Moments later, all of Hamish’s men galloped over the bridge, riding over and mowing down anyone who stood in their way, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.
When they arrived inside the castle, Hamish’s men dismounted and began to advance through the long passages of the inner building, every one of them yelling for the Inchkeith guards to submit or die. They met little resistance, since it seemed that only a few of Struan McNeill’s men were loyal to him.
As well as that, Hamish’s men were all skilled with swords, daggers and muskets, but their biggest advantage was their will and motivation. They were fighting for justice, to take back what rightfully belonged to them, and nothing would stop them.
The inner castle was a maze of rooms and passages, but Hamish knew every inch of it, and he made a beeline straight for Struan’s chamber. He was fuelled by rage and fear of what Struan was doing to Amanda because he knew the lengths to which his half-brother would go to achieve his ends.
He did not even slow his pace to open the door but raised his foot and kicked it in, putting all his weight and strength behind the blow, then dived inside. The door opened with a deafening bang and smashed against the wall.
The first thing Hamish saw was Struan standing behind Amanda with his arm around her neck, the candlestick raised to strike her head. He pulled Amanda’s hair, making her look at Hamish with a cruel smirk on his face.
“Ham—” Amanda did not get to finish as Struan pushed her to the floor, making Hamish’s rage boil.
“Sneaking in like a rat in the dark?” he sneered. “After I kill you, I’ll finish off your whore!”
Hamish snapped. A wave of sheer rage swept over him, and giving himself no time to think, he acted instinctively, sprinting across the room so fast that Struan did not have time to react. He barrelled into Struan, who let go of Amanda, allowing her to scramble away.
Hamish stood in front of Struan, staring at him with hate-filled eyes. “One last chance, brother,” he said. “Stand down, and I will let you live.”
However, Struan could still fight, and now he charged at Hamish, throwing all his hate and fury into the battle with his brother. Hamish began to pummel his face and head with his large fists, which were akin to clubs when all his weight was behind them.
Struan was no pushover, and fought back as hard as he could despite his injury, but he did not have his brother’s sheer power. After a few more blows, it was clear that he was weakening, and Hamish paused.
“One last chance, Struan,” he said through gritted teeth. “Stop fighting and I will let you live.”
However, instead of submitting, Struan threw another punch which landed on his brother’s jaw, whipping his head around.It was not strong enough to cause any injury, but Hamish responded with a sideways swipe that hit Struan so hard that his neck broke instantly with an audible crack.
He fell onto the floor in a heap; he would never move again.
Hamish took a second to make sure that Struan was dead before rushing over to Amanda, who was sitting propped up against Struan’s bed.
Her lip was bleeding and there was a bruise developing on her cheek, both of which had been caused by her falling against Struan’s bed. Hamish gathered her into his arms, breathing a deep sigh of relief.
She was safe.
“Amanda,” he murmured. “I am so sorry I was late. I came as soon as I could.”
She smiled and raised a hand to caress his cheek. “But you came, Hamish. I knew you would.”
“How could I not?” he asked. “I love you, Amanda. I promise that no one will ever hurt you again as long as I live.”
“I love you too,” she answered. “And I always will, Hamish, my hero.”
At that moment, they heard a roar coming from outside, and they rushed up to the turrets to look down on Hamish’s men holding up their weapons and crying out in a triumphant chorus of victory. Hamish and Amanda joined in at once, their hearts soaring with joy.
20
Hamish held Amanda in his arms for a few moments, then said, “You had better see to your injuries, sweetheart. Do we know a good healer?” There was a smile in his voice.
“You are my healer, Hamish,” Amanda whispered. “I feel better just because I am in your arms, knowing you love me.”
Hamish kissed the top of her head. There was work to be done, he knew, but the last hour had been so harrowing that he needed a while to recover, despite the fact that he needed to look strong and invincible in front of his men. He was only human, after all, and the fear and anger he had experienced needed time to subside.
Presently, Gregor appeared, grinning from ear to ear. “The Laird will need a feast,” he said triumphantly. “He must be celebrated!”
Hamish shook his head. “This is no time to celebrate,” he replied, reluctantly getting to his feet. “The people need to eat first. Gregor, take the men and go downstairs to the stores, then bring up as much food as you can carry and take it to Inchkeith. We can celebrate as we hand it out to them.”
“Good plan, Hamish,” Gregor said. He smiled at them both. “I am glad tae see ye both sae happy.” He walked away to do Hamish’s bidding, looking completely contented.
