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“Icannae believe I didnae see it. No wonder they were able tae defeat us sae easily in the battle. Angus must hae let our plan slip when he led the attack,” Hilda said.

“It’s nae yer fault. He fooled us all,” Maxwell said. He wrung his hands and seemed satisfied by the fact that he had managed to get his hands on Angus, although it didn’t change the situation they found themselves in. “Although, given his manner, it doesnae surprise me that he turned out tae be a villain.”

“He haes always haed some anger inside him, but I never thought it would be directed at the clan,” Hilda said, a tone of disbelief still weighing down her voice.

“Dae ye know where he came from?”

Hilda shook her head. “He came wandering intae the clan as a wee child—it happens occasionally—and he was taken in. I never gave much thought tae where he came from. I assumed his parents haed been attacked by bandits or wild animals. He never spoke about it either, and he always seemed ready tae fight for us.”

“It seems as though he haes been using this time tae gather information about yer clan, plotting against ye. I suppose the time was right tae strike. What did he want with ye?”

“He asked me tae marry him,” Hilda said wryly. “I think he’s gaeing tae attack the clan. He said that he will never be a leader unless he takes a clan for himself. He’s greedy. He wants power. He thinks my da is weak, and he wants me tae rule by his side. He said…he said that we’re the same, that we’re outsiders.”

Hilda pondered on the words for a moment, wondering if there was any truth to them. She had always butted heads with her mother, and there were not always favorable glances cast her way, but she would never turn her back on the clan as brazenly as Angus had done.

“I would nae listen tae him. He’s only trying tae manipulate ye and justify his own actions. If he wants tae betray the people who hae given him a home, then he can, but he will be punished by it...if nae in this world, then the next.”

“Aye, but how can we punish him when we’re stuck in here? There’s no chance for us tae escape now. We cannae use the same plan, and they’ll be watching us even more closely.”

“There’s always an opportunity. We just hae tae wait for it. But I would like tae know what’s gaeing on here. Did Angus know Bea? What’s Aileen’s role in all of this? Is everything connected?”

In a way, it seemed like it was. The strings of fate were being drawn tightly around them, and to Hilda, it seemed very much as though they were bringing her and Maxwell together. There were still so many questions that she needed answers to, and she worried fretfully for her home. Right now, they would not be suspecting an attack, and if Hilda didn’t do anything, then they would be caught unawares. The last thing she wanted was to see her father and brother caged like this or killed. She worried that she would never see them again, and she started to weep at the thought of never being able to speak to her father properly.

She tried to hide her vulnerable state at first, but Maxwell couldn’t fail to notice the quiet sobs and the soft shudders of her breath. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What’s the wrong lass? Ye cannae blame yerself for Angus’s betrayal. All of his men were taken by surprise. He fooled us all.”

“It’s nae that,” she said, sniffing deeply. “I’m worried about Da. I hae nae…I hae nae spoken tae him since Ma died. He haes been disappointed with me, and I thought if I could come out here and bring the people responsible tae justice, then it might make things right. He might forgive me. But now he’s gaeing tae be attacked, and he might die, and I’ll never get tae speak with him again.” Hilda knew that her father had earned a place in Valhalla, but she had not.

Maxwell exhaled deeply. “There are many times I wished I could see Bea again tae tell her everything that exists within my heart. There are sae many things I wanted tae say tae her, and I thought I would wait until we were married because it would make the day special. There is never enough time for us tae say what we want tae say. We can never control what might happen tae the people around us, sae we hae tae make each moment count. When ye see yer da again—and ye will see him again—dinnae avoid him, and dinnae hold back. Tell him everything that is in yer heart, and I’m sure ye will nae be disappointed.”

Hilda wished that she could be as optimistic as Maxwell. Even so, she nodded, trying to believe that she would see Varrik again. Her glance lingered on Maxwell because there were certain things that she wanted to say to him as well, things that were muddled inside her mind. Despite what he said, she didn’t see the use in telling him when they had to try and plot an escape. It was not the right time to speak about matters of the heart, and she assumed that if there were anything he wanted to tell her, then he would do so. After all, surely he would take his own advice?

No, it was clear that there was only one woman who had won his heart, and her name was Bea. There was no way that Hilda could compete with the memory of a dead woman, and soon enough, it might well be the case that she was dead as well.

Night fell. Hilda tossed idea after idea around in her mind and dismissed them all for various reasons. If only she could get out of this cage…

Once again, she found herself cursing Angus. If it hadn’t been for him, then they would be free and likely on their way home now. Instead, he had baited them like fish, and they were caught in his net. How smug he must have been…and how ridiculous it was that he should think Hilda would deign to marry him. It offered small satisfaction that Angus had been beaten by Maxwell, but it still didn’t change the fact that Hilda and the rest of them were caged while Angus was free. She wished that she knew why Angus was doing this, why he was throwing away so many years of loyalty and friendship for this group of villains. It didn’t make sense to her. Even if Angus had been born into this group, he had spent most of his life with the Callan clan. Why should he be loyal to these men when he had everything he needed with the Callans?

Sadly, there was only one man who could answer these questions, and she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.

In the depths of night, Hilda was stirred by soft movements and hushed whispers. She looked up and saw the door of the cage opening. For a moment, she thought it was a dream, and then she worried that Angus was coming in the middle of the night to take her away by force. At first, she resisted and was about to alert the rest of her men to come to arms, but then she recognized a voice calling her and Angus’s names.

“Stephen?” she whispered back.

“Hilda!” he cried, and made his way toward her, keeping low. The darkness shrouded them all.

“What are ye daeing here?” she asked.

“Da thought it would be prudent tae send another party after ye when ye didnae return. We followed yer tracks and found the camp. We hae been scouting it for a few hours. There seemed tae be tae many for an outright assault, sae I thought we’d wait until night fell tae rescue ye.”

“I’m sae glad tae see ye!” She flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Where’s Da?”

“He’s back home. We didnae want tae leave the clan defenseless in case they were attacked again.”

“It’s a good thing ye didnae,” she said, and told him about the plans for an imminent attack.