Henry frowned, confused. An alliance made sense, but why would the man not want pay? He did not appear wealthy. In fact, his plaid and shirt were well-worn and dingy.
"That treacherous MacKenzie whoreson near destroyed my clan when we were lads," Comyn said. "He's no better than an adder among the rocks."
Raising his brows, Henry wondered how on earth a lad had managed to do this. "What happened?"
"When he fostered with us, he claimed that I killed another lad. 'Twas a lie that caused all sorts of hardships for my parents and my clan. We became poverty-stricken outcasts for many years. He ruined our lives."
Henry nodded. "I see. One of my men compared him to the grim reaper. He killed or disabled most of my two dozen men and depleted my forces."
"I brought thirty fighting men from my clan. I would like naught more than to crush MacKenzie beneath my heel." Ben scowled. "I've sent for more reinforcements, as well."
That sounded too good to be true. "Who?"
"The MacLeods of Lewis. Although only a score of them still live, they would love to see Cyrus MacKenzie hanging from the nearest tree. He lay siege to their island last year and took it for himself."
"And the king rewarded him with an earldom." Henry already knew the outcome.
"Aye, and the MacLeod of Lewis chief yearns for vengeance."
"I captured his brother, Fraser," Henry said. "Should have killed him when I had him. Then, there would've been one less MacKenzie."
"We'll deal with him and the rest of the brothers."
"Tell your men when we find MacKenzie and Lady Grey, leave her unharmed. I need her alive until I have the official deeds signed and sealed. Once all the properties she currently holds are mine, I don't care what happens to her."
Comyn smirked. "And MacKenzie?"
"Kill him. The quicker the better."
"I cannot wait."
"What say you to splitting your soldiers into search parties of a half-dozen each?" Henry suggested.
"Aye, but most have never laid eyes on the whoreson."
"I'll send one of my men with each party of yours. That way, they can identify MacKenzie and Lady Grey."
"I'll tell them to bring the bastard in." Comyn gave a crooked and bitter grin. "I want to see the look in his eyes just before I slaughter him."
Henry nodded, unconcerned about who would kill the barbarian… as long as someone did, and soon. "In the meantime, I'll take a few of my men to Darby Hall and search every inch of the place until I find the authentic deeds."
"If you cannot find them, nor get the harlot to tell you where they are," MacTarril said, "you could take her son hostage."
