“Look there,” Jemina whispered as she pointed to the meadow just beyond the keep’s walls. The men were camped, not trying to hide at all. “Why do you suppose they are not shielded in any way?”
“I dae nae ken,” he replied. He was curious. Why wasn’t his uncle treating this like any other battle? Would not arriving in the night give his men the surprise advantage? Why camp them in plain sight? It made no tactical sense. “Ye stay here,” he ordered Jemina. “Out of sight, where it’s safe. I’m going to get closer.”And find Ellie, he thought.
“Be careful, cousin. If ye find Ellie, bring her back unharmed.” For once, Jemina did not argue, and Aidam was thankful for it. He knew the sight of her father’s men ready for battle against a clan that was a known friend must have hit her deeply. It hit him the same. He had many happy memories of his youth on MacAskill lands. All of them centered around Ellie. He could not remember a time that she was not a part of his life in some way. He had been foolish not to tell her sooner. He loved the lass, and now he was too close to having her as his. He would not give up so easily.
“Aye, that I will do. Harm coming to Ellie would be the same as harm to me. I’ll nay let anyone hurt her, even yer Da.”
“Aidam,” Jemina said, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on his arm. “I dae nae ken why me Da is acting in such a way, but ye ken he’s a good man.”
“Is he though, Jem? Why is he doing these things? Why is he tryin’ to force the lass into marriage? Why threaten the MacAskills? They are our friends. What do you think drives him?”
“I wish I kent,” she replied. Her eyes were sad. Aidam understood how difficult it must be for her, realizing her father was not the man he had always seemed to be. “But we will never find the answers if we resort to violence. Da taught us both that. Perhaps there is more going on than we ken. Before ye exact any revenge that cannae be taken back, perhaps we should try and find those answers.”
Aidam rested his hand on his cousin’s. She was wiser than he had given her credit for, and she was right. “I will try, Jemina. I promise ye that. But my main concern is for Ellie.”
“Of course,” Jemina replied. “Be careful.”
“Aye,” he said before heading out into the darkness.
The rain had stopped completely, allowing Aidam to see further than in the constant shower. There were errant flashes of lightning in the sky off to the North, indicating that the storm raged somewhere else in the Highlands. Aidam slowly made his way down the hill toward the camped men. He kept to the wood line, hoping he was not spotted by any of his uncle’s scouts.
As he got closer, it looked to him as if the men had settled in for rest. His uncle was smart. He would give Lady MacAskill a chance to surrender before he attacked full-on. But Aidam also knew that his uncle never took lands without some resistance. No matter how Lady MacAskill agreed to Sinclair’s terms, there would be some MacAskill men who would not come along willingly. Evander would have to choose which side to fall on, and if the boy did not want to look weak, there would still be bloodshed.
“Aidam?” he heard a familiar whisper coming from his left. Aidam turned slowly, his heart beating almost out of his chest. Then he saw her, and his world filled with relief. Ellie soaked through and shivering. She sat away from the men, her eyes were half-closed, and she appeared to be alone?Could it be this easy?
