Page 19 of Following Her Highland Journey (The White Witch’s Apprentices #2)

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T o the representative of Laird Brendan McNair,

Tell your master that Adair discovered his treachery. Tell him that I ken that he was using my name to try to hurt my friends, and tell him that his Serpent is dead. I'm sending the insignia that was on the wretched man's coat as proof.

Brendan, I'm addressing you directly now, as I want them to relay my words exactly. I know that we're at an impasse. Have you ever played chess? There is a game-ending condition in the modern Queen's Chess wherein neither player has successfully checked the other's king, and yet the most powerful player cannot make a move.

This is where we stand now. I have taken your most powerful piece, your Serpent, from you, but I ken that the pieces on my side cannot hope to overwhelm yours. And so I propose an alternate solution.

You have asked Lady Caiside to meet your men when the moon is full to take her into custody or perhaps end her life. But what if, instead, just like modern chess, I offered you a chance to replace your vizier with a queen? I will come in Caiside's stead, and I will do as you ask of me — on the condition that you agree to leave Clan McLeod alone.

Send word by the day before the full moon with this same messenger. He kens where to find me. And I hope I will find you soon.

Yours,

Adair.

They sent the letter off at first light, and two days later, the messenger returned with a piece of paper and one hastily scrawled word.

Yes.

All of the pieces were now in place. It was time to make the final move. And Adair didn't know if she'd ever be truly ready.

"Ye dinnae have tae do this, ye ken," Caiside reminded Adair for the hundredth time as she filled their cups with a fine honeyed wine. "Ye dinnae have tae risk yer freedom for me. I ken that he likely will give orders not tae kill ye—but even if he does, if things go wrong and ye're captured, that could be even worse for ye than a simple death."

Adair felt a little sick at the thought. They sat by the fire, the two of them, as the day drew to a close on the night that might be her last. The children had just been put to bed, and Adair had enjoyed a few days getting to know the twins and playing little baby games with them. She hoped that after tonight she got to see them again and was privileged to witness them grow up. They'd served as a poignant reminder of why she was doing what she was about to do.

She sipped her wine then shook her head, her blonde hair loose and tumbling over her shoulders as she did. "Nay. I dinnae have a choice here—nae a real one anyway—nae any more choice than ye did when ye had tae go against yer brother, or when ye took over the Lairdship."

Caiside smiled slightly cheekily. "When Lorcan took over the Lairdship, ye mean."

Chuckling in response, Adair replied, "Och, aye, of course that's what I meant. But I'm serious now, Caiside. Dinnae try tae talk me out of goin', for it's necessary. Besides, I already sent the letter. He already kens I'm comin', and if I ken McNair—and I do—then he'll be satisfied with nothin' else."

Caiside looked toward the door, a thoughtful frown on her face. She and Adair were alone for the moment; Lorcan and Henry were on the other side of the castle, trying to come up with the best strategy of stealth and attack for the evening. Adair wondered if Caiside was getting ready to try to talk her out of it some more, but what her friend said was nothing of the sort.

"Of course ye must do this," Caiside said quietly. "How could ye not? Ye're Adair. Bold, brave, sweet Adair who carries the sun in her heart. I loved all of the lassies at the monastery, but ye were always me dearest friend."

It had been the same for Adair — Caiside and Fia both had held a special place in her heart, even closer than the closeness she had with her other beloved adopted sisters. What would Mor say, if she could see the two of them now? Caiside could never return to the monastery due to how and when she had left, breaking their one rule of staying for a full year, but Adair was not limited in such a way. If Adair wanted, she could stand up now and just…go home. Mor would give her a scolding, she was sure, but accept her with open arms.

"I was just a farmer's lass. I wasn't built for games of politics and intrigue," Adair told Caiside ruefully. She took a deep draught of her wine, enjoying the way it rushed to her head and made her fingers tingle at the ends. "After me faither died and McNair took me…but then Henry saved me life. I thought…I thought we'd run away together. Find a farm of our own. The noble bastard and the farmer's daughter. It was supposed tae be easy."

"Little in this life is as easy as it should be," Caiside told her gently. She already knew of Henry's blood ties to McNair, having been filled in by Henry himself, and Adair loved her even more for how she'd taken it in her stride. Then again, unlike Adair, Caiside had been born into this world of Lairds and their quirks, good and bad. "Henry's a good man, and ye found yer way back tae one another nonetheless. Just a little more tae go, and then ye can be together."

