Page 51 of Highland Steel

“That sword is the sword you told me about?” she asked in surprise. “The MacKeefe’s lucky sword that helped you win every battle?”

Logan nodded. “Aye. I carved the snake into the hilt myself. It seems the MacKeefe’s Sword of Triumph is findin’ its way home. But unfortunately, once again, our enemy has what is mine.”

“What is ours,” Rhoswen answered. “I hold no claim to the sword since my father stole it, but remember the Drummonds have my nephew. So are you going to help me or not?”

Chapter 16

Logan furiously whittled away at a small, wooden cross later that day, sitting in the stable by himself. He never expected that the sword Rhoswen’s father stole from the king was the MacKeefe’s Sword of Triumph that had been lost because of him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this either. Nay, he needed time to think because he didn’t know what to do.

“At it again, I see.”

Logan looked up to see Ethan leading his horse into the stable. He opened a stall and took it inside.

“Aye, I thought I’d whittle a cross and put it on a cord and give it to Blaine to wear around her neck for comfort. She seems so distraught lately, so I thought this might help.” He blew off the dust and started making a hole through the top, using his whittling knife and a nail.

Ethan chuckled as he took the saddle off his horse and hung it on the fence. “I wasna talkin’ about yer whittlin’. Although ye should have stuck to that instead of havin’ a little fun in the bluebells.”

“Och, ye ken about that?” he asked, not happy that Ethan always seemed to know when he made love with Rhoswen. “Please dinna tell me that the entire clan heard us again.”

“Nay, I dinna think so. Just me. I was tendin’ to the flock in the nearby field when I saw ye and Rhoswen disappear into the flowers and tall grass. I figured ye were at it again.”

“Aye, and now I’m wishin’ that I hadna bedded her at all.”

“Really?” Ethan picked up a brush and ran it over his horse’s flanks. “And why is that, my friend?”

“Because now I’ve got a decision to make and I dinna ken what to do. No matter what I decide, I am sure someone is goin’ to get hurt.”

Ethan slowly put the brush down and walked out of the stall. “Tell me about it, Logan. Ye look like ye need a friend to talk to.” He sat down on the bench next to him.

Logan brushed off the cross and reached over for a skein of leather cord, cutting off a length with his sharp knife. “I took Rhoswen up to the field of bluebells to tell her that she and her siblin’s couldna stay here.”

“How did she take it?”

“I never told her,” said Logan.

“Because ye were busy doin’ other things instead?” asked Ethan with a nod.

“Nay. Aye. Och, I dinna ken. I mean, I wanted to tell her, but I couldna.”

“Because ye dinna want her to go.”

“That’s true. But the real reason is because she came out and asked me if I could talk to Storm about her and her siblin’s stayin’ here with the MacKeefes. Forever.”

“I see yer problem. That was bad timin’, I guess. What did ye tell her?”

“I never gave her an answer. Because then she told me she wanted me to help her get her nephew back from the Drummonds.”

“And?”

“I told her I wouldna put our clan at risk after we lost so many in the last battle with the Drummonds.” Logan stabbed his knife into the bench and shoved the leather cord through the hole at the top of the cross.

“I dinna suppose she took it very well.”

“She didna understand, so I told her my story about how it was all my fault and that I also managed to lose our clan’s lucky sword.”

“Then what happened?”

“What happened is she said somethin’ that I never expected. And it changes everythin’, Ethan. And I do mean everythin’.”