Chapter 28
They arrived at the territory at dusk the next day. Liam made a camp in the forest, and Jean could only pray that there were no more wolves as she left him. It didn’t take long for them to find a hunting party, and to her relief, Donal was not a part of it.
“Jean?” Andrew asked in surprise. “Please tell me that ye arenae alone.”
“I am not alone.” She led them back to Liam’s camp. “Where is Donal?”
“I wouldnae know. He sends us out every morning in search of another wolf.”
Jean immediately looked over her shoulder. “He has?”
“Have ye seen evidence?” Liam said calmly. Andrew shook his head. “There is no other wolf. Donal is keeping ye busy so ye cannae keep track of what he is doing.”
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “I think ‘tis time ye explained what ye are doing here, Liam.”
As Jean expected, all of the Sinclair guards balked at using Jean as bait.
When someone mentioned using Mara instead, Jean rose.
“There is no one here that is less important than me,” she reminded them.
“I volunteered to do this. It was my idea. I will never let anyone else take my place. Besides, I know that nothing will happen to me with all of ye to watch over me.”
“Ye are all right with this?” Andrew demanded to Liam.
“Nay, but she is right. Nothing will happen to her. We need Donal to get to Gibson and stop a war before it starts. Have ye seen anything suspicious since he has been in charge?”
The men exchanged looks. “Mara,” one of them finally said. “He’s been staying with Mara, but we suspect she is not welcoming him with open arms. She keeps to herself now. We dinnae like it.”
“Bring her here, please. We need to know what she knows, and more important, we need to keep her safe.” Jean hated how shaky her voice was.
The next few hours were so important and could save so many lives, and she was quickly turning into a damsel in distress.
Hunting a animal, even one she thought might be a monster, was not nearly as daunting as hunting a man who was willing to betray his whole clan.
And the man Liam considered his best friend.
“I need sleep,” Liam said in a low voice. “As does she. When are ye expected to return from yer hunting party?”
“Dusk.”
“Two of ye retrieve Mara as quietly as possible. The rest keep watch while we sleep. Give us until noon. After that, we need to be on alert for whoever Donal is working with. Does he send him to certain areas of the woods?”
The men nodded in confirmation. “Excellent. Give us yer coordinates. Donal is sure to be elsewhere, and it will be easier for me to stumble upon him.”
Again, the guards exchanged looks uneasily but then left. Jean rested, but she couldn’t quite sleep. Liam didn’t camp with her. She wouldn’t allow it. If Donal came upon them sleeping together, it would ruin everything. Still, she suspected that he wasn’t far, but it didn’t help.
Whatever happened next, her future with Liam was over. She’d felt the chasm between them as they traveled, saw the mask on his face. When he tried to talk of their future, it only hurt more. She’d lied when she said they could still remain friends.
Allies, certainly, but friends? It would hurt too much to see him, to know what she’d ruined.
In the end, all her determination to keep her heart cold, to never fall in love, was for naught, and now she felt nothing but broken.
Could she even still be a warrior after all of this?
After all the mistakes she’d made?
Maybe her path was simply to go back to her home, find a man she could live with, and settle down. Be the woman everyone wished she would be.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she opened them and wiped them away.
The sun wasn’t quite to mid-sky, so she had time before the guards returned.
She needed to walk. To clear her head. Luckily, she wasn’t expected to be presentable when she appeared to Donal.
She was meant to be vulnerable and distraught. Not that much of a disguise.
Packing up her things so she’d be ready when the others appeared, she picked a path that just circled her little campsite so she wouldn’t be far, and she walked a little to warm up her body. It wasn’t until she began to stretch that her mind cleared, and she realized that she’d missed something.
Why would Donal be sending the guards elsewhere? He’d been able to wreak havoc and sabotage the whole territory without having to send anyone away. Even brought in and maintained his pet wolf.
So what was he doing now that required the guards’ distraction?
A knot formed in her belly. The guards had to hunt. There was only so much stored food here, but if they were hunting in certain areas while they searched for the wolf, then other parts of the woods would be guaranteed to be unoccupied.
Donal was hiding something in the woods, and it most likely wasn’t another wolf.
She glanced at the sky again. She had plenty of time to do a little exploring before the guards returned and Liam woke up. He’d be furious if she went too far, but if Donal was hiding something, she wanted to know what it was before she put anyone’s life in danger.
Paying close attention to her surroundings, she moved slowly, looking for any signs of movement. There would be animals. Deer. Rabbits. Foxes. Boars.
At the thought of a boar, she shuddered but pushed on. Not for the first time, she wished she was wearing breeches, but in the end, she decided a dress was better. It painted a more realistic picture of a damsel in distress.
But now, it was just plain annoying.
A snap and quiet gasp sounded to her left, and she froze.
Holding her breath, Jean slowly turned toward the sound.
It came from behind some bushes. Whoever was on that side would reach the clearing in a matter of seconds.
She could sneak behind a tree, but there was no way that she could do it quietly.
Reaching into her skirt, she slowly pulled her dagger. If she couldn’t hide, she would at least fight.
“Jean!” The desperate whisper reached Jean before Mara broke through the clearing. Her eyes were red from crying, and there was a bruise on her cheek. Jean barely had time to sheath her blade before she Mara herself into her arms. “What are ye doing here?”
“I was going to ask ye the same question. Mara, the guards are looking for ye. They’re going to keep ye safe. Why are ye not with them?”
“I’ve been hiding in the woods since last night.” Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. “Donal is planning something awful,” she cried. “I wanted to tell the guards, but they all followed him, and I dinnae know who to trust. I’m trying to find him. To stop him.”
Rage swept through Jean as she stared at her friend’s cheek. “He did this to ye?”
