The Highlander’s Witch (38 page)

“Ye looked everywhere?”

“Aye. Her gown be laid over a chair an the armoire moved to the side. I sent two men to the entrance an came directly here.”

“Ye did right.” Aiden assured him.

Aiden paced, furious with himself for leaving her alone. He ran his hand through his hair not believing that she would flee in secret when she had let him know she wanted to stay. So why would she run?

Collin came rushing in. “I heard what happened. Is there someone lookin fer her?”

Keir nodded and they stood there waiting for direction from Aiden.

“Why would she run?”

“Did ye upset her?”

Had he?

“I canna say. The lass was upset last I saw her but leavin wasna somethin she be courtin.”

He began pacing, speaking aloud to himself.

“Besides, she doesna need to leave when she has the power to cast a spell an . . .”

He suddenly remembered the results of her last spell.

.
 
.
 
.
 
a
spell
gone
bad
 
.
 
.
 
.
I
told
you
I
wasn’t
very
good
at
them.

“Would she be headin fer the fairy circle again?” Keir asked.

A quick moment of thought had Aiden shaking his head. “I doona think she would have left of her own wants. Doesna feel right.”

“Ye think she was taken again?”

Aiden threw up his hands and shook his head. “Besides me sister, Mother, an us, who else kenned of the passageway?”

“No one.” Keir said.

Silence as each man was deep in thought.

“The midwife.”

The men turned to Collin.

“The last time we were here, Anna said the midwife was with her when Reivers tried to invade the keep an they hid together in the passage.”

Keir rushed out of the study. “I will send men to each of the entrances.”

Aiden turned to Collin. “Find me mother an bring her here. We need Sarah’s help again. I will inform the council.”

*     *     *

“Kill her!”

“Yer brother said to wait.”

“Bloody hell, I said to kill her now!”

Riona tried to take the knife from the much larger man, her face flushed with fury.

“Do not make me hurt you.”

Riona stared at the man as he spoke distinctly, a hand gripping her upper arm.

Gritting her teeth, Riona jerked her arm from his grasp, fully aware it was because he allowed it.

She stormed up to Skye and sneered. “He will kill her anyway. Why wait?”

Skye stiffened and glared back at the girl.

Riona slapped Skye across the face.

Her head snapped to the side with the force, only sheer will kept her on her feet.

Slowly, Skye turned her head back, trying to get her vision to clear. “Why are you doing this?”

“He was going to marry me. Then ye come along and ye made him forget his promises to me.”

Riona began to pace, her arms stiff at her sides.

“This land belonged to my father and Aiden’s stole it from us. It belongs to us! Finley and me.” She spat when she stopped in front of Skye. “We were left with nothing. No lands, no family to take us in. They say my father was a traitor and they allowed a Scottish usurper to take over British lands.”

Skye remembered Elizabeth mentioning how her husband had gotten the land.

“Ye should not be telling her anything.”

“Bah! She’s going to be dead soon anyway.”

*     *     *

Collin found Elizabeth and his wife exiting the older woman’s chambers.

“Collin!” Anna rushed to him, her face anxious. “Doug read in the manuscripts and said that there was to be an attack through the passageways hidden in our rooms.”

Wrapping his arms around his wife’s body, he held her for a moment.

“We thought as much. Do ye think ye can contact Sarah in the study?” He asked of Elizabeth.

“Yes, but why?”

“Skye’s missin an we think she was taken by the use of Aiden’s passageway.”

Elizabeth’s hand went to her throat. “Oh, no! No wonder Sarah couldn’t get through to Skye and came to us.”

They watched as warriors slipped past them and stood guard at their chamber doors.

Collin explained to the women what they were planning as he ushered them to Aiden’s study.

When they entered, Elizabeth rushed to her son’s side.

“Collin explained everything.” She went on to tell of her conversation with Sarah as she sat in the chair in front of the fire that Aiden had made ready for her.

“Wait.” Aiden laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her as Keir brought in the midwife.

The woman threw herself at Aiden’s feet begging for mercy.

“Ye best tell me that which I need to ken, an fast.” Aiden demanded.

“I will!”

He knelt down and grabbed the woman by the cowl about her shoulders.

“Then begin, an doona make me ask anythin twice.”

“No, no, I will not.” She swallowed looking around at the stern faces.

“I be Edward Bowers’ sister, Margaret.”

Aiden suppressed the shock of hearing her speak without a Scottish brogue.

“So?”

Elizabeth stood and touched her son’s forearm. “Edward Bowers owned this keep before yer father.”

“Yes, yes! That be him.” The woman nodded vigorously.

“Why be ye on this land now?”

“Finley and Riona are my nephew and niece.”

“What?” The men said at once as the woman gasped.

“Please, have mercy.” Margaret began to blubber, fear making her hand shake as she reached out.”

Nodding at his mother who took a hold of the woman’s arm, he turned his attentions back to the midwife.

“Go on.”

“Edward died five years ago from a knife wound he received while in one of the many taverns he frequented after the king took this land from him. Finley swore to his father that he would reclaim what was rightfully his and sent me to seek a position that would enable me access to the castle and to report to him whatever news was of importance.”

