Chapter 32
By the time Killian arrived at Wehnthor again, the dark skies had begun to give way for dawn. Laird McLennan and his men had waited at the borders, with Killian’s men stopping them from encroaching on the village.
The troops of men Killian saw as he slowed his trot and made his way to the frontlines scared him. His clan was wealthy, but Clan McLennan was one of the strongest clans, with an army of men like no other clan had ever seen.
That fact did not scare Killian because he had well-trained men and enough weapons to last his clan through war.
As he dismounted his horse, Laird McLennan did the same, and both men strode towards each other, their hands both poised on the hilts of their swords.
Killian knew what he wanted at that moment as he met with the McLennan troops. It was his first time meeting Laird McLennan in person, and he was determined to end all of this once and for all.
As he stood face to face with the man, every muscle in his body tightened to show his anger. His jaw hurt from how tight he clenched it, and Laird McLennan did not seem to care as he leveled him with an unflinching glare.
“We finally meet, Laird McLennan,” Killian spoke after the first few minutes of silence passed between them. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and he was ready to charge into battle if Laird McLennan or any of his men charged first.
“Ye have somethin’ of mine, Laird MacColl,” Laird McLennan said in a stiff tone as they kept glaring at each other. “I believe ye will hand her back to me now.”
“Ye murdered my brother. He trusted ye… Ye were his partner, and ye murdered him in cold blood. How do ye sleep at night, Laird McLennan? How do ye look at yerself in the mirror after what ye did?” Killian spat out. He did not notice the shock on Laird McLennan’s face until he asked.
“What do ye speak of?”
Killian’s men waited for his command the same way Laird McLennan’s men did.
There was a charged tension in the air between both clans, and Killian did not want to waste any more time, so he reached for the dirk that had ended his brother’s life and tossed it to the ground in front of Laird McLennan.
“Ye left this dirk in my brother’s gut. Ye betrayed him and stole his business.”
Laird McLennan bent to the ground to pick the dirk up, then he frowned as he read the words inscribed on it out loud.
“Do ye remember what ye did now? Do ye recall what he looked like when ye ended his life?”
It took some minutes before Laird McLennan raised his eyes to meet Killian’s again. Crease lines marred his features, and he worked the muscles of his jaw hard before he shook his head. “This doesnae belong to me, Laird MacColl.”
“Dinnae deny it. Ye have tried to kill me many times, too, just like ye did to my brother. I will end this now.”
The heavy wind around them blew harder now. Killian feared a storm was coming as he inhaled dust, sniffed, and coughed a little.
This was the moment he had been dreaming of since he had found out about his brother’s death. He had thought of when he would finally get the chance to meet Laird McLennan and watch him squirm and beg for mercy just before he died.
Anger pumped through him as he waited for Laird McLennan to defend himself.
“I have done naethin,” Laird McLennan insisted again.
“I received yer letters, Laird MacColl. Ye wrote to tell me of yer atrocities. Ye killed my friend and sent word of her demise. I am here for revenge, and to take her back, bury her in my grounds, as she deserves. I didnae kill yer brother. I only met the late Laird MacColl once when he discussed business with me, but I heard of his death a fortnight after that. I dinnae ken what ye speak of.”
A knot formed in the pit of Killian’s stomach as Lily’s words echoed in his mind. She had defended Laird McLennan during her entire stay at his keep, and he had not believed her.
Both clans facing each other now, each of them ready for battle, Killian was faced with making a choice. He could either go ahead and fight with them, or take a step back.
Every word and conversation with Lily flashed in his mind as he faced Laird McLennan, and whatever choice he made now would determine the fate of his clan.
Is this the end of the line?
If he walked away now, then he was back to not knowing who his brother’s killer was. Hopefully, Lily could find something in the ledgers, but if she did not, then he would have nothing.
All the lives lost cannot be wasted. I must avenge them.
“Someone has set me up,” Killian said after a long time of processing his thoughts and trying to decide whether to trust Lily’s faith in Laird McLennan or trust his own anger.
“I didnae kill the lady, and I didnae send ye any letters. I have received letters from ye askin’ to meet, and yer men have tried to kill me three times.
Looks like we both have a common enemy.”
He extended a hand to Laird McLennan, and he waited for him to accept the gesture.
Their hard gazes stayed locked for a long time before Laird McLennan grasped Killian’s hand. “It seems to me like we have a common enemy, indeed.”
They shook hands, and once Killian let Laird McLennan go, he signaled to his men to withdraw.
“We march back to MacColl now,” he announced to his men as they fell back.
It was then it occurred to him that Fletcher was nowhere in sight.
He cleared his throat and walked to the first soldier he spotted. “Where is Gilies? Your General?”