“Donal is… there was a time when I thought he was mine. The last time he was here, I could tell something was wrong. That was when he hit me. I know that men lose their tempers. I know it happens, but it wasnae going to happen to me, so when he returned for me, I wouldnae let him stay with me.”
Jean shook her head. “The guards said that he was staying with ye.”
“He threatened me. I… thought he might kill me. He is not the man he used to be, or at least, he is not the man he pretends to be. Ye have to run, Jean. If Donal gets his hands on ye, he will hurt ye. Use ye. Everyone knows what yer father will do to protect ye. What Liam will do.”
“My father, aye, but Liam? Not anymore. He will protect his clan at any cost.”
“Oh, Jean. I dinnae know what happened, but ye are wrong. There is nothing ye could do to stop that man from loving ye. Nothing.”
This was not the place to have this conversation. “Do ye know where Donal is now? Why is he hiding in the woods?”
Mara shook her head. “I overheard his orders to the guards. He has been avoiding the southern port to the river. I’m on my way there now to see what he might be hiding.”
“The port,” Jean breathed as she considered the implications. The river here wasn’t large enough for trade ships, but personal boats? They could easily hide among the shores. They’d be seen leaving. But what about coming in?
“Did ye search for him yesterday?”
“Aye. I just barely got back by nightfall. He was suspicious, but he thinks I am just trying to avoid him.” Mara wiped her tears away. “We can split up. It’ll make the rest of the search go faster.”
“Nay. Ye are not alone anymore, and I amnae leaving ye alone.” Donal let his wolf kill Amelia. Jean was not about to let Mara out of her sight.
“Are ye alone?” Mara asked.
“Not for long.” Jean glanced around anxiously.
She wanted to start searching the shores, but she didn’t have enough time.
It was almost noon. There would be quite a few nervous guards upset about not being able to get their hands on Mara.
The sooner she and Mara got back to Liam, the better. “Come with me.”
“Aye. Is there a plan? I really hope that ye have a plan,” Mara said quietly as she hurried behind Jean. “We need to get a message back to…. Jean!”
Whirling around, Jean froze when she saw Donal, his arms around Mara and a knife pressed to her throat. “I knew ye were going to be useful, sweet Mara. Worth more than the heat between yer legs. Ye brought Lady Jean right to me.”
Jean hissed. “Ye are not leaving any more marks on her, Donal.”
“And who is going to stop me? Ye?” With a smile, Donal released Mara and pointed the dagger at Jean. “All right, Lady Jean. Let us see just how much of a fight ye have in ye?”
This was not the plan. She was supposed to be the damsel in distress, not the warrior. The bait and not the hero.
But he’d hurt Mara in ways that she would never forget. Jean couldn’t let that go.
“Do ye think ye are the warrior here, Donal? A true warrior doesnae hurt the innocent, but ye, Donal. Ye would watch the land soak up the blood of a whole clan just to get what ye want. So tell me, what was worth ye betraying yer best friend?”
A shadow flitted over his face, but he set his jaw as he stared at her. “Liam was born with greatness running through his veins, ye know that? He would lead a clan from the moment he was pulled from his mother’s body, whether he deserved it or not.”
“Are ye saying that he doesnae?”
He did, and Donal knew it. “It doesnae matter. I am also born for greatness. I deserve it, but there is no other way for me. No path for me unless I make one myself.”
“Betraying yer clan is not a path to greatness.”
“The Armstrongs dinnae need this land. These people can make their homes closer to the keep. If they had left like they were supposed to, then there would be no blood. Furthermore, their issues with Clan Gibson would be over. All the clans have issues with Gibson. Once I am laird, I’ll be able to join the alliance.
I’ll fight with Liam instead of against him. ”
“Ballach has a daughter,” Jean said quietly. “And he has promised her as yer prize if ye cleared the territory so he could take it. Donal, how could ye? Amelia is dead. How much more blood are ye willing to spill?”
“All of it,” he hissed. “All of it!”
“No,” Mara screamed. Donal lunged just as Mara buried her knife in his stomach. The clearing fell silent as Donal stumbled and stared at her in horror.
“Ye killed Amelia,” Mara whimpered as Donal fell. “I willnae let ye kill anyone else.”
“Ye… what did ye do?” He said in shock. “
“It looks like she killed ye, Donal.”
At the sound of a male voice, Jean whirled, but not before hands wrapped around her arms and held her in place. Three men melted out of the woods. One was a grizzled older man in his clan colors.
Ballach Gibson.
“Just as well. I would’ve killed ye myself before I let a weak-hearted traitor marry my daughter,” he said as he looked down at Donal.
“Mara, run. Run,” Jean screamed as she slammed her head back into the man holding her.
He grunted in pain, and his hold loosened.
Turning, she slammed her foot into his knee and grabbed her knife.
Plunging it into his shoulder, she pulled it out and turned just as someone else reached for her.
Slicing it across his face, she kicked out between his legs.
He grunted and fell, but two more men were on before she could make another move.
Did Mara get away? Swiveling her head, she didn’t see her friend anywhere. Relief swept over her, and she looked up as Ballach walked toward her.
“So, the daughter of Sinclair is as fierce as her reputation,” he drawled as he stared down at her.
“‘Tis no wonder ye hold the heart of Armstrong. As beautiful as she is strong. If I let the two of ye wed, I will never get my hands on this land, but that doesnae mean that ye cannae have yer happy ending, my dear. I wouldnae dream of standing in the way of true love. When this territory is mine, bind yerself to him and lead his clan.”
Jean lifted her chin. “He will never give it to ye. He will protect his people before he gives it up.”
With the point of his sword, Ballach pricked her neck. “For yer sake, my dear, I hope ye are wrong.”