Page 16 of The Dark Highlander’s Heart (Thorns Of The Highlands #2)

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A s they approached the burning village, all of Katherine’s worst suspicions were confirmed in an instant.

The thatched roofs of the town’s shops and homes were in flames. The air was full of hoofbeats, and the screams and moans of the wounded or bereaved. The ground was littered with corpses, freshly hacked and bloodied. Some of them were being cradled by weeping loved ones. There was thick smoke everywhere, and the poor villagers choked and gagged on it. Even those who had not been injured fell to their knees, red-eyed and soot-smudged.

And hanging above all the carnage and devastation were the banners of Clan McGregor.

Those banners, and the brutes who held them aloft, were already retreating from the scene when Katherine and Bryan made it to the town. It was just as well, she supposed; for she knew that Bryan would not have been able to restrain himself from riding to the aid of the townsfolk, and outnumbered by the McGregor raiders, he would doubtless have fallen in battle moments later. She was darkly grateful that her father’s men were so well-versed in the arts of terror and depredation, so that their heinous crimes had not taken long to commit.

Still, no one could deny the sheer devastation they left in their wake.

Bryan wisely chose not to pursue them. However, as he swiftly dismounted and charged toward the fray, Katherine briefly worried that he might, seeking vengeance for his countrymen. He ran to the well, beckoning for any who were still standing and uninjured to join him.

“Bring buckets!” he cried out over the sounds of suffering. “Pots, flagons, anything that might hold water! We must douse the flames as best we can, before they spread further!”

Before she knew what she was doing, Katherine found herself at his side, grabbing buckets and other discarded receptacles from the ground. Within moments, a line had formed at her side. Under the captain’s leadership, vessels of water were quickly passed along, from the well to the crackling flames.

How much time went by as the ash-streaked hands passed the buckets back and forth, tossing the water on the smoldering areas? Katherine could not say. It felt like hours, but might have been mere minutes.

All she knew for certain was that by the time it was over, her lips were dry and cracked, her skin was red, her hands were blistered, her back was terribly sore—and the fires were out.

Despite their best efforts, though, it seemed there was little left of the village by the time it was all over. The place resembled nothing so much as a collection of charred kindling. Only a handful of structures were left recognizable, and even those would not be habitable without tremendous repairs. There were patches of leaves and grass that still glowed a wavering and malevolent orange from the lingering flames.

The most heartbreaking sight, though, was the crowd of displaced people.

Many of them were small children, who stared straight ahead; shocked and forlorn, shivering, inconsolable, while their parents and grandparents wept and shrieked all around them.

“This is monstrous!” Katherine balked. “How could my father allow such a thing?”

“I fear he did far more than merely allow it,” Bryan said wearily. He was out of breath, wheezing, his face red from the exertions of fighting the fire. “He surely ordered it. As a warning, no doubt, of further hostilities if we dinnae release his daughters.”

Katherine’s face turned deathly pale. “He would order the burning and butchering of innocents tae send such a message?”

“He ordered the murder of Lady Isla for far less,” Bryan reminded her, still panting. He reached up and used the sleeve of his tunic to wipe the soot from his forehead.

“I knew how hideous his hatred of the Oliphants was,” Katherine whispered in a strangled tone. “But I had no notion that he would ever commit such vile atrocities against those who dinnae deserve it. Against families, children!”

Bryan knew what he had to do at that moment, and though he hated to take advantage of her grief and horror, he understood that the stakes were far higher than that. The tragedy of their surroundings proved that.

He gestured around them. “This is precisely the sort of lunacy we are trying tae prevent by ensuring that yer father cannae inflict further terrors on our people. This is why we have sought yer aid so earnestly. We dinnae wish tae bring yer clan tae ruin, only tae see tae it that we can live in peace next tae the McGregors without fearing for our lives.”

The words hung in the air between them, as thick as the smoke. Katherine turned away and lowered her head, considering what she had seen and heard.

Bryan left her to her contemplation, for he knew that no good would come from pressuring her further. Instead, he assisted the townsfolk in burying their loved ones for the next several hours, murmuring prayers over the deceased even as he more privately prayed that Katherine would be swayed.

