Chapter Twenty-Eight #4
Connor crossed his arms. “You’ll have to ask Rose about the owl. All I know is that it watched over her.” He waved to her from across the chamber, calling her name. She and Roddy walked over together and offered their greetings.
“Papa was asking me about anything otherworldly we’d ever experienced or heard about,” Connor said.
With a slight smirk, he turned to Roddy.
“I told him what I recalled about our abbey ghost. I figured you wouldn’t mind anymore after all these years.
Besides, Steenie knew about it, and I certainly didn’t tell him. ”
“I’ve heard all I need to about that,” Alex said. “I’d love to hear more about this owl, Rose.”
She sighed. “I believed Papa’s spirit lived inside the owl to watch over me. He knew Mama was evil, and he couldn’t rest until I escaped from her. Once my mother’s deeds were uncovered, I rarely saw him again.”
“Did he communicate with you in any way?”
“Not directly. I wish he had.”
“He sure made me uncomfortable,” Roddy offered. “I was trying to sneak a kiss once in the courtyard, and the owl persisted in staring at me. Even squawked once. I didn’t dare do it again.”
Roddy and Rose left to join the others, and Connor said, “I can’t believe you’re asking all these questions after what you’ve observed with the spectral swords.
If that isn’t evidence of otherworldly elements, I don’t know what is.
The lightning, the thunder. The lads swear they can swing their swords much easier when they’re all together, and we both know my Dyna knows things she cannot.
What exactly is driving your curiosity, Papa? ”
Their conversation was cut short when the door leading outside burst open. Alasdair, Emmalin, Els, and Joya had arrived, he observed with satisfaction, along with their bairns. He’d been waiting for this moment.
Connor jumped out of his chair. “I’ll welcome them.”
“Send Alasdair and John here, please.”
His son acknowledged his request with a nod before heading toward the door. As he approached the newcomers, however, a couple burst in after Alasdair’s group.
Derric and Dyna, and Dyna was inconsolable. She looked straight at her father and shouted, “They’ve taken Chrissa and Drostan.”
Alex muttered to himself, “Here we go again.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kyla still needs her father…
Alex watched as the group descended into chaos. Finlay had rushed to Kyla’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, letting him support her weight.
“Oh, my God, please save my daughter. And Drostan,” she said, her words barely audible. He could tell his daughter prayed over and over, her lips moving frantically as if the more prayers she said, the better her chance of seeing her daughter again.
Once Kyla was steady on her feet, Finlay stepped away. “She’s as strong as you are,” he said. “She’ll be fine.”
Kyla just sobbed as Finlay started pacing, his hands on his hips. Alex knew he was already thinking of the best way to patrol for Chrissa’s captors.
Alex used his wooden stick to make his way over to the hearth, where he could sit in the large cushioned chair Gracie had made for him. “Tell us exactly how it happened, Corbett. Dyna, you will add your thoughts at the end.”
Dyna crossed to her aunt, giving Kyla a big hug while she murmured something in her ear. Then she moved to her sire, hugging him with her head to his chest while Derric talked and paced.
“We were hunting, in the area with several paths just past the caves an hour south of here. We were nearly on Grant land, for God’s sake.” He threw his hands up in the air for emphasis.
“You mean the area where we’ve been ambushed many times before?” Jamie asked, lifting his brows.
“Aye, but we sent our guards off with Chrissa and Drostan. We were only separated for less than five minutes. We heard a scream from Chrissa, but by the time we got to her location, she was on another horse. Both their horses were taken, the two guards were hurt and on the ground. We tried to follow, of course, but we quickly lost the trail.”
Kyla said, “How could you leave them alone?”
“We are not looking to place blame, daughter,” Alex said. “’Twill not help us find them. And the blame falls on their captors, not our clanmates.”
“As you wish, Papa.” Her words were accommodating, but they were accompanied by a seething glare. Then she shifted her attention back to Derric and Dyna. “What direction did they go? Connor and Jamie, get four patrols ready to go while we wait for the ransom offer I think we’ll get soon.”
“I doubt they’ll ask for ransom. ’Tis too close to Midsummer’s Day,” Alex said, steepling his fingers in front of him, his elbows on the arms of the chair. “’Tis less than a fortnight now.”
“Then what, Papa? What could they possibly want? They’ve tried to make our warriors fight for England twice in the past. They tried to kill you before. Is that what they wish to do with Chrissa? Kill her? What the hell do they want?”
