Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The village hall smelled of blood and herbs and unwashed bodies.
Mhairi knelt beside a makeshift stretcher where a woman lay with a deep gash across her forearm. The woman's face was pale, her breathing shallow, and her eyes were glazed with shock.
"I need ye tae stay still," Mhairi said, her voice calm despite the chaos around her. "I'm going tae bind this wound, and it might hurt, but I need ye tae hold steady fer me. Can ye dae that?"
The woman nodded weakly.
Mhairi worked quickly, cleaning the wound with water and a cloth before applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
Her hands were steady, Donnach's training serving her well, and she wrapped the bandage with the precise tension she'd practiced fer hours in the castle healing chambers.
"Good," she murmured as she tied off the binding. "That should hold until we can get ye tae a proper healer fer stitches."
She moved to the next patient, a young man with burns across his hands from trying to put out fires. Then an elderly woman with a broken wrist. Then a child who'd been trampled in the panic and had a badly bruised shoulder.
Patient after patient, injury after injury. The work was endless.
"Mhairi." Alpin appeared beside her carrying a bucket of fresh water. "Ye need tae drink something."
"I'm fine. There are still people who need help."
"Drink." He pressed a ladle of water into her hands. "Ye cannae help anyone if ye collapse from exhaustion."
She drank, barely tasting the water, then immediately returned to work.
Alpin stayed close, anticipating what she needed before she had to ask. When she reached for supplies, he had them ready. When a patient needed to be propped up, he was there to support them. When her hands shook from fatigue, he steadied them with his own.
They worked together like they'd been doing it for years instead of hours.
"Bandages," she said, and he handed them to her.
"Clean water," and the bucket appeared at her side.
"That woman over there is swayin’."
Alpin was already moving, catching the woman before she could fall and guiding her to sit against the wall.
Hours blurred together.
The light through the hall's windows shifted from afternoon brightness to the softer glow of approaching sunset. Mhairi's back ached from bending over patients, her knees protested from kneeling on the hard floor, and her hands were stained with blood and dirt.
But she kept working.
"Me lady?" An older villager approached her, a man she vaguely recognized from her trips to the village with Donnach. "That's me wife ye just tended. Thank ye. I thought we'd lost her when the raiders came through."
"She'll be fine," Mhairi assured him. "The wound was clean. Just keep it dry and watch fer signs of infection."
"Ye have a gift, miss. Just like old Donnach." The man's eyes were damp. "We're blessed tae have ye here."
Mhairi's throat tightened. "I'm just daein’ what I can."
"It's more than most would dodae He glanced at where Alpin was helping another patient. "And our laird, he's lucky tae have found ye."
Before she could respond, someone called for her help across the hall. She moved on, but the man's words stayed with her.
By the time the last patient had been stabilized, Mhairi could barely stand. She'd just finished binding a child's sprained ankle when Alpin appeared beside her again.
"That's enough," he said firmly, taking the bandage from her hands. "Ye've done more than enough."
"But there might be others."
"Everyone's been seen tae. The immediate injuries are handled." He guided her to a chair in the corner. "Sit. Rest. That's nae a request."
Mhairi sank into the chair gratefully, her legs trembling from exhaustion. Around the hall, other healers—some who'd arrived from the castle, some local women with basic knowledge—were finishing up with the remaining minor injuries.
"How many?" she asked quietly.
"Injured? About thirty that we've counted. Most minor—burns, bruises, cuts. A few more serious like the woman ye treated first, but nothing life-threatenin’ if they're tended properly." Alpin knelt beside her chair. "Ye did well today, Mhairi. Really well."
"I just did what Donnach taught me."
"Ye did more than that. Ye stayed calm, worked efficiently, made people feel safe even when they were terrified." He reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Half the village is talking about how the laird's healer saved their loved ones."
"I'm nae the laird's—" She stopped, heat rising to her cheeks.
Alpin's mouth quirked. "Nae the laird's what?"
"Never mind." She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled.
"Easy. Ye're exhausted."
"I'm fine."
"Ye need to rest. And eat. When was the last time ye had food?"
Mhairi tried to remember. Breakfast had been... had that been that morning? It felt like days ago.
"That's what I thought." Alpin guided her back into the chair. "Wait here. I'll bring ye something."
He returned minutes later with bread, cheese, and dried meat. Mhairi ate mechanically, barely tasting the food, while around them the hall gradually emptied as patients were moved to more comfortable locations.
"The laird's done well by ye, miss," an elderly woman said as she passed, leaning heavily on a walking stick. "Bringing ye here, letting ye learn the healing arts. Most lairds wouldnae bother with such things fer a lass."
"He's... he's been very kind," Mhairi managed.
The woman smiled knowingly. "Kind, aye. And more than that, if I'm any judge." She patted Mhairi's shoulder. "Ye'll make a fine lady of the clan someday."
She shuffled away before Mhairi could correct her assumption, leaving Mhairi staring after her with wide eyes.
"Dinnae mind her," Alpin said, though his eyes were warm with amusement. "The villagers have been speculatin’ about us since ye first arrived."
"Speculatin’ what exactly?"
"That we're courtin’. That I've taken ye as me intended. That the weddin’ will be before winter." He shrugged. "The usual village gossip."
"And ye've nae corrected them?"
"Why would I?" His expression turned more serious. "Let them think what they want. It keeps ye safer; if people believe ye're under me direct protection as more than just a guest, they're less likely to cause trouble."
That made sense. But it also made Mhairi's heart do complicated things in her chest.
Before she could respond, Peadar appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.
