Page 79 of The Mad Highlander
“Stay close to me,” Cayden ordered. “If I tell ye to run, ye run.”
“I willnae leave yer side,” Ashton replied fiercely. “If I returned to the castle without ye, me sister would kill me.”
“And if I return without ye, she will kill me, too.”
Ashton forced a smile.
“Yer still a lad.” Cayden placed a hand on Ashton’s shoulder and leveled him with his gaze. “Yer still young, and ye shouldnae be out here. The women and children will need someone to lead them. If this battle takes a turn for the worse, ye will heed me words. I’m yer laird now, and I command ye nae to forget it. So, if I tell ye to return to the castle and lead the women and children away, that is what ye will do. Do ye understand?”
Ashton took a moment before he replied. “Aye.”
“It doesnae mean ye are a coward, it only means ye trust me,” Cayden added.
“Aye,” Ashton repeated.
Cayden turned around and faced his men. He snarled toward them, not wanting to show any weakness even though he could feel it. He would take one of his men for every ten of Murdoch’s or McCabe’s, but fighting in ranks was a different prospect. One of his men could go through ten of anyone else’s if they fought one at a time, but fighting two at once was a different prospect.
“Listen to me now!” Cayden boomed, his voice flowing like thunder across the fields. “The lasses and bairns and some of our elders are within the safety of our castle, but they only remain safe if we keep our enemies from our castle walls. They come here under false pretenses to wage the war they have been wanting to wage for decades. And why? Because they hate what we have. I look at each one of ye, and I see integrity! Honor! Camaraderie! Truth! Honesty!”
Cayden let the murmurs of his men die down until there was absolute silence. Not even a bird tweeted from any nearby tree, and there was no wind in the air that afternoon.
“They hate us for what they dinnae have, and they bring that hate to our gates. They wish to destroy our way of life, and I dinnae need to tell ye what they will do if they breach our castle. That is why we stand firm today. We resist, and then we conquer them. We will nae only stop them but destroy them. We will tear through their ranks, and when we are done, they will have nay one to send home with their tails between their legs.”
The men cheered in unison, some raising spears, others clanking swords against shields, and even the horses getting in on the action with some snorts.
“May yer swords be guided by the powers above, and let their blood be the sacrifice needed to bring peace to our lands again. Today, we create a better Scotland for our wives, bairns, maithers, sisters, and brothers. Today we bring justice to the Murdochs and the McCabes, and blood will be spilled!”
There was more cheering, louder this time.
Cayden took a final look to the west, but no help came. He gestured to Ashton, and the two of them went to the two horses—the reins being held by a footman.
As soon as they mounted, they heard an almighty scream from the enemy.
“Dinnae let fear invade yer heart,” Cayden told Ashton. “Ye will see and feel things out there, but let it wash over ye. Let yer instincts guide ye. Watch me back, and I will watch yers.”
“Aye,” Ashton said.
Cayden brought his horse forward a little to the very top of the hill.
He pointed his sword toward their foes. “Charge!”
Cayden took off first, not knowing if Ashton was directly behind him.
“Fire!” Cayden shouted.
The order was relayed, and the archers on the castle walls let loose the arrows from the longbows.
The thunder of hooves surrounded Cayden, his men charging into battle with him. He heard the piercing whooshes of arrows overhead and watched as the enemy raised their shields as one unit. Five seconds later, there was a collective thunk as arrows hit wood. One or two of the men went down, but most of them remained on their feet, lowering their shields and waiting for the next wave.
At the front, larger shields were placed against the ground to create a wall, and long spears were poked through to stab the oncoming horses.
Cayden swung his sword to the right, and he diverted his horse in the same direction. The sound of hooves followed him as he took his riders to flank the allied clans.
More arrows whooshed through the air, and shields were raised again to block. Once more, a couple of men fell to the ground, a small dent in a large army.
Riders sprung from the trees far to the right to meet the Laird and his riders. Cayden did not look back. He knew there were some with him, and he hoped Ashton was a coward and had returned to the castle. With how the battle had played out so far, the best they could hope for was to take out enough of the enemy that they wouldn’t have the strength to take the castle afterward.
Cayden grinned when he could see the whites of the eyes of the lead rider. It wasn’t Laird Murdoch. He was not the type to ride out in front and lead his men. Cayden didn’t care. He would take down anyone who dared attack his clan.
