Chapter Six
Lennox
Lennox had to ignore his mother for now. He stepped outside the great hall just as the gates opened, lines of women and their bairns hurrying inside the curtain walls.
“Many thanks to you, Chief,” one said, and then another and another.
He nodded to each one and said, “Come in where it’s warm. We’ll have pottage and bread for you. Be careful as you go up the steps.”
Lennox neared the gates, and Taskill yelled down, “Outside. The Granthams are here.”
This could not be good. He couldn’t recall the last time they had come along for a friendly visit other than after they’d moved in.
Eva’s voice carried to him. “I’m coming too. I wish to be aware of all that is happening. I have a bad feeling, Lennox. Don’t tell Mama.”
He ushered Eva through the crowd of villagers coming inside the curtain wall, the curiosity on each face as clear as could be. They had no idea what had transpired.
Dyna Grant was off to the side, trying to stay a distance away. “Please, we need your help.”
“I’d say to come in, but I just invited all the women and bairns inside.”
“No time for sitting, anyway. My daughter was kidnapped. Please help me find her.” Dyna’s face was so fear-stricken that Lennox wished to bring her inside, but she wouldn’t be getting off her horse.
“Come, I have an empty cottage out here. We can chat there. It’s starting to rain.” He helped Dyna dismount, and two men also dismounted, motioning for the others to stay where they were. They had brought another ten guards. Too many for a visit.
Dyna said, “This is Alaric, in charge of our guards, and Broc, his second. We left my husband and Alaric’s wife home with the other bairns. They’ll not step outside the gates.”
Lennox led the way, saying, “You are not alone. It happened to Sloan’s sister. Her son of six winters is missing.”
Dyna said, “Bloody hell! What is wrong with these bastards?”
They were about to go into the cottage when they heard another group of horses approach. Lennox guessed it to be Sloan and his men, but he was wrong. Thane MacQuarie appeared, his brother behind him, along with a few guards, and he had the same look on his face.
“We need your help.”
Lennox waved to Thane in the rain. “Come inside. Send your guards into the stables to keep dry.”
Thane approached, Brian accompanying him.
Once inside, Lennox pulled out stools from a storage closet. The house was larger than most. Eva had followed and said under her breath, “Whose cottage is this, Lennox?”
He gave her a small smile and said, “Mine. When I need quiet.” He knew his way around and sent Taskill to build the fire while he opened a bottle of wine and offered it or mead to everyone.
Eva arched a brow but said nothing. Once they’d all settled, Lennox said, “Marta Rankin’s son was stolen early this morning.” He nodded to Dyna, giving her the next chance to speak.
“Someone stole my daughter too. They tried to grab all of them, but we kept Sylvi and Sandor away. They grabbed my sister’s horse, led it into the woods. We found Astra later on the ground with her horse nearby, but Tora, the middle one, is missing. I’ve never felt so powerless. What do you suggest?”
Lennox put up his hand, motioning her to hold her tongue so Thane could speak next.
Thane said, “Some men stole Magni and Lia too. We were on the beach. They tried for Tamsin’s daughter and for Mora, but we saved them. We were too late for Magni and Lia. Five men survived to take them into the woods.”
The door opened, and Sloan Rankin entered. “How many others are missing?”
“Three,” Lennox replied. “Two from MacQuarie and one of Dyna’s daughters.”
“I’ll kill them all when we find them.” Dyna couldn’t stop pacing.
Members of the group talked over one another, guessing who it could be, how to attack the problem, but there was no final agreement on who could be at fault.
Lennox held up his arms to quiet the group, then said, “We have to search the entire isle. I’ll start by searching the ports. Find out who has been in and out. We need to determine if they are still on Mull or if they’ve left.”
Thane said, “So we divide up the search? How many are we taking total, so we can divide evenly? Do you not agree? You have more men than I do.”
Sloan said, “I have three score ready to go.”
Lennox said, “I have two score.”
Dyna said, “We have a score between us.” She pointed to Thane. “We need more. I sent word to my sire.”
