Page 34 of Reviving Her Highland Spirit

Uncle James shook his head. “He can’t be contacted. He knows he needs tae stay low, for now at least. But we have enemies - rival clans who would rather see us gone, and old enemies who hold grudges. He’s gathering an army, no mistake. We have spies looking for him, and I believe we’re close tae finding his lair. He’s not far away, by the sounds of it. We need tae find him, and we need tae confront him.”

“How can we do that?” Maggie asked, eager for hope. Eager to be doing something.

She didn’t know what she’d expected. For her uncle to roll out another map and show her a well-thought-out plan, ready to be sprung into action?

Instead, Uncle James sighed, straightening up and rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired. His face was pale, and there were dark circles around his eyes. His dark hair was graying now, streaks of silver around the temples and starting to thread through his forelocks.

Almost without warning, Maggie found herself missing Uncle Simon, with his glossy fair hair that didn’t show the gray, and his jovial, happy personality. He always came home from his travels with presents, and with some new companion to introduce to his family. He hadn’t been home for several years now. Maggie knew that they all worried about him. If he died abroad, or on one of those awful ships that traveled for months to get to a new place, they would likely never hear about it.

He would just never come home.

Maggie knew that if Angus had gone off traveling, she would think about him every day and night until he returned. That was just grubby little Angus, her uncles and her father had known each other for decades, through thick and thin.

She didn’t say anything about Uncle Simon. People didn’t talk about him so much these days.

“We’ll have tae wait and see,” Uncle James said finally. “All we know now is that he’s back in the Highlands. Perhaps he never left, and now he’s just showing himself. We need tae wait for him tae make the first move.”

“Are we at war?” Bonnie said, her voice small.

Uncle James shook his head. “We want tae avoid war. We promised these people - Clan Murray and Clan McAlister - that we would bring them peace. I take that promise seriously. But we don’t know where Rufus is, or what he is planning. All we know is that he’s back for revenge,” Uncle James’ eye darted over the girls, and with a flash, Maggie knew why.

He was afraid that Red Rufus would take his revenge on his half-brothers’ children. Maybe he’d arrive at the head of an army, or perhaps his revenge would be more insidious.

Maggie shivered.

“He’s dangerous, isn’t he, Uncle?”

Uncle James glanced down at Maggie, directly meeting her eye.

“Aye,” he said softly. “He’s very dangerous. I’m telling you lassies now, we have tae be careful until we know what’s going on. That means you lassies don’t stray too far. Try not to walk alone. Don’t ride too far into the forest. Don’t trust anyone who isn’t family or known tae be loyal to us. And if ye see something or someone strange, ye tell us immediately. Tell Ian, or Perrin, or Bryce, or me. There’s no time tae waste. The truth is, I have no idea what Red is capable of anymore. But I know that he hates me, and he hates Bryce. By extension, he hates all of ye. We don’t know what he’s planning, and it’s better tae be safe than sorry. Understand?”

Feeling as if she were being lectured, Maggie nodded briskly.

“I understand, Uncle,” Maggie murmured. Bonnie and Amilia mumbled replies. The atmosphere in the room was cold and grim - there was no doubt in Maggie’s mind that this was a serious matter. The fact that the three of them had been admitted to his private conference told her how serious it was, and how dangerous life was about to get. It seemed ridiculous that barely an hour ago, she’d been splashing around in the waterfall pool with Callum, laughing and helping him to float.

A cold shiver rolled down Maggie’s spine, almost like a premonition.

She could suddenly feel how dangerous things were about to get.

14

Had he made a mistake? Probably. If Rufus thought that Callum had wasted time or made the wrong decision in arranging their meeting, he would make his feelings clear enough.

Callum hurried through the crowded town of Angevyn. The tavern they usually frequented was one of the cheapest and nastiest in town. Rufus had picked it deliberately. The innkeeper wouldn’t ask any questions or keep any records for a few extra coins, and so many men and women of ill repute passed through the place, nobody would look twice at two shifty-looking men sitting hunched over flat beer and stale ale in the corner.

Callum stepped inside, resisting the urge to wrinkle his nose at the fetid, musty smell of the tavern. It smelled like trodden-in manure and unwashed bodies. There was a scent of stale food hanging over everything like a pall – smoke, bad breath, spilled wine, and rotten food all mixed together to make a man want to stagger backwards upon walking in.

Callum didn’t stagger, of course. He’d never got used to the smell, but he’d learned well enough not to attract attention when he first walked in by gagging or reeling. The innkeeper met his eye and offered a curt, unfriendly nod. That was fine. Callum didn’t want recognition. He didn’t want to be a usual customer or a friend. He needed to stay aloof.

He pushed his way through the reeking crowds to a tiny, empty table in the corner. He rested his elbows on the table as he sat, and immediately regretted it. One wrist stuck to a patch of something sticky, and handfuls of stale breadcrumbs and bits of food crunched under his forearms.

Lovely.

A thin, tired-looking woman with improbably-colored red hair appeared, her pretty face twisted into a perpetual scowl.

“What will ye have?” she demanded curtly.

“Ale. Two, please.”