Page 41 of The Mad Highlander
“Ye’ll find out soon enough,” McReed said. “Ye’ll happily die for yer cause, and so will I. So, take me head, but I’ll die kennin’ I made the right choice.”
Cayden slammed McReed against the wall again. “Tell me!”
“I wouldnae want to ruin the surprise.”
17
“We must find out who he was talkin’ about,” Hunter said. “If the Murdochs have formed an alliance with another clan, then they must be preparin’ for war.”
Cayden looked out of the small window in his study. Iris was safe in her room, but he had not seen her the entire day, and he felt worse for it. Still, there was more afoot than he had first thought, and even though he had many pieces of the puzzle, he could not see how they fit together.
“It seems like it,” Cayden agreed.
The sun was dipping behind the horizon in the distance, painting large streaks of pink and orange across the sky.
“I can talk with McReed,” Hunter suggested.
“I saw the look in his eyes.” Cayden shook his fist and let out a low growl. “I might nae like the man, but I have to respect his willingness for the cause. He really is ready to die to support the Murdochs. We ken a war is comin’, and he expects to be freed when that happens.”
Hunter placed a hand on Cayden’s shoulder. “So, we take his head before they can.”
“He’s worth a lot more to us alive than dead. He might still give us somethin’.”
Hunter balled his fists. “Even if there is another clan involved, McReed must have been feedin’ information back to Laird Murdoch. He’ll ken we are comin’ for the boy. We cannae rescue him now.”
“Or we use it to our advantage,” Cayden suggested.
“What do you have in mind?”
“We plan yer trip to Castle Murdoch but under the guise of haltin’ the war before it begins. He’ll ken we want an excuse for war, and he wants an excuse for war. That war will still come, but we can rescue the boy before then. Ye’ll travel with some men to his castle on a diplomatic mission, and Laird Murdoch will assume it is a ruse to save the boy. That’s nae when we will save him.”
“We both ken I cannae step foot in that castle now,” Hunter told the laird.
“Aye, I ken, and I wouldnae risk ye. Laird Murdoch can suspect what he wants, but he willnae have a chance to harm ye or yer men. I’ll ride ahead with me men, and we will infiltrate the castle long before ye get there. Ye are to ride halfway there to keep up the pretense, and then ye are to turn around. He’ll be expectin’ us to storm the castle and nae sneak in. Even if he does think we will sneak in, he’ll assume we’ll do it as part of the visit. I want to get into the castle a day before he expects us. They will notice the boy missin’ at some point, and maybe that starts the war, I dinnae ken. All I ken for sure is Laird Murdoch is makin’ alliances, and he tried to get to me through McReed. I promised our plan would not lead to war, but it will.”
“Aye, but nae through ye. Murdoch is bringin’ the war, and yer people would have to fight anyway. It’s good that ye got their loyalty first. And we are better able to defend our castle than storm his. Murdoch bringin’ the fight to us is much better than us taking the fight to him.”
Cayden looked out toward the horizon again. The pink had turned to purple, and some stars were already visible in the dark blue sky.
“Aye, ye are right about that.” Cayden rubbed his hands together. “Send a message to Laird McCabe—our fastest rider with a message for the Laird’s eyes only. I want to ken how his men are, and I want him to be ready to fight with us should the need arise. He will fight for his oldest cousin, but it will be betterto have his younger cousin back to safety, too. Inform him that we will retrieve the young Ashton soon, but the plan has changed a little. If he is feeling well, he might join us. He will be in our debt either way.”
“Enemies on the outside and enemies within our castle. Do ye think McReed is the only one?”
Cayden thought about it. “I cannae say for sure, but I did look into the eyes of every man at the council meetin’ this mornin’, and I didnae detect any deception. I believe McReed was the only one actin’ from within, but we have to assume there are more. We remain vigilant until things come to a head with Murdoch.”
“I’ll see to it all. I can see it in yer eyes that ye are thinkin’ about her.”
Cayden was frustrated that his friend could tell. “I only want her to be safe. If I cannae protect a lass in me own castle, then what good am I?”
“Go visit her,” Hunter said. “And get some rest. Ye’ll need it for what is to come.”
“Aye, I only have one more stop to make afore I see her.”
Iris woke with more giddiness in her heart than she had ever experienced before. Her skin rippled as if his hands were still on her. There was a throb at her core that begged for more satisfaction. She might try herself, but she knew she could not replicate the way he had made her feel the previous night.
She could feel his warmth in the bed next to her, but when she turned over to face him, she found an empty spot. Iris placed her hand on the sheets and felt some residual warmth—he was not long gone.
Iris got out of bed, and her feet barely touched the floor as she floated around the room. She washed her face after pouring some water into the bowl from the pitcher and then stopped when she smelled something. She sniffed the air and found his scent in the room. One smell, and she felt her opening become wet, readying for his touch once more.