By the time the bodies had been interred, night had fallen. Bryan did all he could to help the people build meager shelters to rest in, but materials were few, and none among them—not even the captain—had strength left to go to the nearby forests and chop wood for more substantial cover. Most were reduced to curling up on whatever grass wasn’t charred, holding their younger relatives close, and crying themselves to sleep.

Bryan peered over at Katherine. She had done all she could in helping with the shelters, but the earlier exertions had left her weak. She was not used to physical labor, and even less accustomed to the gruesome things she’d endured that day. She remained white as a ghost, and her entire body was trembling.

He wanted to go to her, to comfort her. But he knew that for her to make the choice she needed to, she needed to be left to herself. Sure enough, after another hour or so, she approached Bryan.

“Ye did good work, helping these people after what happened,” Bryan observed quietly.

“Dinnae say that,” she retorted, her voice shaking. “If I had agreed tae help ye in the first place, perhaps this might have been avoided. But instead, I chose tae care more about my father’s acceptance and my clan’s pride… and now these people are without homes, and mourning losses no one should be forced tae bear.”

“Ye chose as most would,” Bryan reassured her. “None can judge ye for that. Ye knew only what yer father chose tae tell ye, so that ye might share his hatred of us.”

“Lies,” she spat bitterly. “I see that now. I understand now how foolish I was tae believe them, without seeing the proof with my own eyes. I was blind tae the realities of allowing this horrid conflict tae go any further.” She took a deep breath, summoning all her strength. “I will not return tae that wretched devil of a man. I renounce all fealty tae him. I shall do whatever ye ask of me, that no more of this evil shall be inflicted upon the Oliphants in his name. If I might save the life of but a single child, it will have been worth it, even if it means I will never look upon my own lands again.”

She fell to her knees then, and wept, to Bryan’s surprise. “Can ye ever forgive me for my stubbornness, Captain Black? Can ye absolve me of the terrible guilt, knowing I might have stopped this from happening?”

“Come, come, there’s no need for that,” Bryan soothed, helping her to her feet again. “This might just as well have happened even if ye had chosen tae aid us sooner, and ‘tis not yer fault—only yer father’s, for preying upon those who cannae defend themselves. We must return tae Castle Oliphant at once, so that Laird Alex may be informed of what has transpired here. We must dispatch soldiers tae guard our borderlands and repel further raids. It will be a hard ride, and we willnae be able tae stop.”

But Katherine was already running to Bluebell and grabbing the reins. Bryan nodded to himself and followed, mounting Heather. Within moments, they were riding hard in the direction they’d come from.

He thanked the heavens that she had finally seen the light. He only wished it had not taken something so horrible to persuade her, but, he reasoned, at least the loss of the village would not have been in vain.

They rode for most of the night, and arrived at the gates of the castle less than an hour before the pale light of dawn caressed the surrounding hilltops. The guardsmen were surprised to see Bryan back so soon, and even more surprised to see that Katherine was still with him. They opened the gates and allowed them in without question, as, even in the near-dawn gloom, they could see the urgency of his countenance, and did not dare delay him.

They dismounted in the courtyard, and although their legs were sore and their bodies weary from all they had been put through over the previous day, they ran up the stone steps to Laird Alex’s private study.

Before they got to the door, though, they found Alex himself standing in the center of the corridor, waiting for them with folded arms. He looked as though he had risen from bed hastily; his clothes were messily assembled, his blonde hair was tousled, and his eyes were bloodshot and heavy-lidded. His brow furrowed with confusion and concern.

“I heard the commotion at the gates,” he said. Though he may have been still shaking off sleep, his voice was as sharp and focused as ever. “Two travelers return, when only one was expected? And before the sun is up? What is the meaning of this?”

“There has been an unfortunate new development,” Bryan informed him. “We shall tell ye of it, but first, we must find a place for Katherine tae sit and rest. She has been through so much.”

“There’s no need tae coddle me,” Katherine protested, speaking over him. “None of this would have happened if only I had?—”

Alex raised his hands, quieting both of them. “We shall all adjourn tae my study and sit, and ye can tell me what has transpired this night. And Lady Katherine,” he added. “Regardless of the circumstances, it is good tae have ye back in the castle. Ye are most welcome here.”

