Chapter 17
Logan was on his knees, no longer part of the personal guard, no longer an esteemed warrior. His sword had been taken. His hands were empty. His heart had been crushed. Wounds ached and pain throbbed.
The Knox family stood around him in a circle, staring at him with shame and anger. Ryan’s was barely controlled. The man loomed above Logan, peering at him with barely restrained fury. His stance was wide, his hands were curled into fists. Logan expected a beating before too long.
He would meet every strike because it was no less than he deserved. The armor had been stripped from his back too. Everything was laid bare.
“She was taken because of ye?” Ryan asked in a brittle voice.
Logan closed his eyes, offering the barest hint of a nod. He could have lied, but what use would that have been? It wouldn’t have helped Beitris.
“I tried tae trade myself for her safety, but they were nae interested in a deal. Warnock wants her,” Logan said.
Ryan pressed his lips together. “I thought ye were honorable. Instead I find that ye are just a mercenary.”
“Worse than that. I am yer enemy. My last name is Warnock. I’m his son, his blood,” he said.
Swords were drawn. Allan had a smug look on his face, although there was no joy that accompanied it. Logan didn’t flinch as the blades pointed at him. Caroline bowed her head. A woman he didn’t know put her arm around Caroline. Ryan drew his hand back, but the blow never came.
“His son?” Ryan hissed.
Logan pursed his lips and nodded.
“And what are ye daeing here, sae far from home?”
“I came here tae kill ye,” Logan said, looking Ryan Knox straight in the eye.
Allan, Elliot, and Nessa drew closer.
“Let’s hang him now before he can cause any more trouble or ransom him off tae Warnock. Perhaps we can exchange him for Beitris,” Allan said.
“He will nae be interested in a trade,” Logan muttered.
“We can deal with him and we’ll accelerate our assault on his Keep. I will bring Beitris home,” Allan said.
Ryan considered the matter, and then he spoke softly. “A daughter for a daughter,” he whispered. He raised his hand, stilling Allan’s enthusiasm. His gaze was focused on Logan.
“And why did ye want tae kill me, lad? Ye could hae let me die on the battlefield,” as he said this, realization came upon his face, he scoffed. “Ye were nae protecting me, ye were making sure that ye would hae the kill. Abigail was yer sister.”
When he spoke her name, some strange sensation passed beneath Logan’s skin. He bowed his head and clenched his jaw. For a moment he forgot about all the other people in the Great Hall and only focused on the man standing before him, the man who at one time would have stood beside Abigail.
“Aye. And she killed herself because of ye. Because ye chose someone else.” Logan angled his glare towards Caroline. Ryan paused for a moment, running his tongue along his lower lip.
“Lad, I dinnae think ye understand things. The truth is that Abigail dinnae even like me all that much. She was polite, aye, but the only thing she desired was tae get away from yer Da. That’s why she wanted tae get married, and she knew that if she dinnae marry me then he would arrange for a worse match.
She was a canny lass, I’ll give her that.
I did want tae help her, even though at the time I was nae aware of how cruel yer father could be, but I never got the chance.
I got word that she died soon after she returned home tae ye.
I’m sorry, lad, she was a good woman, and she deserved better. ”
“Dinnae say that!” Logan was yelling now.
All sense of reason retreated from Logan’s mind.
He was not the warrior who had been forged through battles across the Highlands but the boy who was forced to sit in a pit all night, staring at the stars.
The boy who could only watch on as his sister was berated and used as a puppet, who had been too small to help her when she needed it most. Raw emotions uncoiled inside him like a thousand serpents.
Angry tears streamed down his cheeks and he burst forward, slamming his fists against Ryan’s chest.
Allan, Elliot, and Nessa immediately charged forward. Ryan endured the blows and then caught Logan’s arms in his hands. Logan was shuddering now, his arms deprived of their usual strength. He leaned against Ryan’s legs, and Ryan shook his head to ward the others off.
“Lad, killing me will nae bring her back. Ye must ken that.”
Logan nodded weakly. He had known this all along, but he had never wanted to admit it because he needed to believe that something he did could make a difference.
“I loved her. She always watched over me, but I could nae dae the same for her,” Logan whimpered, feeling so ashamed to be a puddle at his sworn enemy’s feet.
However, something had been unlocked within him and he couldn’t hold it back anymore. It was strange, he had always imagined plunging his dagger into Ryan’s heart, not exposing his own heart to the man.
“Aye, sisters can be like that,” Ryan glanced towards his wife and her sisters. “And now Warnock hae taken my daughter as a debt he believes he’s owed,” Ryan sighed.
“Da, why are we still standing here? Let me gather the armies. We must ride!” Allan said.
“I must gae with ye,” Logan said, looking up at Ryan with watery eyes and a desperate look on his face. He looked far from the proud warrior who had risen so sharply through the ranks.
“Never,” Allan said, and the man came striding up to stand beside Ryan.
He looked down his nose at Logan, and his sword was ready to nick Logan’s throat if he made a move.
“He betrayed the clan, caused Beitris tae get captured, and he just struck ye. Da, ye wanted me tae make strong decisions. This is one of them. Logan must die!” Allan declared.
“Calm yerself, son,” Ryan said slowly. “Wisdom will come with years. He is nae a threat at the moment.” Ryan’s attention turned back to Logan. “Tell me, boy, why did ye tell the truth now?”
