for the bairns. I didn’t want to do it. Blair and Greer wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I had been forced into a life at Muir Castle. Sad life as ‘twas. I couldn’t leave Cairstine and Steenie alone to the men.”
“Greer will not be in charge of Muir Castle any longer,” Will said. “Blair has disappeared. He’ll not bother you for a while. I’m sure he’s in hiding. Are you kin to them?”
“Nay. They kidnapped me from a cottage five winters ago. Killed my husband and told me I needed to help a woman who was carrying. I’ve been with them ever since. I’ve always hated both of them.”
Cairstine wrapped her arms around Hilda, showing her allegiance to her, and nodded to indicate the woman was telling the truth. “She was as much a prisoner as I was.”
Maggie moved closer to her and placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to travel to Grant land with us. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to answer some questions. For now, I think we should get away from this area. Do you know of anyone else who was supposed to be here?”
Hilda shook her head.
Maggie said, “Will, let’s search the huts. Connor, you check the boat.” A group moved to the end to the buildings while Connor and Roddy climbed onto the boat to search it for any clues.
Cairstine squeezed Hilda one last time and stepped back. “What about Corc? Did he accompany the guards?”
“Aye,” Loki said, “but we left him atop the hill with the guards. We’ll bring him back to Clan Grant. Maggie said there’s naught left at Muir Castle but dead bodies.”
Maggie turned to the group and said, “Let’s head back to Clan Grant. They can feed all of us, then we’ll see what we can learn from the bairns. Some of them may have homes. I’m not convinced no one else will come this way. ‘Tis best to be safe.”
Maggie moved over to the lassies still in the trees, speaking first with the older lasses before helping them up. Cairstine and Hilda followed her, each picking up a bairn to console her.
Loki said, “We’ll send guards out to see how many of Lamont’s men may have survived.”
Maggie assigned a bairn to each horseman. Steenie said, “Who can I ride with? You, Mama?”
Before she could answer, Braden whispered in his ear, “I’d like to take you back to your castle to pick up a few things for you and your son. I don’t think it would be wise to take Steenie there.”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to Cairstine, but he was right, of course. She wasn’t sure what had become of the bodies they’d left behind. The last thing she wanted was for her son to see more bloodshed, particularly since his father was among the fallen. Wicked or not, Greer had been her boy’s sire.
When she nodded and squeezed his hand, he made the suggestion to Maggie.
“Wise plan and I agree,” Maggie said. “He’s welcome to ride with Will.”
Braden asked, “Would you like to ride with Will, the Wild Falconer?”
“Aye,” Steenie shouted. “May I?” It made Cairstine grin to see him so happy. Besides, these were men he could look up to—men who would not take advantage of either of them.
Steenie raced over to Will’s horse, staring up at him, his exuberance showing. “Can I see the falcons? We watched them soar through the air and we knew you’d come to save us!”
Just to show off a little, Will held his arm up and the peregrine landed, his wings spread wide before tucking them in. Steenie jumped up and down with excitement, his enthusiasm spreading to the others.
“Steenie. Come say goodbye,” Cairstine said, reaching for him. She wanted to hold him one more time to assure herself he was safe. “We’ll arrive at Clan Grant a few hours after you. Will you be all right with Kenzie and Will?”
Steenie nodded and tried to jump on the horse, but Will kept him down. “Always be good to your mother. Say
goodbye to your mama first.” He set the falcon off into the air again.
Steenie charged at her, hugged her quick, and said, “Bye, Mama. See you soon. I’m a Wee Wild Falconer now.” He hurried back, but then stopped. He swiveled around to look at her and said, “Mama, I don’t think we’ll see Papa again.” He paused to stare at his feet, his finger resting on his lip. “I heard one of the bad men say Papa was a dead man. They said he’d gotten into too much trouble this time. But I don’t mind if it means he won’t hit either one of us anymore. And he cannot lock you up now.”
Dead silence fell on the group. All activity stopped at Steenie’s comment.
She rushed over to her son, hugged him, then kissed his forehead. “Papa will not be hitting either one of us ever again. We’ll talk later. Does that suit you?” After all he’d been through, she wasn’t ready to discuss the realities of death with him quite yet. That time would come soon enough. For the journey home, he could be the Wee Wild Falconer. He deserved every bit of happiness he could get.
“Aye,” Steenie called over his shoulder as he ran to Will’s horse. Within moments, he was already peppering Will with more questions about the falcons.
Cairstine couldn’t help but smile. How she adored her son.
She glanced at Braden and realized something.
The worst was over. Greer was gone forever, and Steenie was hale.
It was time to start living her life the way she chose.
Chapter Nineteen
Braden prayed there wouldn’t be anyone at Muir Castle, even reivers. He was exhausted and wasn’t ready to swing his sword again quite yet. He ached in so many places, he struggled to ignore all the pain.
The biggest ache presently was in his groin. Considering all the pain he still suffered, he’d assumed he wouldn’t have any reaction to Cairstine being so close to him.
He’d been wrong. Her soft bottom rubbed against him most of the trip, and as soon as they’d split from that group a short time ago, his erection had commanded his attention.
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