Page 22 of Oath of a Highlander (Arch Through Time #25)

A nna seemed to have lost the power of speech. She gaped, unable to quite believe what she was seeing. “You!” she managed to say again.

Lady Maria glanced at her son-in-law and grandson. Laird Alexander and Lord Duncan stood beside her with expressionless faces. “I think she’s pleased to see us, dinna ye think?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the men who’d kidnapped her. “Ye ensured nobody saw ye?”

The leader bowed. “Aye, my lady. It all went smoothly.”

“We will be the judge of whether it went smoothly,” growled Laird Alexander. He came down the steps and grabbed Anna’s chin, appraising her with a cold, stony gaze. “I hope yer prize is worth it, Maria.”

Lady Maria smiled. “When have I led ye wrong? Trust me. She is worth it.” Maria’s gaze met Anna’s and a shiver went through her. There was no warmth in Maria’s gaze at all, just cold calculation. “Yer puny idea of warring on the Murrays pales in comparison to the power she can bring us. That’s always been yer problem, Alexander. Ye think too small.”

“What’s going on?” Anna snapped, looking between the two of them. “Why have you brought me here?” They didn’t answer, so she turned her gaze on the third person standing on the steps. Duncan MacDonald had been leaning against the door with his arms folded and his arms crossed. He did not look happy. “Duncan?” Anna implored. “What’s going on?”

He pushed himself off the door. He did not look at Anna and instead addressed his grandmother. “This is never going to work. I told ye I dinna want to marry her and I’m damned sure she doesnae want to marry me.”

“What ye want or dinna want isnae important,” Lady Maria snapped at him. “She will make a far better match than Aislinn Mackintosh.”

Anna’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

They ignored her. “She doesnae even bring a dowry!” Duncan snapped. “And what about land? Warriors?”

“Fool!” Maria snapped, glaring at her grandson. “She will bring more than that! She will bring power to our clan that ye can only dream of. My daughter spurned such power, too weak to grab what was her birthright, but ye will do what she would not. Ye will bring glory to our clan. Now be silent!”

Lady Maria turned her gaze back to Anna. “Ye are in the MacDonald Keep now, and under my protection,” she said, her voice calm and pleasant. “Ye’ll stay here as my guest until yer marriage to Duncan.”

“Marriage?” Anna almost choked on the word. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not marrying him. I’m not marrying anyone! ”

“Aye. Ye are,” Laird MacDonald growled. “Ye have no choice in the matter.”

“You’re crazy!” Anna spluttered, taking a step back. “You can’t just force me to marry your son!”

“Oh? And who is going to stop us? Yer precious Emeric? He’s dead. Yer only protector is gone. And even if he weren’t, it would take an army to storm this keep. But no army is coming to yer rescue. Ye are alone. Nobody cares about an outland lass with no clan. Nobody is coming for ye.”

Despair washed through Anna like some dark tide. No. This was not happening. Emeric was not dead. She was not abandoned and alone in this horrible place. She dug her nails into her palms to keep from screaming.

Maria waved a hand at the man holding Anna up. “Take her to a guest room and make sure she is comfortable. Bring her anything she needs. After all, she’s our guest, not our prisoner. Oh, but make sure ye lock the door and post a guard. We wouldnae want her getting any ideas.”

Without ceremony, they marched her into the MacDonald keep.

EMERIC HAD NEVER RIDDEN so hard or so fast. He drove Plover to his limits, foam flecking the gelding’s chestnut coat, and his ribs heaving. But to his credit, as if sensing his master’s need, the big horse didn’t falter, but ran tirelessly, the distance to Dun Achmore quickly disappearing beneath his hooves.

Fear and fury drove Emeric on, a goad that drove into his back like a red-hot poker. He kept his thoughts fixed on the road ahead, not daring to let them wander because if he did, if he allowed himself to dwell on what might be happening to Anna, he would lose control.

When Dun Achmore finally came into sight, he didn’t slow Plover at all. He sent the big gelding flying through the gates, across the courtyard, and up the steps to the keep, pulling him up sharply inside the entrance hall and leaping from the saddle. He burst through the doors into the great hall, looking around wildly.

The great hall was busy, the tables filled with warriors eating and drinking. His uncle and mother were sitting together at the high table, Aislinn and Brodie Murray next to them. Seeing them, Emeric stormed over to the high table, lifted Brodie from his chair by the tunic, and slammed him into the wall behind.

“Where is she?” he roared.

“Emeric!” Aislinn cried, her voice high and panicked. “What are ye doing? Have ye gone mad?”

He ignored his sister. He grabbed Brodie’s belt knife from its sheath and pressed it against his throat. He didn’t see Aislinn’s betrothed anymore. He didn’t see the earnest young man who wanted to help them drain the eastern marshes. He saw an enemy. A man who wore the same plaid as those who had taken Anna.

“I’ll ask one more time,” he growled, pressing the knife against Brodie’s throat. “Where is she? Where is Anna?”

Brodie’s eyes were wide and terrified. “I...I...dinna know what ye are talking about!”

“Dinna lie to me! They took her! Where are they taking her? ”

“Emeric, stop this madness!” It was his uncle’s voice. He felt a crowd gathered behind him, but none dared come close. “What has gotten into ye?”

Without looking around or taking the blade from Brodie’s throat, Emeric said, “They took Anna. Murray warriors. I need to know where she is!”

There were gasps at this, not least from Brodie Murray. “W...what?” he cried. “I dinna know anything about that.”

