Chapter 24

Three days passed with no news for Cathleen. No one would tell her what was going on. No one would tell her if Faolan had sent troops after Macauley and Kian and if they had been successful. During those three days, she was confined in her chambers, though Faolan hadn't forbidden her from roaming the castle. Still, he might as well have, since Cathleen always had guards around her, watching her every move like hawks.

She couldn't find someone she could trust to ask with them circling her like that—and even if they hadn't been there, she still wouldn't have known who to trust. The members of the council had probably been intimidated into keeping their silence, since no one would speak a single word to her even when their paths crossed by chance.

She had taken to staying in her bedroom, as she didn't want to speak to either Faolan or Ronald. She could hardly bear to think about them, the knowledge that they had so much power over her now making her sick to her stomach. Any kindness they might have once shown was now long gone, replaced by cruelty and malice. They delighted in her pain. They loved to see her grieve for the people she knew she would soon lose and for the life she could have had under other circumstances, had they not uncovered her plans.

Every now and then, Cathleen would look outside the window to the north, where she knew the camp was, but she never saw any signs of them or any signs of an attacking force leaving the castle. She didn't know if she had missed them, if Faolan had perhaps sent them there in the middle of the night, or if he simply hadn't attacked yet, but something told her the latter was more likely. Had he attacked and won, then he would have been eager to gloat. He would have captured Bonnie and brought her there, along with Kian's and Macauley's heads.

Could it be that he had attacked, after all, only to lose? Could it be that Kian's forces had managed to fight him off, saving themselves and Bonnie?

It sounded unlikely. The force Kian had brought with him was sizeable, but not enough to defeat Faolan in his own turf. He had access to more men, more supplies, even higher morale.

And yet, despite everything, Cathleen still hoped.

There was a knock on the door and Cathleen opened it to find a maid there, a young woman who was carrying a tray of food, whom she identified as Elspeth. The woman barely met Cathleen's gaze as she walked inside and placed the tray on the table before turning around to leave again with a bow, flinching when Cathleen stepped in her way.

"Please," she said. "Please, dae ye have any news? Anythin' ye can tell me, I will appreciate it."

Elspeth hesitated, but then shook her head. "Forgive me, me lady. I havenae heard anythin'."

Cathleen was reluctant to believe her. If there was anyone who knew what was going on in the castle, it was the servants. They knew everything, from the smallest gossip to the most important strategies, since they had little else to do to entertain themselves. Besides, knowledge was power and that was true for the servants, as well. The more they knew, the more valuable they were.

"Are ye certain?" Cathleen insisted. "I willnae tell Faolan it was ye who told me if ye have somethin' tae say. I will protect ye, I promise."

Parting her lips as if to speak, Elspeth looked at Cathleen and she expected her to give her something. Instead, though, she only shook her head after a moment of silence. "I dinnae think ye could even if ye tried," she said. "Forgive me fer sayin' this, but Laird MacLaren will find out. He kens who comes tae yer chambers. He kens who brings ye food an' draws yer baths an' he willnae be kind tae us if he suspects we have spoken."

Cathleen couldn't blame the poor girl. Had she been in her position, she would have probably done the same to protect herself and those to whom she was close. After all, Cathleen hadn't managed to keep the people she loved safe. Why should Elspeth believe that she could keep her safe?

Lost as she was in her own thoughts, it took Cathleen a moment to realize that Elspeth was trembling as though she expected retaliation. That was how it was with Faolan in charge, it seemed. He had managed to intimidate everyone, making them fear him enough to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

And now poor Elspeth expected to face Cathleen's wrath.

"Forgive me fer startlin' ye," Cathleen told her, taking a step back to allow her to breathe. "Ye're dismissed. I understand ye cannae tell me anythin', though I wish ye could. I dinnae blame ye fer it, dinnae fash."

"Me lady," Elspeth said hastily, giving Cathleen a deep bow. Then, she fled the room, leaving her alone once more.

With a sigh, Cathleen looked at the tray of food. Under any other circumstances, it would be terribly appetizing and she would have descended upon it within seconds, starving as she was. But even her hunger couldn't win over the dread that made her stomach feel as though it was filled with lead, heavy and twisted in her body.

Instead of trying to eat, she collapsed onto the bed. The fight was slowly draining out of her. She could feel it like a physical sensation, the way she seemed to be giving up, losing any will to battle. Everything felt heavy, fuzzy, out of her control. She could hardly move her limbs anymore unless absolutely necessary. She could hardly even pull herself out of bed.

It was only ever the promise of news that excited her back into action, but the news never came. She had nothing to go on, nothing to hold on to. Hope was quickly slipping through her fingers, elusive and seemingly impossible to regain.

Cathleen was doomed. She was doomed and she had doomed everyone else with her.

* * *

Chaos had erupted in the camp. Macauley ran out of the tent where he was discussing the plan yet again with Bonnie with her close behind him, the two of them startled by the sudden commotion. Macauley, his hand wrapped securely around the hilt of his sword, searched for any signs of an attack but found none. The lack of bloodshed brought him to a sudden halt, confusion settling in his mind as he searched for Kian, thinking that if anyone knew what was happening, it was bound to be him.

He found him at the edge of the cliff, shouting orders at the men who were running around, getting what seemed like half the horses ready.

The weddin' willnae be takin' place yet. What is he doin'?

Macauley exchanged a look of confusion with Bonnie and the two of them rushed over to Kian. Even with his mask on, the concern was plainly etched into the features of his face that were visible and his body seemed to radiate a nervous energy that infected those around him.

"What is the matter?" Macauley asked, an edge of panic slipping into his tone despite his best efforts to keep calm.

"There's been word o' an approachin' attack," Kian said. "We received word just the now."

