Page 79 of Highlander’s Burning Touch

Their positioning at the top of the valley gave them a lookout for miles around. They would know when anyone was approaching. For once, no servants could intrude on what they had to say.

Not any less angered but ready to listen, Rory dismounted from his horse. He strode purposefully up to them both, still seated on top of their horses.

“So, come on,” said Rory, his cold blue eyes gazing analytically at them both. He glanced first to Deva and then to Niven intently.

The laird’s gaze was so piercing that Niven could barely bring himself to look. Rory’s eyes were infused with energy. Whatever it was, seemed to seep from him.

“Come on, let’s have it, then. What was it like?” he asked, intimidatingly.

Niven had forgotten how much of a presence his uncle had. Brusquely, Rory pushed past them, turning his head side-to-side to inspect them carefully.

He turned to Deva first. “What was it, hen, does he remind ye o’ a younger me?”

He brought his head close to Deva for her to inspect. Niven saw her face. She looked so shocked that he almost launched into his uncle.

Whatever else went on, he wasn’t having her spoken to like that.

“Uncle,” called Niven, urgently. He was about to come over when Rory backed away, giving Deva a slight smile.

“Relax,” he said, “I ken very well that she doesnae want me, lad.” His eyes darted coldly to Deva and then to himself. “An’ like I already told ye… I wasnae going to marry her anyway…”

He glanced at Deva, incidentally as he said this. “Sorry hen…” he added.

Deva dropped her eyes.

Rory continued, a gleam coming into his eyes. “So, calm down, I’m nae going to scare the lassie, nor make her do anything she doesnae want. That’s the whole point. I never was….”

Now the pair of them looked chastened. Niven cast his eyes down as Deva looked away.

“It was never on the cards. It just wouldnae have been right…” he concluded, “But ye kent that…”

Now Rory’s eyes flashed angrily to Niven’s. He knew how much hurt he had caused, and the guilt burned in him.

Niven opened his mouth to speak, but the laird waved him down.

“Nae, that’s not the point. The point is that ye two were carrying on, wi’out telling me…!” he raged.

Deva glanced up at Niven, uncertainty in her azure blue eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. The laird whipped his head around to see her, his long brown hair performing somersaults in the wind.

“I dinnae want yer apologies, I just want to ken why ye did it, Niven?” he brought his face back to look at him. “I mean, why did ye make a fool o’ me like this… an’ risk the peace o’ the clans? We were this close to getting a solution…?”

He glared accusingly at him as the storm raged around them. Then he turned back to Deva with a sarcastic glance.

“I mean, nae offense, darling, but this marriage, ye ken, it was about bringing peace to the Highlands, so it wasnae ever personal… an’ we had it in our grasp, an’ now, it’s just been destroyed!”

Rory threw his hands into the air, demonstrating his point. He used such force that he accidentally dislodged his sword, which clattered dramatically to the ground.

“Ye ken what this means, now, it means war, in the Highlands, wi’ MacLean doing, God knows what…!” he snarled.

Niven tried to placate him. “But ye, said ye were nae going to marry Deva anyway?” he queried.

“Aye,” said his uncle, bringing his head forward to confront him. Although still on his horse, Niven backed away a little. He wondered if his uncle was about to attack him.

Of course, he did not. Instead, the laird appeared to calm a little. Not a lot, but enough to explain better.

“Nae, but I was still going to keep the alliance. Because ye see Niven. I had a plan….,” his uncle’s blue eyes, a moment ago so cold, twinkled oddly.