Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Alpin glanced toward the library door, then back at Mhairi. Her hair was still slightly mussed despite her attempts to fix it, and there was a telltale flush on her cheeks that would give them away to anyone paying attention.
"Come here a moment," he said, moving to check the corridor outside. "I want tae show ye somethin’…"
He moved to the far wall, running his hands along the wood paneling until his fingers found what they were looking for. A small indentation, barely visible unless ye knew where to look.
He pressed, and a section of the wall swung inward with a soft click.
Mhairi's eyes widened. "A hidden passage?"
"The castle is full of them. Built during the clan wars, when quick escapes were necessary." He gestured for her to enter. "I want ye tae ken these secrets, in case ye ever need them. Come on. This leads to a side corridor on the lower level."
She hesitated at the threshold, peering into the darkness beyond. "Are there torches?"
"Aye. Though they're probably burnt low." Alpin grabbed one of the library's candles and stepped into the passage first. "Stay close. The floor's uneven in places."
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for one person, let alone two.
Alpin had to duck his head at several points where the ceiling dropped low, and he could hear Mhairi's breathing close behind him as they navigated the tight space.
True to his word, torches were mounted along the walls at intervals, though most had burned down to embers. The flickering light cast dancing shadows across the stone, making the passage feel even more confined.
"How many of these passages are there?" Mhairi asked, her voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space.
"Dozens. They connect most of the major rooms to various exit points throughout the castle.
" He reached back to take her hand, helping her over an uneven section of floor.
"Me faither made me memorize them all when I was a lad.
Said a laird should always ken how tae move through his own castle unseen. "
"That's rather dark thinkin’ fer a child's lesson."
"Highland life is rather dark sometimes." He paused where the passage narrowed further, turning sideways to fit through. "Watch yer head here. The ceilin’ drops."
Mhairi pressed close behind him, her body flush against his back as they squeezed through the tight section.
Alpin was acutely aware of every point where they touched, her hands on his shoulders for balance, her chest against his spine, the warmth of her breath on his neck.
"This is cozy," she murmured, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Careful. I might get ideas about stoppin’ here."
"In a dusty secret passage?"
"I'd have ye anywhere." He felt her laugh shake through both their bodies. "Though I'll admit, the library was much more comfortable."
They navigated around a corner, and the passage opened slightly. Alpin was just beginning to relax when his foot caught on something, a fallen beam, probably dislodged during some long-ago structural shift.
He stumbled, and Mhairi crashed into his back. He caught himself against the wall with one hand while his other arm wrapped around behind him to steady her.
They ended up pressed together in the narrow space, his back to her front, both breathing hard from the near-fall. Alpin could feel Mhairi's heart racing against his spine.
"Are ye all right?" he asked.
"Aye." Her hands had come up to grip his waist. "Though ye might want tae watch where ye're steppin’."
"Noted." He should have moved. Should continue navigating them toward the exit. But standing here in the darkness with Mhairi pressed against him felt too good to rush.
She must have felt the same because she didn't pull away either. Instead, her arms slid around his waist, and she rested her cheek against his back.
"Thank ye," she said softly.
"Ye already thanked me."
"I ken. But I wanted tae say it again." Her hands spread across his chest. "I dinnae think I could've gotten through today without ye."
Alpin turned in her arms, which was awkward in the confined space but necessary. He had to see her face when he said this.
"Ye're stronger than ye think, Mhairi. Ye would've gotten through it." He tilted her chin up with one finger. "But I'm glad ye didnae have tae dae it alone."
In the dim torchlight, her eyes were dark and luminous. She leaned into him, and he bent his head to kiss her, slow and sweet and full of promises he was only beginning to understand he wanted to make.
When they finally pulled apart, Mhairi was smiling. "We should probably keep movin’ before someone realizes we've both disappeared."
"Aye. Though I'm rather enjoyin’ being trapped in here with ye."
"Trapped? This was yer idea."
"And an excellent idea it was." But he was already moving again, leading her deeper into the passage. "Come on. The exit is just ahead."
They navigated the rest of the passage in comfortable silence, stepping over debris and ducking under low sections until finally, Alpin found the door he'd been looking for. He pressed the release mechanism, and it swung open into a side corridor that was blessedly empty.
