The Silent Highlander by Donna Fletcher

Chapter 22

“The people grow impatient for justice. It has been two days since he killed Glenis. Hang him and be done with it,” Fergus ordered his son.

Odran rubbed the cloth across his sweaty face, after leaving the practice field when his da had shouted out to him. He had known what his da would say and had heard the rumbling impatience of some in the clan. They wanted Bram dead for killing Glenis. At first, he wanted it as well, but after speaking with him and talking with his wife, he began to question who actually had killed Glenis.

“I don’t know if Bram killed Glenis and I would prefer we punish the guilty person rather than an innocent one,” Odran said.

“He had blood all over him. What more proof do you want?” his da demanded.

“Glenis was stabbed four times. Bram would have no need to stab her that many times to kill her,” Odran argued.

“He was angry. She probably told him she’d had enough of him and didn’t want to bother with him anymore. Her dismissal sent him into a fit of rage and he lashed out at her.”

“I would agree with you, if I hadn’t seen how he dealt with women at the Clan Loudon. Bram wouldn’t rage if a woman rejected him. He’d find it a challenge and do whatever he could to change her mind,” Odran said.

“Men are unpredictable when it comes to women. Who knows what reason had him kill Glenis. All believe he killed her and they want him to pay for her death.” Fergus’s hand went up when his son went to argue. “Already word spreads of the curse creeping once again through our lives and they fear more will suffer if Bram isn’t made to pay. See it done.”

Odran shook his head as his da walked off. He didn’t agree with his da, but his da ruled the clan and his word was to be obeyed.

Finch approached. “Lord Fergus is right. Do not let your wife’s defense of her clansmen cloud your judgment.”

“My judgment is not clouded. I see clearly and what I see tells me that Bram would not have done this to Glenis. And I fear if he’s hung and another murder takes place, what then? Do we keep killing people we assume are guilty?”

“Lord Fergus has ordered it,” Finch reminded him.

Odran had no choice. “Set the hanging for tomorrow and see that word is spread for all to know.”

“Aye, my lord,” Finch said with a look of satisfaction. “You will see this is the wise thing to do.”

“I have my doubts, Finch,” Odran said with an eye to the keep. He needed to tell his wife before she heard it from anyone else. He grabbed his shirt off the bench and slipped it on as he headed toward the keep.

* * *

Elysia had wrestledwith a queasy stomach the last couple of days, but this morning she woke feeling good. She sat in the Great Hall, enjoying a chamomile brew while waiting for Lendra, who was busy helping Dorrit with something. When she finished they were going to speak with Bram. Elysia was relieved her husband hadn’t rushed to hang Bram, though she worried that could change any minute. She also worried there would be nothing she could do to stop it. How could she prove him innocent when he was found in Glenis’s cottage with her blood on his hands?

A tiny unease flared in her stomach at the troubling thought and it took her back to when Lendra had asked her if it was possible that she was with child. Her first thought had been to deny it, but in some strange way she’d been relieved that she would no longer be the only one to know. That she would have someone to confide in, someone she could trust with the news.

She had admitted the truth to Lendra and explained how she had foolishly taken the wrong herb that would have kept her from getting with child. But now that she was, she would do anything to keep the bairn safe.

Lendra had wanted to be happy for her, but she had expressed her worry that Lord Odran would be furious when he found out and she feared for Elysia’s safety.

Elysia smiled softly recalling her response. Just as you know Bram would never harm a woman, I know my husband would never harm me.

She had made Lendra promise to keep her secret until she could find the right time to tell her husband. What Lendra had said next continued to trouble her.

You must be close to four months by now. You should not wait. You are petite and will round faster than most women.

Elysia hadn’t thought of that and time was ticking away. She had to do something soon.

Lendra came running into the Great Hall, tears streaming down her face. “He is to be hung tomorrow. The news spreads. People rejoice.”

Elysia shot to her feet as Lendra reached her and as her husband entered the Great Hall.

Lendra ran to him and went down on her knees in front of him. “Please, my lord, please, I beg you. Please have mercy on Bram. He did not do this. Please.”

“Lord Fergus has ordered the execution. I can do nothing to stop it. No one can,” Odran said.

Elysia walked over and put her arms around Lendra to help her up. “Come, we will go speak with Bram. He probably would want to look upon familiar and trusting faces right now.”

“Speaking to Bram will change nothing and will only upset you more,” Odran said, seeing the disappointment in his wife’s face and feeling responsible for it.

Elysia choked back tears. “My upset is nothing compared to what Bram must feel, especially when he knows he’s innocent.”

“Lendra, wait outside for Lady Elysia,” Odran ordered firmly.

Lendra sagged with defeat as she made her way out the door.

Odran reached out to his wife, concerned she might reject his touch and was relieved when she stepped willingly into his arms.

“I know this is not your fault, Odran, but it is a burden for me to bear. He was brought here because of me and now he will die an innocent man because of me.”

“It was my doing that brought him here,” Odran corrected.

“Because of me,” she insisted. “It all comes back to me and now he dies because of me.”

