Lachlan pulled away but kept his hands on her shoulders, keeping her at arm’s length so he could look at her while he spoke.
“The last of the men I sent out to inquire about mercenaries and bounty hunters has just returned. They all said the same thing; none of the villages have seen any for weeks. Nay one has passed through or made themselves kent.”
Were it not for his hands on her, Aila might have stumbled backwards.
“What does this mean?” she asked meekly, already knowing the answer.
“It means that Taryn was likely taken by some of the English guards. Soldiers who were left behind after their attack. Men that have likely waited in the woods for the opportune moment to strike until they found it.”
Aila felt her breath hitch in her chest more with every word Lachlan spoke. She knew he was likely right, and that terrified her more than anything. As he had predicted, she itched to jump on Knight’s back and go after Taryn and Sorcha. After all, she and Sorcha made a great team. But as promised, and to her great dismay, she stayed put.
“We must search the woods for any more soldiers,” she said in a harsh whisper.
“I will give the order at first light,” Lachlan agreed.
Aila sucked in a breath, reminding herself that she trusted Sorcha. Sorcha had saved Aila’s life on more than one occasion; she was a capable warrior who would do whatever it took to see Taryn brought back safely. It wasn’t much, but it was enoughto appease the growing need to chase after them that had been building in Aila since Taryn was first discovered missing.
“Sorcha is our best bet to get Taryn out of this,” Lachlan said, nearly reading Aila’s thoughts. “She is doing all that can be done on that end. We must focus on the task at hand.”
“Which is?”
“Allies. It will take a veritable army to stand against the Baron, and I fear that is what it will take to end this madness. We must be ready with men standing by, ready to attack once Taryn is safe.”
Aila let Lachlan’s words sink in, slowly but surely. She knew he was right. She could feel it in her bones that she needed to follow him on this. That did little to ease the ache in her chest, but it was something else for her to focus on.
She nodded once, twice, then shut her eyes against the torrent of tears that threatened to fall. Lachlan pulled her back into him at once, holding her to his chest. She melted into his touch, letting his smell of pine and fresh snow calm her frayed nerves.
“In the morning, we will gather the clan and tell them of our plan,” Lachlan said as he rubbed small circles on her back. “We will ask for their help.”
“Taryn is an outsider,” Aila argued. “The clan will nae be anxious to leave their new homes for her.”
Lachlan squeezed her a little bit more. The pressure felt good; it made her feel as though he would carry this weight for her, if she wanted to set it down even for a little while.
“She is nae more an outsider than ye are. She helped us get our castle back. She kept Arran alive when he was ill. She has shown her dedication to our people. They will show her the same.”
Chills ran down Aila’s spine at the wordour.These past six months had only been the beginning of her experience andduties as a Lady. Now that she was one in full, the responsibility sat even more firmly on her shoulders. But it was more than that. Aila loved that this was something she and Lachlan shared.
“Come on,” Lachlan urged, tucking her into his side and walking her to the other side of the stables. “It is late, and I suspect we will need all the rest we can get in the coming days.”
Just as he promised,the next morning at breakfast, Lachlan made an announcement to everyone in the Great Hall, requesting the presence of the council and elders. Seeing as they were still in the process of rebuilding the clan, that included nearly everyone already there, save for the children and some newer members. It was an intimidating lot to face as Aila stood by her husband’s side half an hour later at the head of the war table.
This was a room she had hoped she had seen the last of when they had finished cleaning it months ago. The long oak table that spanned from one end of the room to the other had been broken during the raids, but Lachlan had worked hard with some other men to replace it. Aila had scrubbed her hands raw trying to get the stone walls clean and free of cobwebs. The other women had swept and mopped the floors or cleaned the row of windows that provided the room with light. Curtains made from the dark blue Kincaid tartan hung on either side of the windows, framing them perfectly.
It was a beautiful room when all was said and done. A fresh rug rolled across the floor, the table gleaming from a fresh coat of polish, each of the sixteen chairs matching. Lachlan had even managed to find some of his father’s old maps and papers andspread them out across the table-top in a neat fashion. It was a beautiful room wasted on discussions of such hideous things.
“What are we doin’ in here?”
“Aye, I thought we already defeated the English.”
“We dinnae have time to get involved in another war. We just finished rebuilding the houses. There is still so much to do.”
The arguments came before Lachlan had even officially begun the meeting. Aila’s worst fears were starting to ring true. Several people here knew that Taryn was gone, but no one knew the danger she was in. Her story, her secrets, had been carefully guarded. Aila was starting to question the wisdom of that decision.
Lifting his right hand, Lachlan silenced the naysayers. With his left, he held Aila’s hand under the table. She let him anchor her, let his constant presence be a comfort to her.
“As some of ye ken,” he started, “Taryn has gone missing.”
“What does that have to do wit’ us?”
