Prologue

Prologue

3 YEARS AGO

The night air lazily drifted through the halls of the stone castle as the smell of the evening rain freshened the dark and dank halls. The same halls that Jocelyn could still remember being full of light and laughter. Now, things were sterile, dripping with disdain. It was a place that Jocelyn and her sisters couldn't allow themselves to exist outside of their own small bubble. Jocelyn crept through the hallways paying close attention to each and every step. She stayed close to the walls, ready at a moment's notice to slip into the shadows. It was late into the evening, but she knew the girls, her sisters, would be awaiting her return from her duty in the kitchens. She carried with her a wrapped pouch of bread and cured meat, as well as three ripe apples she had managed to slip into the pockets of her skirts. The girls hadn't been allowed at dinner that night, their uncle entertaining several men from another clan. Usually, that meant food would be delivered to their rooms, but their cousin, Bram, had seen to it that none of the girls were fed.

Jocelyn had to keep herself from squeezing the bread in her angered fists as she walked swiftly along. Bram hated them. He would have them killed if he could, she knew that, but thankfully he was not yet Laird. His father held that title, and though his disdain for them was never hidden, he didn't allow it to go as far as to giving in to his son's sadistic flights of power. Blood or not, the snide and spoiled grin Bram had flashed her as he threw the girls' food to the dogs made her so angry. The only thing keeping her from letting that anger envelope her was the carefully folded paper in her pocket, a delivery she hadn't expected that morning, but was thankful for.

Since her older sister, Blair, left, the days had been long and cold. Jocelyn did her best to care for her sisters, to keep them safe, but it was still new to her. Giving the younger girls strict rules was something she may not have wanted to do, but she had no choice. If they wanted to make it to see the days of freedom, she needed to keep them out of sight and alive.

Down the hall, a sudden loud clanging rang out, echoing straight into her chest. Jocelyn stopped in her tracks, sucking in her breath as she gripped her chest and narrowed her eyes, prying through the darkness. A moment later, the glow of a lantern cut through the blackness, flickering against the stone walls. Without pause, Jocelyn shifted to the right, tucking herself into the small enclave that had once held a beautiful vase her father had brought back from a trip he had taken. She turned her back toward the hallway and folded into herself, trying to make herself as small as possible, just as her older sister had shown her. She held her breath, waiting for the person to pass.

"I willnae allow this," Bram shouted through the halls. "I will end it, and now."

Jocelyn squeezed her eyes closed tightly, hearing Bram's exasperated voice. Not only did he seem angry, a version of Bram she did not want to run into, but he was generally not a person that she would want to meet up with in dark hallways. She really didn't want to spend another couple of days locked in the dungeons, starving. However, before his footsteps could reach her, they jeered off into one of the rooms. Jocelyn stayed still for several more moments, only moving when the quick running footsteps of Bram's servant had followed behind him. Her first instinct was to turn back, taking another route around the castle to get back to her room. However, before she could flutter off unseen, Bram's voice bellowed out, dripping with anger. The words nearly trembled from him, and Jocelyn couldn't help but stop to listen when her sister's name was spoken.

"Blair will never have her sisters back. She'll have tae kill me first. But that will never happen either; I will crush Blair and her little Laird husband if it's the last thing I do, and she'll watch everything she loves burn tae the ground in front of her."

Jocelyn's eyes lowered to her waistband, pressing her hand against the paper folded carefully there. A familiar ache rattled through her chest, filling her with more disappointment. It seemed that ever since the death of her parents, Jocelyn had known very little other than disappointment. The news that her sister had yet to procure their safety was devastating enough that it threatened to break Jocelyn right there in the halls of the castle. The hope she had held onto, her sisters had held onto, quickly slipped away.

If Blair were not able to negotiate their freedom, it would be a long time before she would be able to send help. That was more than just sending for them, it was deciding on an all-out war with their uncle's clan, the same clan that had been their family for so long. Around the stone column, Bram slammed the door shut. The loud boom sent Jocelyn a few inches from the floor. She pushed away the tears of disappointment that threatened to overflow and turned, hurrying back through the halls and around the keep to where her and her sisters slept.

