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Chapter 2
“Hold up!” called out Laird Alastair MacPherson raising his hand over his head, bringing his horse as well as his army to a halt. The clan gathered around him atop their horses, as well as on foot.
“Why are we stoppin’?” growled Brohain, the resident troublemaker of the MacPherson Clan. Ever since Alastair’s father was taken prisoner by Clan Grant over three years ago, Alastair assumed the title of chieftain and laird. Some of the clan members didn’t think he should take his father’s place but, in the end, he walked away claiming the position.
Duncan MacPherson’s wild nature was what put him behind bars to begin with. Alastair wasn’t half as reckless as his father. While he was one of the clan’s best warriors, Alastair didn’t agree with his father’s past decisions. Nay, he wasn’t the cold-hearted bastard that his father turned out to be. Alastair also had a mixture of his mother’s kind and loving nature running through his veins.
“I thought I heard somethin’,” said Alastair in a low voice.
“Mayhap, it’s Richard and his army movin’ up the coast.” Alastair’s right-hand man, Niven rode to his side. Niven was three years younger than Alastair’s age of five and twenty years. Half of the men in the clan were older than him, and some of them like Brohain and Rhodric were the age of his father. The older men resented Alastair and wanted to follow the aggressive ways of their last chieftain.
“I dinna believe so,” said Alastair. He and his clan were sent out as scouts to find out King Richard’s position and how many troops he was bringing to invade Scotland. One of the Scot’s spies returned and told them days ago that Richard was already storming the border. Alastair needed to bring the news to the Highlanders who were gathering in Fife for an ambush. If the plan worked accordingly, the bloody English wouldn’t know what hit them.
“There,” said Rhodric, pointing at riders as they disappeared into the forest.
“It must be the English,” said Niven.
“It is the English, but no’ Richard’s army.” Alastair had been in these woods first as a child with his father and then again three years ago when they came over the border to spy. “Castle Rothbury is just beyond this section of the English king’s forest.”
“Let’s get those bluidy Sassenachs,” snarled Brohain, roiling up the men.
“Nay!” shouted Alastair, remembering the girl they had encountered in these woods three years ago. How could he ever forget her? As far as he knew, it could be her in the woods again. “We’ll make camp here since nightfall is almost upon us.”
“My laird, Brohain is right,” said Rhodric. “The riders are just up ahead. If we dinna stop them, they might tell the others, and they might attack while we sleep.”
“Then I’ll stay up all night on watch if need be, but we are no’ goin’ after them. We are here on a mission. We willna be distracted by a few riders who may or may no’ have even seen us. If they come for us, then we’ll defend ourselves, but we are no’ goin’ to attack.”
Brohain and Rhodric didn’t like Alastair’s decision but, then again, when did they ever?
Alastair looked up to the darkening sky, thinking about his father. For three years, he’d been a prisoner. The longer the man was gone the more Alastair’s hopes were dashed that he would ever see him again.
“Oh no!”Fia followed behind her cousins on their way back to the castle. “Maira, Willow, stop.”
The cousins stopped and rode back to her. “Fia, we need to keep going.” Willow nervously scanned the forest.
“I must have dropped my bracelet.” Fia checked her pockets, sure she was holding the bracelet when she left the secret garden. Not noticing it was gone wasn’t like her. “I canna find it.”
“Well, what did ye do with it?” asked Morag, holding on to Maira’s waist on the back of her horse.
“I dinna ken.”
“Fia, it’s not like you to lose something,” said Maira. “You are the observant one. You remember everything.”
“I guess I was startled because of the Scots,” she lied, not wanting to tell the girls she was worried about Imanie. Their parting had seemed so final that Fia now wished she had insisted that Imanie come with them to the castle. “I need to go back and find it.” She started to turn her horse, but Willow brought her horse up behind her to block her.
“Fia, you can’t! You heard Imanie. We are in danger. We need to get back to the castle anon.”
“That’s right,” said Morag. “If we stay here any longer, we could be killed.”
Fia’s eyes swept the forest. She didn’t see nor hear any Scots, so she didn’t think they were in danger. Imanie’s goodbye still haunted her. More than anything, she wanted to return to the garden. Plus, she wished she hadn’t lost the bracelet. It meant so much to her with all the personal items put there by those she loved.
“I will just be a minute,” she said, directing her horse around Willow. Maira rode in front of her next, pulling her sword from its sheath.
“I can’t let you go, Cousin. Now, turn around and ride back to the castle with us before we’re all killed.”
Fia thought she heard voices in the distance, realizing she was careless, letting her emotions control her. If she went back now, the girls were sure to follow. By doing that, Fia was only putting all their lives in danger. While she cared deeply for Imanie, she didn’t want to risk the lives of her cousins and her sister.
“Ye’re right,” she said, turning her horse. “I can come back to look for the bracelet after the threat of the Highlanders has passed. Now, let’s get out of here before we’re discovered.”
