Caden pulled his mount to a halt, cocking his head to listen. No unusual sounds. No sounds at all other than the river burbling beside him. That in itself was unusual.
Something just didn’t feel right.
“Why do you stop?” Steafan circled back, bringing his horse next to Caden’s. “We’ve no time to waste.”
Caden started forward, picking up speed, matching his friend’s pace as they rode.
Of course Steafan was right.
Already they traveled more slowly than Caden would like. The high peaks would be too dangerous to summit this time of year, so they’d been forced to add extra days in going around.
Since early morning they’d followed the banks of the River Dochart toward Killin, where they could finally cut south and make directly for Wode Castle.
The river grew more turbulent the farther they rode, and the land more sloped. Ahead, Caden could see a narrowing of the path they followed as it turned once again from the river and this time forced them back into a densely wooded area.
Mirroring the waters he rode beside, his emotions grew more turbulent, an unease settling over him. Obviously his worries over his brother, his cousin and the fate of his people were playing tricks on his mind.
He had to let all that go. Ellie and Drew would treat the sheep. He would trust her bluestone concoction to save them. And he was on his way to pay the ransom demanded for Blane and Colin just as Wodeford had instructed. For now he needed to focus his energies on his task, to concentrate on the hazards of the trail.
Glancing back, he caught the flash of gray fur and smiled in spite of himself. The damned beast followed still, darting in and out of the trees. The deerhound was every bit as persistent as his mistress.
Ahead of him, Steafan pushed through the dense foliage where the trail cut into the forest and disappeared.
The thought of Ellie calmed him. The memory of her concern the morning he’d left warmed him. Imagine her trying to warn him something didn’t feel right about his going, as if he would actually change his plans. As if he hadn’t considered all of it carefully.
What she didn’t understand was that he had no choice. The responsibility of too many lives lay in his hands. Too much depended on his actions.
Once again, he drew up on his reins, bringing his mount to a halt.
Was that where this sense of disquiet had originated? Or did her warning simply dovetail with his own feelings?
His decision now to act on those feelings surprised him. If there was no problem ahead of him, he’d feel foolish later and share a good laugh with Steafan at his own expense when he had to admit to what he was about to do.
And if trouble did lie on the other side of the dense canopy, he’d be grateful for his actions.
Caden directed his horse close to the river, turning the animal so its body served as a screen between the forest ahead and his actions.
He dismounted and pulled a small bag from his things tied to the saddle. Then he squatted down and lifted the animal’s front left foot as if to inspect it for injury. As he did so, he tossed the bag into the shallow edge of the water.
The weight of the silver inside should lodge it there, holding it securely until his return.
Standing up, he patted his horse’s neck and then re-mounted. He should feel utterly foolish for what he’d just done.
A look over his shoulder revealed Baby, standing in the middle of the trail, nose lifted, scenting, hackles raised.
No, foolish wasn’t at all what he felt at the moment.
“Here now, milady! That’s no safe at all!” The large guard pulled Ellie back from the edge of the wall walk, frowning down at her as he did so. “Just what do you think to be doing up here? It’s no a place for a lady.”
Ellie bit back the first caustic response that came to mind. As her grandmama had always said, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Unfortunately her honey supply was running low.
She’d grown increasingly irritable with the men at Dun Ard telling her what was and wasn’t proper for her to be doing over the last few days. From the two young men building the sheep troughs right up to this guard who looked like someone’s grandpa, they all seemed to feel they had the right to direct the activities of all women—and her in particular—as if they had some secret, God-given knowledge and authority women didn’t have.
It shouldn’t have surprised her, of course. Their behavior wasn’t all that different from that of the farm-hands back home.
Ellie clenched her hands together in front of her, consciously mimicking the meek gesture Alycie always sported, and forced a timid smile to her lips.
“I was hoping for some news of Andrew’s return.” Or better yet, Caden’s.
Granted, she hadn’t seen any other women climb the narrow stairs to the wall walk, but it obviously was the best place to look out over the countryside. And while logic told her scanning the horizon wouldn’t get either of them back any faster, logic wasn’t her strongest ally right now.
Instead fear prodded at her. A vague unknown fear, like a premonition that something very bad was going to happen and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Which was just stupid. After all, she might hear animals talking in her head, but she couldn’t foresee the future.
It had to be the knowledge of what had already happened to the last person who went after Caden’s brother that made her nervous. That must be it.