Sunlight streamed through windows at the far end, and fresh air replaced the musty smell of the passage.
Alpin stepped out first, checking that the coast was clear before helping Mhairi emerge.
They both looked considerably more disheveled than they had entering the library. Mhairi's dress was dusty from brushing against stone walls, and Alpin was fairly certain he had cobwebs in his hair.
"We look like we've been crawlin’ through tunnels," Mhairi observed, brushing dust from her skirts.
"Because we have been." Alpin tried to smooth his hair down. "Is it very obvious?"
"Ye have a cobweb on yer shoulder."
He brushed it away, then reached out to adjust Mhairi's braid, which had come partially undone during their journey. His fingers lingered against her neck longer than strictly necessary, and she leaned into the touch.
"Better?" she asked.
"Presentable enough." Though her lips were still kiss-swollen and her cheeks still flushed. "Ready tae face the world?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
They emerged into the main corridor just as a servant rushed past, barely sparing them a glance. Apparently disheveled nobles were common enough not to warrant attention.
They'd made it perhaps ten steps when Duncan appeared at the end of the corridor, moving at a pace just short of running.
"Me laird!" he called. "Thank God I found ye. We've had reports."
Alpin's relaxed mood evaporated instantly. "What reports?"
"From the borderlands. There's been an attack." Duncan was breathing hard, like he'd been searching the entire castle. "Ashcombe's men hit one of our outlyin’ villages. The messenger just arrived."
Ice flooded through Alpin's veins. "Casualties?"
"Some injuries, nay deaths that we ken of. But me laird..." Duncan's expression was grim. "They took women. At least five that we've confirmed missin’."
Beside him, Mhairi had gone pale. Alpin's hand found hers automatically, gripping tight.
"Gather everyone," he said, his voice steady despite the rage building in his chest. "We ride out immediately. I want see the damage meself."
"Aye, me laird."
"I'm coming with ye."
Both men turned to look at Mhairi. Her jaw was set, her grey eyes fierce despite her obvious fear.
"Mhairi, nay."
"Those women were taken because of me. Because Ashcombe is tryin’ tae force ye tae give me back." Her voice was steady but her hand trembled in his. "I have tae see what me presence here has cost."
"It's nae yer fault."
"I ken what ye're goin’ tae say. That this is Ashcombe's daein’, that I'm nae responsible fer his actions. And intellectually, I understand that." She met his eyes. "But I still need tae see. I need tae ken what we're truly fightin’ against."
Alpin wanted to argue. Wanted to keep her safe in the castle where she wouldn't have to witness the aftermath of Ashcombe's cruelty.
But he recognized the determination in her expression, the same determination that had kept her fighting on that auction platform, that had driven her to learn healing despite her trauma.
"All right," he said. "But ye stay close tae me. And if I tell ye tae dae somethin’, ye dae it immediately. Understood?"
"Understood."
Within the hour, they were riding out—Alpin, Mhairi, Peadar, Kenina, and Callum, along with a dozen armed warriors. The day had turned grey, threatening rain, and the wind carried the acrid smell of smoke.
They rode hard, pushing their horses across muddy paths that had been churned by recent traffic.
Evidence of the attack became clear as they approached the borderlands, scorched fields, scattered belongings, a cart overturned in the road with its contents spilled across the ground.
"Christ," Callum muttered beside him.
The village itself was worse.
What had been a thriving small community was now mostly rubble. Houses burned, their roofs collapsed. Belongings scattered everywhere, a child's doll lying in the mud, pots and pans thrown from kitchens, blankets torn and trampled.
And people. Survivors sitting in shocked clusters, some injured, all terrified.
Alpin dismounted before his horse had fully stopped, his eyes taking in the destruction with barely controlled fury. This was his land. Those were his people. And he'd failed to protect them.
"Spread out," he ordered, his voice carrying across the ruined village. "Check fer injured who need immediate attention. Look fer any evidence of where they took the women, tracks, dropped items, anything that might tell us which direction they went."
His warriors moved immediately, efficient and grim-faced.
Peadar joined him, surveying the damage with an expression that suggested he'd seen it before.
"This is exactly what Graham did tae me lands," Peadar said quietly. "Fast, brutal, targetin’ the women specifically. They knew exactly where tae strike and when."
