Page 2 of Scot of Deception
“Because even when ye complain, ye always wish tae help,” Kathleen pointed out.
Kieran didn’t try to deny that, though he rolled his eyes as if to protest. He really did simply enjoy complaining. Silently, he held out his hand for Kathleen to hand him her bag and once she did, he strapped it on the saddle.
“Remember… we’re only allowin’ ye tae dae this under the stipulation that ye send us a letter every other day,” Kieran said sternly. For someone who was only two years older than her, he could certainly assume a fatherly air with frightening ease. “If we dinnae receive one, we will come after ye.”
“Then maybe ye can come tae the weddin’ too!” Kathleen teased, but while as Devon snorted with mirth, Kieran gave her no reaction.
“This isnae a laughin’ matter,” he said.
Devon cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to hide his grin. After a few moments, though, he appeared a little more serious, a little more restrained.
“Kieran is right,” he told Kathleen. “Ye should be careful. But it isnae as though ye’re walkin’ intae a death trap!”
“Perhaps it isnae a death trap, but it isnae safe either,” Kieran said flatly.
“Ach, we’ve done much worse than this,” said Devon. “Remember the time when we snuck out o’ the castle an’ went tae that tavern?—”
“I think that’s enough!” Kieran exclaimed, slapping a hand over Devon’s mouth, much to Kathleen’s chagrin. She would have like to have known what had happened in that tavern, but chances were, they would never tell her.
At least Kieran wouldn’t—if she played her cards right, maybe she could yet get the truth out of Devon when she returned.
Both Devon and Kathleen struggled to stifle their giggles as Kieran shook his head in disappointment. After a moment of hesitation, when Kathleen wondered if she was doing the right thing after all, she hugged them both and then took the horse’s reins from Kieran, ready to start her little adventure.
Sneaking her out of the castle was no easy task, as there were guards everywhere, but naturally, all the guards knew Kieran and Devon well. And with Devon’s easy charm and friendliness, they slipped past even the most suspicious of them. By the time they made it to the rear gate of the castle, Kathleen’s heart was beating fast, her eyes searching for any signs of anything or anyone who could prevent her from leaving. The closer she got to her freedom, the more she feared that it would be snatched right out of her hands. In the end, though, no one stopped her.
After saying her goodbyes to her cousins and promising them once again that she would write to them every other day, she stepped out of the castle walls and into the wilderness that stretched behind it. Castle Stalker was approximately fourdays’ worth of riding away, and Kathleen was determined to make the most of it, travelling as fast as she could.
Dawn broke in the distance as she rode away from the castle, the imposing building getting smaller and smaller over her shoulder as she left it behind. A dull blue glow fell over the land—the first light of the day as cold and biting as the wind. Around her, there were nothing but trees and open land. The first birdsong of the morning reached her ears and for the first time in days, she allowed herself to believe that perhaps her plan would work out, after all.
An hour had passed by the time she couldn’t bear the silence anymore. The dull dawn had turned into an even duller day, the sky gray and domed with clouds. The emptiness all around her gave her no comfort. She had never travelled alone before—she had never even been this alone in her life.
Kathleen began to hum a song to herself, one that her mother had sang to her when she was a child. It helped a little; she didn’t feel so alone, so isolated from the rest of the world.
But then, just as she took a turn on the path, the thunderous sound of hooves echoed all around her. Wide-eyed, Kathleen looked frantically around her to locate the source of the sound, though she couldn’t see any signs of danger—not until three men rushed out of the treeline just ahead of her, heading straight towards her.
And in that moment, she understood that being all alone on that path would have been a blessing.
CHAPTER TWO
Kathleen’s shriek pierced the morning air like a bell announcing war.
In an instant, the three men had gathered around her, surrounding her from all sides. Two of them jumped off the horses as the last one reached for her, pushing her off her saddle just before she had the chance to escape.
Had she managed to stay on her horse, perhaps she could have fled. Now, though, she had no chance of escape.
All the men were dressed in the blue and green shades of Clan Campbell—colors familiar to her and anyone in those parts, as there was no greater enemy to the Mackintosh Clan.
Her parents had been right. The danger was more real, more palpable than she could have ever imagined. And now that she had fled the castle without anyone knowing, there was no one there to save her.
Even as Kathleen was being dragged by the arm, she didn’t stop putting up a fight. When her captor tried to hold her still, she kicked at him and thrashed in his grip, wild and furious. Maybe if there had only been one man, she would have managed to escape him all on her own with how willing she was to fight, her desire to flee stronger than any lack of strength or skill. But with three men against her, there was nothing she could do other than scream and kick uselessly at them, only prolonging the inevitable.
Frustrated as he was from her fighting, one of the men who were trying to control her punched Kathleen straight across the cheek, so hard that her head whipped to the side with frightening speed. Pain exploded all over the side of her face—a blinding pain that made her ears ring and her head spin, her vision turning to black for a few moments.
And that was why the strange voice was a surprise as it echoed behind her, announcing the arrival of another man.
“Ye wish tae fight?” he called just as he jumped off his horse and balled up his fists, stomping over to the three men. “Then leave the lass an’ fight me.”
The man holding her didn’t move, but the other two were quick to go to him, meeting him halfway. With her vision restored, Kathleen watched in horror as a fight erupted among them, the pain that still lingered disorienting her and making it difficult to keep track of the men.
