Page 63 of Bride Takes a Laird
Upon the risethat abutted the field on the border of Cameron land, Magnus and his soldiers lined the ridge, side by side. Silhouetted and framed by the gray sky beyond them, Magnus hoped the Chattans hadn’t spotted them from their land. Magnus peered below and his brows drew together at the sight of the short wall the Chattans had erected. There were no sheep in sight, and yet, the fact that they cut them off from their land irritated him. Magnus took the slope and his soldiers followed. When he reached the bottom, he dismounted and stepped to the wall. His men awaited instruction and their outrage was evident in their grousing and the harsh gazes upon their faces.
“I want this wall destroyed. Take every rock and toss it over the ravine. We will not make it easy for the Chattans to rebuild their wall again when the weather warms.”
The mass of soldiers dismounted and ran to the wall. They took the stones the Chattans had used to build the wall and removed them one by one, carrying them to the crevice in the land. Magnus lifted a heavy stone and lugged it to the nearby gorge. He tossed it into what seemed to be a bottomless void in the land. No sound was audible when the stone hit the bottom of the abyss.
It took most of the morning to disable the wall. By the time they’d finished, the sky grew even more dismal with heavy clouds. On theirride home, fat snowflakes fell and covered the ground, their horses, and themselves. Their beasts pounded the ground with their hooves as they rode through the gate, flattening the snowy trail to the keep. His men assembled at the training field and readied to practice arms. Magnus flung his hand up in greeting at Wyren who approached.
“Is it done?” his brother asked.
“Aye, the wall is gone. We’ll have to send the sentry to ensure the Chattans don’t build another. The men want to practice arms but I deem they deserve a day off since they tarried all morn carrying heavy stone.”
“I’ll let them know,” Wyren said and stepped to the edge of the field. He cupped his mouth with his hands and bellowed, “Men, ye are permitted the rest of the day to seek your leisure. Report back on the morrow unless I deem otherwise.”
His men shouted with glee. Many of them gathered snow in their hands and tossed it at each other. The melee continued and Magnus was hit with a ball or two of formed snow. He chuckled and relaxed at the sight of his men enjoying themselves. He didn’t leave the field and watched his men’s mirthful entertainment and merriment.
Someone struck him in his chest with a snowball and he glared at Wyren, who chortled. “Ye are testing my patience.”
“Why do ye not join in?” His brother tossed another snowball at him and guffawed.
“I detest the snow.” Magnus marched forward to stand with Wyren. “I am putting ye in charge of the task of ensuring the Chattans do not build another wall. If ye need to post men at the border then do so.”
“Why? Ye usually like to control such a mission.”
He shook his head. “I mean to give ye more authority and will entrust ye to see to the matter. Ye are more than capable of handling the responsibility. In the future, I will delegate more important matters to ye, Jake, and others. ’Tis time I hang back a wee bit.”
Wyren frowned at him. “Ochwhy? It is because of Kendra? Do ye mean to go to her?”
Hearing his wife’s name tensed his shoulders. “Aye, I do. As soon as this damnable snow ceases or lets up, I’ll be taking Hayden with me. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone but I trust ye will see to the clan until my return.”
Wyren set a hand on his shoulder. “I am gladdened to hear this, brother. Worry not for I will ensure all is handled whilst ye are gone.” His brother bowed his head and marched off toward the field.
Magnus chuckled aloud at the sight of his men in a melee of snow being thrown to and fro. His soldiers’ voices rose in mirth and their expletives shouted in aghast of being targeted. He joined in, knelt, and retrieved a bit of snow, formed it into a ball, and tossed it at Wyren. His aim struck true and landed in the center of Wyren’s back. His brother turned and glared at him. Magnus shrugged but then bellowed in laughter at his brother’s disgruntlement.
“It is good to see ye laugh,” Jake said on his approach.
“There hasn’t been much to laugh about recently.”
“I should have been there to help ye take down the wall. Aye, Da told me where ye and the soldiers went this morn. Magnus, I trained hard to gain my comrade’s respect and yours. Finally, I have succeeded in wielding my sword for the clan and am effective with my bow and dagger. Because of Ned, I am resigned to regain your respect and my comrades’ once again…”
Magnus sighed at his brother’s passionate speech. He understood how hard Jake had trained and knew the lengths he’d gone to, to effectively gain skill. He’d been the first on the field and the last to leave on many a day. Jake gave his all to training and Magnus had been proud of him.
“I told no one about what ye confessed to me, except for Wyren and Da.” Magnus had only spoken to their direct family about Jake’s involvement in Ned’s death, and that he’d sought retribution in thename of their clan.
“Our clansmen must suspect something is amiss and most shun me. Mayhap it is the way ye avoid me. Ye cannot even look at me, can ye?” Jake used his boot to kick at the snow.
He was astute in that because Magnus had avoided him. The only reason he had, was because he was uncertain what to do about the situation. That Jake had to regain respect from their brethren disheartened him. He wanted to forgive Jake but that was easier said than done. In truth, he was obligated to banish his brother for lying to everyone. But Jake was a beloved member of their clan, well-respected, and a fierce asset to their army. It was hard to decide if his betrayal outweighed his worth as a clan member.
“I am still considering what to do about your wrongdoing. Ye were led astray by Ned, and I understand that ye sought to make him see he’d made a mistake before he was caught.” Magnus kept a serious tone to his words and hoped his brother understood the position he’d put him in. “If ye were not my brother and I was laird, I’d have to punish ye for the killing of two of our clansmen even though they deserved their end. Ye should have come to me and told me what ye suspected.”
Jake nodded continually. “Aye, I should have,ochI was unsure how ye would react. I was closer to Ned than I ever was to ye. My whole life, you and I barely spoke two words to each other. But Ned, all I wanted to do was to protect him and give him a chance to turn back. He was always there for me, Magnus, when we were wee and others teased me. He’d protected me most of our childhood. Ye were never around and even though ye are the laird, I couldn’t trust ye to help Ned. I owed him my allegiance. Our bond was strong.”
Magnus flinched. It was true that he and Ned were close. He’d had little to no time to form a bond with Jake or Ned. But he understood why Jake would want to protect Ned. They’d been raised together and their bond was greater than any that Magnus had with his brothers. Aregrettable feeling overtook him at such a thought. He’d wished he’d been given the opportunity to form such a relationship, to have an unyielding trust and connection with his brothers. But since he hadn’t been fostered with them, they didn’t know each other well enough.
“We Camerons do not take arms against each other even if deserved. There are ways to punish those who need it. But there are also times when killing a man is called for.”
Jake took a step toward him and held out his hand. “Take my hand then before ye slay me and take my life. I deserve the punishment, brother, and I am ready to face it.”
Magnus’s chest twinged with pain at his brother’s words. The last thing he’d ever do was to take his brother’s life or harm him. “Ye took from me my right as the laird to enact retribution and to discipline those who beheld treason. I cannot banish ye or harm ye. In the future, Jake, ye need to come to me if ye find out someone is against us. We shall, all of us, collectively, decide what to do and take action.”