Page 26 of The Mad Highlander

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“ I did it,” Isaac said. He smiled, but his mouth was pulled tight instead of curving upward in its usual pleasure.

“Ye did?” Cayden asked.

“Aye! We are free of him now. I am now the Laird, and ye will be me chief advisor.”

Cayden laughed as he tried to come to terms with the means to the end. Faither was dead by Isaac’s hand. “It can’t have been easy.”

“Nay. It was the hardest thing in the world, but I would do it a hundred times over to protect ye.”

Isaac stuck out his hand, and when Cayden took it, he was pulled into his older brother’s embrace. He felt the thump of his heart in his chest, and the beating of his brother’s heart, mirroring it.

“Me Laird?”

Cayden opened his eyes and woke from his dream to see a footman standing over him. His eyes danced wildly around the room, looking for his brother. Isaac was not there—Cayden was alone again. His mind had mixed it up, longing for a different history to his story.

“What is it?” Cayden murmured.

“Laird McLaren has returned,” the footman replied.

“Hunter?” He sat up quickly in the bed. “Aye, good. Where is he now?”

“He’s downstairs in the great hall waitin’ for ye, me laird.”

Cayden knew people, and he understood there was more that went unsaid by the footman. He stood up and leveled the man with his gaze, not needing to ask the question.

“They were attacked, me laird. Laird McLaren lost a lot of his men.”

“And the laird?” Cayden felt his stomach tighten.

“Some injuries, but he claims he is fine.”

“All right. Bring food and ale, and make sure Astrid has everythin’ she needs for any of the injured men who returned with him.”

The footman nodded. “Aye, me laird.”

Cayden glanced toward the window. It was dark out, and there was a chill in the air, but not caused by the slight breeze penetrating the room. The Laird was already dressed and straightened his shirt a little before going downstairs.

When he got to the great hall, he found Hunter draped in one of the chairs around the large table. There was a large cut on his cheek and too much blood on his shirt to tell where it was all coming from.

“Ye need to get to—” Cayden started.

Hunter held up his hand. “I’m fine. I rode all the way from the fight. Aye, some of the blood is mine, but a lot more is from Murdoch’s men.” Hunter sat up a little straighter and pushed his hair back from his forehead.

“What happened out there?” Cayden asked.

“They kenned where we would be.” Hunter rubbed a hand over his face, smearing some of the blood. “They waited until we were camped for the night and attacked. It was a bloodbath. I barely got out of there with me life. We lost… we lost almost everyone, Cayden. I want to march right up there and?—”

“Aye, I ken, and ye will get a chance to put this right.” Cayden walked through the room and sat on the large wooden chair. He looked at his friend, the cut on his cheek dripping a little blood. “I’m sorry, Hunter. This is all me fault. I shouldnae have sent ye there.”

“Nay, dinnae say that!” Hunter waved his hand dismissively. “I kenned there could be trouble. Ye got the lad out, and that is all that matters.” Hunter placed his head in his hand, his forehead tightening and creasing.

“It’s too heavy a price,” Cayden admitted. “Far too heavy.”

“I want to be the one,” Hunter said. “I want to stick me sword through his chest when it comes down to it. He took me men, and I want to take his life.”

“Aye, he is yers to do with as ye wish. I just…”

Hunter looked up. “What?”

“Ye said he waited until ye were camped, aye?” Cayden asked.

Hunter wiped some blood from his cheek with his sleeve. “Aye.”

“Halfway to his castle?”

Hunter held Cayden’s gaze. “Aye.”

“It doesnae make sense, does it?”

“What doesnae make sense?”

“He kenned ye were comin’, but nae that ye wouldnae make it to his castle. If he planned to attack ye, why send his men halfway to meet ye? Why nae wait until they were at the castle walls, and he would have nay need to send his men on a day or two ride? Why waste the food and horses? Why send some and nae have all his men waitin’ for ye? Ye said it was a bloodbath, but ye must have killed a fair few of his men, too. He’s a madman, but he’s nae an idiot.”

“Then what?” Hunter rubbed his face and screwed up his eyes. “McReed kenned of the plan. There might be other traitors in the castle.”

“He kenned of the old plan. What of yer men, Hunter? Do ye trust them all?”

Hunter leaped up from his chair. “What are ye sayin’?”

Cayden stood up, too. “Sit down, Hunter. I’m nae sayin’ anythin’. I trust the men I took with me, and ye trust the men ye took with ye.” Cayden started to pace the room as Hunter slumped back down into the chair. “What if all of this is connected?”

“I dinnae understand.” Hunter shifted in the chair.

“There was only one other person who kenned about the plan,” Cayden said. “Someone who I didnae ken enough to trust fully. A man who couldnae help us because of sickness runnin’ through his castle. I believe that to be a lie now. There’s nae one else who could have orchestrated this.”

“Laird McCabe?” Hunter asked.

“Aye,” Cayden confirmed.

“He couldnae,” Hunter stated. “Yer marryin’ his cousin. What reason does he have to attack ye?”

“I dinnae ken, but I think his clan is the one who has allied with the Murdochs.”

Hunter stood up again, a little unsteady on his feet. “He let his younger cousin be captured?”

“Think about it,” Cayden told him. “There was nae fight. Or maybe there was a pretend one that led to young Ashton’s capture. Laird McCabe comes to me, kenning I’m wantin’ a wife and that Laird Murdoch is an enemy. He practically goaded me into it with the circumstances. I was a fool to agree to it. He used me to let Murdoch start a war.”

“So, he allied himself with the Murdochs before all of this started?” Hunter asked.

“Aye,” Cayden said. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. McCabe is a coward, but that was nae why he didnae offer his help with the rescue mission. He doesnae care about his cousins. They are pawns to him. And he wanted to save his men to fight with yers. He kenned where ye would be, and he sent his men to fight with ye, kenning when to attack. He means to weaken us before they all storm me castle.”

“Aye, and he did a good job of it.” Hunter rubbed his face again, the agony coming not from his wounds but from the hurt of losing his men. “I want his head. Ye can have Murdoch’s, but I want to kill McCabe.”

“Aye, ye will get that. For now, we need to be ready. If the plan was to weaken us, then they have succeeded. They tried from the inside with McReed, but it didnae work. Yer men have sacrificed their lives, but there’s still enough of us if the others all join.”

“I’ll make sure they will.” Hunter balled his fists and headed for the door. “I returned with a few men, and injured or not, they will fight with me. All of us want revenge. I’m off to talk with the others, and I’ll make sure they join the fight.”

“I’ll head to the healer’s hut,” Cayden said. “Iris needs to ken what is really happenin’.”