Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander (14 page)

Chapter 19

Ian raised his hand for the group
to slow their pace. They were just about to enter the narrow pass that would
take them to the inn. “Fergus and Hamish ride ahead and check the trail.”

The two men headed out as the
others dismounted for a short rest near the overhanging cliffs. Katie walked
over to Ian. “Why do we stop?”

“We must check the pass before we
enter. It grows dark and more treacherous by the hour.”

She came close and put her hand
on his chest. “Every moment counts. I dinna ken what Rannoch may be doing to my
family as we speak.”

“Aye, Katie, but we can do them
no good if we dinna succeed.”

“We shall have to be careful
then.”

“Aye, we’ll wait for Fergus and
Hamish to return before we go further. I canna risk the lives of my clansmen to
appease your fears. I dinna think Rannoch will harm your kin, at least not
until he is assured of the reward he seeks. Besides, Rannoch is probably out
tracking us by now not lurking about the castle to torment your family.”

“You trifle with their lives!”
Katie stiffened and turned her back to him.

Ian put his hands on her
shoulders. She tried to shake them off, but he held her tight. “I dinna want
any harm to come to them.”

“Then we must go through the pass
this evening.”

He turned her to face him. “We
will discuss it when our scouts return. Now come over and have something to
eat. Father brought provisions for our journey and I ken you havena eaten in
hours, perchance not at all today.” With a heavy sigh, she nodded and went with
him to get a small repast.

The sun had set by the time the
scouts return. “We saw nothin’ out of place. I do have that eerie feelin’ like
somethin’ is afoot,” Hamish said.

“As do I,” said Ian. He looked at
his father. “Camp or go forward?” Ian asked. Angus started to answer, but at
just that moment, Ian looked behind them. “We have company,” he said pointing
to the cluster of riders coming up on them fast. “Ride!”

The group mounted and took off at
a furious pace riding toward the ever-narrowing pass. Suddenly a hail of arrows
rained down on them from the cliffs above.

“It’s a trap,” Ian cried. He
searched the way ahead for further signs of Rannoch’s men. A line of fire burst
across the pass in front of them. Surrounded, Ian cried out to his men.
“Dismount!” The men obeyed as Ian dragged Katie with him behind a massive
boulder near the cliff’s edge. “Stay here,” he ordered. Giving her a quick
kiss, he ran into the fray.

Katie watched in horror. When the
mounted attackers came, Ian and his kin slashed the horse’s necks and chests
forcing the riders to the ground. Hand to hand combat ensued as Draco and a
company of men came from the other side of the valley. The clash of swords
echoed through the air. Katie shuddered when the first man fell. Rannoch’s men
swarmed over the Innes clan striking down man after man by virtue of their
number.

The love of her life stood
covered in the blood of his attackers. She watched Ian kill four men. Rannoch
remained on his prancing horse doing more to direct the battle than to
participate. Now that most of the Innes clansmen lay at his feet, he circled
the area repeatedly. She knew he searched for her.

Soon only three men remained.
Ian, Angus, and Erland formed a triangle with their backs to each other. Draco
and a band of men surrounded them slashing and slicing. The sound of steel
hitting steel rang across the valley. When Erland stepped forward to protect
his laird from Draco’s blade, Draco ran his sword straight through the man and
into Angus. Erland and Angus fell to the ground. Ian let out a cry of rage and
went after Draco. One of Draco’s companions struck Ian hard with a mace. He
fell over on top of his wounded father, blood seeping from his head.

Katie screamed. Rannoch rode
toward her, but she did not try to flee. She had caused this and now they all
lay dead for trying to help her. Let him kill her. Let him do whatever he
wished with her. She deserved any punishment he gave.

Rannoch’s hand slapped hard
across her face. “Stop screaming!” he ordered. The blow knocked her to the
ground. Her mouth filled with dirt as she pushed herself back to her feet. She
hadn’t even realized she was still screaming and now the whole earth spun with
every step she took. Rannoch grabbed hold of her and pulled her onto his horse
in front him. “See the carnage you wrought with your stupid plan? This is your
doing. Tell me, Katie, will you be able to live with all this blood on your
hands?”