Odran hated that his wife took on such a burden. “You are not responsible, Bram is responsible for being foolish and thinking only of himself. He is a skilled warrior but not a trained and responsible one and therein lies his problem. He is in the mess he is in because of himself and no one else. And I will not have you think otherwise.” He leaned down and kissed her. He walked her to the door, snatched a cloak off one of the pegs and draped it around her shoulders. “I will walk with you and wait while you speak with Bram.”

It was on Elysia’s lips to tell her husband it wasn’t necessary when the intent glare in his eyes told her that he’d have it no other way.

They stepped outside and could find Lendra nowhere in sight.

“She must have gone ahead,” Elysia said.

They were close to where Bram was being kept when Lendra suddenly appeared in front of them, her eyes overflowing with tears.

“He refuses to see me,” she said through her sobs and rushed off.

Elysia was about to follow after her when a bell tolled throughout the village.

Odran took hold of her arm and turned her toward the keep. “Get to the keep and stay there.”

“What’s wrong?” Elysia asked as he gave her a slight shove.

“Visitors who may pose a threat. Now go!” he snapped.

Finch was suddenly there, handing her husband a sword and just as quickly warriors began to gather around him. Everywhere she looked people were preparing for battle and as she neared the keep, she spotted Lord Fergus rushing down the steps his sword clasped in his hand as he hurried to join his son.

Elysia saw Willa standing, blackthorn stick in hand, in front of her grandson’s cottage ready to defend her family.

Elysia hurried over to her. “You should seek safety in the keep.”

“Not likely,” Willa argued. “I’ll go down fighting protecting my family, before I’d hide away like a coward. Besides, my blackthorn stick will ward those evil MacFarden off.”

“Is Walda and your great-grandson in there?” Elysia asked.

“They are, and Edana is as well, ready with a sword if necessary. But they’ll not get past me. I’ll not let them get my great-grandson, Cawley.” Tears hurried to fill the old woman’s eyes, but she brushed them aside with her sleeve. “They named him after my husband. I couldn’t save him when he was struck down in battle, but I’ll be sure to save my great-grandson.”

“You should all go to the keep where you’ll be safe,” Elysia urged.

The door opened and Walda stood there with her son in her arms wrapped snug in a blanket. “Stiles ordered us to go to the keep and that is where we will go, Seanmhair.”

Walda took the woman by the arm and forced her to walk alongside her.

“I’ll stay on the top step of the keep and ward off the evil devils,” Willa said, shaking her blackthorn stick.

Elysia hid her smile as best she could, the old woman once again reminding her of Annis’s stubborn nature. She was about to follow the women up the steps when she thought she caught sight of a flash of cloth in the woods. She turned and this time she saw someone duck behind a tree. She froze for a moment not sure what to do, then the person stepped out from behind the tree and one look had Elysia hurrying to the woods.

* * *

“Chieftain Cowan,”Lord Fergus said, acknowledging the man when he brought his horse to a stop.

Odran stepped forward. “You visit without notice, why?”

“Your son speaks for you, Lord Fergus?” Chieftain Cowan asked with a smug grin.

“I speak when a foe of the Clan MacBridan shows up unannounced with a troop of men flanking his rear. I advise you to order your men to dismount now,” Odran warned his powerful voice loud enough for Chieftain Cowan’s men to hear.

Cowan’s smug grin grew as he was about to speak, but vanished abruptly when he heard the men behind him dismount. He turned a vicious glare on them, but not one of them remounted.

“Your warriors are wiser than their chieftain,” Odran said. “Now have your say and depart unless you are wiser than I believe and have come to beg forgiveness from Lord Fergus for foolishly going against the Clan MacBridan.”

“I have come for my daughter, Crissa. You will return her to me,” Chieftain Cowan demanded.

* * *

“Please help me,”the young woman begged, her eyes darting about in fright.

“Who did this to you?” Elysia asked, her heart aching for the beating the woman had taken. One eye was almost swollen shut, her bottom lip was split in the middle, dried blood holding it closed, and one cheek was badly bruised. Her hand reached out to take the woman’s arm, and she cringed.

Elysia eased her sleeve up and a deep bruise marked a good portion of her forearm. She feared the woman’s garments covered more painful bruises.

“Please, hide me,” the lass begged.

“Come with me,” Elysia urged, afraid to touch her and cause her more pain.

The woman followed, her steps painfully slow.

“What is your name?” Elysia asked, hoping to put the woman at ease.

“Crissa,” the lass said and cringed as she started up the keep steps.

“I am Elysia,” Elysia said and had to ask again, seeing the poor woman grimace with each step up the keep stairs. “Who did this?”

“You will not help me if I tell you,” the lass said.

The pitiful sadness in the woman’s voice had Elysia responding with strong determination. “Nothing—absolutely nothing—will stop me from helping you, Crissa.”

The woman’s head drooped, her curly red hair falling to conceal her face, as if she needed to hide her shame. “My da did this to me, Chieftain Cowan of the Clan MacFarden, and foe to the Clan MacBridan.”

* * *

“Your daughter isn’t here,”Lord Fergus said with a snappish tongue.

