Chapter Twenty-Two
Isadora should have been asleep, but she couldn’t seem to shut her mind off enough to relax.
Lying in her bed, she couldn’t shake off the events from the evening. She would never forget the expression on Cam’s face when he was told that Drostan had orchestrated the attack on Netherton. There had been such shock and disbelief, something she found difficult to reconcile.
Why had he been so surprised?
Cam had acted like a man who hadn’t know the truth behind the death of his grandfather, which led Isadora to believe that, perhaps, Cam had thought the Keith had destroyed his village just as Drostan had hoped. If that was the case, then why had he agreed to accept the offer from the Keith?
Why had he agreed to fight for them?
So much wasn’t making sense and Isadora fidgeted in her bed until well past midnight. She finally got up, wrapped herself in a heavy cloak, and climbed from her window into the moonlit night beyond.
The Highlands were crisp and cold on this clear night, unusual at this time of year.
It was usually raining. Her father’s home was high on a hill overlooking the village, a four-room home that had been built by her grandfather.
She could see the village below, blanketed in a blue fog of smoke from the dying fires, but in particular she could see the cottage where Cam was staying.
He’d been given an empty shelter near the edge of the village, one that had belonged to an old man up until a few months ago.
It sat empty after his death. The cottage wasn’t much—one large room and then a smaller room the old man had used to house his dogs in—but it was all they could offer. That’s where Isadora had last seen him.
Pulling the cloak around her against the icy weather, she headed down the hill.
His cottage was dark and quiet when she reached it, but that didn’t stop her from walking in a circle around it, listening for any signs of movement.
If he was asleep, she didn’t want to wake him.
Or perhaps she did. In any case, she was debating what to do as she walked a second circle around the cottage.
When she passed by the only door, a hand shot out and grabbed her.
Instead of screaming, Isadora went into defensive mode.
She brought up a balled fist to break the hold, but another hand shot out and grabbed that hand as well.
She was preparing to kick her attacker when she abruptly came face to face with Cam.
He still had a grip on her as he came out of the cottage, scowling.
“What in the world are ye doing?” he demanded.
Isadora’s heart was pounding with fright. “I was wondering if ye were asleep,” she said. “I suppose I have my answer.”
He released her. “As if anyone can sleep here,” he said, scratching his dirty, blond head. “’Tis too quiet. I’ve grown used tae the alleys of Edinburgh and the village at The Cal. A thousand snoring bulls and I can sleep like a wee bairn. But I canna sleep when it is this quiet.”
“Ye said ye couldna sleep with my da and brothers snoring away.”
He fought off a grin. “There were only three men. I need more men than that if I am tae sleep properly.”
Isadora laughed softly. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said. “Do ye at least have everything ye need? I made sure they brought in a bed and a fire for ye. Is there anything else?”
He shook his head. “’Tis comfortable enough. Is that why ye’re wandering about in the middle of the night? Tae make sure I’m content?”
His eyes were glittering at her as he spoke, as if he suspected there was something more behind her prowling. “Of course it is,” she said.
“Are ye sure? ’Tis not because ye want tae be alone with me?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Tae me. But I have high hopes.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Dunna have such hopes because it’s not what ye think. I came tae ask ye a question.”
“What question?”
“Did ye think the Keith burned Netherton?”
She heard him draw in a long, labored breath and all of the humor went out of the conversation. “Why do ye ask?”
“Because ye seemed surprised by what we told ye,” she said seriously.
“I could see it in yer face. Ye looked as if ye were reliving the horror all over again. That caused me tae think that ye believed the Keith was responsible. That is what Drostan wanted everyone tae think, ye know. But my own brothers saw Lindsay men involved in the destruction of Netherton.”
Cam’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned away. He went inside his cottage without a word and, hesitantly, Isadora followed.
Inside, the place was dark but for the a few embers glowing in the hearth. There was a pallet on the ground, the blankets mussed. The cottage itself smelled old and damp, a chill seeping up through the ground. Cam took a stick, stirring the embers, as Isadora stood by the door.
From the way he was acting, she knew she’d hit a nerve.
“Cam, I swear upon my mother’s grave that the Keith had nothing tae do with the burning of Netherton,” she said quietly.
