Page 26 of Stolen Highland Dreams (The Highlanders #9)

25

“ C ome, Ruadh. I want to check on Amelda and then see Venetia to question her further,” Ella said.

“Aye.”

They headed for the kitchen.

Cook smiled and said, “Amelda dropped off her basket of herbs. Then, she went up to see Mina in their bedchamber.”

“Thank you,” Ella said. Then she and Ruadh went up to her bedchamber but found Mina napping when they entered. “Have you seen Amelda, Mina?”

Mina wiped the sleep from her eyes. “In the herb garden, the last I saw of her from the chamber window.”

“She could have been here and used the latrine without disturbing you, aye?” Ella asked.

Mina thought hard, then frowned. “She’s with Venetia.”

“What? Where?”

“I dinna know. It’s dark, and a torch lights the way.”

“But it’s light out.” Ella rubbed her forehead. “Unless it’s underground. Do you see this happening now?”

“Or soon, or later. I dinna know.”

Ella went back to the door and opened it. “Ruadh, find Fallon or Venetia.”

“Is Amelda in the chamber?”

“Nay, and Mina believes she sees her with Venetia in a dark place like…the tunnels!” Ella ran out of the chamber and headed for her and Dashiell’s chamber.

Ruadh was right behind her.

She turned on him. “Go find Fallon or Venetia. Make sure she’s no’ in the castle still.”

He hesitated. “I’m supposed to protect you always. Bac is watching Amelda.”

Ella let out her breath. That was true. “But you must send someone else to learn if Venetia is guarded in a chamber at least.”

Mina came out into the hallway. “I’ll check the women’s chambers where she should be.”

“Forget it. I’ll do it.” Ella stalked off for the women’s chamber, but no guard stood at the door when she arrived. She opened the door and found the chamber empty. This would be the case if all the women were off doing chores, but Venetia was supposed to be confined. “Where else would she be?”

Ruadh scratched his head. “She was supposed to be here.”

“We search the tunnels.” Ella ran for her chamber, and once inside, she grabbed her sword and sheathed it. Then she crawled under the bed, found the trap door closed as it should be, and opened it. She could see a faint light down there. “Someone’s down there,” she whispered to Ruadh, who was peering under the bed at her. “Get a torch.”

“Aye, my lady.” His hurried footfalls raced out of the bedchamber.

“You are no’ going down there are you?” Mina asked, standing next to the bed. “No’ until Ruadh is with you.

“Aye. Tell Ruadh to follow me. I’m going to follow the light before I lose it.”

“Ella.”

But Ella had already descended into the dark tunnel, hurrying to catch up to the person wielding the light. She heard two people’s hurried footsteps. One of a woman, she thought, and one of a child. Amelda and Venetia, just like Mina envisioned.

Ella was furious because she knew Venetia wouldn’t take Amelda for a stroll through the tunnels for no good reason. She had to be handing her over to someone in the forest. Hopefully, she wouldn’t meet up with her brother, Garrett, in time and take off with Ella’s cousin. Instead, she prayed Dashiell and the others would catch them at it if she didn’t stop Venetia first.

Fallon galloped into the forest to join Dashiell, and he assumed he would tell him that Venetia was under guard.

Instead, Fallon’s expression was anger-filled. “Venetia must have suspected Ella didna believe her story, and she has disappeared from the castle. Besides me, I had several of our staff searching for her, but we couldna find any sign of her.”

“Then when we locate her brother, we’ll find her also.” Dashiell hadn’t immediately believed she would be spying for Lennox and, thereby spying for MacAfee, but he suspected now he’d had it all wrong. He liked to think of himself as fair-minded and not one to make assumptions without knowing the truth.

“Aye. Do you want me to hunt them down with you or?—”

“Return to the castle. Check on Ella, Amelda, and Mina. I want to ensure Venetia isna still in the keep and just hiding someplace.”

“Aye.” Fallon kicked his horse and headed back to the castle.

Dashiell glanced at Finnegan, who was nearby, listening to the conversation. Dashiell had already assigned two guards to keep him safe while they were in the forest, though he was rethinking that decision and wishing he’d left him back at the keep.