“Perhaps that be why he tried to court me.” Anna pondered.

“Yes.” The woman agreed. “He made arrangements to meet ye at the social ye were having. That is when he began to visit here. He sold everything they had to give them the appearance of wealth.”

She turned to Aiden. “Riona was to draw ye in with her charms as well, perhaps to get ye to marry her.”

Gritting his teeth, Aiden glared at the woman. “What be their plan now?”

“I do not know—I swear!” She cowered holding her hands up as if to ward off a blow. “All I know is Finley was very interested in the hidden passageways I told him about. I had to tell him! When he lost control and Anna saw him beating his horse, he took his rage out on me, any time he found out I hadn’t told him even the smallest thing, even if it wasn’t true, he beat me.”

She curled up shivering. “I feared for my life.”

Aiden steeled himself as his mother nodded, indicating the woman was telling the truth. He knew what a man could do to another man, let alone a defenseless woman, when in a fit of rage but Skye and his people’s safety were at stake.

“Will he attack through the passageways?”

“I do not know. I was never allowed around when they discussed plans unless one of them said something off hand in front of me. But twould not be unlike him to try. I do know, he made friends with men of bad character and complains about needing the funds that he promised them. He believes he can take care of all his debts when he regains his inheritance.”

“Has he been behind the attacks before?”

“Aye. I heard him tell his man, James, to capture one of your farmers and beat him. Riona was pleased that the farmer thought her voice was believed to be from the female everyone was accusing of being a spy.”

Aiden looked over to Keir and Collin.

There was one question answered.

Finley was behind Ross’ brutal beating and most probably his death when he started to question himself on who he had heard speaking.

“Where be they now?”

“I do not know. I have seen neither of them in two days.”

“Confine her some place outside the castle.”

“What will ye do with me? Please, have mercy.”

Aiden didn’t have an answer for her.

Turning to his mother after one of his men had taken the midwife away, he waited for her to confirm his thoughts.

“She tells the truth as she knows it, Son.”

“Aye.” Nodding curtly, he continued. “If this be eminent then have Sarah tell Skye to get to safety but to stay away from here, I doona need her to show up durin battle an have her to worry about as well.”

*     *     *

Riona sauntered up to Skye with a smirk on her face. “James here saw your little perversions with Aiden last night and told me about them.”

Mouth dropping, Skye blushed as shock and anger coursed through her veins.

“I always knew he was a filthy beast and ye are no better.”

“And yet you want to marry him.” Skye couldn’t help but say.

Livid, Riona slapped her. “So I can get back what belongs to me!”

Spitting blood and forcing herself to keep her bound hands from lashing out as well, she looked back at the girl. “Then what?”

“Then he dies.” She shrugged. “Finley plans on getting him drunk and placing him in my bed. I will cry rape and force him to marry me. Eventually he and his family will be killed and, because of our marriage, the lands returned to us. And it will work this time.”

James snorted causing Riona to whirl around and glare at him.

“What?”

“Tis not likely to happen now.”

“Ye know nothing.” Riona hissed.

“Finley and I both know ye ruined any chances of marriage with that display of childish behavior when ye returned from the prison camp.”

“If it were not for this whore, we would have been married by now.”

James laughed outright.

Riona’s face burned with red blotches as her fury took over. She stormed over to him and swung her hand.

Being faster, James caught her wrist and squeezed, his face becoming impassive as she cried out in pain, unable to do anything but drop to her knees.

More
insanity,
was all Skye could think as she watched, trying to break free from her bonds as they were preoccupied, wondering what she meant by ‘this time’.

James leaned down, her hand still in his as he sneered at her.

“Ye were worthless but is does not matter now, Finley should be entering the castle via the passageways and taking over.”

“What?” Skye gasped, forgetting about loosening the ropes.

Riona clasped her injured hand when James let her go.

“Ye bastard.”

James looked at Riona with disdain and walked away.

Skye watched as Riona stumbled to her feet and walked in the opposite direction as James, giving her a glare before she left the clearing.

Trying to calm her breathing, Skye knew the last time she had used the spell to get home, it had returned her to Aiden and she was resolved to try it again, even without a faery circle.

“Skye?”

Startled at the sound of her whispered name, she looked around.

“Skye!”

Blinking, she looked at the flames. “Sarah?”

“Yes, shhh. Keep your voice down. Are you alright?”

“Sarah! You need to get a hold of Aiden, you have to tell him that he’s about to be—”

“We know.”

Skye paused. “You know?”

“Doug found it in the books.”

“I need to get to him, do you think the spell I tried to use to get home will work the same way?”

“All I know is Aiden told me to find you and tell you to lay low until the fighting is over so he doesn’t have to worry about you.”

“Dammit, Sarah.” Skye whispered heatedly as she looked around.

“No, Skye, listen to me. Aiden already had it pretty much figured out before I said anything. What he doesn’t know is that you bring the bad guy to him.”

Sarah looked over her shoulder at her husband. “What was his name?”