Page 4 of The Iron Highlander
“But they’d be gone by morning!” another servant added. “I say we head in there. They’re on foot, we’re going to catch up with them.”
“Ye bloody dobber, if ye think ye ken yer way around the forests when it’s all pitch black, then yer frickin’ pished. Best of luck to ye, but I ain’t coming to getcha.”
With that, the sounds of the horses turned and began fading away. Kate knew that the men would find places to sleep which would not be too far away, as they knew that returning without them would cause McGowan to throw a fit.
“We have to get moving, right now.” Kate turned to her sisters.
“How? We daenae have a torch. So how’re we going to see where we steppin’?”
Kate shook her head, knowing that they had to go either way. If they stayed, they would not be able to cover any ground, and themen would be on them. Even if they were crawling, at least they would have a head start on the men.
“We go now, holding each other and moving slowly,” said Willow. “I can make it through the woods, I used to head out to the little spot back in the old manor at dark, and I’d still make my way back. I can lead us, follow the North Star.”
“North?” Kate asked, looking above the trees. “Fine, let’s go.”
They moved slowly, making sure no one got hurt and making as little noise as they could. They were all bitter from the cold and knew they could not stop until they were a fair distance away from those chasing them. Kate considered having them sleep in turns, but they were all heavy sleepers, save for Lily who barely slept at all.
Climbing over jagged rock, Kate pushed her sisters through the dark woods, fearing for their lives until they made their way out to the stream. It was shallow and would allow them to cross, flowing just below their knees. But a single slip up would send them falling into the fast-flowing current and send them hurtling down the rocks and dead trees. Kate held her sisters, one by one, joining them as they made the crossing. The cold bit at her, but she knew what she had to do. She had to protect her sisters as the oldest one, and this was the only way she could.
But with the direction they were heading, Kate began to rethink her idea of protection. McGowan, despite all of his madness and abuse, was still slightly humane. If they were caught, he would privately punish them, perhaps whip her or the girls, just toteach her a lesson. Or he would lock them up in the cellar, and feed them once a day, as a way to remind them how much power he had over them. But despite all of his madness, they would be alive at the end of all the ruckus.
But in the direction which they were headed, the Laird there was a worse version of Max Sweeney. He was a brute, a man who fought in wars and was trained to take down men twice his size with ease. He was a man who was feared by all and envied the estate of McGowan. There were talks about him wanting the estate for himself, and this had put Max on edge for a few weeks on end. But the worst thing about the Laird wasn’t just the fact that he was a horrible person who had killed several men.
He was the number one enemy of the McGowan household; he was the Laird of McDonald, and the one responsible for killing their parents. Of all the girls, only Kate knew the truth, as she was the only one old enough to bear the news of their parent's death and who had taken their lives. She had lived with it for so long and had seen the hostility that the McDonalds had for the McGowans. There was certainly some bad blood there, and if they were caught on the other side of the river by the McDonalds, there was a chance that they would be killed.
“Alright, let’s head to the tree line and set up shelter. We sleep here for the night, wake up bright an’ early by morning, cross the river again and head downstream. In a few hours, we would be out of the highlands and be free from that bastard.” Kate began. “Willow, where is yer bag?”
“Ye said to get only the essentials,” Willow replied, holding up her axe.
“And ye brought only yer axe?” Lily asked in disbelief.
“Different priorities. This was important to me, and it still is.” Willow replied.
“So where are ye gon’ sleep?” Kate asked.
“It’s alright, I got an extra blanket, knew she was going to mess up,” said Freya.
“Alright then, everyone huddle together,” said Kate. “God help us all.”
Chapter 3
Reuben watchedfrom the window of his castle, staring at the figures making their way towards the McDonald estate. From the distance, he could tell that they were exhausted, and had quite the night. However, tensions were high in the highlands, and he was not looking to take risks. Regardless of who they were, if they were coming to his castle, they would have questions to answer.
He got off his chair, where he sat sharpening his blade, and put the weapon in its sheath. Hurrying down the stairs, he looked out at the travelers again, as they were closer, and he realized that all four of them were women. He turned to one of his men out in the foyer, calling them up to where he stood.
“Ye recognize any of em?” Reuben asked, pointing at the women.
“Nae, never seen. Guard on high alert as ye commanded, but nothin’ of a threat. Probably just travelers.” The guard replied.
Reuben nodded, and continued down to the gates. He knew that his men would be watching their every move, wanting to see what they would do. No one had traveled that far inland just to find them, especially when their clan was a small close-knit community. Everyone knew everyone, and so the strangers who had just come into town heading straight for the castle were a red flag.
As he jogged down the stairs, he saw Hudson, his best friend, accompany his mother all the way to the gates. He walked all the way to them, and Hudson turned around to see him coming. Before he could speak, the gates swung open and the women walked in, each of them out of breath and exhausted.
“Let yer ma handle this one, alright?” Hudson began, putting an arm across Reuben’s chest.
“Welcome travelers, I am Lady Grear, what brings ye to the McDonald estate?”
“I am Katherine,” the oldest of the women began. Reuben and Hudson turned to her as she spoke. “These are my sisters Lily, Willow and Freya. We have traveled many days to come to yer estate. We’re hoping to find some shelter, and…”
