Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy) (28 page)

Evers nodded and emptied the pouch the man had delivered into his palm. He gazed at the stone: the color, the markings, the edges. Right away, Evers knew it was genuine.

He walked away from the line of men standing and waiting for his reaction. He took out his own portion of the tablet. He held one in each palm. He brought them together.

They fit perfectly. Like a puzzle. He had two links of the chain. A rush of pleasure washed through him. He was halfway to his goal. He would have it all.

He walked back to those waiting.

“No Highlander would be tricking us, Sir Ralph.” Maxwell’s man was all swagger now. “Brought the genuine article, didn’t I?”

Oh, it was genuine. He had no doubt.

“Let’s test it, shall we?” Evers asked.

Taking out his dagger, he stabbed Maxwell’s man in the belly. The Lowlander’s eyes rounded in shock. He stumbled backward.

“Hold him up,” Evers ordered.

Men moved on either side and took hold of the Lowlander’s arms, keeping him upright.

Stone in hand, Evers reached out and touched the bleeding wound. Moments went by, but there was no sensation within him, as there was with the other stone. No heat. He felt no change at all. Blood continued to run from the wound.

And then it came to him.

Cairns. The stone sat for some time on the shelf in that dungeon. Many could have touched it, picked it up, studied it. Redcap Sly had done so. But the power had passed on to no one but himself, Evers thought. No one had been able to possess it.

Not until Cairns was dead.

Sir Ralph stared at the healing stone in his palm, anger building within him. He had the stone that could provide the gift, but Kenna Macpherson would have to die for him to possess its power.

And die she would.

Kenna had nothing to save him. She felt helpless, terrified, but she wasn’t about to let her little brother know the depth of her despair. His time was growing short.

Alexander continued to talk to Ninian, showering him with praise for his bravery while Kenna looked on. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a faint glimmer of hope was teasing her. But what could she do?

After giving birth to the boys, her mother had known that she was about to die. But Sine had done nothing to save her own life. Why hadn’t she given the stone to her husband? Why not give it to the midwife, or to someone else she trusted in the household? To anyone? There had to be so many people who could have handled the tablet and then returned it when Sine recovered. Her own father could have done it. But she didn’t give it to him. Why?

Kenna’s hand hovered over the wound. Without even touching it, she felt the heat emanating from it.

She closed her eyes, allowing her fingers to move where they willed. In her mind, she focused on the place where the dagger had pierced the flesh.

Suddenly, inside of her, a storm gathered. From the sky above and from the earth below, she felt the surging column of light colliding, swirling, filling her with energy like never before.

Harnessing the power, she directed it, pushed it, willing the healing to flow out of her arms, through her hands and fingers, and into the thin, cold body of her brother. The ancient instinct was still there, rooted in her mind, in her heart, spreading through the tips of her fingers.

As always, she didn’t know how long it lasted, but the sound of Ninian’s voice as he spoke to Alexander made Kenna become aware of them.

“I like Jock. He’s very brave, you know. They treated him very badly, too. Do you think he could stay with us?”

Kenna stared at the wound. The bleeding had stopped. Ninian’s face was regaining some of its color. He was acting as if he wanted to sit up.

“It’s you.” Alexander was smiling at her. “It’s not the stone.
You
are the gift.”

Kenna leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder. She now knew the truth as her mother had known it before her. The power of the stone stayed with you.

It was a gift for life.

In brief, since I do propose to marry,

I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it;

and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it . . .

The wedding was to take place in the village kirk, across the river from Benmore Castle.

For a sennight, the clan folk had all been in high glee, with flowers and banners decking the windows of every cottage and shop. Pipers, dancing, and feasting were the order of the day.

No one loved celebrating more than the Macpherson clan, and weddings provided the most joyful reason of all.

For his part, Graeme MacDougall was gratified beyond measure at the prospect of gaining as a son-in-law the second son of the powerful Macpherson laird. James, he felt, was a man with a great future at court, and losing a Lowlander was no great loss. The Macphersons were strong allies to have for a clan perched on the western sea, as the MacDougalls were. Indeed, he would have agreed to have the wedding anywhere, so long as vows were exchanged and he had someone to whom he could hand over responsibility for his beloved Emily and her newly discovered willfulness, impetuosity, and independence. She, he was beginning to think, would be a handful.

Many guests had arrived for the wedding. Family from far and near. Friends and allies from across the sea. And Alexander’s protectiveness had grown proportionally with the number of guests. Kenna saw it and felt it every time she turned around.

Descending the steps into the courtyard of the castle, she glowered over her shoulder at the four warriors in gleaming armor who flanked her and Alexander. They were becoming too familiar a sight.