"Perhaps…" Adair agreed, but she didn't elaborate further. She had told Caiside everything, except about Isobel. She was not ready to talk about that, not ready to examine what it meant or if the kiss she and Henry had shared could ever mean more. She held out her glass. "I have love, though. More love than I ever thought I'd have after me father died. I want ye tae ken I'd do this a thousand times if it meant keepin' ye and yer people safe."

Caiside smiled and gently clinked their glasses together. "Tae ye, then, me love. Tae Clan McLeod and tae yer dear late father. And tae us."

"Tae us," Adair agreed, and both women drank deeply until only the dregs remained at the bottom of their glasses. "And tae victory."

Adair pulled her hood tighter around herself, glad for the cool, dry night. She had feared there would be another storm, and though she was brave, she was not sure her heart could take that much. The moon cast a silvery glow over the rugged landscape as she made her way northward towards the banks of Loch Creran, opting to carry out the last part of the journey on foot. She left her horse at a stable at the edge of the woods, promising the creature she'd return soon and hoping that it was true.

The path to the village wound through the forest, and soon it was lined with gnarled trees of pale bleached wood, their branches reaching towards the sky like skeletal fingers grasping at the stars. Adair tried not to shudder at the idea, trying to direct her thoughts away from death and decay.

As she approached the village of Barcaldine, Adair could hear the distant sounds of the loch, its waters lapping gently against the shore. The air was thick with the scent of salt and seaweed, a reminder of the vast ocean that had once been so much a part of her life. What would that little farmer's girl who listened so raptly to the sailors’ stories say if she could see Adair now?

In the distance, she could see the silhouette of ships resting peacefully after their long journeys, their masts like sentinels guarding the secrets of the sea. There were lots of secrets here in Barcaldine, just like any port town, and Adair knew it. She wondered if she, too, would become lost among them.

The village itself was quaint and charming, its whitewashed cottages nestled amongst the rolling hills like pearls scattered upon velvet. It was incongruent with the fear that Adair felt building so thickly within her as she walked through the quiet streets, her footsteps echoing softly against the cobblestones.

At last, she reached the banks of Loch Creran, the silhouettes now full ships, the secrets so close as to spill over into the world. The air was still, save for the gentle rustle of the reeds along the shore. Adair scanned the horizon, her heart pounding with anticipation and fear, but as of yet, she could see nobody. She resisted the urge to spin around and run, knowing that she just had to wait as the moon finished its ascent into the sky.

Was Henry nearby? He had to be. He'd promised her that he and Lorcan and the men would not be too far behind, but they were also far enough away that they could not be spotted, of course. Adair felt a little safer knowing that he was with her, even if at a small distance. He'd already protected her so many times, over and over again, and no matter what their future might hold or not, she knew she could trust him to do it again when it counted.

But would it be enough? Or had she just willingly walked into the trap that would finally be the end of her freedom—the end of her life—forever?

Suddenly, a group of six or seven men loomed out of the shadows, each more tall, imposing, and muscled than the last, each bearing the McNair insignia on their clothing. The sight gave Adair some small satisfaction, even through her fear. She was sure that McNair would have sent his best men to fetch her but, burly as they were, they were nothing compared to the Serpent.

The Serpent who had killed her father. The Serpent she and Henry had rid the world of once and for all. It heartened her to remember that even the worst kinds of evil were not invincible. Perhaps, despite the danger, this could be beaten too.

"Ye're the Laird's lass, then? He's been lookin' a long time for ye, little rat," the foremost of the men told her with a sneer. "Lower yer hood. I've tae make sure it's ye and not some trap."

"I am nae yer Laird's lass," Adair snapped, heated anger flashing through her like a boiling flood. "Regardless of what he plans for me, I will never truly be his."

One of the men laughed a cruel laugh, and another stepped forward and yanked the hood down off her head so forcefully that she heard the fabric of her cloak tear at the seams.

"It's her," the first man confirmed. "I remember seein' her in that dungeon, though she was skinnier then." His eyes flicked up and down her body. "She's a bit of meat on her bones now, and a woman's curves at last, if nothin' too impressive. I'm sure me Laird will be pleased."

"And he'll leave Clan McLeod and the rest of the clans alone? If I agree tae wed him, he'll stop this needless bloodshed, right? That was the deal."

Two of the men started to laugh, and one of them grabbed her arm. "The deal ," he mocked in a falsetto imitation of her. "Is that ye get tae live. Scream and ye die, and so does everyone in this pathetic wee village"

And then before she could say anything else, Adair was bundled up over one of the men's shoulders and carried away, a prisoner again.

Behind her, the silent sentinels of the ships watched without a word, keeping their secrets.