But then Christopher rode out to meet up with them. “Ruadh sent me, saying that Venetia took Amelda into the escape tunnels.”

“What? Where is Ella?” Dashiell asked, his heart pounding in his ears. He knew the answer before Christoper even gave it to him.

“In the tunnels. Ruadh grabbed some men to go with him.”

“Does he know how to navigate the tunnels?”

Christopher frowned. “I dinna know.”

“I dinna know either.”

“I do,” Finnegan said. “We dinna know how to go the way Venetia would have gone, but I know where she’ll end up if she doesna get lost.”

“Let’s go.”

Finnegan hurried off toward the tall grasses some distance from the forest, stream, and outer castle walls.

Dashiell prayed they were not too late to reach Amelda and his mate in time.

Ella realized her mistake in leaving Ruadh behind to get reinforcements. He wouldn’t know the way through the tunnels to the forest. But she couldn’t let Venetia get away with Amelda either. How would Venetia know the way through the tunnels, though?

Unless—she had been here when MacAfee was here. Had he found the tunnels and discovered that’s how Ella had escaped? Maybe Lennox had been here visiting MacAfee after he had murdered the rest of her clansmen and women.

Lennox could have brought the sister and brother with him and shown them the tunnels and the way through them.

Panic filling her, she moved through the familiar tunnels. The musty, cool, damp smell brought back memories of her escape five years ago. But this time, her panic was different. She wasn't leading her family to an unknown future with no plan. Instead, she was on a mission to find her cousin, afraid MacAfee might be waiting just outside the exit to capture her.

She heard Ruadh calling for her, but he was somewhere in the tunnels, and she had no clue where exactly. If she called out to him, Venetia would know she was close behind her, but her voice echoing off the walls would just confuse Ruadh. She hoped he had sent for reinforcements.

Amelda cried out, “Let me go! My mother will come for you, and you will be sorry!”

Amelda’s small voice echoed off the walls and alarmed Ella. She tried to move quickly but as silently as possible. Venetia stumbled on the uneven, rocky floor, cursed, and then ran again.

“Just come on. Quit fighting me,” Venetia growled.

Ella’s heart beat frantically as she tried to reach them before they found the exit. She had never returned to close the hidden exit door, but in five years, the vegetation could have covered the entrance again.

“Get up! Get on your feet!” Venetia sounded like she wanted to kill Amelda.

Ella thought Amelda had dropped to the floor like a sack of wheat. A warrior could lift the five-year-old over his shoulder and run with her. But Venetia was about the same size as Ella.

She could lift Amelda, but carrying her and running long distances would be difficult, especially on uneven, rocky ground. And if Amelda fought her, it would be nearly impossible.

Venetia wasn’t running any longer. “Get up, Amelda!” Then Venetia screamed ouch. “You little beastie.”

“I hate you!” Amelda screamed back at her.

Ella was getting so close. She thought she would be around the bend to the right and reach them. Then she saw the torchlight wavering against the wall.

Other footfalls approached Venetia and Amelda. Ella’s cousin screamed.

Ohmigoddess! The footsteps were heavier. It had to be a man who would easily lift Amelda and take her out of the tunnels.

“She was fighting me like a wild cat. She even bit me,” Venetia said. “Is my brother safe?”

The man grunted as if he didn’t care one way or another.

Ella held her sword in her right hand and her sgian dubh in her left. She had intended to threaten Venetia with it, but now she would have to fight whoever the man was.

Ella came around the bend of the glistening wall and saw Venetia trailing behind, carrying a torch. The man who had Amelda over his shoulder was none other than MacAfee himself. He had known the way to the tunnels. One arm held Amelda tight to his shoulder while his other hand carried a torch.

Ella rushed to knock Venetia out just as MacAfee turned another corner in the tunnel. It appeared he didn’t care if he lost Venetia. He wasn’t waiting up for her. He only cared about getting Amelda out of the tunnel. And then what? He would use her as a bargaining tool to get Ella to accompany him. Then he would kill them both?

