Chapter 23
“Burn the witch! Burn the witch!” the angry crowd shouted.
Outside the castle, Kenneth watched in horror as one of his latest fears turned into reality. An angry mob with torches and knives, seemingly hellbent on taking the life of the woman he loved.
Anger and hatred overwhelmed him at that moment, and for a second, he thought he would be the one to stop the madness and make the villagers regret threatening the healer in this way.
But he soon realized that violence would only bring more violence, so if he wanted to save Leana, he would have to find another way.
She was standing next to him, watching the scene at the castle gates with an angry and nervous look on her face. “How? Why is this happenin’?” she gasped, frightened.
Kenneth took her hand. “The letter ye wrote to yer sisters. Surely yer Laird has found a way to intercept it.” He furrowed his brow. “I have nay doubt he has somethin’ to do with all of this.”
“Nay… it cannae be…” she whispered, shaking her head frantically as Kenneth began to walk briskly back to the forest.
“Be that as it may, we must settle this matter,” he insisted, pausing to wait for her to catch up.
“What are we goin’ to do?” she asked, trying to remain calm.
But Kenneth could hear the fear in her voice.
“Trust me,” he said, giving her a quick but intense look. “I willnae let anythin’ happen to ye,” he promised.
And Leana, unable to say anything, just nodded.
In a hurry, Kenneth led her to the back of the castle, entering through one of the secret passages he himself had used to escape in the past, when Hunter was just a baby.
Fortunately, only a few knew of the secret passages, so they soon found themselves safe, away from the crowd and the angry shouts and threats.
“Kenneth!” Valerie cried as soon as she saw them. She ran toward them, with Brenda and Hunter in tow.
Without hesitation, Valerie hugged Leana tightly. She had tears in her eyes, just like Brenda.
“Kenneth, what’s happenin’?” she asked, not letting go of Leana.
“We were afraid somethin’ had happened to ye…” Brenda said, stroking Leana’s cheek as Kenneth took a step away from the three women.
“I daenae ken what’s goin’ on, but I intend to fix it right away,” he assured, looking first at Leana and then at Brenda and Valerie. “For now, take Leana to one of the towers and make sure she’s safe,” he ordered.
Brenda and Valerie nodded.
“Daenae worry, Braither,” Hunter said as he stepped forward. “I’ll take care of her, just like she took care of me,” he promised.
A smile tugged at Kenneth’s lips. “I trust ye will,” he told his little brother proudly, feeling Leana’s eyes on him. “daenae leave the tower until I tell ye to,” he added, before turning and hurrying to the castle entrance.
Behind him, he heard Leana call out to him, her voice full of concern. But this time, he had to ignore her. He would make sure she was safe first, and then calm her fears.
So, he marched off in haste. Soon, his man-at-arms caught up with him.
“Me Laird, what is goin’ on?”
“I daenae ken yet, but we’re goin’ to find out,” Kenneth muttered in an almost threatening tone.
The castle doors opened as he and his man-at-arms stepped out to face the still-angry crowd, their torches held high in the air. The lights were drawn menacingly against the night, stormy and dark.
“Me Laird, give us the witch!” the crowd shouted as Kenneth marched toward them.
“There is nay witch in me castle,” he asserted in an even voice, holding back his anger. “Only a healer who has taken it upon herself to cure me braither.”
“She is a witch!” the crowd shouted. “A witch who has come to curse us all!”
“Leana Beaton is a fine woman,” Kenneth insisted. “Intelligent and skilled. I willnae allow anyone to harm her.”
His order was clear, but the crowd didn’t seem to want to listen.
“She’s a witch!” they shouted. “She’s bewitched ye! She’s bewitched the Laird!”
“Leana hasnae bewitched me!” Kenneth barked. “And I willnae allow anyone to say otherwise. She saved me braither, and whoever stands against her stands against me!” he warned.
He took a step toward the crowd, and they seemed to recoil. The dark look in his eye, as well as the authority in his voice, seemed to sow doubt among the angry villagers.
But soon a voice contradicted his words, once again eliciting the angry shouts of those holding the torches.
“These villagers are right, me Laird,” the man said.
Kenneth turned just in time to see the traitor walking toward him.
“Leana Beaton is a witch, for I can assure ye that she has bewitched ye!” Maxwell Aitken proclaimed.
Of course, I should have guessed. Ye were never as devoted a follower as ye claimed…
Truth be told, Kenneth had never fully trusted Maxwell. At least not since he had heard him speak so impassively about Hunter’s death on the day his younger brother was born.
After the former Laird had died, Maxwell had sworn loyalty to Kenneth, promising to serve the new Laird to the best of his ability. And because of the length of time he had served on the Laird’s council, Kenneth decided to trust him.
Part of him hoped that the old man had changed over the years, but that was clearly not the case. Jonas had warned him many times before.
“Ye’d better watch yer mouth, Maxwell,” Kenneth warned, glaring at the traitor. “The woman ye are slanderin’ saved me braither, and she has me full protection.”
And me devotion as well…
“That woman is a witch!” Maxwell growled, ignoring his warning. “I meself have witnessed her enchantin’ ye, Laird MacReid, for the sole purpose of seizin’ control of yer domain.”
“Enough!” Kenneth bellowed. “I willnae allow ye to speak about Leana in this manner.”
“Do ye nae see, me Laird?” Maxwell continued, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. “The witch tried to murder her Laird after failin’ to cast a spell on him. And now she’s come for ye!”