"Alpin. We need tae talk about supplies."
Mhairi stood beside Alpin and Peadar as they surveyed the village's storage buildings. Or what was left of them.
The granaries were half-destroyed, their contents either burned or scattered. What grain remained was barely enough to feed the survivors for a week, let alone sustain them through winter.
"The raiders knew exactly what they were daein’," Peadar said, running his hand through his hair. "They didnae just take women, they crippled the village's ability tae recover."
"How much firewood is left?" Alpin asked one of the village elders.
"Maybe two weeks' worth, me lord. And with winter coming..." The man trailed off, the implication clear.
Alpin's jaw tightened. Mhairi could see him calculating, weighing options, trying to figure out how to keep these people alive through the approaching cold months.
"We'll need tae forage," he said finally. "The forest around here should have game, wild berries, herbs. It's nae ideal, but it'll supplement what we can bring from the castle stores."
"I'll organize a hunting party," Callum offered, having joined them at some point. "Take some of the men who ken these woods."
"Good. And we'll need foragers fer plants and herbs." Alpin looked at Mhairi. "Ye ken what's edible and what's naefrom yer trainin'?"
"Some. Donnach taught me to identify medicinal plants, and many of those are also edible." She straightened despite her exhaustion. "I can help gather."
"Good. We'll need people who ken what they're daein'." Alpin's expression was serious.
"These people need food. I can help provide it."
He studied her for a long moment, clearly torn between protecting her and accepting the practical necessity of her skills.
"So can I," Kenina added, stepping forward from where she'd been checking on the injured. "I grew up foragin' with me clan. I ken these herbs."
Alpin looked between them, his jaw tight. "Fine. But ye both go with armed guards, and ye stay taegether. I'm nae takin' any chances after today."
"Agreed," Peadar said. "I'll go with them."
"And I will too," Alpin added. "We leave at first light tomorrow. Get what rest ye can taenight."
Dawn came too early.
Mhairi had spent the night in the village hall with the other healers, catching a few hours of fitful sleep on a bedroll before someone needed attention. When she finally emerged into the grey morning light, every muscle in her body ached.
Alpin was waiting near the forest edge with Peadar, Kenina, and several armed guards, his sword strapped to his back.
"Ready?" he asked as Mhairi approached.
"As I'll ever be." She'd borrowed a basket from one of the villagers, prepared for a day of hard work.
They entered the forest in a loose group, following game trails that wound between ancient trees. The morning air was crisp and cold, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.
Mhairi walked slightly ahead of Alpin, her eyes scanning the undergrowth for useful plants.
They continued deeper into the forest, spreading out slightly to cover more ground but staying within sight of each other. The guards maintained a perimeter, alert for any threats.
Mhairi found wild onions growing near a stream and carefully harvested them, placing them in her basket.
Nearby, Kenina was gathering mushrooms, checking each one carefully before adding it to her collection.
"These are edible," Kenina explained, showing Mhairi a cluster of golden mushrooms. "Good eatin’, and they grow in abundance this time of year. But ye have to be careful, there are poisonous varieties that look similar."
"How dae ye tell the difference?"
"The gills. See how these run down the stem? And the color is consistent throughout. The poisonous ones have different gill patterns and often darker spots."
They worked together for a while, with Kenina teaching Mhairi which plants were safe and which to avoid. It was peaceful, almost meditative, moving through the forest and gathering what nature provided.
As the morning wore on, their baskets filled—wild berries, edible roots, mushrooms, herbs. The guards had managed to bring down a deer, which would provide meat for the village.
Around midday, they paused to rest near a small clearing. Mhairi sat on a fallen log, grateful for the chance to ease her aching feet. Alpin settled beside her, close enough that their knees touched.
"How much have we gathered?" she asked.
"Enough fer several days, at least. Combined with what we can bring from the castle stores, the village should make it through until more permanent solutions can be arranged." He handed her his water skin. "Drink. Ye've been workin’ hard."
She drank, then passed it back. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, and Mhairi was acutely aware of every point where their bodies touched—knees, shoulders, hands.
"Alpin?" she said quietly.
"Aye?"
"I ken ye wanted tae keep me safe in the castle, but I needed tae dae this. Tae be useful. I appreciate it."
"Ye're always useful. And nae just fer foragin’." His hand found hers, lacing their fingers together. "Ye've given these people hope, Mhairi. Come on. We should gather a bit more before headin’ back."
They rose and continued their work, moving through the forest with easy companionship. The sun climbed higher, and their supplies increased further.
By the time they started the walk back toward the village, Mhairi's basket was brimming. There was a satisfaction in the weight, in knowing that that food would help feed people who needed it.
They made their way back through the forest, following the path they'd taken that morning. The guards moved efficiently around them, and Kenina and Peadar walked ahead, discussing strategy in low voices.
"Dae ye think we'll find them?" Mhairi asked quietly. "The women who were taken?"
"Aye. I dae." Alpin's voice was firm. "Kenina's already identified three possible routes Graham's men might've used. We'll track them down, find where they're being held, and bring them home."
"And if we're too late? If they've already been sold?"
"Then we find out who bought them and get them back anyway." He shifted the baskets to one arm so he could take her hand with the other. "I promise ye, Mhairi. We willnae stop."
Mhairi held tight to his hand as they walked, drawing strength from his certainty.
Around them, the forest was peaceful, oblivious to the violence that had shattered the village just beyond its borders.
But they would rebuild. They would recover.
And they would make sure Ashcombe and Graham paid for what they'd done.