BONUS PROLOGUE
Two months earlier
"She's gone, me laird. Just... vanished."
Alpin looked up from his ledger. A farmer from the eastern border, stood before him. His weathered face was drawn with fear, hands twisted together.
"When?" Alpin asked, settin' down his quill.
"Two nights past. Me daughter, Elspeth. Went tae fetch water and never came back." The farmer's voice cracked. "We searched all night. There's nay sign of her."
Alpin felt something cold settle in his gut. This was the third report in three weeks. Three women, all young, all disappeared.
"Did anyone see anythin'?"
"Naethin', me laird. But me wife heard horses that night. From the north road. Fast."
Horses. The second family had mentioned horses too.
"How old is Elspeth?"
"Eighteen, me laird." The man’s eyes were wet. "She's a good lass. Who would want tae take her?"
Who indeed. But Alpin was starting to have suspicions, and none of them were pleasant.
"I'll send men tae search the area," he said. "And I want tae speak with everyone who lives near that well. Someone must have seen somethin'."
"Thank ye, me laird." The father’s relief was palpable. "Thank ye. We just want her home safely."
After Duncan left, Alpin moved to the window. Callum was training below, swords flashing in the sun. The scene looked peaceful.
But three women were gone.
"Ye look troubled."
Alpin turned to find Callum in the doorway, sweat-stained from training.
"Another one's gone. Elspeth MacLeod. Eighteen. Vanished two nights ago."
Callum's expression darkened. "That's three."
"Aye." Alpin pulled out a map, marking three spots. "All within five miles of each other. All near the northern border."
Callum came closer, studying the map. "Ye think someone's takin' them deliberately."
"I think someone's huntin' on me lands, and I want tae ken who." Alpin's jaw tightened. "Three women daenae just disappear. Nae without help."
"Raiders?"
"Maybe. But raiders usually take more than just young women. They take livestock, supplies, anythin' of value." Alpin tapped the map. "This feels... specific. Like someone kens exactly what they're lookin' fer."
"Or who they're lookin' for," Callum said quietly.
The implication sat heavy between them.
Young women. Taken from their homes. No witnesses. No demands for ransom. Just... gone.
"I've heard rumors," Callum said after a moment. "From some of the men who travel to the markets in the south. Whispers about women bein' sold. Taken from their clans and auctioned off to the highest bidder."
