Page 57 of Highland Spirit

“Ethan? What are ye sayin’?” asked Alana. “Ye arena goin’ to leave my faither in chains, are ye?”

“Alana, I’m sorry, but he has to pay for his mistakes. He’s a thief and a smuggler and I canna allow him to go free.”

“Let me loose,” Gil tried to convince him, tugging on the chain. “Help me out of this and I swear I’ll help ye fight Diarmad. I’ll even turn myself in when this is all over.”

“Da, what are ye sayin’?” asked Alana.

“He’s right,” said Ethan. “He should turn himself in. It’s the proper thing to do.”

“Then I’m stayin’ to fight off Diarmad, too.” Alana crossed her arms over her chest. “And when this is over, I, too, will turn myself in for bein’ a part of all this.”

“Stop it, Alana. Ye ken ye arena guilty except by association with scum like him.” Ethan’s jaw clenched as he nodded at her father.

“I thought ye said ye were goin’ to help me,” said Alana.

“Ye, yes. Him, nay,” answered Ethan.

“We are family,” said Alana. “And family sticks together. Please, Ethan. Help us.”

Ethan thought about it for a moment and finally nodded. “All right. I’ll help ye and I’ll even set yer faither free. But I swear, Gil Chisholm, if ye dinna turn yerself in and tell the truth that Alana and her siblin’s had nothin’ to do with this, I’ll hunt ye down and kill ye myself.”

“I told ye I would. Now get me out of this.” Gil reached over and rattled the chain.

“It’s against my better judgment and I’m sure I’ll regret it, but I’m only doin’ this for Alana.” Ethan drew his sword and with one swipe, he managed to hit the lock. The shackle fell open and Gil quickly moved his leg.

“Bid the devil, ye nearly took off my leg,” snapped Gil.

“Dinna complain. If ye’re tried and convicted for smugglin’, as well as all yer other crimes, ye’ll be losin’ more than just a limb.”

“Enough of this talk.” Alana rushed over and picked up her daughter. “We probably have a full day, mayhap two before Diarmad returns, but no more. We’ve got a lot to do before then.”

“We?” asked Ethan. “Ye mean I do. No’ ye.”

“Nay. If we’re goin’ to clear our names and, hopefully, the reputation of my faither, we’re goin’ to have to present more than just a few smugglers to the king.”

“What do ye mean?” asked Ethan.

“Right after the meal, we’ll start our search for the treasure.”

“Alana, a little family treasure is no’ goin’ to sway even a king’s decision,” Ethan told her.

“Perhaps no’. But I think if we hand over the Templar treasure, we might have a little more to bargain with.”

“Templar treasure?” gasped Caleb. “Like the Knights Templar?”

“That’s the one,” said Gil, rubbing his leg.

“Alana?” Ethan looked at her from the corners of his eyes. “Ye dinna say this is Templar treasure that ye are guardin’. That is a whole different story.”

“So, it might be a bigger bargainin’ tool to secure my faither’s future.”

“Well . . . I suppose it would,” answered Ethan. “But I’m no’ sure our king or any king should own it. Many Templar knights died because of people who didna understand their purpose.”

“So what are ye sayin’?” asked Alana. “There is a treasure here and ye dinna want to find it?”

“Ethan,” said Caleb in a low voice. “Findin’ a Templar treasure would surely get ye mentioned in the Highland Chronicles.”

Ethan felt confused about all this, and needed to think before he acted. But either way, if there was a treasure in this castle, they could not leave before it was found.