A Highland Pearl (Highland Treasures Book 1)

by Taylor, Brenda B.

  At the bottom, Andrew found a small hemp rope. Someone may have left it there for lighting the way through the tunnel. When his companions reached the bottom of the ladder, he asked Colin to hold his dirk close to the rope, then the chief struck the weapon with his own to make a spark. After several failed attempts, a flicker rose from the dirks and lit the frayed end of the rope. Presently, a soft light shone in the tunnel. Andrew led the way carrying the small light. The rope torch would not last long, so they hurried through the darkness, stumbling and sometimes falling.

  Spider webs covered the damp earthen walls, indicating the tunnel had not been used in a while. Andrew brushed them aside for the group to pass. His hair became filled with webs, but he kept up a fast, steady pace. They reached another ladder. This one seemed twice the length of the first. He felt sure it led to the MacKenzie’s library as Tara said.

  Only a stump of the rope remained as the chief climbed to the top of the ladder with Tavish and Colin following. He must find the latch to open the door quickly before all light vanished. After a close examination, his fingers touched a handle in the wall next to the door. He threw the stump of rope to the floor and stamped it to extinguish the flame. Thick darkness enveloped the tunnel, but his hand rested on the latch. With one jerk, a small door opened into a large dark chamber.

  One wall sconce cast a dim light making shadows dance on the wall. Andrew stooped to make his way through the small door. He stood erect, glancing about to make certain no MacKenzie lurked nearby. Tavish and Colin followed, their hands on the hilt of their swords ready for action. Colin started to close the door, but the chief shook his head. He took the small fragment of burned rope and draped it over the top so the door would remain ajar, yet look closed. Andrew knew exactly where he needed to go and headed in the direction of the chamber door with the warriors at his heels.

  Loud snoring emanated from the adjoining bedchamber. Hugh MacKenzie slept soundly after a night of merrymaking with his companions. A thought of Tara crossed Andrew’s mind, but he had no time to ponder her condition. Tara would now have to live with the consequences of her decisions. God be with her. A soft cord twisted in his heart with the thought of her present state of affairs.

  He opened the door to the outer passageway leading to the chamber he hoped Maidie occupied and saw a guard leaning on the wall beside the door. The man looked asleep with his head hanging low. Andrew pulled the dirk from his belt and quickly walked toward the guard. The man shifted, but did not look up. With one swift movement, he put a hand over the guard’s mouth, jabbing the dirk into his belly. The guard moaned. Andrew twisted the dirk until the man slumped over his arm. He lowered the body to the floor then quietly opened the door of the bedchamber. He motioned for Tavish and Colin to stay, one on either side of the door. They quickly obeyed.

  Andrew moved through the doorway into the chamber. He stood for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Moonlight streaming through the small window cast a silvery ghostly beam across the floor. Another omen. He shrugged then looked around, refusing to be deterred from the task at hand because of moonlight and a feeling. A pallet lay close to the door where someone slept soundly making small whiffing noises. The sleeper must be a woman, probably a maid assigned to Maidie’s care. Andrew was undecided if he should smother the woman in her sleep, or take a chance on her not waking up. His conscience would not let him slay an innocent woman, so he eased past the pallet. Mayhap, she drank some ale during the evening meal and would continue to sleep soundly.

  He knew the arrangement of the chamber’s furniture and hoped none had been moved. Quietly, he approached the bed. The trundle lay pulled from underneath with a slight figure under the coverlet—Sven. Andrew moved around the bed and watched the form under the heavy comforter turn over to face him. The sliver light shining through the window cast a beam on eyes gazing in his direction. He put a knee on the bed and a hand over Maidie’s mouth to keep her from making a surprised sound. She rose on an elbow. He could not make out the expression of her eyes, but suddenly she recognized him and threw both arms around his neck. Andrew removed the hand over her mouth and kissed the sweet warm lips with fervent desire. She returned his kiss with passion. He wanted to climb into the bed and make her his own, but they must wait to be united. Now he had to get Maidie and Sven out of the castle.

