Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

" R ight, the next matter for the council meeting is how we are tae combine our soldiers with the Lamonts," Kaden began, noting the change in the air around him. The majority of the council clearly didn't take kindly to joining forces with the Lamonts, though they didn't object. He expected, that like him, they would have been aware that teaming up with another clan was their only chance of surviving .

Before any discussions could be had though, there were voices down the corridor.

"Ye cannae go in there. The council is in session," one man demanded.

"I have tae see Laird Stuart. Immediately."

The council looked between each other, murmuring in wonder. Kaden looked curiously at Marcus, who like him, had clearly recognized that voice.

"It's one of the Lamont guards," Marcus whispered in surprise.

The door burst open. There was a ripple of shock around the council as the guard stumbled inside. There was blood pouring from some wound in his shoulder, his face as wan as snow, and his hair filled with sweat.

"Send for Dara at once," Kaden ordered his nearest guard and jumped to his feet, taking hold of the man's good arm and steering him forward. "Yer name, lad."

"Deacon, me Laird," he said between panting breaths.

"Deacon, what is it? What has happened?"

"We were attacked on the road. The MacNaughtons," he grunted, "they've taken Laird Lamont and his sisters. I was tae give ye an instruction." He looked up, the sweat now dripping form his brow as he had ridden for so long and so fast. "Ye are tae go tae the MacNaughton castle with a ransom of five hundred pounds if ye want tae see Elara and her family again."

Kaden heard the ripple around the council, though he didn't turn to look at their horror-filled expressions. Instead, he sought out the gaze of Marcus.

"Prepare our horses," he said.

"What!?" One of the elder council members was on his feet at once. "Ye cannae be thinking of doing this, me laird. Our clan is in nay danger. Ye are in nay danger. Why would ye put yerself at risk?"

"Some nobility ye have," Maddox spoke up.

Kaden was not the only one shocked, turning to face Maddox. He stood beside the elder council member, shaking his head.

"Our new allies are in danger, and ye would have them die rather than risk saving them?" Maddox scoffed. "What nobility indeed."

"Choose life over nobility every day. It is the folly of youth tae want tae die a noble man," the council member scoffed.

"If we dinnae have the Lamonts as allies, then we could all die at the hands of the MacNaughtons anyway. Is that the choice ye wish tae make?" Maddox said plainly.

Kaden smiled. He had learned to value Maddox's advice, despite his youth and the other members' distain of him, but once again, Maddox was proving himself to be one of the wisest of them all.

"Maddox is right. I willnae discuss the matter. I will go at once." Kaden turned to leave.

"What? At least take soldiers. Take some men with ye," another member of the council shouted.

"Have nay fear, I am nay fool." Kaden hesitated, turning back momentarily. "I will take men, and they will remain at a distance until we can attack." His eyes flicked to Maddox. "In the meantime, Maddox, any matter of the clan comes in, ye are tae handle it."

Maddox's eyes widened, then he smiled. Kaden ignored the protests of the other council members, turned on his heel and left.

He ran to his chamber, gathered as many weapons as he could, as well as the five hundred pounds ransom money, though he was aware he would not need it. This was all a trap by the MacNaughtons. They did not really need the money, all they truly wanted was his death.

When he was ready, he left, hastening back down the stairs and out into the castle yard, where he found Marcus gathered with their horses and a troop of men.

"What was the name of Cassian's man-at-arms? Can ye remember?" Kaden asked as he pulled himself into his saddle.

"Nathan. His name was Nathan."

"Good, ye." Kaden called to a fast rider, beckoning him closer. "Ride tae the Lamont clan. Tell them what has happened and ask Nathan tae meet our forces on the mountain ridge beside the MacNaughton castle. We shall need their support if we are going tae win."

"Aye, me laird." With one swift nod, the rider was gone, shooting out of the yard and up the path along the Inverness River.

"Ye ready fer this?" Marcus asked, following Kaden as they trotted out of the castle, heading quickly toward the road.

"Aye, though we cannae attack with full arms at once. They could hurt Elara, or any of them fer that matter. We keep our troops back, and we wait fer a signal tae attack."

"What's the signal?" Marcus asked.

Kaden looked down at the weapons at his side.

"A bolt shot straight up intae the air. Aye?"

"Aye."

As Kaden flicked the reins and rode the horse harder, he felt fear building up inside of him. It was a red-hot fury, pure anger at the injustice of Elara being made a pawn in this game.

He remembered the deaths of his parents in that fire, and Elara's too. He knew well enough that Dylan and Annabella would not be afraid of causing horrific deaths if it meant getting what they wanted.

I'm prepared tae dae anything, he told himself as he rode in the direction of the MacNaughton clan. Anything tae see her safely out of that place.

"Dinnae look toward the hills," Kaden urged as he and Marcus reached the outer curtain walls of the MacNaughton castle. "We dinnae want them tae ken we have our reinforcements."

