“Send a messenger to Torrian,” Quade added. “Tell him to ready two hundred.”
Jake and Jamie left the room to carry out their instructions.
Logan continued to pace. He stopped for a moment and said, “Alex, are you sure you’re ready to sit on a mount for that long? It will take nearly a day to get there.”
“Aye, ‘tis perfect. We’ll attack at night while half of them are in their cups,” Alex said.
Connor said, “I doubt they’ll be in their cups. We saw no evidence of such.”
Logan sat down and said, “Connor, Roddy, Braden. Tell us every detail of what you know.”
The door opened and the Grant’s brothers came in quietly and sat.
“De La Porte and his mercenaries had just arrived,” Connor said. “We saw no more than two hundred men.”
A knock sounded at the door. Brodie said, “I’ll go.”
Alex nodded. His brother opened the door to find Maddie standing there.
“A messenger,” Maddie motioned to the door.
Brodie returned a few moments later, holding a scroll. “A messenger handed me this and hustled away.” Maddie followed him in.
All conversation stopped as they waited to hear what Brodie had to say. Alex motioned for Maddie to come to him behind the desk.
Brodie read the message on the scroll. “This is from Glenn of Buchan,” he said, looking up. “He has Kyla and promises no harm to her in exchange for…” he paused, reading it again as if to convince himself of what it said.
Alex pulled Maddie down onto his lap, afraid she would collapse onto the floor. He could feel her fine tremors. This was too much for his wee wife.
Robbie stared at him. Alex said, “Go ahead, Brodie.”
“He’ll return Kyla to us safely when we relinquish Grant Castle to him. We have two days to decide.”
Maddie gasped and fell against Alex, but after a moment, she stood up and squared her shoulders.
She folded her hands in front of her and said, “Husband, you need to put a dagger in that man’s black heart.”
Chapter Sixteen
Alex learns how many allies he has.
Alex Grant rode with a heavy heart. Not at his peak, he worried he’d fail his daughter and his wife, yet he pushed himself onward. His side ached after being on horseback for so long, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. But how long could he swing his sword? He’d been practicing privately so as not to worry Maddie, but his strength had been slow to return. He was no longer the best swordsman in the Highlands, and mayhap that title would never be his again. Still, Alex had chosen his usual war garb, his leine and his red and black Grant plaid. While some warriors fought in muted plaids, he wished for his enemy to remember him well.
Despite his lingering ailments, he was confident in their plan. Logan had his archers all ready, and he knew his old friend would do his job well. Numbers were in their favor as well. Aedan had offered to send men with them, but Alex had advised him to keep all his warriors at home to protect Lochluin Abbey and his land. It comforted him to know that Maddie and his sisters were safe.
Then something miraculous happened. Alex led his warriors over the last hill on their way off Cameron land, only to see a sea of warriors waiting below him—there were blue Ramsay plaids, Menzie plaids, and he was quite sure he could see a slew of Drummond plaids, too. There were horses everywhere and banners waving in the wind. This stood for everything his clan had built over the years, all the friendships they had nurtured. He glanced at his brothers to his right, both clearly feeling the same pride that swelled in his chest.
Together, they would get Kyla back and end Clan Buchan’s reign of terror.
Once in the valley, he held his hand up to halt his guards behind him so he could move forward to speak with the group of leaders who awaited him—Torrian, whose sire had alreadyjoined his side; Micheil; and Drew Menzie. “Any news of Kyla or Finlay?”
Micheil shook his head. “We’ll get them back, Alex. ‘Tis time for us to put an end to this treachery.”
Alex was about to speak when a noise interrupted him. He turned his head to see two of his warriors, one of them Finlay’s brother, escorting a young lad he didn’t recognize toward him. Though he looked small on his horse, he held his head high.
Fergus held onto the reins of the lad’s horse. “My laird, our pardon, but the lad says he can take you to Kyla.”
“Fergus, ‘tis probably a trap,” Alex rumbled. “Let him go.” He’d had enough of Simon de La Porte’s games.
