The Daring Twin

by Donna Fletcher

  “Fiona is not going anywhere,” Tarr said adamantly. “Tomorrow we take our vows and she will be mine, and I will be hers. We will be forever bound to each other and that is just fine with me.”

  “This is good to hear,” Oleg said, and slapped Tarr on the back. “Now, let us go and drink to it.”

  Chapter 35

  Tarr whistled as he walked to his bedchamber. He was happy, very happy, enthusiastically happy. He laughed out loud then quickly looked around to see if anyone saw him drunk with happiness. But then what did he care? Everyone was pleased with the wedding plans. He had left his future father-in-law and brother-in-law in the great hall debating about the merger of the clans that the wedding would bring. He had seen Fiona leave the hall and head up the stairs, and he had decided to follow. Tonight belonged to Fiona and him.

  “And tomorrow night, the night after, and the night after that.” He laughed to himself and placed his hand on the handle to his bedchamber door. He hoped Fiona waited inside. He had taken his time talking with the men so that Fiona would have time with her sister. He had hoped he had given her enough time and that she was now waiting eagerly in his bed.

  He opened the door with a smile.

  Fiona sat on his bed crying.

  His heart pained him. He felt his stomach wrench and quickly rushed to her side. “What is it? Are you all right? Is Aliss all right?”

  She repeatedly nodded in answer to his rapid-fire questions.

  “I am—” She sniffled.

  He waited anxiously for her answer.

  “I am happy.”

  Relief flooded him, a rushing wave that returned with joy. He threw his arms around her and they fell back on the bed together.

  He laughed deep from within his soul, though it sounded gentle. He kissed away her tears.

  She sighed, wrapped contentedly in his arms. “Promise me it will always be like this.”

  “You want me to promise that you shall cry often?”

  She smiled and hugged him, and when he went to kiss her she yawned.

  It was contagious and soon yawn followed yawn.

  “I thought to make love to you tonight, but—”

  “We are both tired,” she said, attempting to stifle another yawn.

  “Tomorrow night—”

  “Will be ours.”

  Her eyes drifted closed and he was grateful she was in her nightdress. He lifted her so her head would rest comfortably on the pillow and covered her. Then he undressed and slipped in beside her, hugging her close. In seconds they fell asleep.

  Fiona rose with the sun, kissed a waking Tarr on the cheek, and announced, “I am starving. I go to fetch my sister and then to eat.”

  “I will meet you in the great hall,” he said, stretching, the blanket slipping down to below his waist.

  “Mmm,” Fiona said with a delectable sigh. “You look tempting.”

  “Keep the thought, for I promise you will not sleep a wink tonight, wife.”

  She grinned with joy. “Wife. I love it and I love you.”

  With a quick wave she rushed off, Tarr yelling after her, “It is food you love more.”

  He laughed, swinging his legs out of bed and stretching as he stood. He winced, a recurring pain stabbing his arm. He rubbed at the scar that was left from Wolf’s arrow. He was a formidable opponent and one of unequal strength. He knew of no man who could pierce the flesh straight through with a single blow of a hand-held arrow.

  Wolf would make a better friend than foe.

  He hoped to make such beneficial arrangements when he visited with Giann.

  He dressed quickly, hungry and eager to join Fiona for the morning meal and more than eager to wed her and be done with it. He would feel safer when she was officially his wife.

  He was about to leave when a knock sounded and the door opened, Anya entering with several servants.

  “A new shirt has been stitched for your wedding day, and I will have a bath made ready for you after the meal.”

  Tarr listened as she went on to detail what was expected of him, and then she patted his arm and smiled.

  “You will make my daughter a fine husband.” She was gone along with the servants who assisted her as fast as she had appeared.

  He shook his head, mumbling to himself as he left the room.

  Tarr entered the great hall to a flurry of activity. A feast had been spread on the tables, clan members mingled, and tankards were raised when he was spotted, and shouts of congratulations rang out for him and his bride, who he had not yet spotted.

