Chapter 22

The ride back to the fort was slower due to everyone who was injured. The group was smaller though, seeing as ten of their guard were off following the bandits to make sure they left the Isle of Islay. Errol was one who had gone since he wasn't anywhere near as injured as some of the others.

Jamie and Murdock rode with Jen, Cam, and the others, which Jen was grateful for. She"d of course be by Cam"s side, but he needed his closest kinsmen next to him when he confronted Malcolm.

It was dark by the time the torch lights at the top of the fort gates came into view. If it weren"t for them, Jen wouldn"t know where she was. She was weary from fighting and riding, and all she wanted was a strong glass of whisky and a hot bath. Of course, there was so much more to do before that could happen. She sighed.

"What is it, lass? Are you well?" Cam questioned, looking over at her.

She smiled. "Just glad we"re nearly home."

"Aye. You did well today. I was impressed."

Jen felt her cheeks heat. "Thank you. It means a lot that you let me fight by your side."

"You"ve a warrior"s heart; I cannae deny it." Even though his face was shadowed, Jen could tell he was smiling.

As they rode up the hill toward the fort, various kinsmen on horseback approached them asking questions. "Have the bandits been rooted out?"

"How many were there?" another asked as he turned his horse to join the group.

The third turned his horse as well as he asked, "Did the new training help?"

"Aye, the bandits have been defeated, thanks to our MMA trainer, Jen," Cam said as they reached the gates. He tossed Jen a wink, and she smiled.

"It was a group effort. I was hardly the sole reason for their defeat," she said with a laugh.

"Nae, lass, without your training, they might have gotten the better of us," Robert put in.

"An" if"n you hadn"t helped with that one, I mightn"t be here now," Jamie added.

"Then we should have a celebration dinner," said one of the guards who"d just joined them.

"Nae, we"ve business first," Cam replied. "I am calling a clan meeting in the dining hall, and I want Malcolm brought before me."

The guardsman frowned. "Malcolm isn"t with you?"

Cam reined in his horse in the middle of the courtyard and stared at the man. Jen pulled Mist to a halt as well, causing everyone else to halt, too.

"Why would Malcolm be with us, Calen? He did not ride out with us to fight the bandits. He hid here like the coward he is."

Calen paled. "He and a few others rode out saying you probably needed their assistance because the lass would fail."

"How long ago did they leave?" Cam bit out.

"Just before sunset, chief," Calen replied.

Cam turned to look at Murdock. "Take Calen, Greig, and Kinnon, and track him. I want him found and brought back here immediately to face punishment."

"Aye." Murdock nodded at them to follow him as he rounded his horse to head back down the hill. "Which direction did they head?"

"Back toward the moors as far as I"m aware, but they could have circled back and headed to Ballygrant," Greig answered.

"Chief, the reason I rode down to meet you was to tell you that the Campbell"s man is in Ballygrant to collect the taxes. He wants it by dawn tomorrow," Calen shared as he, too, turned his horse. "If we hadnae seen you comin" up the hill, we"d have gone. The carts are already loaded."

Cam sighed. "The man has terrible timing, doesnae he."

Jen could tell Cam was exhausted, and she was, too, but she wasn"t about to let him go on his own. "I"m going with you."

"Lass, you"ve been ridin" for hours, and you just fought your heart out. … Surely, you wish to rest?"

Jen shook her head. "I"ll be fine. I"m not letting you go alone. How far is it to Ballygrant?"

"Several hours with the cart."

Jen looked up at the sky. She had no idea what time it was, but it had been dark for about three hours, and she knew the sun set around sixish. If the trip took a few hours and they needed to be there by dawn, they had plenty of time. "Why don"t we eat first? The food will help rebuild our strength."

"Aye, that is a good plan, love."

"How many of us do you want to ride with you?" Jamie asked as they dismounted and handed off their horses to the stablehands.

Jen would have taken care of Mist herself if there had been time, but they weren"t going to have a long break, and she was famished. "Don"t you dare tell him that you don"t need anyone else to go," Jen warned him, seeing the look in his eye.

Cam closed his mouth and stared at her. "How did you know I was about to say jest that, love?"

Jen gave him a smug grin. "That is my little secret." She turned to Jamie and said, "You and as many others who aren"t injured, as long as the fort has enough staff to keep it protected. And I don"t mean to have the injured men out here patrolling; I mean others."

"Aye, I"ll see who I can gather." Jamie strode off toward the main building.

"Handled that well, love, though I"m nae sure I like you ordering my men about," Cam chuckled.

Jen shrugged. "You"d have sent them all to their beds and handled it on your own. We don"t know what"s waiting for us in Ballygrant, or if those were the only bandits Malcolm encouraged to sabotage us."

"You make a good point, love. Let"s go get a meal in us so we can be on our way."

As they entered the fort, Jen glanced down at her dirty, blood-covered hands. "I should wash up."

Cam looked down at her and grinned. "You look a right heathen, a true Scottish warrior princess, with blood on your face and hands." He reached toward her cheek and stroked it, his thumb gently going over the beginnings of a bruise she felt forming.