"An' where are ye goin'?" Macauley asked. "Are we fallin' back? Shouldnae we fight?"

"They willnae attack us," Kian said. "They're headin' tae the castle."

The castle?

It took Macauley a few moments to understand Kian wasn't referring to Castle MacLaren, but rather Castle Drummond. He looked at him in disbelief, but Kian's intelligence was always correct. If his men had sent word there was an attack approaching, then they were right.

"I must head back," Kian said. "I am takin' some o' the men."

"I'm comin' with ye," Macauley said, but Kian was quick to place a hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he could move. He shook his head, glancing over Macauley's shoulder at the castle that towered over the hill ahead.

"Nay," said Kian firmly. "Nay, ye must stay here with Bonnie an' most o' the troops. We have enough men back home tae defeat the MacLaren forces accordin' tae the letter. But I need tae go back tae them, Macauley. I need tae be there."

"They're me men too," Macauley pointed out. "Faolan is tryin' tae fool us."

"Faolan is tryin' tae divide us," Kian said. "An' distract us. An' he has managed tae dae both, but we must persevere regardless. It is the only way to ensure we will be victorious."

Macauley knew Kian was right, of course. Without some of their forces there, Faolan would marry Cathleen without any pretenses and once he was her husband, he could do anything he wanted with her and the clan. Her life would be in danger, but also the lives of many others who would have to live under his indisputable rule. On the other hand, without Kian fighting alongside his men at Castle Drummond, the soldiers wouldn't be as effective, as empowered. They could lose a battle that under other circumstances would have been easy to win.

Macauley had to stay there and Kian had to go back. There was no other way around it.

"I will write ye," Kian promised. "Ye will hear from us soon an' it will be about our victory."

Macauley nodded, the two of them grasping each other's arm. He wanted nothing more than to believe him.

"With all those men gone from Castle MacLaren, it will be easier fer ye," Kian added. "Ye should be able tae stop the weddin' without too much trouble, especially with Bonnie's assistance."

"I will dae me best tae help," Bonnie assured them both. Her skin was pallid when Macauley looked at her, her brow drenched in sweat, but she was a strong woman, like her sister, and a great shot with a bow. Macauley had no reason to doubt her.

With one last nod, Kian was gone, helping his men prepare for the short travel that awaited them. Macauley could only cling to the hope that they had received word of the oncoming attack early enough and that Kian would manage to get there before Faolan's troops could. Their horses were fast, their men well-trained and disciplined. If they gave it their all, then perhaps they could beat the McLaren's to it.

In the meantime, Macauley and Bonnie still had a job to do. Macauley doubted this attack had changed anything of Faolan's other plans, namely marrying Cathleen. With the attack, he was both trying to cover his bases and have his revenge and the power he had been seeking for so long. With the marriage, perhaps all he was trying to do was make Cathleen's life as miserable as possible.

There was no doubt in Macauley's mind that Faolan was just as beastly as Cathleen and Bonnie had made him seem. Though he only knew of the man through their stories and other stories he had heard in his travels, it was more than enough for him to have formed an opinion for himself. Faolan was a dangerous man—a man who needed to be stopped.

"Dae ye think me sister will be safe?" Bonnie asked. She was standing next to Macauley, the two of them staring at the MacLaren Castle. Her hands hugged her torso, fingers digging into the flesh of her arm, and her gaze was distant, filled with the kind of sorrow that Macauley couldn't help but adopt as his own.

In the four days they had been there with Bonnie, he had come to know her better than all the time she had spent in Castle Drummond. Even now, Macauley was trying to hold onto his pain and his hatred, constantly reminding himself of the way she and her sister had betrayed him and everyone in Clan Drummond, but the more time he spent near Bonnie, the harder it was to remind himself why he was trying to valiantly to keep hating them.

Bonnie, he had come to think, was a good person and he knew the same was true for Cathleen. Now more than ever, he could understand what Deirdre was trying to explain to him, what Kian had managed to understand long before he ever could.

Sometimes, people did terrible things because they had no other choice. Perhaps he, too, would have chosen the same path to save those he loved. He suddenly remembered an old woman he had met in a tavern a few months before that had read his fortune to him. He did not believe in such things but he had gone along with it so as not to offend her. She had mentioned something about true love and finding it in the strangest places and how virtue and bad were not always what they seemed.

"I hope so," Macauley told Bonnie. He couldn't bring himself to make her any promises of safety for Cathleen. He, too, was worried sick for her, his stomach tying itself into knots at the mere thought that she was in Faolan's hands. He didn't want to lie to Bonnie when all their problems had begun with lies in the first place. "She is a strong lass. I'm sure she will be able tae handle him."

Bonnie didn't seem so convinced. "She's me wee sister," she said, her eyes filling up with tears. It was nothing new for Macauley; she had hardly stopped crying in those days, a new rush of tears streaming down her face whenever she mentioned Cathleen. "I was supposed tae keep her safe. I was supposed tae take care o' her an' I failed. She's been the one takin' care o' me ever since Faolan took over the lairdship. It isnae right, Macauley. It isnae. Who will keep me sister safe if I cannae?"

Macauley took a deep breath, hesitantly reaching over to place a hand on Bonnie's shoulder. She almost collapsed under the touch, a sob tearing itself out of her throat.

"I will," he said. "I promise ye, I'll keep her safe. If ye cannae trust yerself, then trust me when I tell ye I'll dae everythin' I can tae keep her away from Faolan."

Bonnie looked at him, though he doubted she could see him well through all the tears. Still, she gave him a tentative smile, one Macauley allowed himself to return. Even if his anger hadn't dissipated, even if he never saw her or Cathleen again after this, he could at least provide her with some comfort now that all this rested on their shoulders.

"We are the ones who must get yer sister back," he said. "An' we must dae it together."