Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A soft breeze blew gently around the old woman's cottage shifting the old wooden slats, creating an eerie creak throughout the drafty building. Blair sat silently at the table, her hands folded in her lap, her mind reeling. Thoughts of her sisters played over and over again in her head. When she left the castle, she knew that they would be in danger, but until that moment, she hadn't really thought to what degree. She hoped that at least while her uncle was alive, he wouldn't allow his son to kill them, but she really had no idea. It was obvious that through the years, while her parents were still alive, she had gravely underestimated her uncle's ability to protect his family. At the same time, she had a feeling that her uncle gravely underestimated her ability to protect her sisters.

The biggest problem that she was facing was the fact that her uncle now had far more power over her sisters than she did. Being far away from them, there was no way that she could protect them like she wanted to. She had confidence in what she had taught them, but her sisters were different from her. They weren't strong like she was, partly because she had shielded them from so many things throughout the years. But that only made it more her responsibility to make sure that they were rescued, and that they would be able to live their lives out in peace and comfort. Blair really didn't know how to accomplish that, though. Every power that she had ever obtained through her lineage had been taken away from her. She might have a little bit more freedom with her coming nuptials, but she really had no idea what to expect of her new husband.

Blair looked up at James for a moment and a fleeting thought coursed through her mind. She wondered how different her life would be if her father had never died, and she met James in a normal life, with a normal family. She shook the thought away though, knowing full well there was no way her and James would ever end up together, and there was no use dreaming of a life that never was and never would be. Whether she would be given a small bit of freedom or not, she would be married to the man that her uncle had basically sold her to. It was all too much for her. Blair stood up, shaking her head, her hands trembling.

Almost immediately, James stood up as well, the legs of his wooden chair scraping across the floor. Blair put her hands up and covered her mouth, as James gripped her wrists and turned her toward him. "Take a deep breath, Blair. I know things seem dire, but there's always a solution if we look hard enough. I know they aren't my sisters, but I looked after 'em all these years. I'll do whatever I can to help. But first, we have to get ye back. I don't know if they're out lookin' for us, but I do know they've all been trained in trackin' and the last thing we want to do is bring them here."

Blair yanked her hands down, anger flooding over her. "I don't care about them. Let 'em come. You taught me how to fight just as good as any man. I have to save my sisters. I can't just abandon them. For so many years, I sat quietly, waitin' patiently, thinking about the moment I would be able to get us all to safety. The last thing I'm gonna to do is just give up on 'em now."

James shook his head. "I never said we were gonna abandon 'em. I know we have to do somethin'. I just need some time to think. If we can get ye to the new castle, we may be able to come up with a plan, and do it smartly. The last thing we want to do is get them killed because we're trying to rescue them. I know there are still allies in the castle, those that will help us. We just need some time and a safe place to take them."

Blair began to think about her own future. For a moment, she had forgotten all about the fact that she would be the lady of a new clan. Surely, there was some sort of sway or power that she would get by holding that position. On the other hand, she had been basically held captive by a cruel man for most of her life. She had a hard time considering that her husband-to-be could be as cruel as her uncle.

Blair bit the inside of her cheek, a possibility beginning to bloom in her mind. "Maybe you're right. Maybe, once we get there and I meet my future husband, I can explain to him the situation that my sisters are in. He may have traded for me, but he might find it in his heart to help me. I will be family. My sisters will be his family as well. If I ask him, I may be able to have him send for them, even buy them from me uncle. I don't care if we have to pay for 'em, as long as we get them back safely. I can request that you're the one that retrieves them and brings them to the new clan. That way, there's no chance that my cousin or my uncle will hurt them or worse, before they arrive safe and sound at my new home."

Agatha gave Blair a sweet smile, but she could tell there was something beyond the calming and comforting gesture. She didn't quite know what it was, and in the moment, Blair ignored it, not really wanting to know. It was the only plan that didn't involve putting everyone's life in danger in order to steal her sisters back. She had to believe that it could work. After all of those years, her sisters never really knew freedom and she couldn't believe for a second that her plan wouldn't work. She was too fearful that if she had any doubts, any thoughts of the contrary, she would lose all hope. Hope was the only thing that had kept her going all of those years. She had hoped that she would one day escape the tyranny that her once comforting home had brought with it. She had clung to the hope that one day she would be able to provide them with the life her father always wanted for them. She even hoped at times that one day she'd be able to take back her rightful place as leader of the clan, just like her father told her.