"The blood"s not mine, but that is a bit tender," Jen admitted.

"Go on up, and I'll send Sally to you. Are you sure you want to travel to Bally?—"

Jen held up a finger to quiet his words. "Don"t. I"m going."

"Very well, love." He leaned in and kissed her. "I"ll see you back down here in ten minutes."

Jen gave him a nod and hurried up the stairs, taking several at a time. She wasn"t in her room but a minute before Sally showed up with a pitcher of water.

"Jen! Oh my! Are you well?" Sally gasped.

"I"m fine; I just need to wash up before I go eat. We have to travel to Ballygrant after supper, so I was just looking for something less dirt and blood-covered to wear." She turned back to the wardrobe.

"Come wash up, and I"ll find you a serviceable dress. Unless you want me to procure you another pair of breeches?"

Jen paused in her trek across the room but then shook her head. "Not for tonight, but yes, I"m going to want another pair. Maybe two or three?"

"Aye, I"ll take care of it." She headed for the wardrobe and flicked through the clothing. "Are you thinking you might run into trouble?"

Jen set her sword and sheath on the table, then pulled off the tunic and stripped out of the pants she wore. "Honestly, I have no idea. It"s possible, and I want to be prepared if it does." She moved to the wash basin and began to scrub her face.

"Then I think this one will serve you best." Sally pulled a simple brown gown from the wardrobe and laid it on the bed.

"Thanks, Sally."

A few minutes later, Jen was as clean as she was going to get, in the dress, and heading to the dining room. Cam was already waiting for her before he filled their plates with food. By the time she sat down, there a heaping pile of meat and vegetables was on her plate.

As they ate, Jen asked, "So who is this guy you"re supposed to meet?"

Cam finished chewing and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "A popinjay. Sir Kellen Campbell." He rolled his eyes. "Thinks we"re a bunch of savages and that we"re squatters on Campbell lands when he knows good and well that these lands were Donald lands first."

"I"m still unclear about how that happened," Jen murmured.

"It was due to King James III. My ancestor signed a treaty with the British king, Edward, stipulating that should England conquer Scotland, we"d retain our lands, but under the British crown. King James saw it as an act of treason, and we were stripped of our land and titles."

"When was this?" Jen asked, her fork halfway to her mouth.

Cam shrugged. "In the late fourteen hundreds, 'round about the time Dub Sith helped in the fight against the MacLeans, if"n I"m not mistaken."

Jen had forgotten that the history in the British Isles was so much deeper than the history of her former world. Hell, America was barely getting its start right now. She knew the Mayflower had arrived at Plymouth sometime in the early sixteen hundreds, but they were still a ways away from becoming the country she knew. The thought that she was living a century before the American Revolution blew her mind.

Once they finished eating, Cam stood and held out a hand for her. Wearily, she got up and walked with him outside. Cam lifted her into the cart, where she settled on the wooden bench. He climbed up next to her as Jamie and three others mounted fresh horses.

The cart was loaded down with bags, and when Jen inquired what was in them, Cam said it was grain. They had to pay a tithe of grain and gold to the Campbells for the land they lived and worked on.

Riding in the cart wasn"t nearly as much fun as riding on horseback. The bench was hard beneath her, and there was nothing to lean back against. Her body ached as the soreness from their battle with the bandits started to set in. She struggled to stay awake and found herself leaning into Cam"s strong frame.

Cam wrapped his arm around her, bringing her in closer. "Sleep if you can, love. We"ve got a way to go."

She nodded. There wasn"t anything to see on the trip; it was much too dark to make anything out. She began to drift off to sleep, only to startle awake every time the cart hit a rut. She eventually gave up.

"Nearly there, lass."

Jen sat up more and looked around. The sky was just beginning to lighten. It was probably about half an hour to forty-five minutes before the sun made it over the horizon. She realized she must have slept through an hour or two of the trip. "Sun will be up soon, I think, so I suppose it"s good that we"re nearly there. What would happen if we were late?"

Cam gritted his teeth, and she heard him growl. "Campbells would take it as a declaration of war."

She sucked in a breath. "Any chance we can speed this cart up? I don"t think we"re quite ready to go to war with the Campbells."

Cam chuckled. "We"ll get there in time, love. You need nae worry."

He was true to his word. They pulled up in front of an inn just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Jen sighed heavily, relieved they had made it.

"Jamie, stay with the cart. We"ll go in," Cam directed as he climbed down and then reached for Jen.

Once her feet were on the ground and steady, she took Cam"s offered arm and they strode into the inn, which had a tavern connected to it. Jen was curious about the place. The town was full of stone buildings that piqued her interest. She hoped there"d be a chance to explore once they were finished.

"I"m lookin" for Sir Kellen Campbell," he told the innkeeper.

"In the tavern," the innkeeper replied and tilted his head toward the bar area.

"Hopefully we can get this done quickly," Cam muttered. As they turned toward the bar, he paused and looked at her. "Love, don"t mention how you came to be here."

"What, you don"t want me telling the world that I"ve time-traveled from the future?" Jen laughed. "You have my word; I wouldn"t dare."