Page 69 of My Scarred Laird
Callum shook his head, “Your father chose tha’ for ye. Tha’ has nothin’ ta do with Cull or me. If ye wished ta learn ta fight, ye could have joined us at any time. Ye chose not ta. Ye chose ta betray your family. Yer Laird. And because of yer betrayal, ye are ta be put ta death. Ye and the McGavin.”
Angus was shaking his head, and the McGavin laird woke enough to start fighting, but someone held his hands and refused to let him stand.
“Ye canna do this. Ye doona have the power ta have me put ta death.”
Callum lifted a brow, “Ye came ta my keep, snuck inta it in the middle of the night ta take my bride for yourself. Ye had my girl kidnapped from her bed and who kens wha’ ye would have done ta Daracha had we no’ come back when we did?”
McGavin glared at him, baring his teeth, “Ye werena supposed ta be here when I took the girl.”
“Tha’s were ye underestimated all of us. We kenned when ye took my lassie. We didna let her get tae far and in the end it mattered no’ since my lassie killed the men who took her. Ye canna beg for mercy. Ye will find none among the men here. And, I will write ta the king to let him ken of yer treachery with the other lairds. He believes ye ta be a master of warfare when ye simply send yer rabble ta die for the cause. Ye make them promises with riches, and care no’ after they die for ye. Leavin’ behind families and people who sorely needed the money ye promised. Ye could only overtake those keeps because of yer sheer numbers. And the fact tha’ those keeps didna have a good army ta stand up against yers.”
McGavin glared harder, “I didna do anythin’ any other Laird would have.”
“Yes, ye did. I wouldna take another’s land because I wanted it. I havena declared war on another because I wanted wha’ they had. I also wouldna take another Lairds wife or betrothed. All because ye believe tha’ ye are owed tha’.”
McGavin lost a little of his steam, and then glared anew. “I did wha’ none of ye would do. Those other keeps could barely keep their people fed. I simply helped ta take away some of the mouths.”
Tague snorted, “Ye son of a bitch. Ye killed innocent men, women and children ta get your way. I vote ye put him ta death here and now Callum.”
Callum looked at Egan, who was looking toward the doors that led to the bailey and Callum saw four of his own men hauling in a man each.
They were men he didn’t recognize, and he knew they were the McGavin’s men.
“Ye canna hurt me Callum, if ye do ye arena better than me.”
Callum looked down at him, “I would be doin’ the world a favor. There are men who would take over the lands ye took and give the people who are left a good life. Unlike the sadness, starvation and death ye hand out like it is yer right. Ye tried ta hurt my lassie and my brother’s lass because ye killed yer own wives long ago. Ye deserve the death tha’ is coming your way.”
Callum nodded at Culloden, who drew his sword, and with one hard swipe, the McGavin lost his head right in Callum’s great hall.
Angus was looking at the body in shock and then looked up at Callum, “Please! Doona kill me. I’m sorry. I didna mean for anyone ta get hurt.”
Callum nodded, “Aye. Ye did. Ye wished ta have my lands taken by a man who would have hurt my people I have worked hard ta keep safe. Ye didna care for anyone but yourself and yer daughter.”
Angus snarled, “She deserves a better life than this.”
Callum looked at his great hall, knowing his people hadn’t starved, that there was enough food to go around, that people had more than enough to get by and that no one wanted for anything.
He had done that with no thanks, no help and he hadn’t asked for it.
He simply wanted the people to thrive under his care and knowing that people loathed him enough to try to kill him bothered him.
He looked down at Angus, who pulled a knife from his trews, lunging at him, but before he could get close, Egan caught him, pulling him back and spinning him around and shoving his own knife deep in Angus’ stomach.
Angus gurgled blood, and it dripped from either side of his lips, and then he dropped to his knees and Culloden swore, “Damnation, I was supposed ta kill him.”
One of the men in the hall had slowly been making his way to the front, and after Angus’ death, let out a battle cry, rushing toward them, his sword at the ready.
Callum reached for his sword, but before the man could get close, a goblet flew through the air and hit the man right between his eyes, splitting the skin open across his forehead, throwing ale all over him, and startling him so much, he stopped running.
Egan’s sword took care of the man, and he gestured to his men to take the rest of the McGavin men out to the courtyard for their executions.
Callum looked over at Islay and she was glaring, panting hard and had another goblet in her hand, ready to throw it as well.
“I wouldna let him ruin my wedding even more than it has been.”
Callum bit his lip to keep from smiling, and then gestured to Egan, “Clean this up. I want Gemma and Talitha to ken tha’ Angus died because of his treachery.”
Egan nodded, “Aye Laird.”