She struck Venetia hard on the back of the head with the guard on her sword. Venetia dropped the torch and fell to the rocky floor with a thud, not uttering a sound. Ella didn’t bother to see if she was just knocked out or dead. She had to reach MacAfee before he was free of the tunnel.

She assumed his men would be waiting with horses there for him. If he made it outside, all was lost. She quickened her pace, not worried about keeping her footfalls as silent as possible, figuring he would think it was Venetia.

She heard his heavy, lumbering run echo off the cave walls, no longer hearing Ruadh calling out for her. The light from MacAfee’s torch shone around the bend.

Amelda said, “My mother will kill you for this.”

“Mother? Do you mean Ella? She’s your cousin.”

Ella dove around the wall and closed the gap between her and MacAfee, planning to dive and slice his leg. He was too tall to cut his throat. Hanging over MacAfee’s broad shoulder, Amelda saw Ella, and her eyes widened.

Amelda opened her mouth to speak. Ella put her sgian dubh to her lips, telling her not to say a word. Ella had only one chance at this. She saw the light from outside the tunnel and heard the clash of swords and neighing of horses. MacAfee suddenly stopped, and she almost ran into him.

She cut his leg, and he nearly dropped Amelda. Before he could swing around and kill her, Finnegan entered the tunnel, the light from the torch MacAfee dropped on the floor and shining on her brother’s face. The sun at his back made him appear like an avenging angel, his sword in hand. But MacAfee would kill him.

MacAfee dropped Amelda, and Ella grabbed her before she fell. Then MacAfee reached for Ella. He would use her as a shield.

Suddenly, large hands pulled Finnegan out of the way, and Dashiell rushed in. He ran at MacAfee, and Ella cut at MacAfee’s arm as he tried to grab hers.

“Run back to the keep,” Ella said to Amelda. She had to get her away from the fighting, though she was afraid Amelda wouldn’t know the way. But she couldn’t be here while MacAfee was swinging his sword at Dashiell and trying to kill him.

Then she grabbed Amelda’s hand and ran with her toward the bend in the wall. “Stay here. The light from Venetia’s torch is right there. Just stay here.”

“Stay with me,” Amelda pleaded, tears in her eyes, both hands gripping Ella’s.

“I have to make sure MacAfee doesna kill Dashiell.” She had to make sure MacAfee never came for any of them again.

She hated to leave her cousin when she knew how terrified she was, but she had to end this with MacAfee while she had the chance. She ran toward him again while Dashiell struck at him over and over again as if he were a man possessed. She knew how he felt. She felt the same way about taking MacAfee down.

She struck her sword at MacAfee’s back, but his padded leather armor kept her from progressing. His leg and arm were bleeding from the cuts she had made, but they didn’t seem to be slowing him down.

Then she saw Michael enter the tunnel at Dashiell’s back. She raced past both MacAfee and Dashiell to stop him. She didn’t think she could kill him because he was a man and stronger than her. But if she could stop him long enough until Dashiell or one of his men could help her, she had to fight him.

“Woah, I’m on your side,” Michael said, his sword out, bloodied, like hers was.

Was he lying to her? She couldn’t trust that he wasn’t.

“Put down your sword,” she said, her sword and sgian dubh ready.

“I’m here to help Laird MacTavish,” Michael said. “You and I were best of friends always.”

“Until you took up arms against my da.”

“I didna. I had my sword in my hand, aye, but I didna fight anyone, did I? I had to go with him that day when he was banished. He was still my da.”

“And if he had taken over? You would have had an elevated position in the clan. So you would have eagerly gone along with it.” She heard the grunting and groaning between the men behind her, hoping that Dashiell would eliminate MacAfee quickly. But she didn’t trust Michael.

“Aye, but I didna go along with the plan or set things in motion. That was all my da and his cohorts doing.”

“Why are you here? Is Lennox also?”

“Just me.”

“With MacAfee and his men.”

“I came alone, heard the fighting, and came to help to prove that I’m on your side.”

“You, your da, and MacAfee are in league with one another. Drop your weapon,” she said.

