Page 75 of Highland Storm

Phoebe looked up to see Euan with fire in his eyes, coming right for her.

“Ye bitch! I should have kent that ye’d only be trouble and killed ye years ago. If MacKeefe loves ye so much, then I think ye have to die.”

“Nay!” she cried, scooting backward on the ground as Euan lunged for her. Hawke was fighting off three men and neither he nor his friends could help her. But as Euan’s blade lashed out, Osla dove in front of her to stop him.

“Dinna hurt my cousin, Euan!” she cried, taking the sword in her chest to save Phoebe.

“Osla, ye fool!” Euan pulled his sword from her chest and her body crumpled to the ground.

“Euan, I’m goin’ to kill ye,” cried Hawke, taking down two men and coming for him. As they fought, Phoebe crawled over to Osla, crying and cradling her brave cousin in her arms.

“Osla, why did ye do that?” asked Phoebe.

“Phoebe, I remember,” said Osla, a peaceful smile coming to her face. “The fall must have jarred my memory and now I remember each and every awful thing Euan has done.”

“Orrick,” cried Phoebe. “Orrick come here, quickly.” She held Osla as the blood poured from her wound. Phoebe used the end of her own gown to try to stop the flow.

“Take care . . . of my . . . children,” said Osla, blood spurting from her wound as well as coming from her mouth. “Promise . . . me . . .”

“Aye, of course, I will,” promised Phoebe, trying to force a smile to calm her dying cousin. “But ye will no’ die, Osla. Orrick and I will heal ye. Orrick,” she called out again, looking up to see Orrick with a sword, fighting just as well as any knight. This surprised her, since she never knew he had the skill. Especially since he was such an old man. When she looked back down at Osla, she realized the woman was dead. Tears streamed from Phoebe’s eyes.

“Ye’ll never hurt anyone again,” cried Hawke, pushing his sword through Euan, managing to kill the man. But Phoebe noticed Lennox rushing toward Hawke. The man was atop a horse with two swords swinging as he rode up behind him. Hawke wouldn’t be able to remove his sword from Euan and turn around fast enough to defend himself.

Reaching under her gown, Phoebe ripped her throwing knife from the sheath strapped to her leg and flung the blade across the courtyard, hitting Lennox in the back. He stiffened and dropped one sword, but continued to go after Hawke. Hawke realized what was happening, retrieved his sword and spun around, but not before Phoebe could throw the knife from her boot, hitting Lennox a second time. The man fell from the horse at Hawke’s feet.

Hawke looked up at her in surprise and nodded his thanks.

“Stop this fightin’, Hawke,” she shouted. “No more killin’, please. Osla is dead.”

“Hold up, men,” called out Hawke as Phoebe ran to him.

“MacNab Clan, stop fightin’. It’s over,” she cried, but the men didn’t seem to listen to her.

Just when Phoebe thought all was lost, her father appeared on the battlements with Orrick, even though Phoebe had no idea how Orrick got up there so quickly.

“I speak for Laird MacNab,” called out Orrick in a deep, booming voice. “He is near death and tells me it was because of Euan. He wants this fighting to stop and for the MacNabs and the MacKeefes to align.”

The fighting slowed as Orrick continued.

“He is granting pardon to any of Euan’s men who will drop their swords and pay allegiance to him again. Those who refuse will be imprisoned.”

The sound of metal clanking to the ground echoed in the courtyard as man after man dropped their swords and bowed down on one knee to Angus, up on the battlements.

“It’s done,” shouted Hawke, so everyone could hear him. “The MacKeefes and the MacNabs from this day on will be allies instead of enemies. And to seal the alliance, I ask ye, Laird MacNab, for yer daughter’s hand in marriage.” Hawke held out his hand to Phoebe.

Orrick leaned over and listened to something Angus said, that could not be heard by everyone else.

“Laird Angus agrees to the marriage, since your former bride has just been killed by Euan,” announced Orrick. “Hawke, you are free to marry her but only if Phoebe agrees.”

“Aye. I want to marry Hawke, and I want our clans aligned,” said Phoebe. “Too many needless deaths were brought upon our people and we’ll have no more.”

Phoebe walked over to Osla’s dead body, kneeling down and kissing her cousin upon the head before gently closing the woman’s eyes. There was nothing she could do for her cousin, but she might still be able to help her father.

“Phoebe, I’m so sorry about Osla,” said Hawke, helping her up.

“Hawke, I love ye, but I canna talk to ye now. I have to try to heal my faither.”

“Go,” he said with a nod. “My friends and I will see to the dead. And I promise ye, nothin’ like this will ever happen again between our clans.”