Page 67 of The Torment of a Scottish Warrior
Connor spoke to Dyna and Maitland both above them as they passed through. “Two wounded and in need of tending. Alasdair, John, and Lia taken. They had too many for us. We were outnumbered. Double what we had.”
Maitland rubbed Grant’s head as the lad kicked his legs in the strapping where he sat facing out. He whined, “Wia. Wia.”
Maitland said, “I should have guessed. Grant’s been unsettled for the past hour or so. Does that take on any meaning for you?”
Connor dismounted and said, “That’s about when John was taken. They stole him away, came out of the forest and aimed straight for him. Lia jumped onto one of the horses to follow. Alasdair went after him while we fought off the other two score men who appeared all down the path. Alasdair never returned.”
“Bloody hell,” Dyna said, Tora next to her.
“Don’t wowwy, Mama. Lia will save John.”
They all gave Tora their attention. Dyna asked, “And who will save Alasdair, Tora?”
Tora shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Connor asked, “Who will save Aunt Kyla, lassie?”
“Alasdaiw.”
Dyna smiled and hugged her daughter. “Does that make you feel any better, Da? John will be saved. And so will your sister. Just not yet.”
Connor shook his head. “I’ll not feel better until Glenna and Kelvan leave us alone. Tora, can you lead us to where John is? And Aunt Kyla? Are they together?”
Tora leaned against her mother. “I cannot, but he can. Lia will tell him.”
Tora pointed to Grant.
Maitland, wide-eyed, said, “Nay, he’s not going anywhere.”
They both looked to Dyna, who barked, “Bloody hell, nay!” Dyna looked to her father and said, “My bairns are not going anywhere. They’re staying inside these walls until those two bastards are gone. Do not ask me, Da.”
Connor sighed and said, “I will not. We’ll talk to her again, though. That I can promise. You and Avelina need to meet on the parapets shortly.”
“Da,” Dyna said. “You are all battle weary. Come inside. I’ll start the evening meal a wee bit early. The fish pottage is ready and so is the bread. Then you can call a meeting. There’s more wine, and Micheil brought amber brew too.”
The others came through the gates, handling their mounts with care.
Maitland said, “She’s right, Connor. Broc is the only reason Merryn hasn’t fallen off their horse. Broc, his father, and Alaric are all covered in blood. We have the outdoor wash center all set up.”
Broc dismounted and Maitland yelled to him, “Wash down all set behind the stables.” Both Clan Ramsay and Clan Grant had outdoor spots near the stables where men could wash off the blood and muck from battle, something Aunt Brenna had started years ago.
Broc and Alaric headed straight for it, but Finlay came right over to Connor. “When do we go back, Connor?”
Dyna barked, “You’ll go inside, eat, refresh, then meet after the meal, Uncle Finlay. And you’re covered in blood. Go with Broc first.”
Her uncle stared down at his plaid, then closed his eyes, but said nothing before following his son over to the wash-out area.
Connor dismounted, washed off what he could, then headed inside, greeted his wife, and went to their chamber to change his plaid and tunic. He couldn’t imagine how badly Broc and Finlay both felt. They’d left hopeful and come back as failures, basically. That didn’t happen often to Clan Grant.
Sela followed him to their chamber, hugging him from behind. “This is a new experience for you. We’ll get your sister back, Connor. I think it’s going to take a huge battle on the mainland. Alick will come through with the warriors you need.”
He wrapped his arms around his wife and inhaled her sweet scent. “My thanks to you, my ice queen. I needed your calm sense of reasoning. We’ll be back on the morrow. Our men should arrive on Ardnamurchan then. It may take two hundred to comb the area to find the bastard’s location.”
Sela stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I have faith in the Grants. Always, Connor. Anyone who can find someone as evil as Hord and his spiders can handle Glenna of Buchan.”
She helped him to dress, then led him out into the hall, the atmosphere a little more tense, but voices discussed and conjectured. Connor often thought it was what his clan did best.
Discuss, strategize, plan.
