Chapter 16
N ight had fallen and Tara was sleeping deeply. She had not been able to find her sisters until dinner that evening, and had not wanted to broach the subject to ruin the mood. The writing in her journal had been emotional that night.
I find myself torn between two worlds. This is my home. My bond with my sisters is as strong as ever. I want to help them. I want to protect them. Am I selfish for also wanting to leave? I find myself thinking about Gordon more and more. I miss his voice, his strange sense of humor, his touch. The longer I remain away from him the more like a dream it seems. What if I take too long to return to him? What if he thinks that I have broken my promise? I cannot bear that he might think me a liar. I miss him dearly, but I cannot be in two places at once. Where am I supposed to belong?
The fraught emotions left her exhausted, and it had not taken her long to sleep. However, she was awoken by a frantic hammering at the door. Tara stirred, strands of hair swept over her face, her eyes blinking in confusion.
“Ye need tae come with me,” a guard said in a stern voice.
Tara rubbed her eyes and was slow to move. The guard came into the room and the urgency in his voice was something that Tara could not ignore. She grabbed a thick cloak and her healer’s pouch and left with him.
In the distance, she heard thundering footsteps through the castle as well as people barking orders. Everything was tense. Had there been an attack? Had Allan been abducted? The guard led her to a room in which Nessa, Caroline, and Allan were waiting for her. Nessa rushed up to her and hugged her.
“Good, ye are here,” Nessa exclaimed with relief, as though the argument that occurred between them last time had not happened at all.
Caroline did not get up. She was sitting in the corner, holding Allan tightly to her breast, the child’s head tucked into her shawl, as though she was shielding him from the outside world.
“What’s happening?” Tara asked.
Nessa had a grim look on her face as she took Tara to the window.
“That,” she said, pointing towards the village near the keep.
A fire blazed, crackling out of control, leaping from house to house as though it were alive. It was like an orange tide that flooded the buildings. Villagers cried out and were flinging buckets of water, but they could not gather enough to stop the fire. Guards poured out of the Keep and ran towards the village to help.
“It’s nae gaeing tae be long until the enemy reveal themselves,” Nessa growled.
“Ye think this is our uncle’s daeing?”
“Who else?” Nessa replied.
Allan cried out. Caroline shushed him. Nessa heard noise outside the door. She unsheathed her sword and peered outside.
“What can I dae tae help?” Tara asked.
“Stay here, stay quiet. The guards will make sure that naebody comes intae the Keep, and I will make sure that naebody comes intae this room,” Nessa replied sternly. She closed the door again and took up a defensive position near the door.
“Nessa, I want tae help. I am more capable than ye think.”
“I know ye are capable Tara, but ye are a healer, and this is nae the time for one. Stay with Caroline and Allan. I will defend ye,” Nessa said without taking her eyes off the door.
Tara returned to the window, watching the flames lick the buildings. Smoke billowed in the air, making it difficult to see the people. She could see vague silhouettes rushing around. The scent of ash and heat drifted towards her, and Tara’s eyes filled with tears of pity for those whose homes and places of business were being destroyed.
“It’s nae fair. Why should this happen?” Tara wondered in a choking breath.
“It happens because wicked men dinnae hae nae room for mercy in their hearts. But they will be taught a lesson taenight. They will nae get away with this. They hae taken tae many liberties already.”
“I should be down there. I could help people.”
“Ye are nae gaeing anywhere.” Nessa turned towards Tara, her eyes flashing. “I told ye before that I am nae letting anything happen tae ye. Hamish and Ryan and leading the other guards outside. There are other healers who can help people. If Ken and Gorram come back, it’s us they’ll want. We are the ones who need protecting, as much as I hate admitting it,” Nessa replied.
Tara wanted to ask her about Hamish, but she did not think it was the right time. She turned and checked on Caroline and Allan, asking Caroline if she needed a rest from holding her child. Caroline shook her head.
“I am nae letting him gae until this is over.”
Tara was alone with her sisters again, facing the dark forces of the world. Were they ever going to be free of these burdens? Suddenly, there was a crashing sound elsewhere in the Keep, and cries of pain.
“Stay here,” Nessa ordered, and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Tara was stricken with fear as she pulled open the door and peeked outside. Looking down the long corridor, she saw Nessa running towards two enemy soldiers. She feinted one way and impaled the first man on her sword. He crumpled to the ground. In one movement, she extricated her weapon and slashed it around. The other soldier blocked her first blow, but not the second. His stomach was slashed, and he fell at her feet.
But there were plenty of others to take his place.
The only benefit Nessa had was that the hallway acted as a choke point, but the guards rampaged towards her, and Tara feared for her sister’s life. She was only one woman against all these soldiers. And yet, this one woman was a formidable one indeed.