  Maidie’s arms clung around Andrew’s neck. He raised his head and put a finger over her lips. Hearing a muffled cry, he looked over Maidie to the pallet across the room. He felt sure Tavish or Colin encountered the maid and one had a hand over the woman’s mouth, probably stuffing a piece of bed clothing into it and then binding her hands and feet.

  “Mam, is anything wrong?” The soft question came from the direction of the trundle.

  “Shhh,” answered a gruff voice from the same direction. Tavish was with Sven.

  Maidie dropped her arms and turned toward her son. Andrew pulled her back and whispered close to her ear, “You must hurry and make you and Sven ready to travel. Can you find your clothes without a light?”

  “Aye. They are nearby on a chair,” she whispered. “How did you get in here?”

  “No time for talking. Make haste and dress yourself and Sven. We must hurry.” Andrew pulled back the bedcovers to let her rise. The shift clung to the curves of her figure. He tugged his eyes away and put an arm around her waist to help her from the bed.

  Maidie quickly found her clothes while the chief joined his gille beside the door. He squatted down to face the woman Colin had neatly bound with bedclothes. “You must lie verra still and make no sound until we are well out of the castle. You’ll come to nae harm if you do as I say.”

  The woman remained silent and still, but nodded her head in understanding. Maidie quickly dressed Sven and herself. She secured the fur-lined arisaid around her shoulders, then helped Sven with his coat and hat. She met the three warriors beside the door and glanced down at the maid.

  “She’ll be fine when someone finds her, but we’ll be long gone by then,” Andrew whispered.

  Colin opened the door and looked both ways before stepping out into the passageway. The others joined him. Maidie glanced in the direction of the dead warrior lying on the floor beside the door, but Andrew turned her face toward him. He touched the tip of her nose with his finger, and then took her hand. She clung to Sven with the other. He quickly found the door to the MacKenzie’s library, eased it open, then stopped and listened. The snoring continued from the other side of the wall. Andrew pulled Maidie and Sven into the room with Tavish and Colin following.

  A parchment spread upon the desktop caught the Munro’s eye. He dropped Maidie’s hand, went around the desk and examined the parchment the best he could in the dim light of the wall sconce. It must be the deed to Chanonry Castle. Andrew quickly rolled up the parchment, stuffing it into the opening of his ionar. He grabbed the small torch in the sconce, walked quickly to the small tunnel door, removed the bit of rope stuffing it into his sporran, and opened the door wide.

  Andrew motioned for Maidie then Sven to follow him, then Colin with Tavish closing and securing the door. With one hand holding the torch to light the way, and the other on the ladder, the chief began the descent into the tunnel. He looked up to see Maidie on the ladder, and then Sven. Suddenly a yell sounded within the castle. The dead warrior had been found. Time was precious. Tavish must get the door closed before they were discovered. Andrew jumped the last few steps to the floor and gave Maidie his hand to help her down. Sven nimbly followed his mother. Colin started down the ladder with Tavish closing the door securely. Tavish forced his dirk through the door handle and wedged it against the wall so the handle would not move.

  More yells and commands could be heard nearer. Hugh must be in his library now, and discovered the missing charter along with Maidie’s and Sven’s disappearance. Andrew quickly made his way down the tunnel followed by Maidie, Sven, Colin and Tavish. The tunnel door rattled. Yells came from the chamber. Andrew knew Hugh was sendin
g for an ax or something to knock the door down. They must reach the end before the small wooden door gave way, and it would not be long.

  Andrew rushed along. He sent a silent prayer to the Lord, thanking Him for His help in finding Maidie and being with them thus far. Then he asked for the Lord’s continued presence and help in getting back to Munro lines. Lord, send one of Your big angels to block the way of those coming after us.

  Shattering wood and loud voices echoed through the tunnel, but the small group neared the end. Light from several torches illuminated the darkness behind them.

  “I see them!” one shouted.

  “Well, get them before they can get out of the tunnel,” Hugh MacKenzie’s booming voice ordered.

  Rushing, stumbling feet could be heard getting closer by the moment. Andrew turned slightly to find Maidie and Sven. They followed close behind him with Colin and then Tavish in the rear. Tavish fired his pistol. The first MacKenzie guard fell to the ground. Another climbed over the body.

