Page 15 of The Guardian's Witch

“Of course, Glen Kirk is her home.” Ramon turned to Alex. He held out his tankard silently demanding ale.

“I understand there was some mischief on our side of the border that included the big Scots,” said Bryce between sips.

Fear, stark and vivid, swept through her. Had Bryce seen Jamie when he was tracking the deer near Bryce’s farms? Bryce used any excuse to harass him. She steadied her thoughts. Panicking wouldn’t help. She worked to keep her face blank.

“No, Bryce. I assure you he wasn’t involved.”

“You know for certain?” asked Bryce. His words dripped with sarcasm.

“Yes I do. He spent the afternoon with me—at my invitation.”

“Well, if he was your guest then I suppose everything was as it should be.”

Duke’s growl drew her attention.

“Give me the bone, you beast.” A soldier tugged at the bone the dog had lifted from his plate.

“Go on, give the dog the bone. That will teach you to eat faster.” The men around him laughed.

The soldier let go of the bone and waved the dog away. Duke ambled over to the hearth, a triumphant swagger in his step and a prime bone in his grasp.

At the end of the low table, two men arm wrestled to the whoops and hollers of onlookers. An overwhelming sense of loss hit her. Nothing would ever be the same. Ever. And the fault was all hers.

Chapter Five

Robby and Gareth rushed into the castle library, the dust from their ride still clinging to their clothes.

“M’lord,” said Robby, Alex’s captain.

Alex shot him a concerned look. “Yes?” He lowered the paper in his hand.

“A raiding party attacked John’s son at his farm. He’s been badly hurt,” said Gareth.

Alex flexed his hands and fought to remain calm as curses fell from his mouth. He listened as his captains vied to give him information.

“We were on patrol, observed the fire and stopped to investigate,” said Gareth. “The boy said he wanted to get the last of his tools. When he got to the farm he found men rummaging through the barn.”

“Me and the others saw to the boy and put out the fire while Gareth took the patrol out on foot after the raiders,” said Robby.

“We lost them at the river,” finished Gareth.

“John’s farm is not far from our doors. How badly was the boy hurt?” Alex’s nostrils flared in fury.

“He was badly beaten and nearly unconscious. Lady Lisbeth is seeing to him now,” said Robby.

Alex crumpled the papers in his hand as anger shot through him. This was exactly what he’d feared. It was why he’d sent the order to move everyone to the castle for safety. He let out a breath. The ruling of this place had its challenges—he supposed it was to be expected. No. If he was honest, he’d expected to be hailed with cheer. He envisioned himself a hero bringing order to the chaos. He shook his head. He’d been so proud to have been awarded the castle he’d forgotten the first rule of leadership. Earn their respect. “Gareth, get a small detail. We’ll go after them.”

“Most of the men are still out moving people to the castle.”

Alex tensed. He was eager to take action. “Very well, see if you can find out who else has decided to go back to their farm and discourage them. Throw them in the dungeon if you have to.” His stabbed his fingers in the air, punctuating each word. “Wait here for reinforcements and follow as soon as you can.” He turned to Robby. “Gather whoever is available and come with me. I want to stop this now.”

Alex and a handful of men rode hard to John’s farm. All sorts of tortures crossed his mind, each one worse than the one before. He would make these raiders suffer. He and his men came to a small rise. He could see the smoke of the smoldering barn in the distance. When he realized how close it was to the lodge, relief washed over him that Lisbeth was protected.

Answers. Although revenge would be sweet, he needed answers first. He was a soldier, a leader. He cleared his mind of everything and focused on what had to be done. There would be time enough for handing out punishment. When they reached the farm, he brought his small band to a halt and dismounted.

“The boy was lucky we arrived when we did. The raiders torched the barn and were on their way to the house,” said Robby. “We found him in the barn, badly beaten and tied to one of the stalls.” The veteran soldier paled. “I couldn’t tell who it was, he was beaten so badly.”

The smell of burnt wood filled the air. It was so strong Alex could taste it. Grit caught on the light breeze flew into his eyes and made them tear. He marched to the barn. Before long, his soft black boots were covered in ash. Alex stood in the building and surveyed the damage. His eyes blazed. Distracted, he picked up a piece of charred tack. The leather crumbled at his touch. His hand fisted around the tack’s metal pieces. It was still warm. Anger rolled off him in waves and flashes of thunder sounded in his head. The metal bit into his palm. He didn’t deny his rage.

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