Marcus nodded wordlessly. He was back to the stiff mercenary Kaden had seen him so often be. His whole body was rigid, his hands constantly resting on the weapon's belt at his hips.

"They will nae be happy tae see ye with me either," Kaden muttered as they left their horses behind them and walked through the darkness, heading toward the portcullis of the castle.

"Maybe nae, but I'm nae letting ye go in there alone."

Kaden moved toward the portcullis, seeing across the yard a flaming orange torch move toward him. A soldier carried it all the way to the portcullis, the better to see Kaden's face in the dark night.

"Ye are expecting me." Kaden darkened his voice.

The guard had half his face covered, though his eyes were revealed enough for Kaden to see the sharpness there.

"Nae him." The guard snapped, pointing the torch at Marcus.

To show good will, Marcus unlatched his weapons belt and dropped it on the floor. The guard nodded in acceptance, then turned to Kaden, gesturing for him to do the same. Slowly, Kaden unlatched the belt.

He was in no hurry to show the guard that he had weapons hidden on various parts of his body, as did Marcus. They had made a plan to make some of their weapons as obvious as possible, so they would ask for them to be removed and the rest would be safely hidden.

As the weapons clinked and clattered onto the floor, the guard waved with the torch, evidently sending some signal to a man in the turret above them. At once, the portcullis began to rise. Only when it was the whole way up, moving painfully slowly, making Kaden's worry and curiosity about where Elara was now all the worse, were they given the signal to move inside the yard.

They walked into the very center. The yard was eerily empty compared to the last time Kaden had been here. There were but a few guards, watching on from the very edges, wariness in their eyes, then the door to the keep opened and a flood of torchlight basked them all.

Silhouetted in that light were two figures. One, a bear of a man, the other, unmistakably Annabella.

"He's here," Annabella said breathily, her voice betraying her excitement. "He's really here."

Dylan said nothing, he just walked alongside her, coming to stand a few feet away from Kaden and Marcus.

"We told ye tae come alone," Dylan spoke eventually, eying Marcus.

"I had tae come with one man. Surely, ye would have been surprised if I had nae?"

Eventually, Dylan nodded.

"Ye have come fer her, havenae ye?" Annabella asked. "Nae for the Lamonts, nae fer the chance of peace, but fer her." There was scorn and resentment in her eyes.

Kaden felt the darkness of her glare upon him. There was envy in her. Despite the fact she was clearly besotted with the man beside her, there was anger, perhaps all borne of pain from when their own betrothal had ended.

"Is that what this is about?" Kaden asked in disbelief. "Our betrothal ended, and ye hate Elara fer it? I didnae even ken her back then."

"All fer her," Annabella spoke as if she hadn't heard him.

"I want tae see them, all of them," Kaden insisted, shifting his focus to Dylan, somehow hoping he would get more sense out of that man. "Elara, Lydia, Laird Lamont, and the soldiers ye took as ransom too. Show them tae me."

"Maybe we should show them tae ye, before ye all die. Even a condemned man is granted one last meal, isnae he? Consider it a feast fer the eyes," Dylan's voice was scornful. He nodded at a guard nearby who ran off, not toward the keep, but to the outer walls of the castle.

Kaden grimaced as he realized the true horror of where the Lamonts were being kept.

In the dungeons.

"I'm curious," Kaden said in the ensuing silence. "Are ye daeing all of this just tae have more land? Tae be the leader of so many clans? Or dae ye relish in the death too?"

Dylan smiled in the most vicious way, his teeth suddenly glaringly on show.

Annabella sidled up to his side, running a hand up and down his arm. Dylan didn't even turn to acknowledge that touch, despite the possessive way she held onto him.

"He loves it," Marcus spoke for the first time. "I've met men like him before. They love the killing, they love the blood –"

"How dare ye speak tae us like that," Annabella snapped, her voice wild and maniacal. "Ye are just a mercenary. Ye are naething."

"There it is," Kaden said, releasing a juddering breath. "There's the vain woman I always kenned was there."

It was one of the reasons he had been so determined not to marry her, and to his relief, he had never had to.

There were clatters and groans from across the yard. Kaden turned to see what was happening. The Lamonts and their guards were being dragged out from the dungeons, their faces and figures thrown into the rich orange light of the many torches set around the castle.

What he saw, horrified hm.

Laird Lamont appeared to have been whipped, his white shirt bloodied at the back of him. Despite it, he showed no signs of pain, only determination, gritting his teeth together. Elara and Lydia were forced to walk behind him, both of them stumbling, clearly also injured as they both limped. The guards were nursing their own wounds, struggling with them, some whining in pain, others trying their best not to make a sound.

"Elara," Kaden whispered, for his own ears only. She looked straight at him, her eyes rimmed with tears.