  The chief could see the small door that opened into the forest. He quickly climbed the ladder, opened the door, and scrambled to the outside. He reached a hand for Sven, who popped out of the opening, and then Maidie, her large arisaid cumbersome to get through the small hole. She struggled for a moment, unhooked the garment, and flung it to the floor of the tunnel, covering Colin, who quickly pushed it aside.

  A MacKenzie reached Tavish, quickly engaging him in a sword fight. Another warrior stood behind the first, but the small tunnel made passing the two fighting men impossible. Colin, standing on a rung of the ladder, rammed his broadsword between the MacKenzie’s eyes. The man screamed then slumped at Tavish’s feet. Colin rushed up the ladder into the open. He stood beside Andrew, who bent over the opening watching the fight. Tavish climbed two rungs of the ladder while the second guard tried to step over the body of the first.

  The chief pulled his pistol and yelled, “Duck mon.” Tavish lowered his head, hugging the ladder.

  Andrew aimed, but could see only shadows in the darkness below. He fired but the MacKenzie stood too close to Tavish to get a good shot. The man grabbed his left arm and screamed then lunged forward, stabbing the faithful Munro lad in the back with a broadsword. Tavish looked up, and Andrew could see the whites of his eyes before he fell backward onto the fallen MacKenzie. The guard stabbed Tavish again, through the heart. A loud groan escaped the young lad’s lips.

  “Oh God, no’ Tavish,” the distraught chief cried. He knew there was no chance to save his friend, so he slammed the tunnel door down and stood on it. “Fetch a large bolder, Colin. Hurry,” Andrew commanded.

  Colin rushed to find a boulder. Sven tried to follow, but Maidie caught his hand and held firmly. The metal door shook and rattled. Andrew had trouble holding the bouncing door down, so Sven and Maidie joined him. Several attempts to put a broadsword through the metal caused the small party on top to move about, but the weapons could not penetrate the door. The MacKenzie did a good job of building a secure door to his tunnel. Andrew wrapped his arms around Maidie’s shivering shoulders, holding her close against his chest. He intended to hold her long and hard when they reached the safety of the Munro camps. He removed his ionar, pulling it around Maidie. Her shoulders drooped under the weight.

  Torchlights and shouting came from the battlements of the castle. Fiery arrows zipped through the air in the direction of the tunnel’s entrance—one or two at first and then a barrage. Hugh MacKenzie’s rough voice could be heard above the ruckus, shouting orders. Andrew clasped Maidie and Sven in his arms and they squatted down to make a smaller target. The tunnel entrance lay out of range for the missiles and well MacKenzie knew it. The fire was but a display of his temper. He may be many things, but not the brute who would put Maidie’s and Sven’s lives in danger. Two arrows that landed in nearby trees on branches now void of leaves, sparked and fizzled but soon died out. Andrew feared MacKenzie warriors were close, and the group’s position compromised. If fate had blessed him this night, all of the MacKenzies and Camerons went inside the castle walls with the arrival of the Munro sluagh.

  Colin returned pushing a boulder he could barely manage. The small group moved slightly so he could roll the boulder onto the top of the tunnel door. The door moved under the heavy pushing of the MacKenzies, but the boulder seemed enough to hold it down until they could escape. Andrew grabbed Maidie’s hand, who then took Sven’s and they rushed through the trees in the direction of the Munro campfires. Maidie stumbled, but Andrew held tightly to help her regain a footing.

  The campfires grew closer. A voice called through the night, “Stop where you are.”

  Hopefully, the voice was that of a Munro. The chief took a chance and yelled, “Caisteal Fàrdach A Chaoidh.”

  The voice answered with the same battle cry and came forward from the trees with others following. “Chief, what are you doing out here?” the stunned warrior asked. “We saw the burning arrows coming from the castle, but reckoned ‘twas no’ you out in the darkness.”

  “’Twas about rescuing this lass and her son from the MacKenzies.” Andrew raised Maidie’s hand.

  The group of warriors surrounded the small party. “You went inside the castle, Chief?” their leader asked.

  “Aye, we did, this mon and I. Another went with us, but he was slain inside the escape tunnel.”

