Page 9 of Highland Hearts

“Cavell fought beside me many years ago,” Cree said. “He was a fearless warrior then.”

“Probably even more so now since suffering so many scars, a sign of many battles,” Sloan said.

“I would imagine so,” Cree agreed, then looked to Gerald. “Have you seen your wife yet, Gerald?”

“Not yet, my lord, and I fear there is little time for me to do so. I came straight here to give you the message since I was ordered to return within a day’s time with your response or Cavell promises to make one of our warriors suffer. I am ready to return whenever you say, my lord.”

“And so you shall, but until that time you will see your wife, rest, and eat,” Cree ordered.

“Aye, my lord,” Gerald said and after a respectful bob of his head, hurried out of the keep.

Cree joined his wife at the table as did Sloan.

Dawn eagerly tapped her lips, pointed to her husband, then tapped her chest.

“Aye. I know you are eager for me to tell you about Cavell,” Cree said, thinking on the man he had not seen in years.

“He was an exceptional warrior when he fought alongside us. I can only imagine the warrior he has become after all this time,” Sloan said.

Dawn looked to her husband, impatient to hear about the man.

Cree did not keep her waiting. “He arrived one day requesting to join my band of men.”

Sloan laughed. “Claimed he could best Cree in a fight and did not wait to get permission.”

Dawn turned wide eyes on her husband.

Sloan laughed again. “Cavell did not know what hit him, Cree took him down so fast.”

Dawn smiled, imagining the scene.

“Fine featured, over-confident, quick with his mouth, and a skilled warrior that few could match, though at first I thought him a fool and was going to send him on his way,” Cree said. “‘One battle, just let me join your men in one battle and if I do not prove my worth, I will trouble you no more’, he told me. I agreed and was surprised to see his skill surpassed many of my warriors.”

Dawn shrugged.

“You want to know why he left,” Cree said.

She nodded, though her husband needed no confirmation.

“About two years after he arrived, he came to me and told me he had been approached by an elite group of mercenaries—thegall?glaigh.”

“The Gallowglass, fierce and powerful warriors but cruel and soulless. It is said they will die rather than surrender,” Sloan said and shook his head. “Glad we did not meet their standards.”

Dawn raised her brow in question.

“They are a mix of Norse and Scottish descent and come from the Lords of the Isles clans,” Sloan explained. “Cavell comes from one of the isles but is not in line to inherit a title or land, if I remember correctly.”

“That is what I recall as well,” Cree said. “I bid him well and that was the last I saw or heard of him until today.”

“It would appear he never achieved his fortune if he is demanding land and coin from you,” Sloan said.

Dawn scrunched her brow, shook her head, and patted her chest.

“It does not make sense to you,” Cree said, voicing his wife’s gesture. “Mercenaries have no friends. Most are loyal to those who can pay the highest price.”

“If he is being paid well, why demand land from you?” Sloan asked, then hastily followed with another question. “What if he is not being paid but does this on his own?”

“But why take hostages and make demands? Why not come to me?” Cree speculated.

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