Page 71 of Deception of a Highlander

Kieran smiled to himself. He could not have chosen a more remarkable woman to be his wife. All he had to do was convince her of that. His gaze swept over the ample curve of her breast, and desire pulled at his groin.

The convincing would be fun.

An unnatural silence filled the room and drew his attention away from Mariel. A warrior staggered past the long tables of the great hall. Dirt streaked his clothing, and blood dripped from a tangled mass of blond hair. Hamish.

Kieran leapt to his feet and would have run to him, but the lad was surprisingly quick and already stood at the head of the table.

Hamish grimaced. “The MacLeod’s are attacking.”

Kieran uttered a quiet curse. With Hampton threatening Blair and Dougal, this was the last thing he needed.

Shoving aside his irritation, he looked out at his gathered clan. These attacks were not uncommon, and his people knew what was needed. “The MacLeod’s want a fight, and I plan to give them one. Let’s send them crying back to their wives, aye?”

The clansmen cheered and rose without question to obey his command. He looked down to where Mariel and Blair sat at the table and addressed them. “Gather all the women and children and get to the cellar.”

Blair stood and made her way to the nearest table to do as he said, but Mariel faltered, her wide gaze fixed on him.

“Kieran—”

“Mariel, go!” he ordered. Relief swept over him as she jumped from the table and ran after Blair.

He turned to Hamish and noted the large gash over his brow. “Staunch that while we talk.”

Hamish ripped off a piece of his leine and tied it tight over the wound. Bright red bloomed against the dirty fabric. If Kieran were going to get information out of him, he’d have to do it soon before the lad passed out.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Angus and I were standing guard at the cliffs when the MacLeods attacked us from behind. They were verra quiet. Impossible to hear approach. They killed Angus first and left one to fight me.”

Angus had been one of Kieran’s best warriors. His presence would be missed, but grieving would come later. Right now, Kieran needed numbers, facts.

Hamish continued, “I was able to defeat him and slipped away.” The lad clenched his jaw. “I know it was cowardly to do, Laird, but I knew I couldna defeat them on my own. Instead, I rushed back here to warn ye so we could get the women and children to safety.”

“Nay, it was wise of ye to do so, Hamish,” Kieran said. “I would have done the same in yer position. There is brave, and there is foolish. To attempt to fight them all would have been foolish. How many were there?”

The MacLeods had been causing trouble for years, and the attacks had grown bothersome. Every so often, they would send a handful of armed warriors to Caisteal Camus to cause problems.

Hamish’s mouth set in a grim line, and he regarded Kieran with a hard gaze. “At least two hundred from what I saw, Laird.”

Kieran kept his face impassive, refusing to let the boy see his shock. The MacLeods had never sent an army of that size before. He would have to gather every able body he could find.

God help them. This was going to be a war.

* * *

Mariel followed Blair down the dark, winding stairwell. The echo of dozens of feet shuffling against the stone stairs came at them from all angles of the small enclosure as the MacDonald women and children snaked their way toward safety.

Several sconces lined the walls, but the glowing light did little against the oppressive black. The odor of dank earth met them with an icy blast that burned Mariel’s nostrils and stung her throat. One by one, their footsteps fell silent as they descended to the soft, natural floor of the cellar.

Their arrival was met with a darkness so thick that it pressed against her eyes. A torch flared to life somewhere behind her and bathed the room in brilliance.

Mariel fought the cold rush of fear. A solid iron and wood door had been propped open, revealing a stone cell with rusted manacles embedded in the wall and graying rushes strewn upon the floor.

Was this where traitors were taken?

She turned her back from the sight and busied herself with calming the children. An idle mind would return her thoughts to the impending battle above and the dismal future that doubtless awaited her if all did not go as planned.

“It’s miserable, isn’t it?” Blair’s voice was quiet beside her in the dim light. “I used to hate having to come down here when I was a child.”