Page 44 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

“Aye, sisters can be like that,” Ryan glanced towards his wife and her sisters. “And now Warnock hae taken my daughter as a debt he believes he’s owed,” Ryan sighed.

“Da, why are we still standing here? Let me gather the armies. We must ride!” Allan said.

“I must gae with ye,” Logan said, looking up at Ryan with watery eyes and a desperate look on his face. He looked far from the proud warrior who had risen so sharply through the ranks.

“Never,” Allan said, and the man came striding up to stand beside Ryan. He looked down his nose at Logan, and his sword was ready to nick Logan’s throat if he made a move. “He betrayed the clan, caused Beitris tae get captured, and he just struck ye. Da, ye wanted me tae make strong decisions. This is one of them. Logan must die!” Allan declared.

“Calm yerself, son,” Ryan said slowly. “Wisdom will come with years. He is nae a threat at the moment.” Ryan’s attention turned back to Logan. “Tell me, boy, why did ye tell the truth now?”

“Because I cannae lie anymore… because Beitris needs yer help. I dinnae care what happens tae me. Yer son is right. Ye should ride. But I want tae be there,” Logan said. It caused him a lot of distress to admit that Allan was right.

“Why?”

“Because… because I love her,” Logan blurted out, he could no longer hide his heart, he could no longer lie. “I could nae save Abigail, but I can save her.”

The Hall went deathly still. Ryan stared at Logan for what seemed like an eternity. Then, he arched an eyebrow.

“A Warnock loves a Knox? What an irony,” he said.

“Some would hae said the same about a Gilmour and a Knox, once upon a time,” Caroline said, drawing attention. She strode forward, her face filled with emotion. “My love, we cannae forgive Logan for lying tae us, but if we are tae rescue her then we need the finest warriors this clan can boast, and he is among them.”

“He will put a sword tae our backs as soon as they are turned, Ma,” Allan snarled.

“I will nae fight ye, give me a blade and I will turn it against my father. I will bring Beitris home, and then ye can dae with me what ye like. Hang me, throw me in a dungeon, tear out my eyes, I dinnae care. Just let me help Beitris. I can lead ye tae the Keep, show ye where his traps are. I ken him better than any of ye, and I ken his defenses.”

“Nessa, what dae ye think?” Ryan asked.

Nessa was standing behind Logan so he did not see her face, but he heard her voice.

“I think he could hae leveraged that knowledge for his freedom, but he dinnae. He could hae ridden away and joined his father, but he came back here. Aye, he will stay true tae Beitris, and I think he kens that if he does save her, he’ll hae tae face her wrath. And that’s a worse punishment than any ye can give him.”

Logan bowed his head, showing supplication.

“One last fight. One last battle, and then I belong tae yer clan.”

Ryan took a heavy breath then bent down and placed his face close to Logan’s. He clasped a hand around Logan’s skull.

“Ken this. I will be watching ye, lad, and if ye put one foot wrong there will be fifty swords waiting tae claim ye life and a few arrows as well. And dinnae think I am daeing this for ye. I dae this for Beitris.”

As Ryan said this, he hauled Logan to his feet and turned the man around. Logan stared at the others. Nessa, Allan, and Elliot had narrowed eyes. Caroline’s eyes were softer, while the woman standing beside her wasn’t quite sure what to think.

“Make the final preparations. As soon as ye are ready, we march,” Ryan said.

Allan nodded firmly, sheathing his sword and marching out of the room. Logan breathed deeply, feeling a little calmer now. While so much of the world was confusing, battle was the one thing he understood. And now, after all this time, he would be going home.

And he would face his father.

And he doubted he would make it back to face justice in this Keep, because Logan’s plan for revenge had changed. When Ryan spoke about Abigail, Logan remembered his sister not as someone who wanted to be avenged or who sought violence, but as a protector, as someone who valued life and tried to teach Logan that even in their grim surroundings.

Somewhere along the way, Logan had forgotten that. His vision had become so clouded with anger that he thought the only way forward was death.

It wasn’t.

Beitris had helped him remember that, and in a way Ryan had too. If Logan had made the same confession in front of Warnock, he would have been thrown in the pit and shown no mercy at all. Ryan hadn’t struck him even though he’d had every right to. He’d listened, understood, just like a father should.

And so Logan wanted to bring justice to Abigail’s death in the only way that truly mattered, by making sure that someone else survived. Logan had never quite been sure what he was supposed to do after he killed Ryan, but now things were becoming clearer. He would protect Beitris, send her back to her family, and then he would end this war once and for all, even if it meant that he and Laird Warnock were buried beneath the rubble of the Keep.

As he died, he would think about his love for Beitris and how happy Abigail would have been that he got to feel such a precious, profound thing. And he would go meet his friend, who sacrificed everything for him. He knew Warnock’s men would not spare Brody he could only pray his death was quick.