“I don’t believe you, Fergus!” Chieftain Cowan shouted. “Crissa claims to love one of your son’s skilled warriors and worse she carries his bairn. I’ll see her punished for her betrayal and the bairn dead.” He cast a quick glance about and his eyes suddenly grew wide and his full cheeks spotted red. “There she is.” He took off on his horse.

Odran took off after him seeing where he was headed and why. He was going straight for the keep where Elysia was following alongside a woman who was climbing the steps slowly. He cut through the village, worried Cowan would reach the keep before him.

Elysia stopped along with Crissa as they finally reached the top step.

“CRISSA!”

Crissa turned, fright trembling her whole body.

Elysia turned as well and watched as a man sizeable in weight but not height rushed off his horse and came barreling up the stairs toward them.

Elysia didn’t hesitate, she stepped in front of Crissa and shouted, “Don’t you dare come near us!”

So shocked by the shout from the petite women, Cowan halted. He glared at Elysia but pointed at Crissa. “She’s my daughter and she’ll be coming with me.”

Elysia shook her finger at the man. “She will not be going with you to be beaten again.”

Cowan’s face blotted red with rage. “You’ll not stop me from taking my own daughter.”

Elysia’s legs trembled with fear. There was no way she could stop the man, but she could delay him from taking Crissa, allowing time for her husband to reach her, since she had no doubt he was on his way.

“What kind of man are you beating on your daughter?” Elysia accused.

Cowan leaned his face down close to hers. “A man who knows how to keep a woman in her place.” He reached out and grabbed Elysia roughly by the arm.

“LET GO OF MY WIFE!” Odran roared taking a few steps up the stairs, but not wanting to rush the man for fear of what he might do to Elysia before he could reach her. One snap from the Cowan’s thick hand could easily break her neck.

Cowan snarled like a rabid animal and a nasty smirk lit at his mouth before he released her.

Elysia didn’t trust the man and she took a hasty step back, but it wasn’t fast enough.

His one hand shot up and grabbed Elysia’s neck lifting her off the ground, then his other hand caught her leg in a firm grip and he launched her up in the air to dangle her petite body over his head. He turned, his smile smug as he faced Odran poised on the steps.

Elysia froze out of fear of being dropped and fear of what damage a fall could do to the bairn she carried. Her glance darted to her husband, fury raged on his face while worry filled his eyes. Only one option was left to her… her husband would see her safe, and she held strong to that trust.

“PUT HER DOWN!” Odran ordered, his fear growing of what Cowan might do. He was a man who gave no thought or consequence to his actions or he never would have raged a battle against the Clan MacBridan.

“OR WHAT? Cowan challenged.

“Or I’ll see you dead,” Odran warned with dead calmness.

Cowan laughed and with a roar, he heaved Elysia toward her husband.

Odran reacted as he watched in horror as his wife flew through the air. He took the steps three at a time, his arms stretched out and his body prepared for the blow. He caught her before she hit the steps and wrapped himself around her to take the brunt of the fall as he stumbled back.

It was a brief fall, no tumbling or rolling, his wife’s head tucked safely beneath his chest and her petite body protected by his large, muscled one.

“Are you all right,” he asked, lying along the steps, an ache to his back where the edge of a stair dug into him. Though, it mattered not. He more feared his wife had been hurt.

She raised her head. “I believe so.” Her thought was for the bairn, but her husband’s body had cushioned the fall and had protected her and, hopefully, their bairn.

Odran got them to their feet and Elysia wasn’t surprised to see some of his warriors lined along the bottom of the keep steps, Finch in front of them, sword in hand.

Cowan signaled Odran forward with a wave of his two hands. “Come on, Odran. You said you’d see me dead if I tossed your wife. Show your warriors the coward you are and draw your sword on a man who has no weapon.” He spread his arms to show he wore no sword.

Odran moved his wife to the side, away from the stairs. “Wait here.”

Elysia stayed where he put her, her eyes fixed on her husband.

“I’m taking my daughter and leaving and you can’t stop me,” Cowan boasted bravely and grabbed his daughter’s arm as Odran climbed the stairs.

Crissa cried out and tried to break free.

“LET HER GO!” Odran demanded.

“You can’t stop me. I have a right to do what I will to my daughter,” Cowan snarled as Odran reached the top step.

“And I have a right to revenge what you did to my wife,” Odran said calmly.

Cowan shoved his daughter aside and came to stand face to face with Odran. “I knew you’d catch her. She suffered no harm. There’s no revenge to seek.”

“I warned you,” Odran said calmly.

Cowan threw his arms out from his sides and laughed. “Come on, I’ve been waiting to give you a good beating and one you richly deserve.”

A bare smile rose on Odran’s face and in the next second Cowan found himself grabbed by his throat followed by a quick grab to his crotch, then up in the air he went raised over Odran’s head and with a tremendous roar and powerful force he threw Cowan down the keep steps.

His head bounced forcefully off one of the steps and all heard a crack. He rolled the rest of the way down to lie lifeless at the bottom of the steps.

Odran walked down the steps to stand over the lifeless man, his eyes staring wide up at him. “You should have heeded my warning. No one harms my wife and lives.” He turned to his wife but she was already halfway up the stairs and he wondered if she finally realized just how much of a ruthless warrior he was.