Chapter 1
Ten Years Later…
Night was falling fast, and the warriors were slowly shifting from work mode to play. It was the last village in their rotation, and they’d start the return home tomorrow.
The Armstrong lands were vast, and there were constant rotations of the guards to keep the outlying villages safe.
They were at a time of peace, but every now and then, someone would test the Armstrong defenses.
It did not take long for them to discover that the Armstrongs were as strong as they’d ever been.
Four years ago, Liam had taken over the guard. It was preparation for him to step into his father’s shoes some day, and Liam had been eager to prove himself.
Two months ago, he faced his first obstacle. Clan Gibson had brazenly sent an army to the shores of River Craig and declared the land theirs due to an agreement made a hundred years ago by their ancestors. Liam had run them out, daring them to take their claim to the king.
Gibson clearly had no proof and no other move was made, but the small village was uneasy, so Liam left three guards to keep an eye on things and doubled the patrols that passed through.
They took an extra couple of days to help with the repairs that were needed.
“If ye dinnae stop frowning at all the lasses, they will think ye arenae interested,” Donal complained as he smacked Liam on the back and joined him by the river.
The villagers were starting to migrate from their homes to where the guards had made their beds, especially the young ladies looking for husbands.
The guards were more than happy to flirt and dance.
“I am nae interested,” Liam pointed out. “‘Tis no time for me to be searching for a wife.”
“Ye plan on waiting ‘til ye are old and grey?” Donal teased. “No lass will want ye then.”
“I have heard that ye have been wooing Mara.” The tension he’d been holding in his shoulders eased just a little as he teased his friend.
Donal had been one of the guards who’d stayed behind, and it had been a month since Liam had seen him.
He’d been planning on bringing Donal back with him, but his friend might not want to return if the rumors were true.
Donal frowned. “She is bonnie, but she isnae for me.”
“Really? I’d heard that ye were bringing her flowers on yer third day here. Now she isnae for ye?”
“She’s a stubborn lass. Too stubborn for me.”
Liam snorted with laughter. “I dunno, Donal. A strong-willed lass may be exactly what ye need.”
Donal punched his friend in the shoulder. “And ye are avoiding the fun. Come now, old friend. Ye are to be laird. ‘Tis only right that ye get to know the villagers a little better, aye?”
Rolling his eyes at the twinkle in Donal’s eyes, Liam let his friend pull him along. He took a step toward the growing group when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. No doubt someone relieving themselves of the ale they were drinking, but he found himself turning.
“Hey. Where are ye going?” Donal laughed. “No more solitude for ye!”
“Just a moment,” Liam said as he walked further into the woods. “I saw something. I just want to check it out.”
“All work,” Donal sighed as he jogged to catch up with his friends. “All right, what did ye think ye saw?”
Tensing, Liam scanned the darkened woods again. They were dense and difficult to traverse. If anyone had stumbled in, they would not have gone far.
Movement again. A shadow darted from one tree to the next, and Liam inhaled sharply and grabbed his sword. “Liam? What do ye see?”
“‘Tis impossible,” he breathed. “A wolf.”
“A wolf?” Donal went rigid, his own hand at his weapon.
Silently, they scanned the forest, but the creature had disappeared as silently as it had appeared.
Finally, Donal relaxed and laughed. “‘Tis not kind of ye to test me like this. I’ve not seen my own home in a month, and here ye are, teasing me with wolves!”
“It was not a jest.”
“Aye, ‘twas. Liam, there are not wolves this high in the mountains. Only in the lowlands. If ye are not jesting, then ‘tis a trick of the imagination. Or a dog.”
“No. No hound that size. ‘Tis a monster.”
“Really?” Donal asked, his own doubts clear in his voice. “A monstrous wolf? Ye have not had enough sleep. Forget what I said about the lasses. We must get ye to yer camp immediately. A long night of rest for ye, my friend.”
Liam hesitated. Donal was right about one thing. He hadn’t gotten much sleep in the past couple of nights. Perhaps his own mind was playing tricks on him.
Shaking his head, he turned and followed his friend back down. Of course there were no wolves there. Just moonlight playing with the shadows on the ground. Nothing for him to concern himself or any of this guards.
“Aye. I will be friendly and retire early.”
“Excellent. There are these sisters I’ve been meaning to introduce ye to…”
Donal dragged him around for an hour, and if it weren’t for the cheering of his guards, he would have pulled away sooner.
It wasn’t that Liam didn’t want to be friendly with the villagers.
