Chapter 1
1343 – Stewart Keep, Scottish Highlands
Cormac Stewart, otherwiseknown as the Shadow, raced through the woods on horseback with an urgency he had never felt before.The missive from his mother had arrived two days prior, the seal hastily applied, the wax still warm when his second-in-command Seumas had thrust it into his hands.
Your father is dead.Come home.
The words had caused his chest to seize up.His father was strong, indomitable, stubborn as an ox – there was no way he could be dead.Something must have happened to him.His initial reaction was shock, then unimaginable grief.But he had no time to spare.He needed to go home immediately.
Thoughts assailed him, and with them came guilt.He had been away from home too long, serving the last two kings.He always thought he had ample time to spend with his family once his wanderings were over.But now, there was no time.
Cormac had barely taken time to saddle his horse before racing north toward Stewart Keep.Several of his men had wanted to ride with him, but he'd insisted it would be faster to set off alone – no waiting on a company to muster, no slowing his pace for the group.He left Seumas to manage the band and explain his sudden departure.None of that mattered now.His family needed him.
As the eldest son, Cormac had responsibilities.His younger brother Ninian, his sister Nessa – they would be looking to him for leadership, for guidance.The clan would need him to step into his father's place.There were a myriad of issues to contend with, least of all consoling a grieving family whom he loved dearly, albeit in very small doses.
The thought made his chest tight with dread.This could not come at a worse time, especially with the king requiring his services for another mission.But Cormac shook his concerns away as he homed in on the fact that with his father gone, his family would be vulnerable to attack.
Finally, after two days of hard riding, the familiar towers of Stewart Keep came into view through the trees.Cormac urged his lathered horse faster, his heart pounding in time with the hoofbeats.
He thundered through the watch gates into the bailey as guardsmen shouted out his arrival before he'd even dismounted.
But as Cormac swung down from his horse, breathing hard, he noticed something strange.
The bailey was...normal.
Not eerily quiet with the pall of impending death.Not filled with weeping servants and solemn-faced clansmen.Just...normal.
A few chickens scratched in the dirt.A stable lad ambled over to take his horse's reins.Two guards leaned against the wall, chatting idly about something that made one of them laugh.
Cormac's grief faltered, replaced by a creeping sense of confusion.
"Where is everyone?"he demanded, tossing a coin to the young stable lad who'd appeared."Take good care of my horse.He's had a hard ride."
The boy caught the coin and grinned."Aye, Master!"
Cormac took the steps two at a time into the main entrance, his mind racing.A guardsman loitering near the door straightened when he saw him.
"Where's my mother?"Cormac demanded.
"Welcome home, Master.The mistress is with the laird in the Great Hall."
They're all in the Great Hall?he wondered.
Cormac's confusion was slowly turning to anger as he suspected some sort of trickery at best.
He strode down the corridor and shoved open the doors to the Great Hall.
The scene before him confirmed his suspicions.
His entire family was gathered around the long table.Not in mourning blacks, not weeping, not preparing for a funeral.They were simply having a meal.
Cormac's father sat at the center of the high table, looking hale, healthy, and consuming his mead with gusto.His mother sat beside him with an expression that could only be described as guilty.His brother Ninian was helping himself to a massive portion of roasted chicken.And his sister Nessa was pouring wine.
The conversation died when Cormac entered.
His father rose to his feet, his face breaking into a smile."Son!Ye've come.Just in time to join us for the noonday meal."
For a long moment, Cormac simply stood there, his chest heaving from the hard ride, his mind trying to process what he was seeing.The inner turmoil, the hours of grief, the panic he had felt trying to return to his family – all for nothing.
