Highland Vengeance (4 page)

Camden and his men had grown tired of
the celebration early in the evening and had left to find rest
elsewhere. The new laird hated to watch people drink and he refused
to let his men drink, for he believed it confused the mind. The
warriors had ridden south, down the edge of the sea to a private
cove they often used for training. The Sinclair land was vast and
covered a large area of northern Scotland. It was rich with
Highland cattle and the North Sea gave them plenty of fish during
the warmer months. Camden often hunted in this private area for
fresh game but tonight they just camped there to get away from the
fools at the feast.

As the early morning dawn approached,
Camden rinsed off in the icy seawater and then the small group of
soldiers headed back to the holding. The laird wanted to observe
the newly joined clans and see what needed to be done. The seven
huge men rode through the chilly morning air and the bitter cold
wind stung their bare legs the faster they went.

Within a mile from the holding, Camden
knew something was gravely wrong. He slowed his stallion and
silently commanded his men to spread out. The giant warrior guided
his large beast without a sound through the dense trees. He was
grateful there was not any snow on the ground, for the noise would
have surely given him away. Camden came to a stop when the Sinclair
Castle and the large village that surrounded it, were in sight. His
heart sank deep into his chest as he realized what had
happened.

Smoke softly billowed from the charred
remains of burned houses and he could hear the whimpering cries of
the children. The laird was sickened at the sight below him. The
Sinclair women and children were bundled together in the center of
the village and only a few men were visible to Camden. Lying face
down on the cold earth was the lifeless body of his father. It was
obvious to Camden that his clan had been massacred in the night and
he, their laird, was nowhere to be found. He had let them down
within hours of becoming their new leader and now it was up to him
to do whatever possible to redeem their trust and take back his
land.

Camden had an unnerving feeling from
the moment Malcolm MacKay had offered the beautiful bride to his
father. Now he was witness to the devastating consequence of their
deception. It took everything in the warrior to keep silent and
hidden in the hills. Quickly assessing the situation, Camden
figured he and his men were outnumbered by at least thirty men to
one. Even as great of a fighter as he was, the laird knew it would
be nearly impossible to go to battle. He did not know how many
other MacKay men were not visible to him.

The crestfallen warrior made a soft
bird call to alert his men in the surrounding area and then he
hesitantly retreated away from the horrific scene. The men raced
back to where they had camped the night before to keep hidden from
the MacKay men that were certainly looking for them. The laird flew
from his mount, raced to the sea and fell to his knees. Camden
splashed cold water to his face and tried to rid the nausea that
overwhelmed his body.

He thanked God out loud as he realized
his older sister Maggie and her husband Ian had traveled to the
isles where Ian’s father lived. She was not on the Sinclair land
and was presently safe from danger. Camden’s father was dead and he
wondered exactly who had done the killing. He knew he would have to
mourn for the man later because now, the giant defender needed to
create a plan to save his people and secure the Sinclair land and
riches once again.

As soon as he had composed himself
enough to speak, Camden ordered his men to huddle closely as he
weighed all his options out loud.

“
Stephan, ride to the isles
and find Maggie and Ian. You must warn them to stay far from the
Sinclair land until I send word again. Tell her our father is
dead,” Camden said without emotion.

All six of Camden’s faithful men were
physically built as he was and they could easily ride alone, for
the sheer size of them scared most people away. They all had
massive stallions to carry the mighty warriors and when they rode
together behind Camden, it was truly a magnificent sight. These men
were trained to fight together as a team and their bond was closer
than brothers. They all nodded to one another and Stephan mounted
his horse quickly to leave and fulfill his laird’s
orders.

“
Laird, we need more men. We
cannot fight the numbers for I fear the innocent will suffer if we
do,” Keith said.

“
Aye, if we go in there, the
bastards will surely start killing everyone just to distract us,”
Broderick pointed out.

“
The Sutherlands will join
us for sure Laird, we just need ask them,” Travis volunteered
knowing his relatives would gladly help right this horrible
wrong.

“
Travis your family is noble
and surely they would fight but I do not think we would have enough
men even with their help. I know our Laird and he would not risk
the Sutherlands losing their land too,” Broderick answered the
youngest warrior.

Camden rubbed his large hands over his
face and as he listened to his men. He knew of only one sure way to
secure enough men and he hoped King James would agree.

“
We need to go to
Edinburgh,” Camden said.

“
For what purpose Laird?”
Travis questioned.

“
Aye, are you certain this
is the only way? We don’t know the men,” Broderick
asked.

Camden was grateful to have a man like
Broderick always by his side. The warrior was a fierce combatant
and his mind was brilliant. He seemed to know exactly what Camden
was thinking before any of the others and that was why he was
Camden’s first in command.

“
I am not certain of
anything Broderick but right now I see it as the only possibility,”
the laird answered.

“
Can you tell us what you
are planning?” Liam asked.

“
We need to secure the
lawless men of the Highland territory that has been given to the
English. We need to speak with the king,” Camden
explained.

“
But the king hates the all
the Highland lairds. He has been trying to stop their rule for
years, why would he help us?” Calum said with confusion.

“
In truth, I don’t know that
he will help us but I do know that he would help anyone that has
been taken victim as our clan has. He does have some compassion and
I have heard rumors that his biggest fear is the unruly men of this
Highland territory that the English own. He was furious that his
father had given it to the English king. If I could secure this
land to my rule, I could train these men and with them, we could
defeat the MacKay clan,” Camden said.

