Page 19 of McKenna’s Honor (The Clan MacDougall #4)

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W ee William and his men had been on their way south of Stirling in search of either Angus and Duncan or clues to their whereabouts when they came across a battle. They had heard the ruckus before they were able to see it. Were it not for the full moon that shone brilliantly across the glen, they would not have been able to recognize the fact that it was MacDougall men being attacked.

Wee William gave a command to Black Richard to call the men to arms before he let loose with a battle cry. Moments later, he and his men swarmed down the small hillside and into the glen to help defend their brethren.

They took the offenders by surprise long enough for Daniel and David and the thirty men who surrounded them to break away from the battle. Wee William was momentarily caught off guard when he saw David flying by him at breakneck speed, with a woman behind him, holding on for all she was worth.

Within a quarter of an hour, Wee William and the rest of the MacDougalls were able to bring the battle to an end. Before all was said and done, most of the attackers were dead or slowly on their way to meet their maker. A few however, had fled. Whether it be in fear or in retreat to shore up more men, he could not know, for he had no idea why they had been attacked.

The moon was making its way across the sky. Wee William finally found Ronald and explained that Angus and Duncan were missing and that they had only stumbled upon the battle because they were trying to find the missing men.

Ronald was able to bring Wee William quickly up to speed on why they were here, where they were heading and what may have been the reason for the attack. When Ronald finished giving Wee William the details he was privy to, Wee William stood dumbfounded. Hopeful, yet dumbfounded at the turn of events.

“Yer certain, Ronald?” he asked as he ran a hand through his long red brown hair.

“Aye, I am. I heard it with me own ears. I am assumin’ that David, Daniel, and Roy are takin’ the lass to Stirling. I can only pray that no one else tries to stop them.”

Wee William called after Black Richard. “See to our wounded, Black Richard. Do what ye can fer them. As to these bastards, let the wolves have them!”

Black Richard gave a quick nod of his head before setting off to tend to the injured. Wee William found his horse and mounted. “Ronald, ye and yers come with us,” he called out. “We must make certain the lady makes it to Stirling.”

“But what of Angus and Duncan? It could be that the same bastards who attacked us took Angus and Duncan as well,” Ronald said as he mounted his horse.

As Wee William saw it, he had only two choices. Wander the countryside in hopes of finding the two missing men only to come up empty handed. Or ensure that the lady made it to Stirling with the information that, if it didn’t keep Angus and Duncan from hanging, would at the very least clear their good names. He looked around the battlefield and took a quick head count. Not too many of the MacDougall warriors had been wounded, at least not in comparison to the dead and injured offenders.

Wee William called out to Black Richard again. “Black Richard! When ye are done, continue to look for Angus and Duncan. And if ye find them, get them to Stirling as quickly as possible.”

With the information that Ronald had given him, Wee William no longer dreaded getting his chief and friend to Stirling. At the moment, it might be the only safe place for any of them.

Taking no time to look back, Daniel, his men and Lady Arline tore across the glen. There was no way to avoid traveling through the forest that lay ahead. Going around it would put them further away from Stirling and closer to the assassins.

And assassins they were, of that, Daniel had no doubt.

Determinedly, Daniel led the group through the forest as fast as the terrain would allow. Occasionally, he would glance over his shoulder to see if anyone followed. He would not allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief until they were safely within the confines of Stirling Castle.

Lady Arline still clung to David, with her eyes closed tightly. For a gently born woman, she was handling herself quite well.

Anger formed deep in Daniel’s gut as they ripped through the trees.

Greed. Whether it was the desire to amass power or money, it mattered not. A man could go mad for the want of those things. It was greed, plain and simple, that had put the proverbial nooses around Angus and Duncan’s necks. It also put his own life, as well as the lives of his men and Lady Arline, in grave danger this night .

Come hell or high water, they would see that Lady Arline arrived safely in Stirling. Not only did the lives of Angus and Duncan depend upon her safe arrival, it was now quite evident that her own life depended upon it as well.