As she tiptoed a bit heavier through the abandoned part of the keep, the place they stashed her and her sisters away, Jocelyn paused at the room that once housed the comfort of her older sister. It now sat empty, even emptier than it had been before. She knew it would remain that way, especially knowing Blair had married.

"Jocelyn," a small voice whispered.

Jocelyn put her finger to her lips, hurrying to Aoife's door and quickly stepping inside. Carefully, she pushed the door closed and turned toward her middle sister. Though only thirteen, Aoife was blossoming into a beautiful young woman. Standing next to her, clinging to her skirts was little Deirdre. She was a whimsical little girl despite never knowing the fancy and fantasy of a world without stark gray walls and the warm feeling of safety. Both girls looked worried, staring at Jocelyn trying their best to be patient.

Walking over to the table by the window, Jocelyn set the food down and quickly pulled the raggedy makeshift drapes across the opening. "I told ye, keep the cloth closed, especially at night. The two of ye should be asleep."

"I ken," Aoife sighed with a tinge of guilt in her voice. "It's just that we heard there was something wrong with cousin Bram and you werenae back yet."

"And I'm hungry," Deirdre added, hurrying over to the table. "They didnae bring us food."

Jocelyn, feeling bad for chastising Aoife, smiled sweetly at her, squeezing her shoulder. "Aye. Bram threw our food to the dogs, but the ladies in the kitchen sent this, and I managed a few apples as well. I think we should save them fer mornin', though. If we arenae ordered tae breakfast, I think it's safest tae stay in here."

Aoife immediately looked up, knowing Jocelyn's worried tone all too well. "What's happened?"

With a sigh, Jocelyn sat down on the end of Deirdre's bed. The two younger sisters had been sharing a room ever since Blair left. It was too hard to keep track of Deirdre otherwise. Rubbing her fingers absentmindedly against a small hole in the blanket beneath her, Jocelyn tried to decide just how much to tell the girls. It was one thing to be cautious, but another to scare them when there was nothing they could do about it.

"Our sister, Blair, she's married tae James, the Laird's guardsman. Bram has found out and is determined tae take her down, her and James' clan."

Deirdre looked up with wide, sparkling, doe eyes, fear woven through the wrinkles in her forehead. "Blair didnae marry Laird McFerguson?"

Aoife smirked. "I kenned it. I kenned James loved her. Ye could always tell. But wait…which is James' clan?"

Jocelyn sighed lightly. "It's a bit of a story but I guess James was the brother of Laird McFerguson, and from what I ken, took over Lairdship. I ken ye have questions, and so do I, but I dinnae have all the information just yet. Ken she is safe, but she cannae get tae us, nae just yet."

Aoife's lips curved down and she slunk in her chair. "Oh…we may never make it out of 'ere."

Jocelyn immediately walked over to her, putting her arm over Aoife's shoulder. "Hey, dinnae worry. Blair left ye in me charge, and I have kept us safe so far. I promise ye, nay matter what, I will save us. But dinnae think Blair has forgotten us either. She just cannae come chargin' in like she wanted tae."

With an apprehensive nod, Deirdre focused back on her food. Jocelyn realized that neither of her sisters, or her for that matter, had eaten a full meal in days. Everything in the keep was stressful, and there was an air of caution that seemed to float around them. Things were getting worse, Jocelyn could tell. She took two apples from her apron and handed them to Aoife. "Why wait fer tomorrow? Right? We have earned a good meal. Now, I have an early mornin' so I'm gonna get tae bed. Make sure the two of ye braid that hair before ye lay down. I dinnae want yer heads full of knots in the mornin'."

Aoife nodded with a smile, walking Jocelyn to the door. They shared a momentary gaze, one that didn't need words. Aoife knew that things were bad, but she knew that she had to keep her wits and care for Deirdre while Jocelyn figured out what to do. One day, Jocelyn knew she'd be married off, and it may just leave Aoife and Deirdre there alone. She had to do for Aoife what Blair did for her, prepare her to keep them safe.

After a moment, Aoife leaned in and hugged Jocelyn. "Thank ye. We'll see ye in the mornin' then?"