They were his people, his clan. One day, they would be his responsibility.
For the last year or so, his father had been hinting that he should marry.
His mother, on the other hand, had always rolled her eyes and pointed out that Creighton Armstrong hadn’t been in a hurry to wed either. They, like all the alliance lairds, had married for love. Liam had the right to find love in his own time.
That had led to the new argument. Liam was too focused on the guard. How was he to find a wife if he was training and patrolling every day?
It was in respect to his father that Liam hadn’t pointed out that his activities were to help take some of the pressure away from his own shoulders. To do his duty to his people.
To prove to his father that he was ready to be laird. He did not need to wed before that happened.
An heir was necessary. His father had lived during a time when clans were constantly at war. To not have an heir meant you were vulnerable, but those were more troubling times.
There were skirmishes. Clan Gibson had proven that, but no one would dare challenge the Armstrong Clan nor the alliance.
Despite promising to go to bed early, Liam still couldn’t rest. He stayed on the outskirts of the activities, watching his warriors, his closest friends, relaxing and enjoying themselves. The villagers, who’d been somber when he arrived, were now drinking and dancing. They were at ease.
This is what he did. This was his focus. Making sure his father’s people, soon to be his people, knew that they were safe.
It was only when the parents realized their children were having a little too much fun that they began to drag their families home. And his guards, stumbling from too much ale, shortly staggered to their bed rolls. On then did Liam finally lay down to rest.
Tomorrow, he would lead his men back, and in two days, they would be home.
Home.
For the past two years, he’d traveled with his men, proving to them that he would ask them nothing that he would not do himself.
He spent so much time away from the keep that he wasn’t even sure he could call it home, but no matter when he arrived, his father was waiting for him, and his mother would make sure there was a warm meal for him.
His younger sisters, mischievous little brats that they were, would sneak out of bed and climb all over him, desperate for adventurous tales, most of which he would have to make up, and to see if he’d brought them any gifts. He always did, of course.
Even if he did not pass any merchants on his journey, he would scour the land for smooth pebbles and interesting branches. They were always thrilled with whatever he brought, although he had no idea what they were doing with them. His mother once commented that they seemed to be building something.
That was a horrifying thought.
This trip, though, he had some lovely dyed wool stashed away in his pouch. A year ago, they’d come across an English lady and decided that they would make lovely dresses like she had worn.
They were terrible with the needle and thread, but they did not give up their dreams, so he would often bring them fabrics and wool when he could find it.
Aye, he missed his home. It would be good to see his family again.
When the scream pierced the silence, the sun hadn’t yet risen.
Liam and his men jumped to their feet, weapons in hand.
“The forest,” Liam said grimly. They turned and raced toward the tree line as another scream rang out. This time, there was no mistaking the guttural sound that followed.
Help.
“Nik, ye take the men and head to the river boundary. Donal and I will go north,” Liam ordered. “Signal if ye find anything.”
The group split, falling into formation. Everything had gone silent, so there was no telling what they would find.
“There’s a narrow enough path to a clearing,” Donal said in a low voice as he pointed. Since he’d been there longer, Liam gestured for him to lead. They entered the forest, each one keeping an eye in a different direction as they moved without a sound.
A broken branch caught his eye, followed by a scuffle of dead leaves. Tapping Donal on the shoulder, he pointed. Seeing the track marks, Donal turned and began to follow them. They hadn’t made it more than a few feet when a shout echoed in the air. The others had found something.
His friend turned back, and Liam hesitated. There was something there. His mind went back to the wolf he thought he’d seen earlier. All of his instincts were screaming for him to follow, but the cry for help took precedence.
Reluctantly, he turned and followed Donal back out. Once out of the tree line, they raced to the water's edge where a body lay in a bloody heap. Another scream sounded in the air, and a woman raced from the village to the guards.
“Mara,” Donal growled. He grabbed her by the waist, stopping her in her tracks. “Mara, stop. There isnae anything ye can do now.”
“Amelia,” she cried. “Tell me ‘tis not Amelia. Tell me!”
Already seeing the edge of the bloody skirts, Liam gestured for his guards to part. Mara looked over Donal’s shoulder and collapsed in his arms.
Amelia, Mara’s older sister, was crumpled on the ground, her eyes staring glassily in horror toward the sky. The marks on her body were unmistakable.
She’d been mauled by a wild animal.
Liam looked to the forest as he slowly withdrew his sword, but whatever had attacked her had grown quiet.
Still, he had the eerie feeling that something was watching them from the darkness.