“I think they’re hoping to convince us to stay home, or…”
“Or what?” Kyla responded, her tone carrying plenty of heat.
“Keep us busy elsewhere. If we have to send contingencies of warriors after Chrissa, then we cannot help King Robert, can we?”
“Just tell me where you think she is, Papa. I’ll go get her myself.” Tears drenched her face. Kyla was a strong, powerful woman, but she’d never been afraid to show her emotion. It was one of the many things he appreciated about her.
“We need you here, Kyla. In case she returns. Or in case they bring her here.”
“We’ll find her, Mama,” Alick said, glancing around at his cousins. “If we go together, we can use the spectral swords. We’re all here now. Just give us an hour to plan. As Grandsire always says, ’tis much better to go in with a plan.”
“We don’t have an hour. She’ll never survive being in a dungeon.”
“Kyla.” Alex’s voice was so quiet everyone stopped to listen, which was exactly what he’d wanted. They would not win this if they made emotional decisions. “She’ll survive just fine. She’s her mother’s daughter. Or do you not recall your worst moment?”
“I know I was held in a dungeon at Thane Castle, but I’m an adult. She’s too young.”
“How old is Chrissa?” Alex prompted.
“Nine and ten.” Kyla’s sobs had slowed, just as he’d hoped.
“And how old were you when you were locked in a dungeon, lass?” Kyla would always be a wee lassie to him, his memory of her strapped to his chest as a babe still firm in his old mind. “How old were you when you left on your own to visit an enemy’s castle because you wished to save another lass?”
Her breath hitched as she thought, her gaze now locked on his as if he’d stirred a memory she wished to forget.
“Do you not recall being in a dungeon with Simon de La Porte?” he whispered, the hall silent as the forest before a hunter loosed the first arrow.
“I was seven and ten.” She stared at the floor, but her countenance changed. “But I was…”
“Daughter, could you fire a bow like Chrissa? Could you use a dagger as well as Dyna?”
She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you, Papa. You and Finlay are right. She’ll be just fine. But we still must hurry.”
“’Struth is, she’s probably been hoping something like this would happen. Was she not thrilled when those men held her at knifepoint so they could kidnap you? If I recall, she was quite proud of her involvement in that episode. And Drostan is with her. Just like you had Finlay with you.”
Her scowl indicated she’d only then realized there might be something between Chrissa and Drostan. She hated it when someone picked up on something faster than she did.
“Is it truly a surprise to you? I was fully aware of the attraction between you and Finlay,” Alex said, looking from Kyla to her husband.
“Good for you, Papa, because I didn’t know of the attraction between us then.”
Alex smirked, glad to see evidence of his daughter’s fire.
“I think we’ve all seen something between Chrissa and Drostan, Kyla,” Connor said. “She is stronger than you think and she has a solid helper with her, someone she trusts. Let’s make our plan, using our minds instead of our emotions.”
Kyla leaned over and kissed her father. “Thank you, Papa. I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”
Alex hated to tell her the truth. She’d have to learn how to do without him soon.
He’d also have to thank Maddie for telling him he had to stay.
He was still needed.
Chapter Fifteen
A meeting of the old, but still great, minds. I’ve always loved Alex and Logan together…
Once food was brought out and everyone got settled, Alex made his way into the solar and motioned for Logan to follow him.
“You’re an old man, Grant,” Logan said, taking a seat across from the one Alex took behind the desk.
“’Tis true, but only a couple of years older than you, old man.”
The two chuckled, Alex giving Logan the chance to get comfortable.
Then he posed his question. “Why are you really here, Ramsay? I’ve a feeling you brought something with you.
A cherished piece of Scottish history.” The smiles were gone from both of their faces.
The two men had been in charge of running two of the most important clans in all of Scotland.
Though Logan had never served as chieftain, everyone knew he’d had a major impact on the decisions made in the clan, especially since he and his wife had been spies for the Scottish Crown.
Logan leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his long wavy hair, half light brown, half white. “Your intuition is still good, Grant. I brought Avelina here. She was instructed by the Queen of the Fae to bring the sapphire sword to you.”
“You’ve seen this fae?”
“Aye, she appeared in front of me this time. Surrounded by butterflies, but she only stayed for a few moments. She disappeared after giving Lina her instructions.” He planted his elbows on his knees, leaning forward this time. “I know how it sounds, Grant, but I saw it with my own eyes.”