“Drostan sent his men intae town dressed in our woolen because he knew any survivors would think it was the Keith. He wants our lands; he wants everything we have. That is why we went tae the Ludus Caledonia—we knew we needed tae find someone who could help us resist the Lindsay. That is why ye’re here.
Now, I’ll ask ye again—did ye believe the Keith responsible for the destruction of Netherton? ”
He continued to stir the embers, bringing about a brighter blaze, and a soft golden glow filled the cottage. He set the stick aside and sat on the messy woolen blankets.
“It isna that I canna sleep,” he finally muttered, avoiding the question.
“It is that I’m afraid tae. Last night, ye saw why.
I used tae dream about the destruction of Netherton in the beginning, but time at The Cal saw those nightmares go away.
Last night, they came back. I’m afraid tae close my eyes again. ”
Isadora could hear such vulnerability in his tone, something that tugged at her heart. “Will ye tell me everything?” she pleaded softly. “I want tae know. I want tae help if I can.”
He shook his head. “Ye canna help,” he said. “No one can help. I wasna in Netherton when the raid began. I only came afterward. I ran tae the cottage I shared with my grandfather, but it was destroyed and there was no sign of him.”
Isadora could feel his pain. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
But he wasn’t finished, speaking as if unable to stop himself.
“He was the man who raised me, who meant the world tae me,” he said.
“I searched for two days but I never found any trace of him. I knew I had tae punish the men who had destroyed my village. They took everything away from me and I couldna let it go unanswered.”
“So ye went tae the Ludus Caledonia?”
He nodded. “I did,” he said, turning to look at her. “That day in the Vale of Demons when ye ambushed me, ye told me of the place and I remembered it. I dunna know why I should remember something from so long ago, but I did. Ye told me that is where the greatest warriors learn tae fight.”
“But how did ye find it? ’Tis not an easy place tae find.”
He snorted ironically. “After I searched for my grandfather, I went tae Kirkburn Castle for help. I wanted Drostan tae do something tae punish the Keith and he told me that he would. I brought up The Cal and how I wanted tae learn tae fight so I could avenge my grandfather, and Drostan told me I should go. He’s the one who told me how tae find the place. ”
Isadora was listening with a great deal of distress. “Then Drostan led ye tae believe it was the Keith, too.”
“He did. He encouraged me tae avenge my village and now I understand why.”
“Why?”
“Because I would come back and attack the Keith. I would become his weapon and do exactly what he meant I should.”
Isadora looked at him for a very long time. There was something in that statement that had her attention and as she mulled it over, she began to realize just what it was.
He was telling her of his true motivation.
“And is that what ye intended tae do?”
“Aye.”
“That’s why ye accepted my da’s offer.”
“Aye.”
He didn’t hesitate in his replies, but the words cut her to the bone. There was betrayal there.
“Ye told me ye loved me,” she said painfully. “Did ye tell me that tae get close tae me, knowing it would bring ye closer tae yer vengeance?”
He looked at her, his expression full of turmoil.
“I told ye I loved ye because I do,” he muttered.
“I’ve loved ye since before Netherton was burned.
I think I loved ye when ye first demanded birds’ eggs from me.
But I loved my grandfather, too. Dunna ye see, Isadora?
I swore tae destroy the Keith before I knew ye were a Keith.
When ye finally told me, I had tae decide if my sense of vengeance was stronger than my love for ye. It’s been killing me ever since.”
Now, Isadora realized what had turned him into a sullen, moody brute. She could see it plainly. Cam was being torn apart from the inside.
Now, it was tearing her apart, too.
“Is it?” she asked as tears stung her eyes. “Is yer love for me stronger than yer vengeance?”
“I dunna know,” he said honestly. “Until today when we arrived in Auchnacree, I truly dinna know. Until today, I was going tae do all I could tae see yer clan punished for what they did tae my grandfather. But now… now, everything yer father said makes sense.”
“Do ye truly believe him?”
“I do.”
“Then what do ye intend tae do?”
He looked at her, seeing how upset she was. “Nothing,” he said simply. “It seems I’ve been misled.”
Isadora wanted to believe him, but she was still shaken by the fact that he’d come into this agreement with ulterior motives. “Are ye telling me what I want tae hear or is it true?”