“Because I cannae lie anymore… because Beitris needs yer help. I dinnae care what happens tae me. Yer son is right. Ye should ride. But I want tae be there,” Logan said. It caused him a lot of distress to admit that Allan was right.
“Why?”
“Because… because I love her,” Logan blurted out, he could no longer hide his heart, he could no longer lie. “I could nae save Abigail, but I can save her.”
The Hall went deathly still. Ryan stared at Logan for what seemed like an eternity. Then, he arched an eyebrow.
“A Warnock loves a Knox? What an irony,” he said.
“Some would hae said the same about a Gilmour and a Knox, once upon a time,” Caroline said, drawing attention.
She strode forward, her face filled with emotion.
“My love, we cannae forgive Logan for lying tae us, but if we are tae rescue her then we need the finest warriors this clan can boast, and he is among them.”
“He will put a sword tae our backs as soon as they are turned, Ma,” Allan snarled.
“I will nae fight ye, give me a blade and I will turn it against my father. I will bring Beitris home, and then ye can dae with me what ye like. Hang me, throw me in a dungeon, tear out my eyes, I dinnae care. Just let me help Beitris. I can lead ye tae the Keep, show ye where his traps are. I ken him better than any of ye, and I ken his defenses.”
“Nessa, what dae ye think?” Ryan asked.
Nessa was standing behind Logan so he did not see her face, but he heard her voice.
“I think he could hae leveraged that knowledge for his freedom, but he dinnae. He could hae ridden away and joined his father, but he came back here. Aye, he will stay true tae Beitris, and I think he kens that if he does save her, he’ll hae tae face her wrath.
And that’s a worse punishment than any ye can give him. ”
Logan bowed his head, showing supplication.
“One last fight. One last battle, and then I belong tae yer clan.”
Ryan took a heavy breath then bent down and placed his face close to Logan’s. He clasped a hand around Logan’s skull.
“Ken this. I will be watching ye, lad, and if ye put one foot wrong there will be fifty swords waiting tae claim ye life and a few arrows as well. And dinnae think I am daeing this for ye. I dae this for Beitris.”
As Ryan said this, he hauled Logan to his feet and turned the man around. Logan stared at the others. Nessa, Allan, and Elliot had narrowed eyes. Caroline’s eyes were softer, while the woman standing beside her wasn’t quite sure what to think.
“Make the final preparations. As soon as ye are ready, we march,” Ryan said.
Allan nodded firmly, sheathing his sword and marching out of the room. Logan breathed deeply, feeling a little calmer now. While so much of the world was confusing, battle was the one thing he understood. And now, after all this time, he would be going home.
And he would face his father.
And he doubted he would make it back to face justice in this Keep, because Logan’s plan for revenge had changed.
When Ryan spoke about Abigail, Logan remembered his sister not as someone who wanted to be avenged or who sought violence, but as a protector, as someone who valued life and tried to teach Logan that even in their grim surroundings.
Somewhere along the way, Logan had forgotten that. His vision had become so clouded with anger that he thought the only way forward was death.
It wasn’t.
Beitris had helped him remember that, and in a way Ryan had too.
If Logan had made the same confession in front of Warnock, he would have been thrown in the pit and shown no mercy at all.
Ryan hadn’t struck him even though he’d had every right to.
He’d listened, understood, just like a father should.
And so Logan wanted to bring justice to Abigail’s death in the only way that truly mattered, by making sure that someone else survived.
Logan had never quite been sure what he was supposed to do after he killed Ryan, but now things were becoming clearer.
He would protect Beitris, send her back to her family, and then he would end this war once and for all, even if it meant that he and Laird Warnock were buried beneath the rubble of the Keep.
As he died, he would think about his love for Beitris and how happy Abigail would have been that he got to feel such a precious, profound thing. And he would go meet his friend, who sacrificed everything for him. He knew Warnock’s men would not spare Brody he could only pray his death was quick.
Logan was in a small room, preparing for battle. He tested his sword, wincing at the pain that coursed through his muscles. There was a knock at the door. The unknown woman from before entered. She bore a striking resemblance to Caroline and Nessa.
“I’m Beitris’ aunt, Tara,” she said, smiling.
In her hand she had a jar of some sort of ointment, while a healer’s pouch rested against her waist. “I thought ye could use some healing before ye gae intae battle again. Apply this tae yer wounds. It will help protect from infection,” she said, handing him the ointment.
Then, she moved to a table and started preparing a herbal mixture.
“Ye ken, I fell in love with a hard man, a man who was haunted by his past. It’s nae an easy thing tae let gae of what torments us, but it can be done. I think it might hae started happening with Beitris, aye?”
“Aye, but it will nae last. Nae now that she kens who I am. She looked at me when she was being carried away. She hates me. There is nae way back for me.”
“Naething is ever that simple with the ways of the heart, lad, but in my experience everything can be healed, even anger. Ye just hae tae find the right remedy.” Tara came over and carried the cup. “Sometimes it can be bitter, but it is always worth it in the end.”
She pressed the cup into Logan’s hands. He gagged at the smell. It was bitter and earthy, and the herbs made the water thick. It crawled over his tongue and some of the leaves clung to his teeth. He coughed and spluttered, having to force himself to swallow.
“Save her, Logan, and she might just come back tae ye,” Tara said, leaving him with a smile and these soft words.
Logan stared at his sword.
“I’m coming for ye, Beitris. Just hold on.”