Chapter 26

26

C harlotte couldn't believe what was happening. She was walking slowly toward Alasdair while Ben was walking to Lennox! How could Alasdair risk his son like this? She tried to show her confusion and panic as she stared at Alasdair, but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were glued to Ben, as if he were waiting for something.

She wanted to scream out or rush over and grab the boy before he was back in Lennox's clutches. Charlotte had seen the bruises on Ben's body when he first came to the orphanage. While she had told Alasdair about them, there was nothing as convincing as seeing something like that yourself. They couldn't let Ben go back there.

He must have a plan.

Though her heart was beating out of her chest and every ounce of her body was telling her to stop moving, Charlotte put one foot in front of the other. She passed Ben, giving him a comforting glance, but she was surprised by how calm the boy looked. He walked with his hands in his pockets and nodded at her with confidence.

"That's right, lad," Lennox coaxed.

As Charlotte got close, Alasdair's eyes found hers. His scarred face was pained in confusion and worry, but simply seeing him made relief wash over her. She had spent the carriage ride telling herself she would never see this man again, and here he was, fighting for her.

Charlotte took the final few steps and found herself in Alasdair's arms. He quickly untied her hands and pushed the gag down from her mouth before he wrapped her into a hug. She lost herself for a moment in his warm, strong embrace.

"Are ye alright?" he asked, but Charlotte only stared at him, full of worry.

"Ben," she whispered.

They both looked as Ben reached Lennox, noting his greedy hands that grabbed at Ben's clothing and pulled him the final few steps.

"Now!" Alasdair's voice carried across the flat earth, the wind still whipping around them. Before Charlotte could comprehend what he was doing, she felt his arms encircle hers, and they both dropped to the ground. She heard the twang of something and a whoosh, but she could not see what was above her.

But she could see Ben. On Alasdair's cry, the boy had moved quickly, pulling something from his pocket. He twisted masterfully out of Lennox's grasp and brought his hand down hard. Ben had a small dirk, and it was now sticking out of Lennox's thigh.

The man cried out in pain just as she heard a thwack and another cry, followed by the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. She saw Ben rush away, back to Alasdair and Charlotte, as Lennox grabbed the small knife and yanked it out of his leg, causing blood to spread quickly across his breeches.

"Take him," Alasdair said, pulling Charlotte to her feet. He was quickly off, rushing for his sword, and Charlotte grabbed Ben and ran. She was desperate to get him away from the fighting, and she set her sights on Hayden in the distance. She wouldn't look back.

"Don't look back," she told Ben as she rushed toward Alasdair's man-at-arms. She saw a bow and arrow in his hands and remembered the woosh and thwack she had heard.

"I did it," Ben cried, and Charlotte looked down to see joy on his face rather than fear. "The plan worked—we saved you!"

"You did wonderfully," Charlotte said, but she couldn't forget that Alasdair was behind them, about to fight for his life.

Hayden and Ben had done their jobs. Now it was up to Alasdair to do his. Hayden's arrow had flown perfectly across the ground, hitting the guard in the chest. He had fallen nearly instantly, a heap of bones and muscle that tumbled to the ground. And Ben had wounded Lennox, making the man limp his way to his weapon as Alasdair gathered his.

"Did ye think I would give him away?" Alasdair cried, finally able to show Lennox his true feelings. "After what a monster ye were to him?"

"I should have known ye would try to trick me," Lennox called back. Both men had retrieved their weapons, and they circled one another, glaring and glowering with hatred.

"For years I've searched for the man who destroyed me family," Alasdair glowered. "And here ye were, under me nose the whole time."

Lennox laughed, something high-pitched and nearly hysterical. There was madness in his eyes, making him a gruesome figure as blood dripped from his thigh where Ben had stabbed him.

"Ye destroyed yer own family," Lennox cried. "Ye made sure of that when ye killed me sister."

He lunged, throwing his sword forward in a messy strike that caught Alasdair off guard. He scrambled to block, throwing Lennox's sword away. But then Alasdair steeled himself. He felt his body stiffen and hum with adrenaline as he readied himself for battle. His vision narrowed, and he told himself he would not be surprised by Lennox again. It was time to stop this man once and for all.

Alasdair attacked, sending his sword out to test Lennox's balance given his injured leg. The man was stronger than he imagined, catching Alasdair's sword with his own and pressing it away. He didn't seem to feel the pain of Ben's cut or recognize the danger he might be in. Lennox seemed fixated on only one thing: revenge.

From experience, Alasdair knew these were the most dangerous people to fight. He thrust again, sending his blade toward Lennox's injured leg, but the man was surprisingly spry. He dodged Alasdair's cut and threw his sword toward Alasdair, clipping him on the shoulder.

Alasdair groaned as Lennox's blade sliced shallowly through his bicep, but he pushed the pain aside. He set his sights on the man and charged, pushing Lennox backwards. The wind whipped hard against them, pushing Alasdair's hair across his face. As he walked Lennox backward, he saw the ocean tumbling beyond the cliffs.

"How can ye live with yerself?" Lennox spit out even as he struggled to block Alasdair's attack. "After what ye did?"

"Ye need to stop blaming me for yer sister's death," he shot back. Alasdair caught Lennox in the leg, adding a wound to his left thigh to match the one Ben had given him on his right. "It was yer soldiers who killed her."

"Nay!" Lennox screamed. He began throwing his sword around, slicing with abandon. Alasdair could see how much rage was coursing through him, but there, deep in his eyes, he recognized the guilt. It was the same feeling Alasdair had been carrying around for years.

"Yer son deserved everything I gave him," Lennox said as he and Alasdair exchanged blows. "I told ye the boy looked too much like ye."

"Dinnae talk about me son," Alasdair warned, but Lennox didn't listen. He continued to push, clearly understanding what would get under Alasdair's skin.

"She told ye I hit him, right?" he asked, and Alasdair saw red. "She told ye about the bruises?"

Alasdair pushed harder, feeling sweat drip down his forehead. He locked his eyes on the man's mouth, wondering if he could slice his sword clear across it. Anything to make the man stop talking.

"I couldnae stand to look at yer little copy ," Lennox continued. "Every time I looked at him, I saw the man responsible for me sister's death. So really, it's yer fault yer son was tortured."

With a scream, Alasdair sliced his sword across Lennox's body, forcing Lennox to jump backward. He was delighted when he saw a flash of fear cross Lennox's face. The man retreated, scampering away from the red face and dark eyes as Alasdair glared at him. But they were dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, leaving Lennox nowhere to go.

"It's time to pay for what ye did," Alasdair said, his chest heaving.

"Never!" Lennox cried. The man lunged, and Alasdair stepped back, but his foot caught on the crack of a rock, and he suddenly lost his balance. Lennox's blade sliced into his leg, cutting deep near his ankle.

"Alasdair!" He heard Charlotte's voice from somewhere in the distance. He realized all at once that she was looking on, scared for him as he faced off against his ex-brother-in-law. He used her cry as strength, and it propelled him to his feet. He dodged another blow, and suddenly he was rushing forward, no sword or shield but only his body, until he barreled his shoulder straight into Lennox's chest.

He saw the surprise on Lennox's face as he realized he was beaten. There was shock as he realized Alasdair had knocked him off balance, sending his body weight backward. The man hovered for a moment, dropping his sword as he struggled to right himself, but then he fell backward. Alasdair watched his eyes go round as he dropped over the edge and disappeared from view.

Only Lennox's scream remained, bouncing off the cliffs before even that disappeared amidst the howling wind. Alasdair was left alone, standing on the edge of the cliff, a solitary figure on the horizon.