A Fire Within (These Highland Hills, Book 3) (20 page)

He began to lead her away.

Caitlin dug in her heels, halting him. "And what are ye about?
Where are ye taking me?"

Eyes glittering like glacial ice riveted on her. "Where else?
To show ye to yet brother and set the exchange at long last into
motion."

As he all but dragged Caitlin from the keep, across the courtyard, and up the stairs to the parapet wall, each step Dar took was
some of the most painful he had ever taken in his life. Though
she said no further word, her gaze spoke volumes. And none of
the messages she sent him were either meek or mild.

He more than sensed her pain. He felt it to the marrow of his
bones, where it throbbed dully with every beat of his heart. And,
the closer they came to the moment Dar must give her back to
her brother, the greater his dread and despair grew.

Even the thought of never seeing Caitlin again, of her being
gone from his life totally and irrevocably, pressed down on him
with an ever growing weight. His chest ached. His lungs felt constricted, until he could barely drag in a breath. And he doubted,
how he doubted, that his courage would be sufficient for the
task to come.

A stiff breeze high overhead whipped the flag, flying the MacNaghten crest of a stone tower emblazoned with the clan motto
of "I Hope in God." The wind caught in Dar's plaid, sending the kilt rippling about his knees and his hair to blowing around
his face and into his eyes.

Angrily, he shoved his hair aside and pushed Caitlin to the
parapet's crenellated half wall. "Campbell!" he bellowed down
to the large encampment about fifty feet away. "Niall Campbell!
I've got yer sister. It's past time for an exchange."

"Ye're a pigheaded fool," Caitlin muttered as the camp below
them stirred, and three men finally strode out toward them. "Ye're
a fool, and ye'll regret this to yer dying day."

"Aye, well I know it," Dar ground out, "but it's for the best.
Ye'll see that someday, and thank God that I had the sense to do
what had to be done."

"Aye, thank God that He spared me having to remain with
the likes of ye! I never could stomach a coward, and ye're one of
the lowest, most spineless, most-"

"Wheesht!" Dar hissed as a tall, chestnut-haired man and an
equally tall blond man drew up below them, with Athe, hands
tied before him, standing between the two. "Ye've made yer point.
Ye hate me, and I'm well ready to be rid of ye."

"Caitlin?" the dark-haired Campbell called up to her. "Lass,
are ye all right? Has any harm come to ye?"

She shot Dar a furious glare, then turned back to gaze down at
the man who was obviously her brother. "Nay, no harm's come to
me, Niall. Naught more, at any rate, than the rigors that a hard
journey with a vexing, mule-headed man would cause."

As Dar clenched his teeth in silent frustration, Niall Campbell
exchanged glances with the blond man, who merely shrugged
his shoulders.

"Are ye ready to exchange my brother for yer sister, Campbell?" Dar shouted down to him. "If so, we can do so at the
front gate."

Niall nodded. "Aye, I'm ready. No tricks, though, MacNaghten. My patience has worn verra, verra thin."

Not as thin as mine, Dar thought, in dealing with yer wee shrew
of a sister.

"No tricks," he called down instead and, with a tug on Caitlin's
arm, turned her and led her back to the stairs.

Five minutes later, with crossbow-armed MacNaghtens placed
at several spots on the parapets near the front gate, Feandan MacNaghten lifted the heavy crossbeam securing the gate. Goraidh
walked over and planted himself before Dar and Caitlin.

"Aye, hermit?" Dar growled. "What is it now?"

"Are ye certain ye wish to do this?" the older man asked.
"Knowingly going against the will of God gains ye naught, in
the end, but even worse pain and hardship."

Now this, atop everything else!

Dar felt as if he were being assaulted on all fronts at once, and
that his defenses were rapidly crumbling. But of all the attacks
just now, he couldn't abide the added burden of disappointing
an unloving, unforgiving God!

"Then let Him have at it, just as soon as I have my brother
back. Once I've done all that I can for my clan, naught else matters
to me. Not even," Dar added with a sneer, "God's displeasure."

"Dar!" Caitlin gasped, horrified. "Don't say that! Och, I pray
ye, don't say that!"

He turned an agonized gaze on her. "Ye still don't understand,
do ye? Once I give ye back, there's naught of value left me in this
life. God would be doing me a kindness, He would, if He then
smote me where I stood."

"Then don't give me back," she pleaded, taking his hand and
pressing it to her. "I don't want to go, Dar. I don't want to leave
ye.

For a fleeting instant, he almost relented. Almost ordered his
uncle to replace the cross bar. Almost.

But it was too late. Too late ... ever since he had set the events
in motion that had led to Nara's death. Too late. Too late ...

Dar turned from Goraidh and back to his uncle. "Open the
gate if ye will. Let's get this over and done with."

Feandan exchanged a troubled glance with Goraidh but did
as he was told. Grasping the stout iron ring, he pulled at the
door.

Outside, just ten feet away, were two men in blue, green, and
black plaids. Between them, disheveled, a wild look in his eyes,
stood Dar's brother.

At long last, she was taking the final steps that would rejoin
her with her brother and assure her return home, Caitlin thought
as she and Dar walked through the gate and toward the awaiting
men. That had been her dream and source of her most fervent
prayers for the past several days. Yet why, when the longed-for moment was finally upon her, did she dread it, indeed even feel like
someone walking away from happiness rather than toward it?

She had Darach MacNaghten to thank for that. Fury boiled
up within her. Just like before, she had yet another manipulative,
coldly calculating man to thank for breaking her heart.

