CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Caiden crouched low among the jagged rocks, his cloak blending with the shadows cast by the cavern's mouth. The salty wind whipped around him, carrying muffled voices that made his blood boil. He knew Arran had been curious about the sea cave, and fear knotted in his chest at the thought of the boy in danger.
Peering closer, he counted four men huddled near the water's edge, their conversation cold and merciless.
"Aye, the boy'll fetch a fine price," one of them sneered, flicking a knife idly in the firelight. "A wee bairn like that'll be worth more than all the gold we've taken."
Caiden's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, every muscle in his body coiled with restrained fury. He gritted his teeth, silently cursing.
Fowler's voice trembled as he spoke up. "He was nae part of this, lads! The boy was nae meant to be here. I'll return him, I swear it."
But the other men barked laughter, closing in on Fowler with snarls. "Ye brought us nothin' but a useless paintin', Fowler, and that was lost to us. We've been deceived, and now ye want to play the hero?"
A growl rose in Caiden's chest, a low, dangerous sound that merged with the crashing of the waves.
"Aye, we will sell the boy as a slave," the man said.
"Ye dare speak of that child? Ye'll regret every word, scum!" Caiden leapt from the shadows, sword flashing in the dim light, and swung at the nearest man with lethal precision.
The man staggered back, narrowly avoiding the blade as Caiden pressed forward.
Another thug lunged at him from the side, but Caiden parried and sent the man sprawling into the jagged rocks.
"Ye fight like a drunkard!" the man spat, scrambling to his feet with a sneer.
"I fight for justice," Caiden replied coldly, sidestepping a wild swing and slicing a deep gash across the attacker's arm.
The man hissed in pain, clutching his bleeding wound, but did not yield, circling him cautiously.
Fowler tried to scramble to the boy, shouting, "Arran! Stay hidden, laddie!"
Caiden's eyes flicked to the deep recesses of the cave where the boy must be hiding. He swung again, fear and determination warring within him.
"Keep yer hands off him, ye dogs!" Caiden roared, striking again with a series of precise thrusts. The cave echoed with the clash of steel and the harsh grunts of men caught off guard.
The second man swung a heavy cudgel, catching Caiden across the shoulder, but the laird grunted and retaliated with a brutal sweep of his sword.
"Ye should have stayed in yer beds, cowards!" he barked, forcing the man back into the cavern wall. The fourth man tried to flank him, but Caiden twisted with the motion, driving his blade into the attacker's thigh. A sharp cry echoed through the cave as blood hit the cold stone floor.
Fowler's protests had grown desperate, but the others silenced him with kicks and punches, cursing at his incompetence.
"Ye promised us gold, Fowler," one snarled.
Caiden pressed his advantage, his sword a blur of motion, cutting through defenses with precision honed by years of battle. Each man took blows, slipped on the wet stone, and cursed the laird's relentless assault.
By the time the fight ended, Caiden stood over the dead men, his chest heaving.
"This is what comes to those who prey on the innocent," he said, voice low and dangerous.
Fowler sagged against a rock, shame and relief etched across his face.
Caiden's sword pressed against Fowler's throat, the cold steel biting through the flickering shadows of the cave. He glared down at the trembling man, anger burning in his chest, and the roar of the waves outside echoed his fury. Fowler's eyes darted everywhere except at him, sweat running down his temples as he shook uncontrollably.
"How could ye betray me, Fowler?" Caiden's voice cut like a whip. "I give ye work, a roof over yer head, and food in yer belly, and ye repay me with theft?"
"I… I never meant to take the bairn, me laird," Fowler stammered, tears forming in his eyes. "Arran followed me to the cave, and the other thieves, they took over… I swear it, I dinnae lead them!"
"Ye may nae have led them, but ye took the paintin', ye greedy fool," Caiden snapped, his hand tightening on the hilt. "Ye think I'll let such treachery pass?"