“I’m just being unreasonable,” she muttered, half under her breath.
The big guard continued to frown at her, his hands at the ready as if he expected her to throw herself over the wall.
“I agree, milady. And that’s why you should take yerself back down to the keep. Perhaps you need to rest for a bit.”
“I’d prefer to remain right here, if it’s all the same to you. I’ll make sure to stay out of your way.”
“I fear I’ll have to insist you go. It’s no a good idea—”
A deep voice from behind Ellie interrupted the guard.
“Gregor, you old bear, leave the lady to her own devices. It’s no like it’s an extra burden on you.”
The guard’s frown morphed into a wide grin just before Ellie whipped around to discover who was taking her side in this discussion.
“Dair Maxwell, you young whelp! Still trying to tell me how to do my job?”
“What? You’ll no use my title? You’d no address me as Sir Alasdair?” Ellie’s defender lounged in the doorway, his shoulder propped against the wall, a lazy smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.
“Ach,” the old guard grunted, shaking his head. “Sir Whelp, mayhaps. The nobles may have named you a knight, but I remember no so long ago you and young Colin both snotty-nosed bairns chasing around at the laird’s feet.”
Dair crossed the space separating him from the old guard in three long strides, and threw his arms around the man as they exchanged hugs with much pounding on one another’s backs.
So this was the man who’d brought the news that sent Caden racing off to rescue his brother. This was Alycie and Steafan’s brother. Ellie studied him as he and Gregor continued their greeting. He was tall and broad shouldered, with long brown hair pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. Even the bruising and cuts on one side of his face didn’t detract from his beauty. Somehow they only made him look more dangerous.
“It’s good to have you home safe, lad,” Gregor mumbled before he straightened, cleared his throat and aimed a glare at Ellie. “But the lady should no be on the wall walk. Master Caden would have my arse for it if she were to come to harm.”
Dair grinned, slapping Gregor on the back before he turned to Ellie. “You leave Cade to me. I’ll watch over the lady if it makes you feel better.”
In one step he was in front of her, bowing over her hand. “Sir Alasdair Maxwell at yer service, milady.”
She was about to ask if all this male-posturing meant she got to do what she wanted without further argument when she spied a rider in the distance. Her heart sped up and she ran the two steps to the wall, stretching up on tiptoes trying to get a better view.
Dair’s hand gripped her arm as she pointed toward what she’d seen.
“Rider at the gate!” Gregor shouted.
“Is it…?” She could feel the pulse pounding in her head.
“It’s naught but one of the shepherds coming in,” Gregor answered, sounding almost as disappointed as she felt.
Perhaps she’d been wrong. Standing up here watching, dealing with the frustration of each normal visitor, getting her hopes up just to have them dashed—that was more upsetting than waiting down below.
“You know, I think Gregor’s right. I’m going back down.”
“Thank you, milady,” the old guard responded, relief evident in his voice.
Dair still gripped her arm. “I’ll escort you.”
She didn’t argue. It was easier to allow him to guide her down the stairs than to point out she didn’t need his help.
At the foot of the stairs he bowed over her hand again. “If there’s anything you need, dinna forget, I’m pledged to yer service now.”
His grin with its quick flash of dimple was so contagious she found herself smiling back before turning to hurry away, not sure exactly where she hurried to. Just away.
So that’s a knight. The history classes she’d taken hadn’t done them justice. He was no Caden, but he’d turn heads, that was for sure.
Where you go?
Ellie smiled as the little terrier’s voice lilted through her mind.
“Exploring. Want to come along?”
Missy matched her step and they strolled past the lists toward the back of the property, wandering aimlessly. The whole of Dun Ard, which had been so endlessly fascinating to her only days ago, now seemed empty and uninteresting.
Now that Caden was gone.
Perhaps it was because he was the one person she had confided her secret to. The one person who knew she spoke to animals and understood when they spoke to her. The one person who at least pretended to believe her when she’d told him, without making fun of her for it.
She stopped and looked around before she hung her head, shaking it in irritation with herself.
No, it was more than that, and she might as well face the facts. She missed seeing him, talking to him, listening to him. Touching him.
She just plain missed Caden.
“How stupid is that?” she muttered.
No stupid. Lonely when pack mate gone. Normal.
“He’s not my pack mate. He belongs to Alycie.” The woman he was engaged to marry.
Wrong. You alpha female now. You must challenge.