  She and her sister were probably lost in talk and would arrive soon. He accepted the tankard spilling over with ale that was shoved at him, and with a smile he joined in the merriment.

  Aliss had expected to see Fiona early. She usually woke with the rising sun, as did her stomach, which by now would be rumbling with hunger. Fiona would be expecting her to join her for breakfast as always, particularly since she probably continued to feel guilty about not spending the night with her.

  She smiled; perhaps she and Tarr were preoccupied.

  She dressed in her brown skirt and white blouse so that she could help with whatever needed doing, then she intended to change into the beautiful sapphire wool dress mother had had stitched for her. She could not wait. She had never seen a garment as beautiful as that dress, and she was eager to feel the soft wool against her skin.

  She pulled her hair back to tie with a strip of leather when there was a knock at the door.

  She smiled, expecting to see Fiona enter, though curious as to why she would knock first when she had always entered unannounced.

  Anya entered and peeked about as she offered Aliss a smile and a good morning. She sighed, obviously disappointed. “I thought to find Fiona here.”

  “She is with Tarr.”

  “No she is not.”

  “In the hall stuffing her face,” Aliss said, a sudden chill prickling her skin.

  “She is not there either.” Anya’s eyes widened.

  Aliss dropped the leather tie and sped past Anya, the startled woman followed fast on her heels.

  Tarr kept a keen eye out for Fiona. He had expected her to arrive by now, but since Aliss also was not there, he was certain they had to be together. He stood by the hearth with Raynor and Oleg trying to remain attentive.

  He grew alarmed when he saw Aliss rush into the hall and survey the room with a worried glance.

  He dropped his tankard to the table and cut a swift path to her side. “What is wrong?”

  “Fiona, is she with you?”

  “She left me earlier to go to you.”

  “She never came to my room,” Aliss said, panic straining her voice.

  Anya heard as she came up behind Aliss. “No, God, not again.”

  Oleg and Raynor had joined them, Oleg going to his wife’s side to wrap his arm around her shoulder.

  “Fiona could be anywhere in the keep lost in what she is doing and forgetting time,” Raynor suggested.

  Aliss and Tarr shook their heads.

  “She made that mistake twice already and made certain to tell me it would not happen again. She is a woman of her word,” Tarr insisted. “She would have told me before she went elsewhere.”

  “Besides, she would not miss the morning meal. She has always woken hungry and eager to eat.”

  “Aliss is right,” Tarr confirmed. “She told me she was starving.”

  “Something has happened to her,” Anya said.

  “If it has, then it would have been when she left Tarr’s room on her way to Aliss,” Oleg said. “Did anyone hear a commotion?”

  Tarr shook his head. “Anything unusual would have been reported to me.”

  “Someone had to have seen something,” Aliss said, and pushed past the men to climb on a table and shout. “We need your help.”

  All sound ceased.

  “Has anyone seen Fiona this morning?”

  Eyes rounded, hushed whispers rushed around the room, and then a man s
poke up.

  “I saw her leave the hall.”

  “Alone and willingly?” Aliss asked.

  “With Odo, and she did not look like she objected.”

  “Kirk,” Tarr shouted. “Take men and see if you can find Odo.”

  Talk resumed in the hall, though it was now solemn not joyous.

  “What would Odo want with her?” Anya asked, and grabbed her chest. “He could not mean my daughter harm? He tirelessly searched for her all these years.”

  “But for what reason?” Tarr asked. “To save her or condemn her?”

  “But why? What reason would he have?” Oleg asked upset. “He is my brother. He taught Raynor to fight, to hunt, to track and he was more worried than anyone when the twins were abducted. The first to go in search of them. I agree with Anya, he could not mean her harm.”

  “The clan means everything to Odo,” Raynor said. “He would not do anything to bring disgrace to its name.”

  Aliss had climbed off the table and stood beside Tarr. “Which is probably the reason Giann had us sent away.”