“Liar!” Emeric bellowed, slamming him against the wall. “Why did ye betray us? Why were Murray warriors lying in wait for us? Where have they taken Anna?”

Brodie had gone as pale as milk. He swallowed thickly and then met Emeric’s furious stare. “Brother,” he said, his voice shaking. “I swear by all that’s holy, that whatever happened to Anna, my family had naught to do with it. If we had, would I still be here? Where ye would no doubt come looking?”

“They were wearing Murray plaid!”

“That doesnae mean aught,” Brodie said desperately. “They might have been trying to trick ye! What do we have to gain by taking Anna? Naught, that’s what!”

Emeric hesitated. Brodie’s words penetrated the miasma of anger and fear that clouded his thoughts. The lad was right. The Murrays had nothing to gain and everything to lose by snatching Anna. So who did stand to gain from this?

He remembered suddenly the words the dying brigand had sneered at him. Ye have no idea who ye are dealing with. She will destroy ye.

She.

And then a cold realization hit him .

Emeric’s fingers loosened their grip on Brodie’s tunic and the young man sucked in air. Emeric dropped the knife to the floor with a clang. Aislinn rushed over and threw her arms around Brodie, burying her face in his shoulder.

Emeric staggered back and felt a strong hand clamp onto his shoulder. He turned to find his uncle standing behind him. His expression was stern.

“I think ye better tell us exactly what’s happened, lad.”

“It’s them,” Emeric whispered. “Of course it’s them. How could I have been so blind?”

His uncle’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “Lad,” he rumbled. “Emeric. Start from the beginning. What’s happened?”

Emeric swallowed. In halting tones, he explained everything that had happened since he and Anna had left yesterday—leaving out any mention of his father—right up until the moment they had discovered the MacDonald plan to attack Murray lands and then ‘Murray’ bandits had attacked them and taken Anna away.

A silence settled over the room when he finished, broken only by the occasional sniffle from Aislinn, still clutching Brodie. His uncle sighed heavily, massaging his forehead with a hand.

“God’s blood,” he muttered. “Ye think these so-called bandits were really MacDonalds?”

Emeric nodded. “Aye. They must have been. Perhaps they were watching the ravine to make sure their plan wasnae discovered although it seemed to me like they’d been sent specifically after Anna. They weren’t interested in me, only her.” He didn’t mention why he thought that was. He wasn’t ready to face that yet. “One of them mentioned a woman being behind this. Lady Maria, I’m sure of it.”

His uncle rubbed at his cheek, deep in thought.

“Uncle,” Emeric said urgently. “We have to go get her. We have to ride to Innisbrook and get her back!”

His uncle shook his head. “Emeric,” he began in a weary voice. “We canna just lead warriors into MacDonald territory on a whim. That would mean war.”

Emeric clenched his fists, a visceral anger rising within him. “A whim? They have taken Anna and ye call getting her back a whim!”

“I know ye feel for her, lad,” said his uncle, placing a hand on Emeric’s shoulder. “But we must think of the clan. Starting a war would be foolhardy. Ye need to think clear-headed, not let yer heart rule yer decisions.”

Emeric stared at him incredulously. “How can ye say that?”

His uncle’s gaze hardened. “And what of the rest of our kin? Should we risk their lives for one person? One who isnae even one of us?”

Emeric stepped back as if his uncle had struck him. His chest tightened with fury, his mind reeling in the face of such cold pragmatism.

“Not one of us?” He spat the words out, his voice trembling with outrage. “I love her, Uncle! As far as I’m concerned, she’s one of us. And if our clan canna stand up for one of its own, then what are we? A bunch of cowards who would let our own be brutalized and taken from us without a fight? ”

His uncle’s gaze faltered under Emeric’s molten glare. The men seated at the tables around the room shifted uneasily, their eyes darting to each other as Emeric’s words hung heavy in the air.

Aislinn was the first to break the silence. She detached herself from Brodie and moved towards Emeric, coming to stand beside him.

“Emeric is right,” she declared. “Anna is my friend. Actually, she’s more than that. She’s the sister I never had. And if ye willnae do what’s right, Uncle, then I will! I will ride with Emeric to get Anna back, even if it’s just the two of us!”

“Three of us,” Brodie Murray said, moving to stand by Aislinn’s side. “Ye are not going anywhere without me.”

An army of three. Emeric looked at each of them, his gaze lingering on Aislinn’s determined face. She had always been the fierce one, unyielding in her convictions. And Brodie...Emeric had accused him of treachery mere moments ago, yet he stood here now, ready to risk everything for Anna.

Another voice rang out from the crowd. “Make that four.” The burly figure of Angus stepped to the front. “Ye’ll need me along to bring some common sense to the operation, my friend.”

A susurration ran through the crowd as more men voiced their willingness to join them.

“We’ve been beholden to the MacDonalds for too long!” someone cried.

“It’s time we taught them they canna push us around!” shouted another .

“And show them they canna take one of ours without a fight!”

His uncle’s gaze met Emeric’s and there was a grim understanding there. This was no longer about Emeric’s personal quest; it had become something much bigger.

The laird of the Mackintosh grinned suddenly, a savage and slightly frightening sight. “By God,” he said, his voice rumbling through the hall. “Feels an age since I’ve felt that Mackintosh spirit. And it feels good!”

An echoing roar filled the chamber as the men took up the cry, brandishing weapons in a deafening cacophony of agreement.

“To arms then!” Laird Mackintosh bellowed. “The Mackintosh are going to war!”