Jocelyn forced a closed-lip smile. "Aye. And we'll see if we cannae slip off the property into the woods tae pick some berries. I ken they'll be about ripe."

"Aye," Deirdre whispered excitedly.

Jocelyn chuckled and nodded to them both before slipping out of the room and down to the next, pulling a key from around her neck. She glanced both ways before unlocking her room, a bit of security one of the servants had managed to get Jocelyn after Blair left. It wasn't much, but any kind of lock on her door made her a bit less frightened walking into the darkened space.

Once inside, she locked the door from the inside and hurried over to her bed, lighting the lamp on low to conserve the oils. She sat down on the bed, pulling her apple from her pocket. Normally, she would give something like that to her sisters, but she was feeling faint from not eating for so long, and knew she had to keep up her strength. She took a bite of the juicy apple and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to pull in a memory of when she was very young, eating apples from the trees with her mother. The memory had been so long ago, though, and she could barely remember a thing.

With a sigh, she set the apple on the bed next to her and glanced at the door, listening for any footsteps outside. She could never be too careful, especially with Bram on the rampage like he was. After a few moments, she turned back, pulling the small leather pouch from the waistband of her skirt. She untied the string and reached in, pulling out the folded paper. She unfolded the letter and set it to the side, reaching back inside the bag and fishing out the golden chain with a locket that had been her mother's dangling from the end. It had been sent with the letter, delivered by one of the servants that had been there for years and years.

Jocelyn gently rolled her fingertips over the remnants of the wax seal, the thin imprint of the McFerguson emblem on the outside. Taking a deep breath, she picked the letter up and read it again, and again, hoping she had missed something, something that would point to their rescue.

My blooming rose,

I'm sorry if my words aren't direct and to the point. I have so much to tell you, but must be careful whose eyes are watching. After I left the keep, we traveled toward my betrothed, taking the road through the pass. James was able to help me get away from the other guards for a day or two, assisting me in finding the old wise-woman we spoke about many times. It seems that the book you found was worth the risk. Unfortunately, what the wise-woman told me was far different than what I had believed was true.

Before you were old enough to know, our father went to the old wise-woman, asking for a prophecy that would keep us all safe. The wise-woman did in fact see a prophecy, one where wolves destroyed and murdered to take control. Our father believed that our uncle and cousin were those wolves. So, he went to our uncle's that night to kill Bram, to end the prophecy before it could begin. However, as you know, our father was badly injured by the hand of our uncle. It seems that the wise-woman was wrong. Uncle and Bram are not the wolves at all. Our father became the wolf that night. Uncle hates the stories, but has protected us enough to keep us alive. Bram, however, believes the stories to be true, and he fears we will destroy them like the prophecy said. It has warped and twisted his mind.

I left with even more determination to come and get you back. Angus was not receptive, and I came to understand that James was never just a guard, but the heir to the McFerguson clan. We married on a cool breezy day, and I longed for you to be there. I still do, hoping my sisters will be rescued so they meet my child when it's born. Do not lose faith, blooming rose, and remember that the fighting spirit of our father and mother is in our blood.

I promise, I will do everything I can to keep you safe. For now, though, you are on your own. I have sent our mother's locket, a symbol of us and the love she had for us.

I love you,

Little Rose

Jocelyn sighed, folding the letter up and tucking it back into the small satchel. She held the locket in her hands, running her fingers over the etched rose on the front. Blair may have married, but Jocelyn knew she would never give up trying to save them. It just might take a long time. Time was not something Jocelyn liked. Time would age the Laird, the girls, and it would continue to allow the moment of Bram's succession to grow ever closer.

Under the dim lamp light, Jocelyn knew that biding her time was the best thing to do. She had to keep her sisters safe, and that meant doing whatever she needed to do to keep the sisters more valuable alive than dead.

"More valuable," Jocelyn whispered to herself.

The idea trickled slowly into Jocelyn's mind at first, but then suddenly became so clear to her that she wasn't sure how she missed it before. Jocelyn knew exactly what she needed to do, even if it meant a lot more time spent before any kind of escape could be made. She just hoped Bram steered clear of them, and they survived long enough to see their own days renewed.