“Who is your sire?” Sloan asked.
“Connor Grant.”
“The chieftain?”
“The old chieftain. New co-lairds have started. So, trust me that my father will bring a powerful group too. I left my husband and Eli back to talk with them when they arrive. I sent a message a sennight ago that we needed more guards. I hope they’re on their way soon.”
Lennox pulled out a map from a cabinet in the chamber, then called Dyna, Sloan, and Thane over. “Let’s divide this way.” The chieftains made their plans, but then Lennox turned back to the group. “Any identifying plaids, marks, any horses you recognized? Does anyone have a clue who is doing this?”
Sloan said, “Small stallions with no identifying plaids. They were dressed in black. The only other thing I noticed was one was bald.”
Lennox nodded, then pointed to Thane. “What did the men near you look like? Mayhap they sounded like the men near Dyna. We must learn how many we are fighting.”
Dyna shouted, “Aye! Same men. Brown haired, brown beard, but the one was bald with a dark beard, and both dressed in all black. They must be the same men. Anyone familiar with a similar group?”
Lennox waited, but when there was no response, he said, “My guess is they were hired to do the deed. Once they deliver the bairns, they’ll be gone. We have to approach this as a search for the bairns. If we look for certain men, we will surely fail.”
Dyna said, “At least Tora is not alone. If she’s with Magni and Lia, they’ll find a way out.”
“How can you be so certain?” Sloan asked. “My nephew, Rowan, was kidnapped, and he’s six winters. How old are yours?”
“Magni is ten, Lia five, and Tora is nearly four.”
“How can you possibly believe four bairns that age will escape their captors?”
Dyna said, “Because Tora is a seer.”
Thane said, “Allow me to share what Lia said to me moments before their capture. She said, ‘Please understand that some things must happen. In order for everything to work the way the heavens wish, things often go awry. Fear not—all will be well, eventually.’”
“What the hell does that mean coming from a child?” Sloan asked in nearly a shout. “Are you daft?”
Dyna said, “Lia is more than a child.”
Lennox gave her a quizzical look because he had no idea what that meant. “Explain, please.”
Dyna cleared her throat. “I think Lia is a faery in disguise. She’s the one they’re after. I think they believe she is the green maiden of the forest. The one who can grant wishes.”
Sloan threw his hands up in the air. “Now you are all sounding daft. A seer? A faery? A maiden of the forest who grants wishes? You’ve all lost your minds.”
“Why do you say that?” Eva asked, her hands going to her hips. “You never believe anything other than what’s in front of you, Sloan.”
“Because there are no faeries or seers. This discussion has come up among my clan members for years, but I’ve yet to see any evidence of it.”
Dyna paced in a circle, then sat again. “Tora once came and told me a ‘bad man’ was coming for me moments before he showed up. I’m a seer, and she’s my daughter. It makes sense that she has the same abilities.”
“Anyone can be a bad man,” Sloan declared.
Eva crossed her arms and said, “Stop being so divisive and ignorant. There are seers. Many of them.”
“Name one.”
Five people shouted and pointed at the same time. “Dyna!”
“What have you ever done because of that ability?”
“I saw where my sister was lying in the grass after being thrown from a horse. I saw it in my mind and pointed in that direction. We found her exactly where I said she would be, unable to speak.”
“Sounds like luck to me,” Sloan said, grumbling under his breath.
Eva gave his arm a shove. “Stop it and believe her. It wouldn’t hurt you to believe in someone for a change, someone other than yourself.”
Sloan glared, but Lennox stepped in. “Leave her be. She’s trying to help everyone. We have three paths. Which one do you want?”
They divvied up the paths nearby, hoping they’d cover the entire area. Lennox was sending Taskill to his assigned area with ten guards. He also assigned ten guards to go with Thane and ten to go with Dyna. That left thirty to protect the castle.
He was headed across the sound with a creeping suspicion who was causing all the problems. A man named Egan who was still haunting him, even in his sleep.