Despite her exhaustion and shock, Katherine managed a tired smile of gratitude.

As it turned out, it was not difficult for Alex to figure out what had happened to them on the way to the McGregor lands. The ash streaked on their faces and clothes, and the thick smell of smoke clinging to them, told most of the story.

Still, he listened to their account of the raid, his frown growing deeper.

“Well, we knew there would be some sort of eventual retaliation for taking Angus’s daughters,” Alex said once they had finished. “We should have prepared for the worst. We should have deployed cadres of soldiers tae the outlying villages, rather than letting them fend for themselves.”

“By now, the victims of that raid will have found shelter in the neighboring towns,” Bryan pointed out. “They’ll spread the word, so that the other villages near the border will be prepared for more raids. And I shall send some of my men there tae join them, and bolster their defenses.”

“But what if next time, Angus sends his soldiers in full force?” Alex challenged. He turned to Katherine. “Do ye believe he might do so? Would he risk all-out war at this stage?”

“I dinnae know,” she answered honestly. “His state of mind was deeply troubled when last I saw him. My abduction might have driven him utterly mad, in which case?—”

“He might be capable of anything,” Alex finished for her, shaking his head. “And if his armies do arrive, then the men we send tae the villages will be forced tae fall back and defend Castle Oliphant. Even so, we cannot leave our people unprotected.” He slammed a fist down on his desk, frustrated. “Damn it, Bryan, what are we tae do?”

“Call Kirk and the rest of yer advisors tae consult with ye,” the captain suggested. “Whatever course of action ye choose, it will surely affect the rest of the clan, and so we’ll need their council.”

“Somehow,” Alex mused, looking at Katherine again, “I think this lass will be counted among my most valuable advisors in the days ahead.”

Messengers were hastily dispatched, and within two hours, the elders of the Oliphant Clan were assembled in the Great Hall of the castle. Predictably, news of the raid had already reached many of them, and a few had set out toward the castle on their own in anticipation of Laird Alex calling the meeting.

They took their seats around the table, and as they did, several among them looked askance at Katherine.

“Are we quite certain we ought tae be discussing our plans in front of her?” grumbled Barclay Acheson, the clan’s wealthiest merchant.

“My sentiments as well,” Rory Aitkin chimed in, shaking his head gravely. “Why is a McGregor at this table? Why, ye might as well bring her sister up from the dungeons and make it a matched set.”

There were uneasy chuckles from the others, but Alex’s expression remained neutral.

“The lass was meant tae return tae her homeland, was she not?” Barclay inquired. “Perhaps if she’d been transported there with greater haste, Angus would not have ordered the attack.”

“We have no way of knowing that for certain,” Alex told him sternly. “So such speculation serves no purpose. What we do know, however, is that after witnessing the raid, Lady Katherine has chosen tae help us prevent a war against her father—or win one, if it comes tae that.”

Katherine shuddered at those words. She had not considered that it might already be too late to stop the bloodshed.

And if that proved to be the case?

How far was she willing to go to help the Oliphants defeat her own people?

She prayed it would not come to that.

“We are simply meant tae take her word for that, are we?” Rory challenged. “How do we know she won’t betray us at her earliest opportunity?”

Bryan cleared his throat loudly. “I have vouched for her. Ye have all trusted me tae protect our clan for many years, so I ask ye tae trust her, in my name.”

“Ye watch over her for a handful of days, and think ye can see into her soul?” Barclay snickered. “I find it more likely that her fair looks have turned yer head, Captain Black.”

“There are none who take the safety of this clan more seriously than I do,” Bryan retorted sharply. “I have proved my loyalty a hundred times over, and I will not have my sense of duty questioned.”

“Nor should ye,” Alex spoke up. “No one here has any right tae doubt ye, and I’ll not stand for it. I say Bryan’s motives are unimpeachable, and I say that Lady Katherine will be a valuable asset tae us. That should be more than enough tae satisfy all of ye. Unless, of course, there is anyone here who would care tae question my loyalties?”

Having been thus chastised, the men fell silent.

Still, none of them seemed to be entirely comfortable making direct eye contact with Katherine—or Bryan either, for that matter.