Ian (23 page)

“Nay!” cried Kyla, pulling against the men holding her, but it did no good. Th
ey rushed her over to the pyre and tied her tightly on the stake. Then one man walked over and picked up a lit torch from the castle wall.

What had she gotten them into? She knew now that no matter how much she loved Ian or how much he said he loved her, that none of it mattered
any more. Because there was nothing either of them could do to change this situation, and now both of them would die.

Ian fought like a madman, but to no avail, as the guards shoved him into the stocks and slammed the wood down over his hands and head. The lock was secured and Ian was helpless as he watched them tie Kyla to a stake atop the pyre. A guard approached it with a lit torch in his hand.

She was being so brave and not even crying, and Ian knew it was because she wanted the last vision he had of her to be strong. She was strong.
Stronger than any woman he’d ever known, and he felt like such a fool for never noticing.

“Kylaaaaa!” He screamed and tried to break out of the stocks, but it held him tight. “I love ye, Kyla. This canna be happenin’.”

“Ian,” she called back. “I’m so sorry fer always bein’ a pest. I jest wanted ye te notice me. I’ve always loved ye.” He saw a tear dripping down her cheek and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe it away and take her into his arms where she’d be safe. He wanted to kiss her sweet lips again and tell her everything was going to be fine.

But instead, all his past memories came crashing through him, as once again he was at the mercy of Tearlach and being forced to watch a lassie burn at the stake. This time, it wasn’t his wife, but it was a woman he loved with all his heart and soul.

“I’ve been a fool, Kyla. I’m so sorry. I ne’er shoulda brought ye here. I shoulda been honest aboot me past from the beginnin’.”

“Ye had yer reasons, Ian,” she called
back as the men prepared to light the logs beneath her. “And I would go te me deith all o’er again if I thought it’d protect ye and save ye. I put us in this situation. I am the one who’s sorry.”

“Nay, I will go te me deith afore I let ye burn.”

“This is all so sickening sweet,” spat Tearlach, sitting down on a bench his men brought him, struggling for breath now, and holding a rag to his wound. “But it’s too late and there is nothing either o’ ye can do to save each other so jest haud yer wheest already.” His wound was bleeding worse and Ian only wished the man would die already. How could anyone be so black-hearted and evil? “Light the fire,” he said and coughed once more and this time grimaced from the pain.

“Naaaay!” Ian rocked back and forth and tried to fight his way out of the stocks, but they just wouldn’t open.

“Ian!” came Kyla’s cry as the flames shot up all around her. Smoke filled the air and a barrier of flame was now between them, and then the oddest thing happened, he heard that haunting tune as if someone were humming it right in his ear. Then through the smoke he saw the face of the mysterious beggar woman he’d seen at the Samhain fire. She was humming the tune and smiling.

“Now is the time te rid yerself o’ yer demons
o’ the past, Ian,” he heard her say.

“Who are ye?” he asked, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

“Look inte yer heart and ye’ll remember me. Non Oblitus,” the woman said to him, and he recognized the words that were inscribed on the MacTavish clan badge. “It means, dinna ferget me after deith,” she said with a smile. “Think aboot thet, Ian, and ye’ll remember who I am.” She disappeared before he could ask her anything else, but he saw in the sky a murder of crows lifting up into the air.

“Dunmor’s signal,” he said to himself, feeling as if there was hope after all. He would save Kyla and he would save t
he MacTavish namesake as well. “Non Oblitus,” he cried at the top of his lungs, and pushed with all his might upward, yanking so hard at the stocks that his muscles burned, but he was able to lift them right out of the ground.

The guards rushed around him and he used the wood of the stocks to knock them over as he swung around in a circle.
Then he ran up to the wall of the castle, slamming himself into it. The wood splintered and cracked and with one more slam against the wall he was able to break free of the stocks.

He was met by Eigg holding out his sword as well as several others. His eyes darted over to the bonfire and the flames were lapping upward and moving closer to Kyla.