"How many did ye say were taken?" Alpin asked Duncan, who'd ridden out with them.
"Five confirmed. But some families are still unaccounted fer, so there might be more."
Mhairi had dismounted and was already moving among the injured, Kenina close behind her. Alpin watched her kneel beside an elderly woman, checking injuries with gentle efficiency despite her own distress.
"Me laird." One of his warriors approached with something in his hands. "Found this near the eastern edge. Looks fresh."
It was a scrap of cloth, torn from a dress, caught on a branch. And there were tracks, multiple horses, heading south toward the border.
"They went that way," Alpin said, more to himself than anyone else. "Movin’ fast, probably plannin’ tae get the women across the border before we could mobilize a pursuit."
"Dae we go after them?" Callum asked.
"With what force? We'd be ridin’ intae a trap." Alpin's hands clenched into fists. "They're expectin’ us tae chase. Expectin’ us tae act emotionally rather than strategically."
"So we dae nothing?" The question came from Mhairi, who'd rejoined them. Her dress was already stained with blood from tending the injured.
"We adapt." Alpin looked around at his gathered companions.
"Callum, I need messengers sent back tae the castle immediately.
We need reinforcements, supplies, and healers.
Duncan, organize the survivors, see who needs transport back tae the main village and who can stay tae help salvage what's left. "
"And the women who were taken?" Mhairi pressed.
"We'll find them. But we need tae be smart about it.
" Alpin moved to examine the tracks more closely.
"See how the horses are bunched here? They're movin’ in a tight group, which means they're vulnerable tae ambush if we can predict their route.
Peadar, ye've dealt with Graham's network before, where would they take the women? "
"Safe houses first, tae wait out any immediate pursuit. Then tae an auction site once they think it's clear." Peadar knelt beside the tracks. "But the safe houses move around. Graham learned after I rescued Kenina that keeping women in one place too long was dangerous."
"So we need tae find his current safe houses." Alpin straightened. "Which means we need better intelligence."
"I can help with that."
They all turned to find Kenina approaching, her expression determined. "I was moved through Graham's network. I remember some of the locations, some of the routes. And I ken how tae recognize the signs they use tae mark safe paths."
"What kind of signs?" Alpin asked.
"Markings on trees, specific patterns of stones at crossroads. Naething obvious, but once ye ken what tae look fferor..." She gestured to the path where the tracks led. "Let me scout ahead with a small group. If I can identify which route they're using, we can get ahead of them."
Alpin looked at Peadar, who nodded. "She's good at this. Better than any of me warriors."
"All right. But ye take armed guards with ye. Six at minimum, and ye report back every two hours." Alpin turned to his second-in-command. "Fergus, ye'll lead Kenina's escort."
As his people dispersed to their tasks, Alpin finally allowed himself to survey the full extent of the damage. Homes destroyed. Families torn apart. Women stolen.
And it was his fault. He'd known Ashcombe was dangerous, had known the man was capable of this, and yet he hadn't prepared adequately.
"This isnae yer fault."
He looked down to find Mhairi beside him, her hand slipping into his.
"They're me people. Me responsibility."
"And Ashcombe's cruelty. His choice tae dae this." She squeezed his hand. "Ye cannae protect everyone all the time, Alpin. Ye're daeing everything ye can."
"It's nae enough."
"Then we'll dae more." Her voice was fierce despite her bloodstained dress and exhausted eyes. "We'll find those women. We'll stop Graham and Ashcombe. And we'll make sure this never happens again."
Alpin pulled her close, not caring who saw, needing the contact to ground himself. "We will," he promised. "Whatever it takes."
Around them, his people were already beginning the work of recovery—tending injuries, salvaging belongings, organizing shelter for those whose homes had been destroyed. It would take time, resources, and more strength than Alpin felt he possessed in that moment.
But as he stood there with Mhairi in his arms and his warriors moving with purpose around him, he felt something shift. That attack had been meant to break him, to force him to surrender Mhairi to stop the violence.
Instead, it had just made him more determined to see Ashcombe and Graham destroyed.
"Send the messenger," he said to Duncan. "Tell them we need reinforcements, supplies, and every piece of intelligence we can gather on Graham's network. And tell them..." He paused. "Tell them war is coming. And we intend tae win it."