“What does he want?”
“Why has he come here?”
“It is that grandson of yers, Seamus, who has caused this. Why could he nae leave well enough alone?”
Laird MacKenzie shot his advisor a warning look. Though he had not seen the boy in years, Seamus was still his grandson and his council would do well to remember that.
They had received word three hours earlier that Laird Campbell was marching into MacKenzie territory, bringing an entire army with him. Even with the size of his army, Campbell had not attacked any of the villages he had traveled through this far, making Laird MacKenzie that much more curious as to the man's intentions.
“We dinnae ken, that is why we are meeting,” Cameron explained, condescendingly.
“Now, now, son,” Laird MacKenzie reprimanded, “there is nae reason to be short. The council is merely asking the verra same questions we were asking ten minutes ago.”
“We did nae have any answers then, and we dinnae have any answers now. All we ken is that he is nearly on our doorstep.”
Laird MacKenzie glanced around the table, curious to see what the rest of his council was thinking.
“We ken more than that. We ken there has been an uprising in the Murray lands. The stories in the taverns are that Seamus has escaped from Murray Castle and joined forces with a group of rebels. These men have been hiding in the woods since Campbell first invaded, planning this coup.”
“That is quite a lot to get out of the tavern,” Cameron remarked.
“I heard that Seamus snuck back into Murray Castle under the guise of finally supporting Campbell, only to double-cross him and free some captured rebels.”
“Aye, and then Campbell attacked their wee village, nearly wiping it all out.”
“I heard that the rebels put up a good fight. If rumors can be trusted, then Campbell lost his leg in that fight.”
Laird MacKenzie grumbled, irritated to be dealing with Campbell again. He had made his deal with the man a lifetime ago; he wanted nothing more to do with him.
“What does it matter what the rumors say? I want to ken why he is on our doorstep.”
“Is it nae clear? Campbell has been bested by rebel soldiers and is coming to us for aid.”
“Why us when we have never done business with him before?”
Laird MacKenzie didn't bother correcting his son. As far as Cameron knew, their relationship with Campbell was nonexistent. But there was much that Cameron didn't know about this clan.
When Laird MacKenzie was a younger man, a more ambitious man not quite so worn down by life, he had made a risky decision. Using his only daughter, he had strengthened the bond with their allies, the Murrays, by marrying her off to the Laird. It didn't take long for her to have a son and complete her duty, ensuring the alliance would remain strong for decades to come. At least, that is what MacKenize thought until Campbell approached him.
Claiming to only be after a warm meal, Campbell came without invitation. Several mugs of ale and one too many glasses of whiskey later had Campbell divulging his plans to take over Murray lands. It wasn't until they met again the next morning that Laird MacKenzie understood just how conniving Campbellwas. He had built an army large enough that it would wipe out Murray soldiers and MacKenzie soldiers completely. It wouldn't be a war but a slaughter, and he would be on the losing side. Campbell had come to make Laird MacKenzie an offer.
“I will send word, once I am ready to attack Murray lands. Ye will have enough time to get yer daughter out of the castle and back to ye before the fighting begins. In return for my warning, ye will nae get involved. Ye will nae help the Murrays. Ye will nae open yer borders to them. Should I find out that ye have gone back on yer word, I will attack ye next. I hope ye are wise enough to ken that any attack would result in the demolishment of yer clan. I am nae the sparing type.”
“Why would I help you?”
Campbell gave him a sickening grin.
“Two words; the English.”
MacKenzie's stomach fell out from under him, threatening to toss up the contents of his breakfast.
“Why are ye doing this? Why are ye making me this offer?”
“Because, Laird MacKenzie, ye are the first person the Murray Clan will turn to for help. I want to ensure they will find none here. I will rule their lands absolutely. And,” he had said with a sly grin, “there might come a time when I will need yer allyship. I trust that when that day comes, ye will remember my generosity in allowing ye to save yer daughter.”
He had felt sick at what Campbell was asking for, but he didn't see any way around it. At least with this deal, he would be able to save his daughter and his people. And his reputation.
“She is young. She can always remarry someone else.”
Laird MacKenzie had been foolish to think Caitria would ever recover from losing her husband, son, and home. She had, instead, withered away, becoming a complete embarrassment. He resented her for it, and never seemed to be able to stop himself from showing her that. Every time he looked at her, allhe could see was his failure and guilt for the choices he had made. But he had been a younger man then, a more trusting man, a more cowardly man. If Campbell had approached him today with the same offer, he wasn't sure he would take it. But he wasn't coming to make an offer, rather he was coming to collect what was owed to him.
“I will do it,” Laird MacKenzie's promise ran through his head once more, as it had done so many times before, “but only on two conditions. The first, ye will nae harm the lad. He plays nay part in this.”
Campbell thought for a moment before nodding, if a bit begrudgingly.
“And the second: we agree to keep this between ourselves. Murray does nae need to ken what has happened here.”
They had shaken hands. Campbell had offered a toast and then drank three more glasses of MacKenzie's best whiskey. And then his note came two months later.
MacKenzie had spent those two months questioning if he had done the right thing and if he should have warned Murray ahead of time. But when his daughter made it back home, when they received word of the damage Campbell had inflicted on the Murray Clan, MacKenzie had convinced himself he had done what he had to to protect his clan. Now, as he waited for Campbell to arrive again, he was questioning himself all over again.