“I dinna have time fer this,” he growled, taking hold of one of the men and swinging him into the sword of the other. Then he grabbed the second man’s sword and killed him with it, pulling it out just in time to protect himself from Eigg’s blade coming at him.

“
Get outta me way, ye bluidy bastard!” Ian sunk his sword into Eigg’s chest.

“Ian,” he heard Kyla cry out, and he turned and with
out even thinking about it, ran and jumped into the fire to save her. The heat from the flames lapped up around them, and he felt it biting at his flesh. But in two swipes he’d cut her loose from the stake and carried her in his arms to safety.

“Ian, I was so scared,” she said, clinging to his neck.

He wanted more than anything to comfort her and kiss her and take her away from all this, but he could see the soldiers headed in their direction.

“Are you all right, Kyla?” he asked.

“I am now, becooz ye love me,” she said and smiled. It was the most precious thing and he’d remember it for as long as he lived.

“Then get te the postern gate and open it fer Dunmor. I believe there’s an army here te help us take back this castle, and they’re goin’ te need thet drawbridge lowered quickly.”

“I’ll do it,” she said. “Ye can count on me, as I will do exactly what ye say from now on.”

“Then help me win this battle so I can marry ye, Kyla.”

“Do ye mean thet, Ian?”

“More than I’ve e’er meant anythin’ in me entire life.” He
leaned over and kissed her quickly, and she took off running for the postern gate. Ian turned around and saw six men coming at him at once. He took a deep breath and said to himself. “I am a Madman MacKeefe and nothin’ is goin’ te stop me now.” With that, he bent down and picked up Eigg’s sword from the ground and with one blade in each hand he raised them up and rushed forward to do what he was best at, and win this battle once and for all.

Chapter 26

Kyla pulled open the postern gate door, having found the key already in the lock. Dunmor pushed it open from the other side, and hurried inside with a dozen men following him.

“Get the drawbridge down quickly,” he shouted, then looked over to Kyla. “Thank God ye’re all right,” he said. “Where is Ian?”

“He’s fightin’ them all off be himself,” she told him. “Were ye able te get help?”

“We have more men than ye can imagine,” he said. “It seems the hound ran back te the MacKeefe camp and they knew somethin’ was wrong. All the MacKeefes as well as the MacDougalls and even the MacDuffs have showed up to help.”

“They have?” she said, feeling a sense of relief. “And what aboot yer families and the pregnant women?”

“Th
ey are all safe, thanks te ye and Ian. “Now get te cover, Kyla, as we have a battle te win.” He ran off to fight.

Kyla watched as another dozen men on foot ran in the postern door and headed over to the courtyard. She could hear the drawbridge being lowered and much shouting as men rode over the drawbridge into the courtyard
, coming to their aid.

Kyla felt relieved and headed to hide in the stables where she knew she’d be safe and still able to watch the battle from the hayloft.
She rushed inside and had one foot on the ladder when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Where do ye t
hink ye’re goin’?”

She turned slowly, knowing exactly who it was. There stood Tearlach
, bent over and bleeding, but with a sword pointed right toward her throat.

Ian was elated to see Dunmor rush in with his men, as well as the drawbridge being lowered and Storm leading the MacKeefes over it on his horse. Aidan and Onyx were right behind him, and even The MacKeefe showed up to help with his broken arm tied up to his chest.

“Ian,” shouted Aidan, rushing over on his horse. Ian took down another man, then turned to greet his good friend.

“Aidan, so nice te see ye. Hope ye didna have te cut short yer visit with the MacDuffs becooz o’ me.”

“Nay, they jest came along with us fer the fun,” said Aidan, taking down a man from the top of
his horse. “The chieftain sent out messenger pigeons when the camp was first attacked, and thet’s how we all kent te come back. Where is me wee sister?” he asked. “Is she all right?”

“She’s no wee anymore,” said Ian, fighting as they spoke. “And I love her Aidan and want te marry her if ye’ll agree.”