“I canna help you if I’m unarmed.”

“You canna hurt us if you’re disarmed.”

Michael struck her sword and hit it hard. He knocked it out of her hand, and it flew toward the wall, hit it with a clunk, and fell on the ground. Without hesitation, she dove for it, jumped to her feet, and came up swinging. He hadn’t expected that. Instead, he had made a move toward Dashiell.

But once she engaged him, he had to protect himself. She attacked him with such ferocity, he fell back several steps. “MacAfee wants you, though why, I have no idea,” Michael said, his voice angry and hard.

She struck his sword again and managed to cut Michael’s cheek. He growled and came at her, hitting her sword so hard again that she lost it. Gods’ wounds!

She darted around him but couldn’t reach her sword, and with his sword’s reach, she couldn’t cut him with her knife. If she threw it, he could easily dodge it unless he didn’t know it was coming.

Then she heard men’s running footfalls come from Amelda’s direction. “Ruadh!” Amelda said.

“Stay here.” Ruadh came around the bend in the tunnel with four more men behind him.

With reinforcements at hand, MacAfee glanced back to see them, and Dashiell cut MacAfee’s throat. He slumped to the ground and collapsed.

Dashiell turned on Michael, who promptly dropped his sword.

“Your da was in on killing his brother and the rest of our kin, wasna he?” Ella grabbed up her sword and poked Michael in the chest with it.

“Nay, it was all MacAfee’s doing. You know he did it because your da wouldna allow MacAfee to wed you.”

“But your da wanted to take me in as his ward to marry me off to MacAfee. You tried to take me with you the first time. You knew what it was all about. You knew my family had been murdered.”

“Please put the sword down. I didna know. You’re no’ making sense.”

“You knew my da and all our people wouldna just leave. So someone had to have massacred them. You had spies in place to learn when MacTavish found us because MacAfee must have assumed he would take us in, and word had to be sent to Lennox right away. Then your da would have told MacAfee.”

“No, none of this is true.” Michael glanced at Dashiell as he held his sword, dripping with MacAfee’s blood.

“Where is your da?” Dashiell asked, his voice a growl. “Or is he too cowardly that he sent you to do a man’s job?”

Michael stiffened, turned, and tried to stab Dashiell, but he cut him down with a hefty swing of his sword.

Ella looked down at her cousin, who had once been her best friend. She was saddened to see what he had become because of his da. But then she ran to join Dashiell and hugged and kissed him.

She quickly released him after he kissed and hugged her back and found Amelda hiding around the bend in the wall, her guard with a bandaged head sitting on the floor while she hugged his arm.

“Are you all right?” Ella asked Bac.

“Nay. Venetia got the best of me, and Dashiell will have my head,” Bac said.

“He willna,” Amelda said, hugging his arm even more tightly.

“What about Venetia?” Ella asked.

“She was coming to in the tunnel some distance back and Mina is seeing to her, but she will be locked in the dungeon after that.”

“I must speak with her.”

Dashiell and Finnegan joined them, and Dashiell frowned at Bac.

Amelda gave Dashiell a hard look, not letting go of Bac’s arm. “He’s my guard, and you willna punish him.”

Dashiell tried not to smile, but he was unsuccessful. “We will speak later,” he told the guard.

“Aye, my laird.”

“I’m glad you found your way to us,” Ella said to Ruadh.

“Aye, I finally saw the light from the torch that Venetia had been wielding before you knocked her out,” Ruadh said. “And then we heard all the fighting.”

“What about Uncle Lennox?” Finnegan asked.

“Dead,” Quinn said. “He was with MacAfee’s men with a force of his own to back him up. All of them are dead.”

Ella thought about the woman who married her cousin instead of Dashiell as it was supposed to be. Now, she was a widow, and Ella had the man she was supposed to marry.

“What about Venetia’s brother?” Ella asked.

“He has been captured. He didna fight anyone. He said that Venetia is married and has a little girl. Lennox forced her to do his bidding. Her brother has a girl he was about to marry, and Lennox used that against him also.”