“
Are you sure you can gain
their fidelity Laird?” Calum asked.

“
I fear we may be marching
to our own death if we go to speak with the king, Laird. Do you
trust him?” Keith questioned.

“
I am not certain of
anything right now but I will die before I let the MacKay clan keep
what belongs to me. I am rightfully laird and I need to help my
people. This is the only way,” he said with strength in his
voice.

“
Laird you know we will do
anything you ask. Give us our orders now. We shall defeat the
MacKay clan,” Broderick vowed.

All of Camden’s men shouted their
agreement and it fueled the fire burning in their laird’s blood. He
would make this plan work at whatever cost.

The large warriors rode hard to reach
Edinburgh to speak with the king. As they passed through other
clan’s territories, they spread word to everyone about what the
treacherous MacKay men had done to the Sinclair clan. Camden vowed
to all that justice would reign supreme in the Highlands once
again.

After two days of riding their
stallions to their greatest potential, Camden and his men had
reached the edges of Edinburgh where King James IV resided with his
much younger wife, Princess Margaret of England. Camden sent word
to the king through a messenger and then waited outside the city
walls for an invitation to speak with him. King James had already
heard the rumors of the Sinclair massacre and he was anxious to
speak with the Highland laird.

The warriors rode down through the city
and every man, woman and child seem to cower away from the massive
men and their beasts. The glare Camden wore on his face could
surely frighten an old man to his death. Not only did they stand
out for their size but all of them continued to wear their summer
plaids even though the weather was turning much colder. These
plaids were shorter, barely coming inches above the knee exposing
their huge thigh muscles that were toned and tight. Their powerful
bare chests were open to the elements, except for the plaid that
draped over their left shoulder, showing their deeply tanned
skin.

As the men reached the king’s castle,
Camden quickly dismounted his horse and tossed the reins to
Broderick who always rode to his right.

“
I will speak to the king
alone. Watch your backs men,” Camden ordered.

As the king’s steward led the Highland
laird into the castle, the warrior silently prayed to God for help.
He knew of no other way to make good of this injustice done to his
people and he hoped the king would agree. Before Camden entered the
large keep where the king and his wife waited, he heard his name
announced.

“
Laird Camden Sinclair of
the Sinclair clan.”

It was the first time he had heard it
said in that manner and he instinctively knew this was the right
thing to do. He was laird of his clan and this would help his
people. Camden entered the large room and walked slowly to the
where the royal couple sat. There were gasps in the room as other
members of the royal court caught a glimpse of the powerful
handsome man. Even the king was a bit taken back by the brawn of
this one man alone.

Camden bowed his head slightly to show
respect for the king who thought to rule all of Scotland but had
only secured the lowlands.

“
Laird Sinclair, is the
devastation as great to your clan as I have heard?” The king
asked.

“
It is,” he said
simply.

“
I know you have come
because of this treachery from the MacKay clan but I wonder just
what it is that you wish of me?” King James said.

“
I need an army to take back
my land and avenge my father’s death. I wish to secure the Highland
territory that is owned by the English. There are hundreds of
abandoned men with no laird to rule them. They need order and
leadership. I can train them and then we can conquer the MacKay
clan with ease.”

“
First of all, you speak as
if this land is mine to give you. Second, how do I know that you
will not turn this powerful army against me and take over my rule?”
The king asked.

“
You know I will not ask
other clans that could lose their land also, to fight with me. I
only want the men for numbers, not the land. And I can only give
you my word that there is no plan to battle your army,” Camden
spoke with passion now. He needed the king to comply.

The Highland warrior watched as the
young wife of the king leaned over and spoke softly to her husband.
Camden was not sure but he thought the English Princess could not
have been more than sixteen years. The beautiful child bride
continued to talk to her husband and then slowly the king began to
smile. Whatever she was saying to him had certainly made him
happy.

“
Laird Camden, I have been
concerned about this lawless Highland territory for some time now.
Your leadership is greatly needed there and if you can somehow
manage to gain their loyalty, it would serve you significantly when
you take back the Sinclair land. I can’t secure the promise of this
territory but my wife has informed me that it belongs to her second
cousin, a young girl. It can be yours if King Henry agrees and you
agree to a marriage.”

So this was why the king had been
smiling, an English bride, he thought to himself. Camden was at a
loss for words and then he quickly nodded his head in agreement to
the terms.

“
How quickly can this
marriage be arranged?” Camden said curtly.

“
I will send word to Henry
and if he agrees then you will need to go and get your bride,” King
James smiled.

“
My men and I will be
staying outside the city walls, please send a messenger as soon as
you receive word. I thank you greatly for your compassion and once
again I give you my word that there will be no attacks on
Edinburgh,” Camden vowed.

The large warrior turned and began to
leave the hall when the king asked him one more
question.

“
Laird Camden, after you
secure the Sinclair land, what will be done with your bride’s
land?” He asked.

“
My first in command,
Broderick Kincaid has no family and is in need of a holding to
rule. He has far surpassed being under my leadership. He will
become the laird of his own clan,” Camden answered.

He left the castle and found his men
waiting exactly as he had left them. The five men were still seated
atop their horses and the people surrounding them were still openly
gaping at the soldiers. The night sky started to turn the fall
weather even colder and the men rode swiftly out just beyond
Edinburgh. They made a small camp and Camden started to explain
what had happened inside the castle’s keep.