  The thought of Tavish falling under the MacKenzie sword caused pain to shoot through Andrew’s heart like an arrow, piercing it to the core. Tavish had served faithfully from his youth. He was an excellent warrior, and now his body lay where it could not be retrieved for proper burial. Tavish gave his life in service to his chief without question. He gave his life for Maidie, the woman he secretly admired. Andrew had recognized a spark of passion in the young lad’s eyes when he looked at Maidie. The warrior had been close to her as her protector for many days, and who could not help adoring the lass?

  The Munro led the way to the campfire where other warriors greeted them and rose to give them a seat beside the fire. One placed a heavy coat over Maidie’s shoulders. She nodded a thank-you to the thoughtful man and returned Andrew’s ionar. Another brought a dram of ale for each in a wooden cup.

  “Will you be staying with us this night, Chief?” the leader asked. “We can make a shelter for the lass and her son.”

  “Nae, I wish to get back to the tanist. Do you have any horses?” Andrew finished the last drop of ale. Someone refilled his cup.

  “Nae, but I can send a mon to the tanist’s camp and fetch some for you.”

  “Aye, ‘tis a good plan.” The chief nodded affirmation with fatigue muffling his voice.

  A warrior stirred the fire then added a piece of wood. The flames jumped with warm brilliance adding to his fatigue as the wound in his belly ached. Maidie rested her head on his shoulder while Sven put his small head in her lap. Andrew wrapped an arm around his love, pulling her close. He inhaled the sweet fragrance of her silky hair and felt its softness against his cheek. Maidie turned her face toward his. He kissed her forehead. Love for this bonny lass surged through his heart. He would keep her close and never let harm touch her again.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I’m so sorry for Tavish,” Maidie whispered.

  “Aye, so am I. He was a good and faithful warrior. He has served me since a lad the age of Sven.”

  “Feuding and war are terrible things. Fighting causes so much heartache. I wish and pray for peace.” Maidie’s sweet breath fanned against his neck when she spoke.

  “So they are, a ghràidh. I will find a way to put an end to this warring between our clans. Too much has been lost.” Andrew tightened his embrace around the woman so dear to his heart.

  He looked across the fire at Colin, whose eyes closed, and motioned to the man standing close by. “Tell the gille to wrap up in his plaide and stretch out on the ground until the horses arrive. He’s about to fall off the log.”

  The warrior walked over to Colin and repeated the order. Colin smiled a
t the chief, then stretched out beside the fire wrapped tightly in his plaide. Andrew decided Maidie and Sven would be more comfortable lying down. He motioned for the man who had served them.

  “The horses will be awhile in coming, will you make a place for the lass and her son to recline?”

  Maidie sat up and looked into his eyes. “Nae. I’ll stay here with you. Sven is good also.”

  He felt pleased she wished to remain with him. “Aye so you will, gràidhean. You will stay beside me for the rest of our lives.” He kissed her cheek and she smiled before laying her head on his shoulder once more.

  Andrew stared at the fire. A log hissed then burned through the middle, split and fell into the flames, sending sparks flying into the air. His tired mind tried to think through a plan for bringing peace to the clans, but no plan he plotted seemed feasible. However, with Maidie back in the folds of Clan Munro, the MacKenzie’s son would no longer be betrothed. The MacKenzie may consider the marriage of his son to Davina. With Tavish gone, mayhap Davina would be more receptive to the arrangement. Andrew smiled to himself in the dark. Mayhap a truce could be arranged between the clans after all.

  A warm peace filled Andrew’s heart as Maidie snuggled closer to him with her warmth radiating through his body. How sweet the feeling of holding her close. He rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. He dreamed of the woman with hair of spun gold and eyes the color of the sky on a bright summer’s day, dressed in a fine white linen gown. The large pearl hung on a heavy gold chain around her graceful neck. With long nimble fingers, she motioned for him to come to her. He rose from the log and with great care approached the lady. A smile spread across her red lips as she motioned him onwards. He walked toward her, but made no progress. He reached for the pearl, but it was too far away. She kept motioning and he kept walking, reaching for the pearl. She stopped. He edged closer. She reached behind her neck and unhooked the heavy gold chain, then placed the chain and pearl in his hand before vanishing. He awoke at the sound of horses approaching.