Blair didn't know about any of the other things, but she did know that rescuing her sisters and getting them to safety was not just something she could hope for. It was something that had to happen because if she lost them, she wouldn't be able to make it through. If she lost her only family she couldn't see any point to anything they had been through. Whether fate was real, or there were gods, omniscient beings, or just little cosmic hints that helped shape the course of the future, she refused to believe that she had gone through everything that she had, just to see her sisters die and her father's legacy forgotten.

Hearing those words come out of Blair's mouth nearly broke James' heart. There was no more pushing it back, or forgetting his feelings. James had always been in love with Blair and the kiss that they had shared, the time they had spent together, had cemented that for him now more than ever. It was impossible though, more impossible than finding the old wise woman after all of those years. Blair was promised to someone else, and he was there to take her to him, no matter how many secrets he held, or how dangerous it was for him to do so. James knew how to control his thoughts and feelings, and had done so for many years. He would be lying though if he said he hadn't entertained the thought of marrying Blair himself, but it would only put her in more danger and risk the death of her family, at least the family she had left.

James wanted more for Blair than just another clan, run by an evil overlord of a Laird, hell bent on punishing her for things she never had any part in. James wanted happiness for her. He wanted Blair to have everything that she had ever wanted and more. He wanted to care for her until they were old and gray, but that would never happen. He wasn't even sure if he would survive the trip, taking his love to her new husband to be. Not to mention that he was risking so much in doing so. There were so many secrets that she didn't know about, and he never wanted her to. He knew that where he was headed, there was a good chance that some of them would come out, and he feared that Blair would never forgive him for keeping them from her.

In many ways, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, James knew that Blair's idea might just work. He knew that once she was in the arms of her future husband, she might be able to save her sisters. There were a lot of questions, but there were also a lot of answers already. He would never be with Blair. He couldn't save her sisters on his own. And James' own future was uncertain.

Watching Blair stand there, fiddling with the edge of her cape, James realized that she needed someone to tell her that her idea was possible. He cringed at the mere thought, her in someone else's arms especially the man he was taking her to, but she needed comfort. Though it was only for a little while, James was the man that could give that to her.

He reached out and touched her hands, giving her a comforting smile. "I do believe that might be possible. He did put up a very sizable trade to have you as his wife. It would be difficult to believe that he wouldn't want to make ye happy and have your sisters there with ye. The only way that you will know is if we turn back and head for camp so that we can get there on time. With such a large ask, ye want to make your best first impression, and being late won't do that."

Blair seemed comforted by his words. Her shoulders relaxed and she nodded, that familiar spark twinkling in her eyes again. James turned to Agatha and gave her a nod. "Thank ye for the information. May Blair call on you again if she has any questions?"

Agatha stood and walked around to Blair, pulling her into her arms. She hugged her tightly and nodded. "I hope only the best happens fer ye and your sisters. I will be here as long as I can. You now know how to find me."

The old woman went to the door and opened it, standing to the side. James put his hand on Blair's back as he followed her toward the door. Before they could step through, though, the wise woman put her hand out on to James' arm. "When ye first arrived, I nearly didn't recognize you."

James furrowed his brow, confused. "Why would you? I don't believe we've ever met."

Agatha smiled, chuckling a bit. "There are many who could see through the grown man to the young boy sword fightin' in the fields under the crimson and yellow sunsets. You just wouldn't know, because you've been away for far too long."

James was taken aback by the old woman's comment. One thing about the place he came from that was very well-known were the beautiful sunsets across the scenic landscape, reflecting from the distant ocean. When James was a boy, wanting to learn how to fight, his father had given him a wooden sword, and he would spend hours in the golden wavering fields, practicing the moves he had watched from a distance, memorizing the dance of the guards that protected his clan.

"I… I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean."

The old woman patted his arm, her face turning serious for a moment. "You are on your way there now, so there's no real reason for ye not to speak to your brother. In fact, I believe that it's important that ye do. It has been long enough, and your clan needs ye. You may not know this, but your clan has needed you for a very long time."

James stood there, completely in shock, staring at the old woman's crystal blue eyes. He was mesmerized by them. As he watched the color swirl within them like the trickling stream they had followed to her house, visions danced through his mind. James could see desolate fields, cottages worn down, and people begging next to the keep. There were merchants from other places selling the goods members of the clan had sold before, keeping food and prosper in their homes. There was darkness in the vision, and even the skies were muted in gray. He didn't see the beautiful colors he remembered from when he was a boy, or hear the laughter and music he remembered hearing as a young man. He barely recognized the visions in his mind, but he knew he was looking at the place he had left long ago.

