The thought soured what should have been a pleasant journey. But for the bellowing of Captain Drummond as he ordered the youths around and the thrum of their footsteps on the boards as they hurried to obey, it was peaceful on the river, with only the gurgle of the water beneath the hull and the whisper of the breeze in the willows that lined the bank to break the stillness.
It didn’t last.
Less than an hour into their journey, Abi suddenly heard the sounds of shouting, screaming, and the roar of many voices. She ran to the railing on the port side, joined by Clyde and Thomas. They stared across the water, but Abi could not see what was making the commotion. To the south, a column of smoke rose into the sky.
Then they rounded a bend and she saw it. A village. And it was on fire. This was the source of the smoke and the screams for help.
“Put into the bank!” Abi yelled at the captain. “We have to go help them.”
Captain Drummond’s face was stony. “It isnae our business.”
“What? Of course it’s our business!” She turned to Clyde and Thomas. They looked uncomfortable and would not meet her eyes.
“It’s war,” Thomas muttered, as though that explained everything.
What was that supposed to mean? That was not a battle over there, it was a village burning down and people needing their help!
She balled her fist and glared at the captain. “Fine, you three do what you want, but I’m going to help. Captain, kindly take the boat into shore so I can get off this damned thing!”
***
DOMNALL MAGUIRE PUSHEDthe last of the petrified villagers—a middle-aged couple with ragged clothing—into a line ahead of Reid.
“Is that all of them?”
“Aye,” Domnall said. “Caught these two hiding in a hay barn. Thought they could escape Laird Campbell’s justice. I put them right on that score.” He nodded to the blazing building that was sending clouds of smoke wafting into the air.
Reid gritted his teeth, but nodded. If a torched barn was the worst that was done to this village today, he would be grateful.
He glared at the ragged group that faced him. The villagers did not meet his gaze and shrank back as he stepped forward. They were terrified of him, as they should be. After all, he held their lives in his hands. Give the order, and this would become a bloodbath.
“My name is Reid Campbell,” he bellowed. “Remember it! I am the lord who spared yer miserable lives today, despite ye being traitors to Laird Campbell! Despite ye fermenting rebellion and harboring traitors!”
They hadn’t, of course, they were just peasants trying to eke out a living in this barren country and, in Reid’s experience, they cared not one whit who was lord over them so long as they had a warm bed and enough to eat. Still, the truth barely mattered when it came to squabbles over land and power.
“And in return for sparing yer lives, ye will spread the word! This is Laird Campbell’s land now!Yeare Laird Campbell’s! Everyone must submit to him or pay the price. Anyone caught being a Muir sympathizer will be dealt with harshly. Understand?” When there was no response, he thundered, “Understand?”
The villagers jumped back in fright, then nodded vigorously. It was good that they were afraid. Frightened people were more likely to follow orders and therefore less likely to do something stupid and get themselves killed.
“Listen up!” he bellowed. “To show yer loyalty to Laird Campbell, this is what’s going to happen!”
***
ABI HAD LOST SIGHTof the village as she staggered up the steep riverbank, but she could still see the column of smoke rising into the air, blotting out the sky. Near the top of the bank, she froze as she heard bellowing. She recognized that voice.
She hurried to the top and then lurched to a halt at the scene before her. The villagers were drawn up in a line, surrounded on all sides by men carrying weapons. A man was walking up and down, shouting at them.
That man was Reid.
What? Why was Reid here? Had he come to help these people too?
But if that was so, why was he shouting at them? And why did they look so terrified of him? Understanding dawned in a rush. Her stomach twisted as she realized what was really happening here. The screams of fear she’d heard weren’t caused by the villagers’ fear of the fire—it was fear of Reid and his men. The fire wasn’t some horrible accident at all, but a deliberate act to intimidate these people. Even as she watched, the roof of the burning building collapsed with a ‘whoosh’, sending sparks up into the air.
Was this what Reid did all day? When he was out of the castle, were he and his men riding around the locality brutalizing people who couldn’t fight back? The thought made her sick to her stomach.
They were too far away for Abi to make out the words but Reid’s voice cracked with authority and although she couldn’t make out their expressions, the villagers’ body language told her all she needed to know: the bowed heads, the stooping shoulders, the staring at the ground and not daring to look up.
She had been so naive. So stupid. Had she really begun to believe that she could feel comfortable here? That she could make friends? That—God forbid—that she and Reid...