“She saved me braither!” Kenneth snapped.
“I ken, and that’s why I’ve been lenient with her,” Maxwell retorted.
“But I can nay longer feign ignorance when it’s obvious she’s bewitched ye, me Laird.
She has turned ye into a weak and distracted man who will surely lead this clan to ruin,” she added contemptuously, spitting on the ground between them.
“And I willnae allow it. Yer late faither would be very disappointed to see what ye have become… A weakling who worries about somethin’ as insignificant as matters of the heart… ”
So, that’s what this is all about. He has deduced that I love Leana, and he deems it a weakness. I could expect nothin’ less from a loyal follower of me faither.
“Now I understand everythin’,” Kenneth said, smiling grimly. “Because a man without a heart can understand nothin’ about love.”
The statement seemed to surprise everyone in the crowd, even Jonas. The angry villagers lowered their torches, and a murmur seemed to ripple through them.
“So ye admit it,” Maxwell spat. “Ye admit that ye have fallen under the spell of th-that harpy.”
“One more word against her and ye will regret it,” Kenneth threatened, unflinching, fixing the man he had once considered an advisor with a contemptuous look. “I willnae allow ye to say another word against the woman I love.”
But Maxwell did not seem to be intimidated. He shook his face and spat on the ground again.
“I see we’re goin’ to have to do this the hard way. But daenae worry, me Laird. I’ll get ye out of this spell,” he hissed, snapping his fingers.
Just then, Kenneth heard screams and watched in horror as one of Maxwell’s guards dragged Leana forward, clutching her tightly as he held a knife to her throat.
“Nay!” he cried, taking a step toward her, but Maxwell stopped him.
“I’m goin’ to prove in front of everyone that this woman has bewitched our Laird!” Maxwell shouted, grabbing Leana by the arm and pulling her close to him while pointing his dagger at her. “Witch, did ye or did ye nae threaten to kill yer Laird?”
Kenneth was on the verge of madness. His ire grew further when he noticed the fear in Leana’s gaze.
And yet, even under threat, she spoke in a calm and proud voice. “I did. I’d do anythin’ to protect me family!”
“Stop this, Maxwell!” Kenneth shouted, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the traitor.
However, Maxwell only brought his dagger a little closer to Leana’s neck. Kenneth could see a drop of blood beading on her lightly tanned skin.
If I take one more step, she will die…
“And ye admit that yer intention in comin’ here has been to cast a spell on our Laird? Say it, woman!” Maxwell cried.
Leana gave Kenneth a long, meaningful look, before stating, “If by ‘bewitching’ ye mean fallin’ in love with him, then aye, I have bewitched him. But only because he’s bewitched me first…”
Her lips curled into a small smile, almost like a farewell.
Kenneth’s heart stuttered, before starting to thunder against his ribcage. He suddenly understood that he was about to lose the only woman he had ever loved.
His senses were eclipsed by the gravity of the moment, by those words that hung in the air. And at the same time, another voice from his nightmares sounded.
“Come on, dear, daenae say that. It’s all nonsense. Because ye’d never hurt me. Would ye, me sweet?”
Standing before the man who threatened her, Leana waited for death. And secretly, she was confident that it would come quickly, without pain.
To be honest, she was not afraid of dying, but it hurt that it would be that way, especially after hearing Kenneth confess his feelings for her. She feared what he might do in anger, for she knew he was relentless when it came to protecting those he loved.
If she died, she knew that Kenneth would make everyone involved pay with their lives.
A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought, only to be replaced by the lump that formed in her throat when she heard that voice.
The voice of the man who had haunted her nightmares for years.
Laird Matheson, the man she hated with all her being, looked at her with eyes full of desire and triumph. He clearly found the scene most entertaining.
As he pushed his way through the crowd, he continued, “Long ago I called her a witch due to a misunderstandin’. But I’m here to take her back… Unless, of course, ye plan to stop me, MacReid.”
The smile on his lips was lascivious. His eyes bored into hers such that she knew if she survived and he had a chance, he would make her pay for all the threats she had made against him.
“If ye promise to take this witch away, I’ll let her live, Laird Matheson. But only if ye take care of Laird MacReid first,” Maxwell said, glaring at Kenneth. “He clearly doesnae have what it takes to rule this clan anymore.”
Immediately, Jonas drew his sword, as did other guards, who assumed a defensive stance.
The crowd had parted, terrified, as Laird Matheson laughed.
“It will be me pleasure,” he said, drawing his own sword.
“Nay, Kenneth!” Leana screamed in terror.
But Kenneth seemed unmoved. Filled with rage, and with an iron stoicism that made him proudly square his shoulders in a very different way from Maxwell, who yanked Leana by the arm.
“Ye see, Laird MacReid? She doesnae want ye to die before ye do her bidding!” he shouted.
Suddenly, a whistle sounded in the distance, quickly followed by an arrow.
Leana barely had time to back away as the arrow whizzed past her, causing Maxwell to release her as Hunter shouted from a nearby tower, “Leave Miss Healer alone!”
The distraction was enough for Leana to bolt away from Maxwell.
Now that his love was out of danger, Kenneth marched up to the traitor, his anger more evident than ever.
“This conversation is over,” he growled, his sword held high.
Maxwell was barely aware of what was happening. His eyes widened with horror just before Kenneth plunged his sword into his chest and twisted it.
Silence rose like a war cry, enveloping Kenneth, whose silvery gaze promised only one thing: revenge against those who had dared to threaten his one true love.