Her head throbbed. Rannoch
continued to rant. His voice got dimmer and dimmer. Death surrounded her. Ian
and his kinsmen were dead. Her chest ached with unshed tears. Finally, sweet
darkness overtook her.

Jamie woke naked in his bed.
Sorcha had vanished, but not the burning memories of his first sexual
experience. She stayed with him through the afternoon and into the night. How
many times had he taken her? He lost count as she found new ways to make him
ready with her touch, her ripe body, and her sweet mouth. He stretched and drew
in a deep breath. Katie would not be pleased about his encounter with the Red
Witch. He had no regrets. Now he felt like a man.

A light knock drew him to the
door. “Milord, I would speak with you.” Sorcha’s voice called. “May I come in?”

“Please,” Jamie answered. She
walked into the room, closed the door, and bolted it. He smiled at her from the
bed. “Are you here to pleasure me again?”

“My rutting stag,” she said
softly as she sat on the bed beside him. “I take it I pleased you.” She brushed
his hair from his face as he tried to pull her down on top of him. “Please,
Milord, there is other pressing business we must discuss.”

Jamie propped up in the bed. He
ran the back of his hand over her cheek. “What is so important it interrupts an
opportunity for pleasure?”

“Your sister captured Ian Innes
and held him captive in your father’s dungeon. Rannoch found out and Katie
escaped with Ian. Rannoch went after them and returned to the keep late last
night with your sister. They say he killed Ian Innes and all the Innes clansmen
who aided them.”

A cold fear congealed in Jamie’s
chest. “Why do you tell me this?”

“I dinna wish any harm to come to
your family. Rannoch brought Katie to the tower where I keep my cures. She
looks, but does not see. I think she is in shock from witnessing the bloodbath.
Katie has not regained her senses. Now she is in my care.” She fluttered her
dark lashes. “Jamie, I thought you might want to see her. Rannoch says she can
have no visitors until I cure her, but I could sneak you in.”

“How do I ken this is not one of
Rannoch’s tricks? Perchance he used you to soften me up so I would fall into
his trap.” He ran his hand over her breast. “You did a good job. You gave me
every young man’s dream all in one night. So now you think I will do whatever
you wish.”

She raised a dark eyebrow and
looked into his eyes. “I enjoyed every moment I spent with you. Innocence is
preferable to perversion any day.”

“Rannoch….”

“He has unusual tastes and I am
forced to humor him.”

Jamie nodded. “If that is so, why
did you come to Duntaigh Castle?”

“He saved me from a worse fate.
The things I do for him are less foul than what I would have had to do to
survive where he found me.” She looked away from him with a single tear
streaking down her cheek.

Jamie pulled her close and kissed
it away. “How can I help?”

“There is nothing you can do for
me, at least not yet. A time may come when I ask for your assistance. For now,
Rannoch doesna interfere with our pleasure.” She brushed his lips with a soft
kiss then stood. “Only you can decide what to do about visiting Katie. I will
be in the tower tending your sister. Do as you see fit.”

“Sorcha….”

“Have a care Jamie, I dinna ken
what Rannoch is planning. If Katie’s rescuers lie dead, it does not bode well
for any of you.” He watched her breasts rise and fall as she drew a deep
breath. “You could hide in my tower and Rannoch would think you escaped.”

“Why do you help me?”

“Because I choose to,” she said.
With that, she unlocked the door to his chamber and left, blowing him a kiss
from the doorway.

Jamie dressed and went to check
on his sisters, the image of Sorcha still scorched across his brain. Should he
trust her? He needed to check on Katie, but not until he knew what was going
on. Brianna seemed smitten with the man Katie swore sought to ruin them all.
Maybe he should see Tessa first. If she really did have foresight, he could
surely use it now.

He found his younger sister in
their father’s chamber. She sat by their father’s bed smiling and wiping his
brown intermittently. Tessa rose when he entered the room. “We are alone,” she
said softly. “Sorcha came in briefly to give him her potion, then left. I
havena seen Rannoch at all.”

