Alpin's hands curled into fists on the desk. "Sold. Like cattle."
"Aye. I didnae believe it at first. Thought it was just tavern talk, men tryin' tae sound important." Callum's expression was grim. "But now, with these disappearances..."
"If someone's stealin' women from me lands tae sell them, I'll gut them meself." Alpin's voice was deadly quiet. "Slowly."
"First we need proof. And we need tae ken who's behind it." Callum straightened. "What dae ye want me tae dae?"
"Double the patrols along the northern border. I want men on every road, every path. And I want them watchin' fer strangers. Anyone who daesnae belong." Alpin looked at the map again. "Also, send word to the other lairds in the area. Ask if they've had similar problems."
"Ye think this is happenin' beyond our lands?"
"If it's an organized operation, they're nae just workin' in one place." Alpin's mind was already racing through possibilities. "They'll be castin' a wide net, takin' women from multiple clans tae avoid drawin' too much attention."
"Smart," Callum admitted. "And dangerous."
"Aye." Alpin rolled up the map. "Which is why we need tae stop them before more lasses disappear."
Over the following week, reports came in from neighboring clans. Two more women gone. Both young. Both vanished without a trace.
Alpin read the latest dispatch from another farmer. His daughter, seventeen, taken from her garden.
"This is organized," Alpin said to Callum. "They're movin' fast, strikin' when guards are down."
"Which means they ken the lands well." Callum pulled out a parchment. "Me contacts in the south confirmed rumors. Underground market in the Lowlands. Women brought in and sold. One name keeps comin' up. Laird Aodh Graham."
Graham. Alpin knew the name.
A laird from the western Highlands with a reputation for ruthlessness and a talent for profit. If anyone could organize something like this, it would be him.
"Can we prove it's Graham?"
"Nae yet. But I have men askin' questions, followin' leads." Callum hesitated. "Me laird, if this really is an organized slave trade, goin' after Graham directly could start a war. He has allies, resources."
"So dae I." Alpin's voice was hard. "And I dinnae care who he is or what power he has. If he's stealin' women from me lands, I'll bring him down."
"I ken. I just want ye tae be prepared fer what that might cost."
Alpin looked at his oldest friend, seeing the concern there.
Callum had been with him since they were lads, had fought beside him in more battles than he could count. If anyone understood the weight of leadership, it was him.
"I became laird tae protect me people," Alpin said quietly. "All of them. If I cannae keep young women safe in their own homes, what kind of leader am I?"
"A human one," Callum replied. "Ye cannae be everywhere at once."
"Nay. But I can make sure that whoever's daein' this kens there's a price to pay." Alpin moved to the window, looking out at his lands. "Send our best scouts to the Lowlands. I want eyes on Graham and anyone associated with him. I want tae ken where these auctions are happenin', when they happen, and who's buyin'."
"That could take weeks. Maybe months."
"Then we'd better start now." Alpin turned back to face him. "Because every day we wait is another day someone's daughter is bein' sold like livestock. And I'll be damned if I let that continue on me watch."
Callum nodded slowly. "I'll make the arrangements. But Alpin, if ye're serious about infiltratin' these auctions, it's dangerous. Graham will have guards, protections. One wrong move and..."
"I ken the risks." Alpin's expression was set. "But I need tae see it with me own eyes. Need tae understand what we're fightin' against."
"And if ye see one of our lasses there? What then?"
That was the question, wasn’t it? What would he do if he walked into that auction house and saw Elspeth MacLeod or Isla Fraser or any of the other missing women standing on a block, being bid on like animals?