Nessa stood firm and widened her stance. She braced herself for the next soldiers and attacked with ruthless efficiency. Her weapon of choice had traditionally been a bow, but clearly the training sessions with Hamish had granted her a keen talent with the sword. She wielded it with precision, finding a way through the enemy defenses and leaving a pile of bodies at her feet.
But still, they kept coming, and the sheer number of them meant that Nessa had to retreat. She was pushed back by the tide of soldiers. The air was alive with the song of steel. Tara watched breathlessly, wishing that she had a weapon of her own to assist Nessa, but Nessa had to fight by herself. She was backing closer and closer towards the door.
Tara could see that Nessa’s arms were shaking with fatigue and there were three men bearing down on her, standing shoulder to shoulder, creating a wall that spanned the width of the corridor. Their faces made them look more like snarling beasts than men. They lusted for blood and their eyes were filled with a malevolent glare. These were the kinds of men that Gorram allied himself with, the dregs of the world, good for nothing other than battle.
Nessa cried out. One of them struck with such strength that her arm flailed backwards. Another soldier tried to take advantage, slicing at her abdomen. Nessa just about managed to jump back, although her clothes had been ripped open and a thin line of blood snaked across her stomach. The sight of it emboldened the soldiers who could taste victory. They hammed blows upon her and now Nessa was running back.
“Get ready tae bar the door!” she cried, turning fully.
But Tara wasn’t about to let these men, smash the door down. It would only be a matter of time before they destroyed the final barrier. So Tara reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of fine powder. When Nessa grew close, Tara shouted out to her.
“Duck!”
Nessa did so without hesitation, and then Tara hurled the powder at the onrushing soldiers. Her aim was true, and the powder scattered in the air, turning to grit in their eyes. They staggered for a moment, and a moment was all Nessa needed.
Their hands instinctively raised to claw at their eyes, rubbing away the powder, which left them exposed. Nessa twirled around with all her might, her sword rushing in an arc that cut through each of the men’s stomachs. They fell one by one, crumpling into a heap, and Nessa’s sword dripped with blood. While Tara would never condone this type of violence, she knew that it was necessary.
“Let’s get inside,” Nessa said, ready to drag the door closed behind her, but then Tara spotted someone else striding up the hallway, one final soldier that filled her heart with dread because this wasn’t any ordinary soldier.
This wasn’t some bandit that Ken had picked up from some muddy camp. This was a man who embodied evil and had set everything in motion with the wicked act of poisoning his own brother, with the goal of stealing a clan for himself and wedding his own niece.
Tara’s face paled.
“Nae,” she gasped.
Nessa turned her head, looking over her shoulder. She cursed under her breath.
“Get inside,” she cried urgently.
Tara didn’t need telling twice. Along with Nessa she hurled herself into the room and Caroline looked at them with panic. From their reaction she knew who was coming. Her face was drawn, and she clutched Allan just that little bit tighter.
Gorram was coming towards them. He had always been a twisted man, but now he had been stewing in a cauldron of hated for two years, and his three nieces had plagued his thoughts. With nothing else to do during his captivity he had hewn his body, spending hours each day pushing his muscles to the limits, cutting away every ounce of unnecessary fat, and transforming himself into a potent, brawny warrior.
Hatred and ferocity dripped off him. There was less of a man now, and more pure, roiling violence, as though it was his intense emotions that kept him alive rather than the beating of his heart. He strode over the fallen bodies as though they weren’t there, and his eyes were fixed on Nessa and Tara.
Both women tried to pull the door closed, but one of the soldier’s arms was trapped and blocked the door from shutting completely. Nessa kicked it away and the door creaked. Nessa and Tara cried out with desperation, but just as the door was about to close a hand grabbed it and pulled it back with strength that Nessa and Tara simply couldn’t match. Gorram stood there, face twisted with smug rage.
“Finally, I hae ye all tae myself,” he growled.
His sword was long and the blade was jagged. He was no longer dressed in the colors of his clan, but wore clothes that were various shades of black. His eyes were pitted coals and his face was as white as winter, having been deprived of sunlight for two years. He was a shadow of the man he had once been, now distilled to the essence of everything he had left, which was bitterness. Tara backed away, putting herself between the man and Caroline. Nessa gripped her sword.
“This is as far as ye will reach,” she said through gritted teeth,
Gorram merely smiled. “Is that the welcome he hae for me after all this time? I thought ye would hae kinder words for ye dear uncle, but I suppose I should nae hae expected much from traitors.”
“Ye are the traitor! Ye killed our Da,” Nessa growled.
“Because I was a better man than him, and I would hae been a better laird. It was only pure chance that he was born before me. But ye all made a mockery of my plans by surrendering the clan. How could ye? Everything yer Da held dear hae been stripped away because of yer marriage tae that sorry excuse of a Knox,” Gorram spat as he spoke the name.