Great. Now she was getting advice on her love life from a dog. Advice she planned to ignore, because as she recalled, the last time she’d taken Missy’s advice she’d ended up with nothing more than a killer hangover.
“Come on, let’s see what other secrets this place has to offer.” She picked up her speed, hoping to distract the little dog as well as her own thoughts.
Rounding a low hill, they came upon a large circle of stacked stones, obviously man-made. Closer to it, Ellie realized it was a graveyard, probably the family plot.
No! rang out sharply in Ellie’s mind as she stepped into the circle.
“What?” She turned to look at the little dog standing outside the stones. “What’s wrong with you?”
Dead Hu-mans in that ground. Maybe spirits.
Missy’s normally wagging tail was still, drooping down between her legs.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would you think something like that?”
Hu-mans worry much. Not at peace when they die. Not like dogs.
Dogs were superstitious?
Ellie grinned at the little animal as a childhood memory of some scary movie fluttered though her mind. A creepy, dark graveyard, complete with lightning strikes and a big iron gate that opened with a long-drawn-out high-pitched squeal.
Missy flattened to the ground, whimpering.
“Oh my gosh, what’s wrong?” Ellie rushed toward the dog, scooping her up and cuddling her close.
Bad noise hurt ears.
“Bad noise?” Ellie’s hand froze in midstroke. Surely she couldn’t have projected her memory that clearly. “This noise?” She ran over the scene again, lingering over the iron gate and its screech.
The dog in her arms whimpered and began to shake.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Sorry, Missy. I’ll be more careful.” She hugged the little creature to her, scratching the terrier’s head.
Just another thing to file away without really putting any thought into. She couldn’t afford to think on any of it too much. If she did, she would be overwhelmed by how her life had roller-coastered completely out of control.
Back home, Ray probably had the ranch declared his by now, and here she was, stuck hundreds of years away, unable to do anything to stop him. No, all she could do was constantly find new and ever weirder “talents” she was developing, like projecting thoughts and sounds into the mind of a dog.
If only she had someone to talk to so she could try to sort through it all. But with that wish, the only face that shimmered in her mind was Caden’s.
And thinking of Caden brought back the overwhelming apprehension she’d been fighting all morning. An emotion so strong it was almost as if it were coming at her from the outside. Almost as if she were picking up on someone else’s feelings.
But that was impossible.
Caden pressed his heels to his horse’s sides and the animal moved forward, pushing through the foliage into the gloom of the forest. He slapped at the low-hanging branches, fighting the urge to draw his sword.
It was the perfect place for an ambush.
And yet they were still days away from Wode Castle. Reason would dictate he should have nothing to worry about here.
“Reason be damned,” he muttered.
Every instinct of warning he had rang out in his head. Something was not right.
The narrow path ahead was empty. Where was Steafan?
Caden stopped ignoring his strongest urge and reached to his back, drawing his sword.
Not a moment too soon.
Four men moved out of the trees, surrounding him, their swords drawn. Without thought, Caden defaulted to his years of training, feinting at the first attacker and swinging his sword at the second even as he tugged on the reins to turn his horse into the others, using the animal’s body as a weapon. He could handle this. He was mounted and this ragged band of brigands were on foot.
His blade connected, sending a jolt up his arm to match the man’s screams. Caden pulled hard, swinging his sword down and across, ready to strike the next man, only vaguely conscious of the first man’s body falling to the ground.
He deflected the thrust of the second attacker with the side of his blade, the echoing ring of metal dulled by the carpet of newly budding green around them.
“Halt!”
Caden spared only a glance in the direction of the command even as he lifted his sword to deliver another blow.
Ahead, Steafan knelt on the ground with his head bent, one attacker on either side. The larger of the two men held a sword poised over Steafan’s neck.
How had they managed to capture him with no sound?
“I said halt! Drop yer weapon, MacAlister, lest you fancy having yer companion’s head separated from his body.”
They knew his name!
Caden turned his horse to face the only one of their attackers who was himself mounted, the man who commanded, it appeared.
“For Christ’s sake, Cade, do as he says!” Steafan pleaded.
On his own, he was confident he could have defeated these men. But they had Steafan and they looked desperate enough to do as they threatened. He had no choice. He would not risk the life of one who was like a brother to him.
With one last look at his friend, Caden tossed his sword to the ground.
“Now climb down off that fine animal of yers and hand over the silver you carry.”
Thank the Fae he’d listened to his internal warning of danger.