“Then send them home to Lennox’s castle to care for their families. They can tell Michael’s wife that Lennox, MacAfee, Michael, and their men are dead,” Ella said.

Dashiell smiled at her. “Do as the lady says. In the meantime, lock that tunnel door. I want it sealed.”

Ella understood that because everyone seemed to know where it was now. Besides, she knew another escape tunnel out of the castle and would let Dashiell know that as soon as possible.

Then they left the tunnel, and Mina, Mai, and Ella took care of the men injured in battle. Amelda helped this time, bringing them clean bandages and even washing wounds.

Finnegan stood behind Ella, and she finally turned to see what he wanted.

His eyes filled with tears, Finnegan hugged her. “I thought I had lost you and Amelda.”

“You brought Dashiell to the tunnel entrance, which meant you saved us.” She hugged Finnegan and kissed the top of his head. “You will make a fine warrior one day.”

He smiled a little. “I’ve got to get back to the blacksmith.”

“Aye, thank you, Finnegan. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Then he dashed off.

Amelda laughed. “He never hugs you first. No’ since he was little.”

As if Amelda could remember that far back.

“Aye,” Ella said.

They turned to see Venetia and her brother walking out of the front gates, leaving Cairn Castle behind.

Once the wounded were patched up, everyone cleaned up and entered the great hall to dine.

“One of my men went to the village for supplies and learned some of MacAfee’s men had been questioning everyone about some woman who lived in the woods with a boy and baby girl who would be five now,” Dashiell said to Ella.

“When was this?”

“The night he wanted to celebrate with us. He had done it before they came to the castle.”

“I’m glad I hadn’t been in the village then. I had been there earlier in the day.”

One of the maids came with more ale for them, and Ella’s jaw dropped. “Bhictoria!”

The woman smiled at her. “Imagine seeing you here at the head table. And here I had told you to sneak—” She glanced at Dashiell as if she shouldn’t be telling her secrets.

“He doesna care. Tell me,” Ella said.

“Well, I didna realize you had such a highly elevated position. You would have been at the celebration all along.”

“Did you enjoy the celebration?”

“Aye.” Then she frowned. “Come to think of it, I dinna remember seeing you there.” Then Bhictoria’s eyes widened. “You can speak.”

“Now I can. I’m glad to see you working here.” Now that Ella didn’t have to hide who she was, she could be friends with the likable maid. “When were you hired? I hadna seen you here before.”

“Lady Yvaine hired me a short time ago.” Bhictoria laughed at herself then. “Here we thought you were living in the forest as an owl, sometimes as one of the deer, a wolf even. But of course we didna tell anyone about it.”

“Like MacAfee?”

“Nay, he wouldna have believed us. We kept it among ourselves. This is good because you’ve been living here all this time.” Bhictoria motioned to two of the men who were serving meals. “My brother is in the bakery, and the other is a cook.”

“I’m glad you all are working here.”

Then Bhictoria curtseyed to her and left to continue serving the meal.

“She will learn soon enough that you are the woman of the forest,” Dashiell said, then took a bite of his bread.

“Aye.”

Then Ruadh entered the great hall carrying a wolf pup under his arm.

“Warrior!” Ella jumped from her seat and hurried to take the pup from him. Warrior wagged his tail and licked her face.

Finnegan and Amelda hurried from their seats to hug the wolf pup.

Dashiell joined them. “It appears we have another addition to our clan.”

The houndsman rose from his seat, frowning. “You want me to put a wolf pup in with our hounds?”

“Aye,” Dashiell said, “until he’s old enough to fend for himself.”

Ella let Finnegan have the pup, and he headed back to his seat. The hounds came to inspect the new “dog” while she hugged Dashiell. “I love you,” she said.

“He was part of your family. And for Amelda, we have a cat with kittens in the stable. If she wants, she can play with them whenever she isna busy with chores.”

Paden rushed into the great hall, and Ella was worried some other trouble was brewing. “My laird, that woman…you know the one. Lady Lynette? She is back saying that her da sent her to marry”—he glanced at Fallon—“your cousin, Fallon.”