“Husband, this will not do,” she said.

Alexander followed her gaze. “It will have to for now, my love. We need to take care since Evers put that bounty on your pretty head.”

“And what about the even greater reward you’ve offered to anyone who foils an attempt on my life? What has that accomplished? We have a line of blackguards at our door every day with their hands out for the reward, just for
saying
they’ve stopped some attack.”

“It’s worth it. You’re worth it.” He kissed her hand. “And stop planning ways of escaping your guards.”

“How do you know what I’m planning?”

He kissed her lips, paying no attention to all the heads he turned, showing such affection for his wife. “It’s a gift. You have yours and I have mine.”

It had taken a little time, but Kenna was now used to Alexander’s ways. It was more than that. She cherished his love, his affection, and his passion—whether it was in public or in private.

Alexander’s eyes scanned the gathered family as he continued. “But I want you to know that there may be an end in sight to Evers and his bloody bounty. I have some news about the other two who hold pieces of the tablet.”

“What news?”

“Their names are Innes Munro and Muirne MacDonnell. They’re the ones he’s searching for now.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“We are looking for them. We’ll find them before Evers does.”

“And then?”

“Then we set a snare for Evers. We’ll get him, my love. He’s cut himself free of his king, it seems, and I swear to you that he’ll never see England again.”

Kenna had to be satisfied with that. For now, at least. She’d lost the tablet that her mother had entrusted to her, though the gift remained within her. Still, she needed to get the stone back. She knew that she couldn’t live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder at Macpherson guards. She couldn’t live with her family forever troubled by every new face, never sure if it was a friend or foe.

Finding the two women also gave Kenna hope that perhaps she might learn more about the power behind the gift. Her father knew nothing more than what she herself had discovered. Perhaps Innes and Muirne knew more.

They made their way through the courtyard to Colin and Tess. Kenna’s father was with them, and he hugged her warmly in greeting. Behind them, Giles and Ninian and Jock stood jostling one another. She smiled at them. The twins had become triplets.

Standing with Tess, Kenna realized the lads weren’t the only ones growing restless. Across the courtyard the entire party looked ready to go. By the castle gates, grooms were struggling to hold prancing steeds in check.

A hint of anxiety edged into her. Emily and her father had not yet appeared. And neither had the bridegroom.

“Where’s James?” she asked.

“He hasn’t come out yet,” Tess replied.

The two women looked at Alexander and Colin, who were both gazing innocently at the crowd.

“Colin?” Tess asked.

Colin turned to one of the boys who had tumbled against him.

A stir in the crowd drew all eyes to the great doors of the castle. Emily and the MacDougall came out onto the landing and descended the steps. The expression of concern on her face and the frown on her father’s did nothing to diminish Kenna’s fears.

She turned to her husband. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Before he could answer, the whispers reached them.

No one could find James. He was to meet the bride at the doors of the Great Hall.

Kenna knew something was wrong. James, ever the organizer, had planned the day from hour to hour. He’d orchestrated each step with the precision of a military campaign. Every event was arranged, scheduled, and rehearsed.

“Look!” Tess pointed at the south tower.

Every eye turned.

James was clambering out of the uppermost window and slowly descending from a makeshift rope.

“Who is he shaking his fist at?” Tess asked. “And why is he dressed in a nightshirt?”

Kenna turned to her husband, who was gazing up at his brother with a look of badly feigned surprise.

“I can’t imagine.”

To begin, we’d like to thank William Shakespeare for deciding to become a writer rather than pursuing a lucrative career in glove making. We’re certain his father went to his grave happy that Will had something to fall back on. We’d also like to thank him for writing one of our favorite plays.

As most of you have probably guessed, Kenna and Alexander’s story is the first in our Scottish Relic Trilogy. In
Taming the Highlander
and
Tempest in the Highlands
,
you will meet more strong women and courageous heroes, as well as Kenna and Alexander again, as they battle Sir Ralph Evers in protecting these ancient artifacts and the power they hold.

Also, as many of our readers know, we can never let our characters go. We hope you enjoyed this romp with our old friends in the Macpherson clan.

Finally, we need a favor. If you enjoyed
Much Ado
A
bout Highlanders
,
please leave us a review . . . and recommend it to your friends. You the reader have the power to make or break this book. We greatly appreciate your support!

All the best!

You can contact us at:

www.MayMcGoldrick.com

Available August 2016

North Head, Scotland

Death one step in front of her. Death behind.

Innes Munro stood at the edge of the world, and a cold, watery grave lay ready to take her.

The grey fog swept up the jagged cliffs, swirling about her. She’d run as far as she could, but another step meant certain death. Her lungs burned, and Innes stared down through moving breaks in the mist at the waves crashing against the rocks far below.

