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A s they munched on their breakfast the next day, Bearnard, Lucas, and Horas eagerly suggested a horseback ride to Ailis and Moira. Ailis hesitated, her mind screaming to decline, but eventually gave in with a heavy heart.

“Aye, a ride sounds pleasant,” Ailis fibbed.

Ailis McAfee trailed her sister Moira, unease settling in her stomach, as they approached Bearnard, Lucas, and Horas, who were waiting with their horses. Despite her hesitation, the chance to gather information compelled her to join the three men she was beginning to loathe.

They rode in silence, finally reaching the loch’s edge, where they dismounted and settled on a grassy bank for a meal. Moira grinned. “Thank ye for thinking to feed us while we are out. Tis much easier to eat what ye brought than hunt for our own meals.”

“Tell us,” Ailis asked calmly, “of yer fathers. And of the alliances that yer clan has.”

“Me father is Laird Gordon,” Lucas boasted. “All of our families are united as allies.” He gestured to his friends there with them. “The Gordons are one of the most important clans in the Highlands.”

Horas added, “Me sire, Laird Cameron has been allied with the Gordons since I was a small boy. The three of us have been friends since we were young lads.”

“And mine own father, Laird MacKenzie is part of the same alliance,” Bearnard chimed in. “We all work toward the same goals.”

“None speak of other ties?” Moira pressed lightly. “The Gordons are allied with the McAfees. Isn’t that true?”

“Aye, but only the McAfees.” Lucas tossed and turned as if he was trapped by his words.

The men exchanged glances before denying any other alliances. Ailis nodded politely while masking her inner turmoil. She knew that the men weren’t telling the full truth, but she was certain they would learn all about the other clans. She simply hoped it happened before they left Clan Gordon.

As the afternoon sun filtered through the forest, Lucas lured Ailis away from the others. “Might I have a private word, Ailis?” He sounded inviting, but she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her, something that could put her in great danger.

“Of course,” she agreed, concealing her unease. The hidden knife against her thigh gave her courage to follow him further into the woods. She knew she could best him with a knife, and he had no sword on his hip. If he had a concealed knife, she was not afraid. Not of Lucas or any other man.

Once surrounded by foliage, Lucas turned to her, his eyes glinting as he leaned in for an unexpected kiss. He moved quickly, and his lips managed to touch hers before Ailis sprang into action.

Ailis pushed back, indignation coursing through her. Swiftly, she stomped on his foot and bit his lip. “Ye have nae right nor leave to lay claim to me affection, Lucas. I decide who kisses me, and ye would not be one I would allow. Never touch me again!”

“Ye’ll rue this slight when I gain power in the highlands. Ye will beg for such favor,” Lucas snarled.

Unyielding, Ailis retorted, “I shall never long for a man who cannot ken the meaning of consent. Ye are a disgusting man, and I hope I never have to lay eyes upon ye again!” She watched his fury give way to humiliation before he stormed off toward the loch.

Upon their return, Moira’s discerning gaze met Ailis’s—a silent question passing between them. Ailis knew Moira had heard Lucas’s enraged shouts carried by the wind.

“Is all well?” Moira asked with concern and keen observation.

Ailis smiled. “Aye, all is well. It seems some men must learn the hard way that a woman’s touch is hers to give freely or refuse to give.”

There was tension surrounding the five of them for the rest of their excursion.

Ailis announced she was returning to the castle to ready herself for supper.

Moira immediately mounted her horse to return with her sister, not wanting to be left alone with any of the men, and certainly not with all three of them.

As they returned to the keep, Ailis dismounted gracefully, her eyes meeting Moira’s already unbuckling her scabbard. The men had followed, saying they needed to be kept safe, but the sisters had ignored them for the ride back.

“Ye’re eager for another bout,” Ailis observed, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Not as eager as Lucas is to taste defeat.” Moira grinned fiercely.

Lucas had challenged Moira to fight with him again. He seemed to think he would fare better this time.

Ailis laughed. She was oddly detached, preoccupied with alliances and secrets that bound their lives together. She knew Moira would win, and she was certain Lucas did too. Why would he challenge her and allow himself to be beaten by the same woman twice? The man made no sense to her.

This time was much quicker for Lucas. Moira had taken his measure in their first combat, and now it only took her a few minutes to knock Lucas onto his backside.

After the fight, the sisters linked arms and returned to the bedchamber they shared.

Neither felt the need to talk to the men after their afternoon.

Ailis told Moira exactly what had happened in the forest with Lucas, and Moira shook her head. “I should have plunged me sword through his heart, not allowed him to merely feel disgraced.”

Ailis laughed softly. “Nay, sister. I’m a healer. I do not kill indiscriminately, and I dinna want others killing in me name.”

*

Nearby, Brodie and Lachlan dined with Laird Sutherland’s daughters, their laughter filling the air.

The two sisters seemed a bit addled to Lachlan, and they enjoyed laughing at their own jests, which were not funny to others.

He truly wished he could be with anyone more than these two. They exhausted him.

“Do ye follow us under yer father’s orders?” he asked, his charming tone masking the gravity of his question.

The twin he was speaking with nodded with a distant gaze. “We must follow ye. Our doing so concerns all of the Highlands. It’s our way of keeping the Highlands safe.”

While they probed for more information, the sisters’ vacant expressions revealed their ignorance of any deeper motives.

Clearly, their father was using their beauty to hide his intentions.