“I ken, and it’s fine with me, guid friend.”

“How do ye ken?”

“Well, it seems me wife, Effie has jest as big o’ a mouth as me, and told me all aboot ye and Kyla kissin’.”

“Ian,” came a voice from somewhere that sounded a lot like Kyla’s.

“Kyla?” He turned and looked upward and saw Kyla in the window of the hayloft, and then he realized she was fighting off someone, and he could see that it was Tearlach.

“God’s eyes, will this ne’er end?
” he shouted and grabbed a stray horse, hopping atop it and riding across the courtyard to the stable. Once there, he rushed inside, and headed for the hayloft.

He could see Kyla struggling
with Tearlach, and if Tearlach hadn’t been wounded and weak, he was sure Kyla would be dead right now.

“Get down, Kyla,” he cried out, and she looked over to him briefly, then did as he said
by lowering herself to her knees. Ian took his dagger and flung it through the air, and it lodged itself into Tearlach’s back. The man gasped, then staggered backward, dropping his sword in the process. He lost his balance and fell out of the hayloft, landing right at Ian’s feet.

“Are ye all right, Kyla?” Ian cried out.

“Aye,” she said, poking her head up over the railing.

“Then look away, as this is no’ goin’ te be a pretty site.”

“Ye canna kill me, MacKeefe,” said Tearlach in a faint voice.

“Thet’s where ye
’re wrong, this time,” said Ian. This time looking right into the man’s eyes, he stabbed his sword down into his chest. “And this time I’m goin’ te be sure ye stay deid.” He removed his sword and next brought it down, cutting off the man’s head.

“Ian,” yelled Aidan, rushing into the stable with Onyx right behind him. They looked down at the bloody mess and nodded their heads.

“Guess ye didna need our help,” said Onyx.

“Have we secured the castle?” aske
d Ian.

“Aye,” answered Aid
an. “The rest o’ Tearlach’s men have surrendered and we’ve taken prisoners, and Storm is cleanin’ up the courtyard by havin’ his men dump the deid inte the fire te burn.”

“
Guid, no use wastin’ a fire like thet. Well, here’s one more,” he said, nodding toward Tearlach. “And make certain this one burns down to dust as we dinna want him e’er comin’ back te life again.”

“Aid
an?” Kyla appeared at the top of the ladder.

“Ky
la! Aidan ran to greet his sister and she jumped from the ladder into his arms.

“Kyla, thank God ye’re all right,” said Onyx, going to join them.

“I missed ye all,” she said, “and I am so happy thet I am no’ deid.” Then she looked over to Ian, and their eyes interlocked. He felt what he knew was love lodged in his throat and couldn’t even find the words to speak. “Ian saved me,” she told them. “And I love him, brathair and he’s asked me te marry him. Thet is, if ye still mean it, Ian?” She looked to him sheepishly as if she thought he would change his mind.

“Come here, Kyla,” he said, and she slowly walked forward. “I meant e’ery word o’ it, and I’ll say it again aloud so no’ only ye but Aidan and Dagger can hear it. I love ye, Kyla and I want ye
marry me.” Then he got down on one knee and took her hands in his. “Ye are the woman I want te spend the rest o’ me life with.”

“Ian, ye dunderheid, ye almost
knelt in a mare’s nest,” said Aidan.

“I dinna care,” he answered.

“This is hardly the place fer somethin’ like this,” said Onyx. “There’s a deid man right behind ye.”

“We din
na notice it,” said Kyla, throwing her arms around his neck. “We’re in love.”

He picked her up in his arms and kissed
her. “Aye, thet’s right,” he said, liking the sound of it. “We are in love. And I canna wait fer ye te be me wife, Kyla.”

Cha
pter 27

Kyla sat at the dais in Hermitage Castle with her new husband, Ian at her side. They’d been married that morning, and
only a sennight after they’d left MacTavish Castle. Aidan and Onyx and their wives were sitting with them, and at the head of the table was Storm and Wren and also Storm’s father and Clarista.