Then he leveled his gaze at Caroline. “Ye think ye changed yer fate. I am here tae tell ye that we are destined tae be taegether. As we speak, Ken is fighting with Ryan. He will kill the Laird, and then we shall take the clans back, ruling them taegether. Ye will be my wife, Caroline, and I will raise yer bastard son as my own. I will make sure that he never knows his true father. As for ye two, I will find something for ye. I’m sure ye will both fetch a pretty penny,” he smirked.
Caroline gasped and shook her head, closing her eyes in an effort to escape the terrible scene, but there was no escape.
Gorram filled the door. Jumping out of the window meant certain death, although at this point that might have been preferable to the alternative.
“If ye come with me, Caroline, then we can avoid any more… difficulty,” he claimed, glancing over his shoulder at the wake of destruction left by Nessa.
“She’s nae gaeing anywhere with ye. Ye should hae stayed in the dungeon. At least there ye would hae kept living. I’m gaeing tae end this once and for all. It’s time for ye tae die, Uncle,” Nessa said, and brandished her sword.
Gorram smiled, as though this was the way he wanted things to end.
Tara glanced between her two sisters. She couldn’t expect Caroline to perform another heroic act, not when Allan’s safety was the priority, and she feared for Nessa’s safety. Tara possessed a rudimentary knowledge of how to defend herself, but those basic lessons weren’t going to help her in a fight against a skilled warrior like Gorram. She would probably only get in Nessa’s way.
Now that Gorram was in the room with them, Tara realized the burdens that had been placed on her sisters. Of course, they had been scared, scared of this very eventuality. Allan is the future of the clan, and he needed to be guarded at all costs. Nothing else mattered, not even Tara’s happiness. She had seen the same kind of devotion in Gordon for Keith, the willingness to tear the world asunder in order to protect his child.
Tara would have given her life to save Gordon and Keith, and she was willing to do the same now to protect her family. She stood in front of Caroline. If Nessa failed, then it would be up to her to protect her sister and nephew. She planted her feet on the ground and wasn’t sure how she was going to defend herself, but she would find a way.
Before her eyes, Nessa and Gorram fought like two mutts tussling over a scrap of meat. Nessa tapped into a deep hatred that she rarely showed, and Gorram did not show any mercy, despite the fact that Nessa was a woman. Their swords clashed. Gorram made angry strikes, sometimes swinging his sword like a hammer. Nessa used her agility to her advantage, ducking and diving across the room, making as much use of the space as she could.
This only served to enrage Gorram. He kicked over chairs, while his sword crashed into a table. He bellowed with rage. Tara glanced over her shoulder at Caroline. The poor woman had so much to worry about. Even now, her husband was fighting Ken, and Caroline had no idea how the battle was going to unfold. Would she be made a widow?
Nessa managed to sneak her blade past Gorram’s defenses and draw blood. He snarled, seeming impressed for a moment. Nessa attacked again, taking heart from her earlier strike, but this time her confidence was misplaced. She was too cocky. Gorram anticipated her movement and grabbed her arm. He dragged Nessa towards him and clenched his fist, slamming it into her cheek. Nessa was dazed and staggered back limply, her eyes lolling. She dropped her sword, and it fell at Tara’s feet. Tara quickly picked it up with both hands. It trembled.
Gorram stepped forward and pressed his chest against the tip of the blade. “I know all about ye, Tara. Ye are a healer. Ye hae sworn an oath tae dae nae harm. Are ye a woman of yer word, or will ye break it tae protect ye sisters? All ye hae tae dae is press the sword a wee bit deeper. I think ye hae it in ye. I can see the Gilmour ruthlessness in yer eyes. Yer sisters should never hae taken ye away from the Keep. Put the sword down and step aside. There is still a place for ye with me. I can make ye comfortable. Ken is gaeing tae need a bride after all,” he said.
Tara’s stomach churned. Nessa was clambering back to her feet, using the back of a chair as a support. Her lip was swollen, and a dark bruise swam over her face. She was in no position to fight. It was all down to Tara, but despite this man radiating evil, she could not bring herself to kill him. It went against her very nature, and all the promises she had made before men and gods.
But then she thought about the baby behind her, and all the lengths her sisters had gone to over the years to protect her. She thought about Gordon and how he was willing to do whatever it took to save his son. There were no barriers. Every line could be crossed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, mostly to herself.
But then she heard the thunder of footsteps rushing up the hallway. Gorram turned and smiled.
“Ah, Laird Abernathy. Sae ye got my message after all. I’m glad ye could join us.”
Tara saw Gordon’s cold eyes staring at her, and she was overcome with horror.