“How is father?”

“Jamie,” his father called. “You
were to go to Angus. Why are you still here?”

“Da, you can speak.”

Tessa smiled. “He is much better,
but ‘tis our little secret. Sorcha had already cut the dose on her potion. I
switched it out for water. Now father grows better by the hour.”

“Come closer, Son. I still can
barely move my limbs. I fear some of my losses may be permanent.”

Jamie went to the bed and hugged
his father. “Da, Rannoch caught me leaving the keep. He confined me to my
chamber. He told me if I attempted to leave again, he would hurt Tessa and
Brianna. I didna get to go to Angus. I gave Rannoch my word I would stay here.”

“What of Katie? I havena seen her
in days.”

“Rannoch caught her with Ian
Innes and imprisoned them both.”

“In the dungeon?” Brian asked.

“Only Ian. He secured Katie in
her chamber, but there is more….”

“And I helped her escape,” Tessa
interrupted. “Last time I saw her she planned to free Ian and go for help.”

“They escaped,” Jamie said. “Or
so I am told.”

His father sighed. “Tess, you are
too young to risk so much. If you dinna cross Rannoch, he wilna harm you.” With
a moan, Brian Blackburn sank back into his bed. “I canna help you. You must
find a way to stay safe until we can figure a way out of this. If Katie and Ian
did escape, they are seeking assistance now.”

Jamie dropped his gaze to the
floor then looked at his father. “I heard this morning that Rannoch came back
to the keep late last night. He claimed he slaughtered Angus, Ian, and their
men. Rannoch brought Katie back. She is in Sorcha’s tower. According to Sorcha,
Katie is in shock from watching the bloodbath. She hasna come to her senses.”

His father’s eyebrow rose. “Why
would Sorcha confide in you? She is in Rannoch’s inner circle.”

“They want us to think there is
no hope,” Tessa suggested. “They ken Jamie will report the news to the family.
Perchance not all Laird Innes’ men died. We dinna ken what the real truth is.”
She shot Jamie a knowing smile that almost made him lose his footing.

“Ah… ah…. Could be Tessa is
right, Father,” Jamie stammered straightening his stance. “Sorcha made a point
of telling me this. She even suggested I come and see Katie in the tower.”

“I am sure this is the reason,”
Tessa said a little too quickly.

“See if you can speak with Katie.
She may ken the truth, but have a care. I dinna trust Sorcha Blaine. The witch
has been poisoning me for months.” Their father broke into a coughing fit and
Tessa got him some water. He sipped from the cup until he could speak again.
“Once we ken what has transpired, we will devise a plan.”

Jamie shifted his weight.
“Father, there is one more thing.”

“Brianna?” his father asked.

“Aye, I am not sure we can trust
her to keep our secrets. She hangs on Rannoch’s every word and swoons if he
gives her the slightest notice.”

“I havena spoken to Brianna. I
dinna trust her either. She is young and enamored with Rannoch. He is a clever
man. She is jealous of Katie and he uses this.”

“Jealous of Katie?”

“Son, they are close in age and
rivals for attention. Katie has gotten most of it because she is the eldest and
easily turns heads. Brianna is beautiful in her own right, but when Katie is in
the room, no one notices. This has caused a rivalry, if only in Brianna’s mind.
Rannoch uses this to keep Brianna on his side.”

“Should I speak to her? It could
be that she can get more information from Rannoch if we pretend to trust her.”
Jamie sighed. “I love Brianna and I dinna like leaving her out of everything.
Right now, I fear she is being controlled by that evil man.”

“Aye, so,” his father agreed. “Go
to her, but dinna reveal the state of my health. Tell her what you heard from
Sorcha and ask if Brianna can find the truth. This will make her feel important
and not endanger our cause.”

“As you wish, Father.”

Tessa grabbed Jamie’s arm. “Da,
Jamie and I will leave now and let you rest,” she said almost dragging Jamie
from the chamber.