If only they had minds to match their beauty, they might be attractive, but alas, they were clearly lacking in intellect.

Lachlan longed for Ailis, who had a mind and didn’t gawk at him vacuously. She could carry on real conversations about more than simply women’s matters. How could a man marry a woman he couldn’t converse with?

*

Once in their room, Moira lamented, “I wish we could choose our own companions. Those three are not to me liking.”

“I feel the same, but if we dinnae spend time with them, we won’t be able to get them to tell us about their alliances.” Ailis shook her head. “I ken they are difficult to be around, but we must continue on as we have been.”

Moira sighed. “Ye are right, but I find the idea of even another minute in their company to be intolerable.”

“And yet, we must tolerate them. At least we have each other. Imagine if they’d separated the two of us.”

All through supper, Ailis tried to get the men to tell them more of their alliance, but they seemed reluctant to tell the sisters anything. “Why would ye not tell us of yer clans’ alliances? Are ye planning an attack on the McAfees or something?” she finally asked.

Bearnard shook his head. “Nay. Me father wants me to marry one of ye, so we can strengthen our alliance.”

Ailis noted that he didn’t mention his own feelings. Only his father’s. She wasn’t surprised though. She knew they’d been hiding something from her and Moira all along.

*

As the merriment ended that evening, Ailis and her sisters met with Lachlan, Brodie, and Alisdair and Fiona in the same glen as before.

“Lucas tried to steal a kiss today,” Ailis told Lachlan, whose eyes sharpened at the news. “I reminded him that a McAfee woman’s lips are her own.”

“Should I challenge him?” Lachlan offered, half-joking but protective.

Laughing lightly, Ailis replied, “No need. I left him with a lasting reminder.” Her smile hinted at strength. “He knows me feelings very well now.”

Lachlan smiled. “I’m certain ye did. I hope he has a scar.”

“I didn’t bite quite that hard,” Ailis countered with a grin.

Alisdair cleared his throat, commanding their attention. “I met with the lairds today. They were impassive when I mentioned the Sinclairs’ treachery. It was very odd. None spoke for or against them, and they seemed to know what happened all along.”

“Didnae they condemn the Sinclairs’ refuge with our kin?” Fiona asked worriedly.

“Not a word,” Alisdair answered. “It’s as if they expected it or didn’t care. The Sinclairs shelter with us, yet the lairds remain unmoved. Perhaps they dinnae realize that the Sinclairs will become McAfees and fight with us.”

Ailis considered this revelation, her mind racing with potential plots intertwining the clans.

In the silence that followed, they understood that tomorrow would bring more than games and laughter. It held another step in their dance of duty and deceit, another chance to untangle mysteries threatening their clans’ fragile peace.

“Consider this,” Ailis began steadily despite her inner turmoil. “If the lairds showed indifference at the mention of me abduction, they must have already known about it.” Her eyes sought confirmation from the others.

Fiona nodded. “Aye, they knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ordered yer abduction,” she agreed. “Their silence speaks louder than outcry ever could. We’re entwined in a web woven by all present clans. Could ye tell who was leading the others?”

Alisdair shook his head. “Nay. I dinnae believe the leader was in the room. I’m not certain, but I suspect they didn’t know what to say without him.”

The others murmured agreement, resolve etched on their faces as it fortified their keep walls. Now—unravelling alliances and betrayals would require even greater observation.

Dispelling the somber mood, Fiona straightened and addressed the group with intrigue in her tone.

“Tomorrow is a game day,” she announced, adventure gleaming in her eyes.

“We’ll be divided into teams, and we must accomplish some sort of task with the teams. I know naught more, but it sounds interesting.

Our teams are chosen for us, so we shall all play our parts and see if we can get more information. ”

“Another chance for insight,” Ailis murmured. The game, under the guise of entertainment, would be an opportunity to discern true loyalties and intentions—a chance to pierce pleasantries and uncover the hidden truths behind the motives of the lairds.

Alisdair cleared his throat. “One laird did not join me with the others,” he began, voice tinged with gravity. Ailis observed him closely, noting the furrow between his brows deepening.

“His name is unknown, but his presence certain,” Alisdair continued, scanning faces before him for counsel. “He may be orchestrating this web we’re entangled in. I believe he must be the mind behind whatever they are planning.”

A chill crept down Ailis’s spine as she glanced at Moira, who shared her concern. The idea of an unseen hand guiding clan fates was unnerving and intriguing.

The meeting ended, and Lachlan stepped closer to Ailis. He leaned forward, kissing her gently.

“Goodnight, Ailis,” he whispered.

“Goodnight, Lachlan,” she replied, hiding her apprehension. Their paths then carried them away from one another and into the night.

As Ailis and Moira walked to their chamber, they talked about the day. “I wish we were returning to our home” Ailis confessed.

“Me too,” Moira sighed. “But tomorrow brings another chance to unravel this mess we seem to be caught up in. I dinnae think we’ll be safe until we know exactly what is happening.”

Ailis agreed, though tomorrow’s game loomed over her like a storm cloud. They would be hunting for the truth hidden behind smiles and veiled alliances.

Their chamber door creaked open—the sanctuary of privacy. As they prepared for slumber, they whispered dreams of returning home.

“Home,” Ailis whispered, sinking into her pillow. As she tried to sleep, she clung to hope that tomorrow would bring them closer to where their hearts belonged.