Page 20 of The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain
Lennox
Lennox made his way toward Craignure, Taskill following him. He had some essentials already packed and attached to his saddlebag.
“Where the hell are you going, Lennox? I thought you would be joining our patrol with us. We’re leaving in a quarter hour.”
“Listen, there’s something I must attend to, Taskill. You can handle the patrol. I’ll be back on the morrow. I’m just following a hunch, but I do not wish to pull any men away from the patrol.”
“You are the chieftain. You should not be going anywhere alone. You know that, especially off the isle.” Taskill crossed his arms, looking serious now, something Lennox rarely saw. “If Mama finds out, she’ll never let you forget it.”
“I would only travel alone off the isle. No one on the mainland knows of me. I’ll be unrecognizable.” He waited, knowing that Taskill would not argue. He never did. It was simply not in his character to do so. “How would anyone know me without my plaid?”
Taskill glanced at his attire, then shrugged and said, “True. All in black with black trews. Looks the same color as your hair, Lennox. No one will recognize you. Tell me on the morrow all about it and Godspeed.”
“Of course. You’ll be first to know.” His brother turned around to head back toward Dounarwyse Castle, and he wondered how two brothers could be so different coming from the same two people. Taskill was fair while Lennox was dark-haired like their sister. He ran his hand through his hair, thinking he should probably trim the long locks soon, but he hated to fuss over something as shallow as his looks. While many lasses had begged for a proposal from him over the years, most had given up at this point.
Finally.
A few had blamed it on his blue eyes, one telling him they were as cold as ice. That comment had hurt because sometimes he feared she was right. It took a great deal for him to become invested in anything. He blamed the man he knew as Egan. Since that horrible time during and after Lennox’s abduction, he’d locked up his heart, and he knew it wouldn’t be unlocked until he freed the world from men like Egan.
Pushing his thoughts down deep, he had to focus on his present task: where exactly to look for the fool.
He was nearly at Craignure when he was approached by Dyna and her husband, Derric.
“MacVey!” Dyna shouted.
“What is it?” He turned around, surprised to see the two alone. “Are you not going on patrol?”
“We are, but I wished to speak with you. Rankin is too upset to discuss anything, and Thane recommended I have a conversation with you about my visions. He says you know the isle best.”
Dyna’s aura was something he wasn’t accustomed to. What would it be like to have a child who was much like you were? And how would it feel to lose that wee person? Tora was the image of her mother, hair nearly white and haunting blue eyes.
“I’ll help in any way I can.”
“Where are you going? You’re a chieftain traveling alone?” Derric asked.
“I have to take care of something. Taskill is handling our assigned patrol. Worry not. I’ll be back on the morrow. I need to see to a situation on the mainland.” Then he waited for Dyna’s question.
“I’ve had some visions and because I don’t know the area, I have no idea where they are. And I’ve had more than one, soit confuses me. I need help sorting through the pictures in my head.”
“Go ahead. Tell me what you’ve seen.” He had his doubts whether Dyna was indeed a seer, but it was worth hearing her out. He respected Dyna and Eli for all they’d accomplished in their lives—Dyna was a chieftain of Clan Grantham with Maitland Menzie, and both were powerful archers.
“One scene is the four huddled on a cot in a strange building and the other one is three of them in a small boat. They wouldn’t be going from Craignure in a boat that size, would they?”
“Nay. It would be too rough for a small boat, though if they have at least six oars and a sail and the sea was mild, they could do it on a good day. Mayhap to Ulva? I’m not sure. It could be on a loch. The cot could be anywhere. I wish I could help you, Dyna.”
“The boat was dark. They dragged it out of some brush.”
The skin on his neck raised, but he didn’t let on. “If I think of anywhere like that, I’ll have my patrol check, and I’ll definitely let you know. It’s a bit too vague.”
Dyna looked devastated, but what could he tell her? That the boat sounded like the one he’d been on fifteen years ago when he’d been stolen away?
“Dyna, fear not. The plan we created will cover the Isle of Mull. If they’re here, we will find them.”
“And if they’re not?”
“Then we’ll create a new plan on the morrow. I’ll be here to assist with that. I’ll be aware of everything I see on the mainland.”
Memories washed over him and nearly made him shiver, but he held the emotion inside. The mention of the small boat in the brush had set his mind churning.