“He returned to the castle, m’laird,” the soldier answered. “He mentioned he had a message for ye.”
Killian frowned as a sense of foreboding settled in the pit of his stomach. Some other guard had brought him the message of Laird McLennan’s men waiting at the borders.
What other message could Fletcher have had?
Shoving aside his suspicions, Killian mounted his horse and nudged it into a gallop while Laird McLennan matched his pace. He had to get back to Lily and tell her that he trusted her faith in Laird McLennan. Now, they could all work together to find their common enemy.
The ride back to MacColl was long, but they arrived in a short time because they had ridden with speed. Killian slowed as they reached the entrance to his keep.
From a distance, he saw men dressed in pied and some other colors lined up at the entrance, their armors arched and swords drawn like they were ready for battle.
Killian came to a halt, and when he glanced over to Laird McLennan, he found that he had slowed his horse too.
“These arenae my men,” Laird McLennan said as he came to a halt beside Killian. “These are…”
“The men who have attacked me all dressed this way. I believed it was ye, but the lady… Lily, she was persistent, and she didnae waiver in her belief that ye were innocent. She is the reason I didnae march for McLennan all this while. She tried to prove yer innocence.”
Killian could not tell what Laird McLennan was thinking from the look on his face, but when he nodded, Killian sighed.
“I should find out who they are.”
He dismounted from his saddle, and Laird McLennan did the same. Together, they strode towards the leader of the men in front of the keep.
Once there, Killian cleared his throat and asked in Gaelic, “Who sent ye? Who asked ye to come here.”
The man stared at Killian hard without blinking, and a second later, when there was no reply, he repeated his question.
“Tell us who sent ye here,” Laird McLennan boomed when the man kept staring hard at them in silence.
Killian’s eyes skittered around the place, and he noticed that all the men standing in front of him had their hands glued to the hilts of their swords. “These men are ready for battle,” he whispered to Laird McLennan.
Killian was about speaking again when their leader drew his sword and let out a war cry.
The rest happened in a blur. Killian swiftly drew his sword and charged towards the men as they came towards him.
His army, combined with Laird McLennan’s, was a force to be reckoned with. The rays of dust that spurred up into the air as blades clashed over blades made Killian cough, but as he cut his way through each of his attackers, he let himself think about only one person.
Lily. I must get back to her alive.
He couldn’t tell how much time had passed as he and Laird McLennan fell into rhythm on the battlefield. It seemed as if the men were endless, and they attacked with more force as they spilled out of the keep.
Killian noticed smoke whoosh up into the sky as he stuck his blade in the gut of his next attacker. He felt the warmth on his cheek. He sniffed in thick soot as he looked ahead again and saw the black smoke curling up into the sky.
Oh, goodness.
“I think my keep is on fire,” he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping Laird McLennan could hear him through the roars around them.
Most of their attackers lay at their feet now, and Killian stepped over a few bodies, fighting his way through the rest.
Panic shot through him as he heard an explosion a distance away. “There’s a fire—Lily!” he yelled.
He made a move to run towards the keep, but Laird McLennan grabbed his shoulder tight and dragged him back.
“Ye cannae go in there… It is a fire… Ye cannae…”
Another explosion rocked the ground beneath them and tossed most of their men off their feet.
Killian collapsed hard on the ground when the explosion knocked him off his feet. His head thudded on the ground, leaving him with an echoing pain that erupted through his temples.
His eyes closed slowly, and he tried to deal with the pain. Every other sound around him vibrated through his skull. His vision blurred, and his chest ached, as if there was some sharp object piercing through him.
“Laird MacColl… Laird MacColl…” Killian heard Laird McLennan calling to him through the ringing in his ears, and he forced his eyes to stay open even though the darkness tried to drag him down.
He struggled against it because he knew he had to save Lily.
If she is in the keep… if she dies there, then my life is over.
“Lily—” Killian coughed, choking on the smoke that infiltrated his lungs.
Laird McLennan coughed hard too, and Killian stretched out a hand so Laird McLennan and his men could help him up.
“I need to get in there,” Killian wheezed, gasping for air till he regained full control of his lungs. “My sister, my—”
“Who do ye need to find? I will come with ye and—” Laird McLennan held Killian’s arm to stop him from running into the keep.
“No!” Killian yelled. “I need to find them. I need to do this on my own. I need to find Lily…” He dragged his arm out of Laird McLennan’s grasp.
“Lily is in the keep… I willnae let her die,” he cried out, tossing his sword aside before he swallowed hard and shook his head.
“I will die tryin’ to save her if that is what I need to do. ”
They exchanged a meaningful glance before Laird McLennan nodded. “Go find her,” he said, but Killian was already running before the words were fully out of his mouth.