Yet, instead of mourning her soon-to-be loss of Dar, she should
instead thank God for His intervention. She had tried to be
faithful to what she had imagined He asked of her, tried not to
run from what seemed to be her commitments and His will. But
apparently she had misunderstood. Apparently the Lord really
hadn't intended that she stay the course with Dar.

There was a certain peace in the fact she had tried, even if she
had ultimately been wrong in what she had thought she must
do. A peace in trying to learn and carry out the will of God. Yet
still it hurt. How it hurt!

As they drew up before Niall, her cousin lain, and the auburnhaired Athe, her brother eyed her intently for a long moment.
Then he smiled.

"Ye've given me a fright, ye have, lass. But ye seem no worse
for the wear."

"Nay"-Caitlin managed a weak smile in return-"I've managed as well as could be expected. But I'm nonetheless verra glad
to come back to ye." She shot Dar a seething glance. "Verra,
verra glad."

Niall caught the look she sent Dar. "Did he harm ye in any
way? Tell me true, lass."

Only my heart. Only my heart ...

Caitlin shook her head. "I'm fine. Indeed, better than fine."
She made a motion toward Dar's brother. "Let's get on with the
exchange, shall we? The sooner I'm well rid of these MacNaghtens, the better."

"Go to him, then, lass," Dar growled, placing his hand in the
small of her back and giving her a gentle push forward. "I'm
equally as eager to be rid of ye and yer kind."

Simultaneously, Niall shoved Athe toward Dar. "Ye've gained
naught in rescuing this piece of vermin. But take him and be
done with it."

Caitlin walked past Athe as he rejoined his brother. Dar deserves
ye, he does, she thought, casting the unkempt man a contemptuous glance. If he's so intent on his own and his clan's destruction,
he's chosen well in choosing ye.

As soon as she reached Niall and lain, her cousin enveloped
her in a big hug. "Och, but it's so good to have ye back, lass! If
ye only knew the foul mood yet brother's been in, ever since ye
were taken ..."

She grinned up at her handsome cousin. "And that's solely
because, with me gone, he only had ye left to vent his spleen
upon. But now that I'm soon back home ..."

"Aye, ye have had a hard time of it these years," Niall said,
extricating her from lain's grasp to take her into his own arms.
"Living with the likes of me, I mean."

Och, but it feels so good to be back with Niall and Lain! Caitlin
thought, clutching her brother tightly about his waist. If she held
him long enough, perhaps she could even blot out the memory
of the past days and walk away and never look back. Never look
back or wonder ... wonder what might have been.

"Cut off these bonds and be quick about it!" Caitlin heard Athe
snap irritably at his brother. "I'll not stand out here an instant
longer, trussed up for all the clan to see. What were ye thinking,
ye fool, to allow them to bring me to ye this way?"

So, already it starts.

Caitlin released Niall, pushed away, and wheeled around. She
took several steps forward.

"Fine words of gratitude," she cried from the short distance
now separating them, "for the only man who cared enough to
risk his life and honor for ye. But then, ye've never been worthy
of yer brother or yet clan!"

"And ye are?"

The moment Dar cut through the final bond, Athe grabbed
the knife from his brother's hand, spun about, and, before anyone could fathom his intent, much less react, raced up to where
Caitlin stood. He grabbed her arm, jerked her about, and laid
the knife blade against her throat.

Dar gave a shout of anger. With an outraged cry, Niall leaped
forward before lain was able to pull him back.

"Hold, Cousin," his tanist said. "Ye know he's a madman.
Don't push him."

The Campbell stopped, eyeing Athe warily. "What are ye
about, MacNaghten?" His glance swung next to Dar. "Was this
a part of yet plan as well?"

Dar shook his head. "Nay. Never." He turned to Athe, who
still had the blade pressed to Caitlin's throat. "Let her go, Brother.
This isn't necessary. Let her go, I say."

Caitlin could feel Athe's hand on her arm clench all the tighter, feel his heart thudding against her back. He was both crazed and
terrified. There would be no reasoning with him.

"And when did ye become chief, to order me about?" Athe
rasped out the demand. "As usual, ye've failed to consider all
aspects of this poorly devised plan. Are ye so simpleminded that
ye truly imagined the Campbell would leave without taking his
revenge, once he had his sister back? Nay, we need the wench still,
if we're to have any hope of making a successful escape."

Dar's gaze slammed into Caitlin's. He knew she hadn't forgotten about the secret passage. He visually begged her not to make
mention of it. She blinked once, slowly, trying to assure him she
would not betray him.

"I'm sure the Campbell could be convinced to assure us safe
passage," Dar said, looking to Niall. "Especially now, with his
sister's life in the balance."

"Ye know I would, MacNaghten," Niall snarled, all the while
gauging the distance between him and Athe, and his possible
options. "I'd grant ye whatever lead ye desired. Just give me back
my sister, safe and sound."

"Sticks in yer craw, doesn't it," Athe all but crowed with satisfaction. "To be at another's mercy for the first time in yer life?"
From the corner of her vision, Caitlin saw Dar also begin to

eye his brother. He was closer than Niall or lain, and might hold
a bit more element of surprise, considering Athe would likely not
suspect him of an attack. But it was still too great a chance to
take. Caitlin knew the instant Dar decided the same.

There was nothing she could do or say, though, at such a tense
moment. One more voice and opinion in the matter might well
be the final tipping point for Athe. So she just closed her eyes
and offered up a prayer.