Chapter One
Clan MacKay lands
Northern shore of the Scottish Highlands, 1462
The wind chilledAlex MacKay as he squinted through the morning mist to catch sight of the lush shoreline where his galley would soon anchor. Years had passed since he’d stood on MacKay lands. He was but twenty then, and convinced he was in love. Betrayal forced him to leave home, and he sold his allegiance, and maybe a bit of his soul, to the princes of Constantinople as a mercenary.
There were no golden palaces decorating the Highland coastline. No bathhouses and perfumed women waiting to welcome him back from battle. No bustling marketplaces where anything a man imagined could be bought. No sand and hot sun. Only gray outcrops and hills, fields of heather and mountains—the very things that breathed life into his battered heart. Things he’d purposely forgotten.
He gripped the missive from his only brother in his left hand, having committed the desperate plea to memory—begging Alex to return home and help defend clan lands from Sutherland raiders.
Did nothing change? Why were Scots so determined to kill each other when the real threats lie south of the border? Squabbling over holdings and sheep couldna compare to the devastation of English swords.
Alex had learned the hard way what real wars were fought over. He’d seen princes dragged into the public square and tortured, hands and feet chopped off, the crowd as bloodthirsty as the executioner. What did MacKays or Sutherlands know of such evil? And deep inside, Alex regretted that he’d ever witnessed such brutality, that he’d ever left the place he once called home. No one would be privy to his regrets, though. Everything that connected him to Scotland, whether family or bitter memories, were locked away in the depths of his soul, along with any feelings he had left.
Soldiers fought with true purpose here, the one thing he appreciated about the men on this side of the world.
After the boat landed, Alex walked up the beach toward a group of waiting horsemen. He immediately recognized the blue and green tartans they wore and the man at the front. Seeing his brother on a massive, black beast was nearly the same as staring at his own reflection in a looking glass. He stopped a few yards away, taking in everything. He’d never imagined being here again, feeling the fine Scottish breeze blowing through his hair or the bite of the salty air on his tongue.
His brother dismounted and quickly closed the distance between them. “Alexander.”
“John.”
“Ye’re here.”
In truth, nothing could have kept Alex away. He relished the idea of seeing his brother fail. A man couldna pray for better revenge. He ripped a leather coin purse from his weapon belt and tossed it on the ground at his brother’s feet.
“This will pay for the extra swords ye need to protect our sire’s holdings.”
John sucked in a ragged breath and shook his head. “Mylands.”
“Call it whatever ye will. I’ve done my duty. If ye canna manage to hire mercenaries to defeat yer enemy, then ye don’t deserve to be laird.”
Alex turned back to the water, ready to return to his ship.
“Wait,” his brother called. “Ye came all this way just to give me money?”
“No.” Alex wheeled around. “I traveled halfway around the world to gaze upon ye a last time.”
John’s lips drew together. “Why?”
“To see if yer sins have finally caught up with ye.”
“That isna an acceptable answer.”
“It will have to suffice.” Alex was a respected warrior in the exotic lands where he’d carved an existence out with blood, sweat, and some bitter tears. Even the sultans dinna ask for explanations. So Alex would provide none here.
“Ye’ve been gone five years.”
Alex studied his brother’s features. The breeze lifted his sandy-colored hair, revealing a long scar along his right jaw. His eyes were creased in the corners and dull. He’d aged hard, which told Alex he’d suffered. “My curiosity is satisfied.”
“Dinna speak in riddles.”
“Riddles?” he repeated, sounding angrier than he’d intended. “Do I need to spell it out for ye?’
“She’s not here.”
Bloody bastard dared resurrect that old memory? “Who?” Alex pretended not to know.