He shook the visions away and swallowed hard, stepping back from the old woman, holding her gaze. Could he have just seen his home as it is now? James couldn't believe it. It had to have been the tea, or the lack of sleep, or the sheer exhaustion from everything that had been going on since the moment they left. He didn't believe in visions or magic. And he absolutely didn't believe that some old woman out in the woods could know anything more about him than what she could pick up from his mannerisms. After all, many little boys played with wooden swords, and the Highlands were full of fields. It had to have been a coincidence.

Right?

A fear drove through James's chest. He didn't believe it was real, but there was this small voice in the back of his head, something telling him that he should stop for a moment and at least ask a question. There was something even more worrisome to him than some visions in his head, and it was the fact that the old woman said his clan had needed him for a very long time. What did that mean? James left home a long time ago, and though not happy about it, he thought he had made the right choice. Now he was starting to question everything. When he started the journey, the thing he was most worried about were his secrets, but he was beginning to fear that there was something far more devastating waiting for them at the end of their path.

All James could think about was the home that he had grown up in, and had left far behind many years before. All the secrets he had kept all those years were slowly trickling out, standing in front of the old wise woman in the doorway of her hidden cottage in the woods. There was a reason he didn't talk about it. There was a reason he tried never to think about it. But standing there in front of the woman, so many questions in his mind, he felt like he had only just left. He hadn't thought about, or envisioned that land in so long that he was struggling to understand how he could see it how he had never seen it, but in such great detail.

James was frozen, unable to even take a full breath of air. In all of those years, no one had ever brought up where he had come from. That was one thing he liked about the guard. From the first moment, no one asked where he was from. They didn't care. All they cared about was protecting the land, the people, and forming a brotherhood. There were many guards from different places, but none of that mattered as, when they entered and took their oath as guards, they belonged to nowhere else but there.

James tried to keep the shaking out of his voice. "What do you mean, they've needed me for a very long time?"

Blair put her hand on James' arm, shaking him from the trance of Agatha's eyes. "What is she talking about? You have a brother?"

James ignored Blair's question, and pressed Agatha further. "Answer me. What does that mean?"

Agatha stayed calm the whole time, even with James teetering on the edge of panic and anger. She nodded her head and pulled her hand back, clutching it with the other in front of her. "That's all that I can say about that. You need to speak to your brother."

"James," Blair demanded, stepping closely next to him. "What is she talking about? Who is your brother? I didn't know you knew people in the McFerguson Clan. Does he know you're coming?"

James heard Blair, but he didn't respond. Instead, he continued to stand there, staring at Agatha, unsure of what to say. When James pushed to escort Blair to her new clan, he knew there was a good chance she would find out his secrets. What he did not anticipate was having the old woman already unravel them.

Blair shook her head, turning to Agatha. "Who is his brother?"

Agatha pursed her lips, her eyes shifting from Blair over to James. "James, she deserves to know the truth about you. Tell her now, before it's too late to explain."

After several moments of silence, Blair put her hand gently on James' arm, pulling him out of his trance. She softened her tone and squeezed his arm. "James, tell me."

James shook his head, yanking his arm from Blair. He pulled the hood of his cape over his head. "My family is of no concern. My brother lives in the McFerguson castle. It doesn't matter anyway, we have no relationship."

"She's going to find out," Agatha replied.

James gritted his teeth and pointed sternly at Agatha. "Stop. Just stop. Don't stand 'ere and pretend ye know anything about me. Ye're playin' on emotions, and I've got no real idea why, but I'll find out. Ye were mistaken all those years ago, and look what happened. A man is dead, a clan torn apart, and his daughters livin' in fear. Ye've done enough, don't ye think?"

He turned away so as not to lose his temper even more. James knew he should have been careful, and he should have warned Blair to do the same. The old woman had no idea what she was talking about, and she almost sucked him into her game. He needed to get out of there and get Blair back on the road. The charade had gone on long enough.

As James pushed past Blair, walking toward the horse, he told himself exactly what he should have done all along. Blair was leaving, and she was marrying another man. There was no changing that. He needed to let her go, even if it meant shutting her out of his heart. He figured in the long run it would be better for them both. In some ways, James was beginning to think going there was the wrong decision.

Then again, he never foresaw his past colliding so hard with his present. He thought he had given those memories away a long time before, but with every passing second, he could feel images of his home, the place he had left behind, returning to him. James was angry with himself, and knew that, to keep Blair safe, what he really need to do was just let go.