AllFreeNovel
Share Us
***
Chapter 11
The Gibson Farm
A missive arrived for Yesenda. It was a note from Edmund’s foster parents, Sienna, and Gideon. They had settled inKentallen.They were still waiting on word from Brother Mateo, but in the meantime, they were safe. Edmund was safe. Yesenda decided she would join them soon to make sure he remained that way.
After the MacGregors left the Keep, things seemed to settle into a normal routine, allowing her ample time to herself. She discovered a simple method to avoid Iain. Yesenda told Tyra she was going to see Sorcha, then she told Willa she was with Fia and so forth. Each woman assumed she was with the other, so when Iain asked of her whereabouts, she was always accounted for within the Keep. In the meantime, Yesenda was free to explore.
And so it was Yesenda found herself at the abandoned Gibson farm. Dressed in trews and a tunic with her black hooded cloak, she remained hidden. She was waiting patiently for one particular person.Gordon.
He left the parchments, then rode off. Just as Seamus said he would.
Yesenda waited patiently until Gordon was out of view, then she slipped inside the stable. She looked for likely places one could hide a missive. Then she saw it. There was a section where the hay was disturbed. She walked towards it and brushed it aside and sure enough, there was a small box under it.
She reached inside and pulled out the parchment. It had a strange wax seal on it with the letter ‘M.’ The message was in Latin. It translated to,“Brother S — Find Miriam Ferguson and Kill her. Long live the Brotherhood.”The message then described her appearance.
Yesenda knew about theBrotherhood. Even if she destroyed this letter, they would no doubt already be on their way to Henderson Land.
Yesenda resealed the missive with a blank piece of parchment and destroyed the original.
Then she bolted for her horse. She needed to get to Henderson Keep. Her greatest fear had been realized. She had brought danger directly to innocent people.
***
The Brotherhood
Yesenda slipped back into the Keep and became a shadow, making her way through the dimply lit passageways, scanning her surroundings for any threat of danger. The rest of the Keep moved about, oblivious to the deadly threat headed their way.
The men were in the training grounds, the women in the weaving rooms. She climbed up to the turret and scanned the area, trying to spot any anomalies.
While she was patrolling the upper floor, she heard several noises coming from the drawing room. The whimper of a small child and Sorcha’s voice speaking in a panic tone. Then a voice cut through them all. It was aNorman/Frenchaccent.
Yesenda tiptoed to the staircase, then she removed her shoes and climbed the corner of the wall. She rested one foot on one side and the other foot on the opposite side and used her vantage point to look inside the room. Perched high above, she could see what was happening inside the room whilst remaining hidden. Her blood ran cold. For inside was a gray monk.
“Where is Miriam Ferguson?” he asked Sorcha.
“I dinnae ken who that is? Please dinnae hurt the bairns,” Sorcha pleaded.
Sorcha had her hands bound behind her back and little Mysie was carrying baby Cináed in her arms. The monk held a war club above Mysie’s head, threatening to end her life.
Yesenda decided enough was enough. She needed to end this swiftly and protect them all. She was about to move, but cursed when she saw Iain clambering up the stairs. He was going to ruin everything. There was no way she could hide the truth from Iain now. She only hoped he would not look upon her with revulsion once he discovered her true nature.
“Iain!” she whispered.
He looked about in confusion.
“Up here,” she said.
Yesenda would never forget the shocked expression on Iain’s face when he gazed upward and saw her perched in the corner. If the situation was not dire, she would have burst out laughing. She knew the way she balanced against the wall with one hand and two bare feet, was most likely something he’d never seen before.
She signaled for him to remain quiet, then with hand gestures and mouthed words she made him understand there was danger up ahead and he was to stay put. But Iain did not care to listen because he withdrew his claymore and quietly moved to the doorway of the drawing room.
Yesenda just rolled her eyes and shook her head.Men!
She knew she had minutes at the most before the monk killed everyone in that room. That was the nature of the brotherhood. They threatened once, then followed through. She sighed and then quietly hoisted herself up onto the rafters and made her way via the ceiling into the drawing room. Yesenda waited until everything was in place, then silently climbed down and waited in the alcove's shadow.
“You will tell me where Miriam Ferguson is, or I will kill the girl.”
