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“Ye think the Laird will give up his power for the sake of his sister?”

“Oh, I’d imagine sae. Good men always end up being weak where their family is concerned. Ye can always get them through love. That’s how Munro got her tae come with him in the first place, after all. He just hae tae make her fall in love with him.”

The comment made a wave of nausea pass through Evan’s body. His blood froze as he brought his fist to his forehead, feeling defeated in more ways than one. How had Amelie been able to fall in love with that monster? What was it that had appealed to her about him?

But one thing he knew to be true; the innkeeper had lied to him. The chances were that Amelie was in this very inn, and if not then she had most certainly been here recently. He had to rescue her, even though he was surrounded by villains. This settlement seemed peaceful, but he could not trust anyone here for those who harbored wicked men were wicked themselves.

“I’m just glad we can move on with the plan. I’m getting tired of hearing about that Laird. People are actually starting tae believe he’s daeing something good for the Highlands. Can ye believe it? It’s time people were reminded what these Highlands are truly about.”

Evan was beginning to formulate a plan in his mind when he noticed movement coming towards him. For a moment he thought he had been discovered, but then he looked closer. It was only Stephen. Evan shot him a warning glance and moved away from the window, not wishing to be overheard by the men inside. He grabbed Stephen’s arm and dragged him around the corner, keeping his voice low.

“I told ye tae stay inside,” he growled.

“I dinnae like tae. The innkeeper kept looking at me and ye were taking a while… I thought ye might hae been in trouble.”

“Oh, I’m in trouble alright,” Evan scowled. Stephen swallowed his fear and gave Evan a questioning look.

“Munro is here,” Evan revealed. Stephen’s eyes went wide. “He posed as a merchant and managed tae convince Amelie tae visit him in this inn. Now he hae her prisoner, and he’s gaeing tae use her tae try and get the clan back. He’s holding her hostage. He wants Pascal. But we both know he’s nae gaeing tae stop there. If he’s anything like his Da then he’s nae gaeing tae stop until he hae punished everyone he sees as enemies, and that’s anyone who sided with Pascal. He will plunge the entire Highlands intae a bloody war before he’s finished.”

“Nae…” Stephen gasped.

Evan nodded grimly. The more he thought about Munro’s plan, the more it made him uneasy. The man must have kept his anger pent up for so long now and it was ready to boil over, flowing like lava over the Highlands. He would not stop until he had taken back all his father had lost, as well as seizing more. All the clans who had shown favor to Pascal would be in danger. The peace that reigned in the Highlands would be shattered, like a temperate summer’s day that was suddenly clouded by a vicious storm.

And he was the only man standing in its way.

“Stephen, ye need tae return tae the clan and warn them. Tell them tae prepare for an attack. Get them tae send word out. I hae nae idea how many men Munro hae at his command, but if word spreads about his survival and his intentions then more vermin might crawl to him and join his cause. We cannae allow this tae happen. We cannae lose everything we hae worked for.”

“And what are ye gaeing tae dae?” Stephen asked in reply.

Evan set his face in grim determination. “I need tae find Amelie,” he said.

“I cannae leave ye here alone, nae when Munro is around. What if he finds ye? What if he takes ye prisoner as well?”

“Then at least Amelie will nae hae tae suffer alone. Ye need tae leave, Stephen. The clan depends on it.”

“But I…” Stephen stood there, frozen.

“This is an order, Stephen,” Evan made his voice firm. “Ye know sometimes we hae tae put the safety of the clan over friendship.”

Stephen looked undecided. There was a chance, of course, that Munro wouldn’t take Evan prisoner at all and would instead kill him upon sight. Both men knew this, but there was no other way. The clan needed to be informed of Munro’s scheme. Reluctantly, Stephen bowed his head and nodded. He started to move back towards the horse, but before he did, he had one last thing to say to Evan.

“Be careful, Captain.”

Evan nodded, closing his eyes, hoping that the fates would protect him.

As Stephen mounted his horse and rode away, Evan peered into the inn again. As he stared at the blank faces of the strangers he wondered how many of them were allied with Munro. His hand fell to his sword… could he fight all of them? The numbers were not in his advantage at all. Stealth would have to be his ally today. He noticed the innkeeper moved into the storeroom once again, and feared that he was going to warn the men inside that someone had been asking questions about Amelie. The staircase beckoned. Evan strode through the bar and hopped up the staircase, taking it two steps at a time. If Amelie was there she must have been so frightened. He strained his ears, although he knew it was pointless because she wouldn’t utter a sound. Even in such a dire situation she would remain mute. It was Munro that he needed to track.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Amelie, though. Had she truly given her heart to that monster? Was that one of the reasons why she had fled from his company when he had confessed his feelings to her? There were so many unanswered questions, and if anything happened to her then these answers would never be revealed to him. But he swore that he would do everything he could to save her, and he would not allow her to die before laying his life down for her. His tenure as Captain of the Guard may end in ignominy, and Pascal would likely never forgive Evan for allowing his sister to suffer like this, but Evan would not return to the clan unless Amelie was with him.

He had never planned to die so young, and he tried to not think about the fact that this day could well be his last.

When he ascended the stairs he found himself in a hallway that was filled with doors, each of them leading to rooms. He dared not cry out for Amelie, lest Munro was with her. Since Munro hadn’t been in the storeroom, Evan assumed he was watching over his prisoner. Evan kept his footsteps light as he leaned towards the doors, pressing his ear close, trying to hear noises from inside. In most of them he heard nothing but silence, and of course this didn’t preclude Amelie being in there. In one he heard the sound of two people enjoying each other. Their soft moans soared in the air, and he moved away quickly. Thoughts of kissing Amelie filled his mind, and he feared that he would never get to enjoy that sweet bliss ever again. He had always hoped there would be another moment to share with her, but the shadow of death was beginning to fall upon him like a shroud.

Perhaps if Amelie had not been the hostage then he would have been able to keep his mind focused. As it was, he failed to notice certain details about the world around him. One such detail was a man coming up behind him. Evan only became aware when a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder. Evan turned around, anger burning in his eyes, when he saw Munro’s face staring back at him. Munro wore a sinister grin that was made all the more evil by his dark eyes. Evan tried to wrest himself free, but Munro was already swinging his arm through the air. A boulder-like fist crashed into Evan’s face, and pain flared over his cheek. Munro then turned Evan around and wrapped his thick arms around Evan’s neck. Evan struggled, but the strength was already leaving his body, the air being choked out of him, and then everything went black.