Trapped.

The brambles clinging to the edge of the precipice caught at her skirts as she turned to face her pursuers.

A dozen men, their mail shirts gleaming dully beneath filthy, dark-stained tunics, spread out like hunters at the end of the chase. They’d run their prey into the ever-tightening enclosure on the cliffs. All that remained was the kill.

They eyed her and awaited their master’s signal.

The commander sat astride his black steed behind the line of men. He rode no courser, but a warhorse. A leather cloak, tied at the neck, was thrown back over one shoulder, revealing a heavily marked chest plate, a long sword, a pair of daggers. His eyes never left her.

Trapped.

Innes knew what they wanted. Merchants traveling from Aberdeen this week had brought the news to the castle. A band of Lowlanders and English soldiers were roaming free in the hills, looking for a certain woman from clan Munro. By the time Innes heard the tale, fact and rumor had woven together into a thick noose. The Munro woman was a witch. She possessed a mysterious relic given by Satan himself. She could turn a person into stone if he looked into her eyes. Most important, gold would be paid to any man, woman, or child who pointed them in her direction.

Someone would talk. Her secret would be exposed. She’d feared this moment for so long. For years.

For Innes, the past held no mystery. She knew so well the power of the stone that passed on to her from her mother. Only one piece of the whole tablet. Three other fragments. Each carried across Scotland fifty years ago by men who’d survived a shipwreck not far from this northern shore. Innes knew the powers that the other stones held. And she knew the disaster that would rain down on their heads if the wrong person brought all the pieces together.

The commander spoke to her. “Give it to me.”

Innes said nothing. His eyes were fixed on the pouch she wore at her waist.

She cursed inwardly. Why had she left the safety of the castle? She knew why. Because she’d
trusted.

All her life, Innes valued trust above all other things. She knew, better than anyone, that mere knowledge was a curse. Trust was the only true gift, the pearl of great price. But love had made her blind. She’d followed when she should have hesitated. She’d stayed silent when she should have questioned. She’d refused to use her power, assuming it was betrayal of that trust. What a fool!

The sea breeze whipped her tangle of midnight black hair with its blaze of white. Behind her, seabirds floated on the wind, their cries breaking the silence.

“Give me the stone and I’ll not harm you or anyone around here.”

He was lying. He was an Englishman, risking his life here in the Highlands. He had to know. For all its ancient power, the stone was a useless bauble to anyone until the moment that its bearer died. But perhaps he didn’t. She had to touch his skin to see into his past, to learn whatever it was that he knew, to find out which of the stones he already possessed. But she wouldn’t go near him to find out. What if her fragment was the last that he needed?

“Go and take it from her.”

The men advanced a step, and Innes backed to the very edge.

“Stop right there or I’ll jump into the sea . . . and then you’ll never have it.”

The men hesitated.

Innes had been a child of seven when she sat at her mother’s sickbed and was told the secret of the stone. The history, the power of sight that was soon to be hers, the knowledge that no one she touched could hide anything from her. At that moment, none of it made any sense. She’d only wanted her mother to stop talking, save her strength, and get better.

Later, standing at the funeral, she’d learned exactly what it all meant. Holding her father’s hand, Innes felt his past flow like a gushing stream into her brain. Hector Munro had been so keenly disappointed with her mother, the woman who’d given him two daughters and no sons, that he’d already chosen his next wife and negotiated for her hand. All of this came to Innes without speaking a word. It was at that moment, as the hot pain that came with
knowing
cut through her, that she realized what she’d been left was no gift, but a curse. The next morning, she awakened to see the white blaze in her long black hair.

“She won’t jump. Get her.”

Innes turned toward the cliffs.

She welcomed death. It would put an end to all of it. She was ready to part with the heavy weight she’d been forced to carry for much of her life. But she paused at the brink, thinking of him. The man she loved.

Innes winced as someone grabbed her hair, yanking her back from the ledge. She twisted and fought the men who latched on to her arms. She’d been too slow.

One of them cut the string of the pouch and ran with it to his commander.

Held captive, she watched their leader take the stone out of the pouch and hold it up. Inside her, hope fought a losing battle. Perhaps he knew nothing of the power of the relic he held. Maybe they had come because of the rumors, and he now realized that the quest had been for nothing.

Those desperate hopes sank when she saw him produce two other pieces of the tablet and fit them together. He knew what he had.

The Englishman’s gaze shifted to her. He’d done this before. He knew how to take from her the power of the stone.

Innes saw a movement at the top of the rise behind the raiders. A great gray wolf appeared.

The Englishman nodded to his men.

“Kill her.”