  They all stared at her not understanding.

  “It is probable that she knew no one would believe she had a vision of Odo harming the babes, so to protect us she had Shona take us to people who would protect us.”

  “That is nonsense,” Oleg said. “Odo never meant you or your sister harm.”

  “You prove my theory true,” Aliss said sadly. “Giann could never have convinced you of Odo’s deceit.”

  Kirk rushed into the hall and yelled to Tarr. “Odo, several of his men, and Fiona’s horse are all gone.”

  “Prepare to ride,” Tarr shouted to his men.

  “Blackshaw joins the search,” Raynor cried out.

  The men from both clans hurried out of the hall to ready for the search.

  “I am going this time,” Anya insisted. “I will see my daughter safe.”

  Aliss went to her mother’s side. “This is for me to do. I will find my sister and bring her home safely. I promise.”

  Anya’s eyes teared. “I have been promised before by those who I thought I could trust. Now I know not what to think or who to trust.”

  “This is your daughter who makes the promise. Fiona knows I will rescue her, as I knew she would rescue me. You can trust I will bring her home safely.”

  Tarr stepped up behind Aliss, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We will bring her home.”

  Raynor stepped forward. “You can count on us, Mother. I will either defend Odo or deal him the punishment he deserves if it should prove necessary.”

  Anya held her chin up. “Do not keep me waiting long.”

  “Do whatever must be done, my son,” Oleg said.

  “If he does not, I will,” Tarr warned, and grabbed Aliss’s hand. “A moment alone.” He tugged her along after him to the corner of the hall where they had a bit of privacy.

  Aliss spoke before he could. “You worry that I do not possess Fiona’s warrior skills and that I will be more of a hindrance than a help.”

  “You read the situation well, and I know you will do what is best for your sister.”

  “And that would be for me to go with you.”

  Tarr stared at her. “Speaking with you is like . . .” He turned his head away.

  Aliss placed her hand on his arm, drawing his attention back. “Our identical features may be just what we need to rescue Fiona.”

  “I would not put you in harm’s way—”

  “If it meant a chance to free my sister, you most certainly would. Now, we waste precious time. Let us ride and find Fiona.”

  They were on the trail in no time, tension as sharp between the two clans as the cold air that stung their faces and chilled their bones.

  “This will not do,” Aliss said, looking to Raynor and Tarr who rode on either side of her, stiff in posture and form. She glanced around her at the men who duplicated their leaders, sitting straight and alert in their saddles. “They are on edge, not sure of their enemy. Is it the clan who rides beside them, the man they chase? This is dangerous and must be settled before we go any farther, or it is certain to produce disastrous results.”

  “You think like father,” Raynor said.

  “Sensibly,” she confirmed. “Now, do something, both of you.”

  Tarr nodded his agreement as did Raynor, and they called a halt.

  Tarr spoke first. “We find Fiona this day so that we can all celebrate tonight.”

  Smiles from both clans greeted his message.

  “Celebrate the joining of two strong and proud clans. We ride together in purpose and strength and to discover the truth behind the mystery that has plagued the Blackshaw clan all these years. We ride united and fight united against common foe.”

  Cheers rang out and Aliss hoped that Fiona heard it, for then she knew they were not far behind.

  Raynor brought his horse beside Tarr’s. “We have a mission to save my sister and return her so that she can wed the chieftain of the clan Hellewyk. This blessed union strengthens our clans throughout the Highlands. We become an unstoppable force, and I alone will see to dealing out justice to those who have betrayed the Blackshaw name.”

  Cheers sounded yet again, and when the journey continued the cold, stinging air remained but the sharp tension was gone and the two clans rode as one.

  “We lost the trail again,” Tarr said, frustrated after returning from talking with his trackers.

  Aliss shook her head. “We must hurry and find it for it feels as if the first snow may fall this day.”

  Tarr agreed. The temperature had dipped sharply since they first left.

  “My uncle is excellent in covering his tracks,” Raynor said.

  “He taught you his ways?”

  Raynor nodded. “Though, I am not nearly the tracker he is.”

  “We shall test that theory right now,” Tarr challenged. “Snow seems likely, and if we do not find his trail before the flakes fall we will not find it at all.”

  “I will do my best,” Raynor said.

  “Your best is not good enough,” Aliss snapped. “He taught you. Think like him, breath like him, distrust like him, and you will track like him.”

  “You are much stronger and much wiser than anyone realizes,” Raynor said, and rode off shaking his head.

  Tarr rode silently alongside Aliss, lost in thoughts he dared to hope did not come true. He feared he would lose Fiona, and he did not know what he would do without her. He was a warrior skilled in battle, but this was a far different battle than he was accustomed. This battle, if not victorious, would bring an unbearable pain to his heart and soul.

  He could not allow that; his only choice then was to be the victor.

  “He has not harmed Fiona yet.”

  Tarr turned with a jerk to stare at Aliss. “You know this for sure?”

  “Think about it,” Aliss advised. “If he wanted her dead, he would have killed her by now, disposed of her body, so she would not be found and he would not be implicated.”

  “Then he takes her somewhere on purpose.”

  “Perhaps to make certain what he does is for the greater good.”

  “What greater good?” Tarr asked with a snort. “His own?”

  “The missing piece we search for. When we find it; all will make sense.”

  “We hope,” Tarr said skeptically.

  “You are aware of Fiona’s skills. She can well defend herself.”

  “She is outnumbered.”

  Aliss laughed. “They are outwitted.”

  Tarr could not help but laugh along with her. “True enough. Should I then feel sorry for those who abducted her?”

  “I do.”

  “You have faith in your sister.”

  “As she does in us,” Aliss said.

  “I envy the bond between you two,” he admitted.

  “Which is the reason why you did not want me around,” Aliss said with no animosity. “Yet you and she have an even stronger bond.”

 
; “It took me time to realize it and—”

  “That I pose no threat to you,” she finished with a smile. “I forgive you for you are a man and know no better.”

  “You are as fast with your wit as is your sister.” He gave his head a quick shake. “No, you are faster and none realize it.”

  “An advantage I have.”

  Raynor’s rapid approach silenced them suddenly.

  “I know where he goes,” Raynor said out of breath.

  Tarr and Aliss waited.

  “He travels to the land of the Wolf.”

  Chapter 36

  Fiona wanted to kick herself ten times over for being a fool. Odo had grabbed her with an urgency that had her immediately worrying about her sister. When she had insisted on telling Tarr, he quickly dispatched one of his men to get him.

  Aliss had suffered a horrible accident and she begged for her sister, that is what Odo had told her. Fear had ripped through her stomach like a dull blade, burning and paining her with each pounding hoove of her mare as she rode, until she realized too late that it had been a ruse to trick her, right into the arms of her enemy.

  She had had no reason to distrust Odo. He was the uncle who had searched so unselfishly and endlessly for her and her sister, but for what end?

  In a few hours time she was to wed. She should rightfully be preparing for her wedding at this very moment. Instead she rode through woods, the trees barren in their winter sleep, the ground hard and the cold air biting her cheeks.

  She had no idea where they went or Odo’s intention, and she wondered what the next few hours would bring?

  Her answer came suddenly.

  Freedom.

  She may have fallen prey to her enemy but she would not remain so. She would free herself, starting with the ties that bound her wrists, and then once free she would go after Odo. He was fit and strong for a man well into his late years, but all men were vulnerable somewhere. She would wait and watch and discover his weakness, then she would strike. Without their leader’s guidance, the men would be easy to deal with, and besides Tarr and Aliss could not be far behind.

  “You think to plot your escape,” Odo said with a chuckle. “There is no getting away from me this time. I have searched too long and hard for you.”