Sacrificing his Highland Heart by Kenna Kendrick
Chapter Twenty-Five
Euan arrived at the sluice gate just to see Henry’s men pouring in. He almost laughed at their size, so diminutive in compared to his own men. He puffed out his chest with pride. At least he didn’t have to be humiliated in battle, even though his wife had done as much with her betrayal. But what he wasn’t prepared for was the sheer number of men. There was space at the back of the castle where the gate was, but not enough, and he could feel the cramping as more and more men entered the gate.
His warriors, with Angus at the lead, began to fight them one by one. The other half of Euan’s warriors fell back, preparing a sort of line. When Euan arrived, his hand gripped his sword, and he called to his men to join him, to surge forward, and to stem the flow of men right at the entrance. Soon, they might be slaughtered merely because there wasn’t enough room to swing a sword.
At the gate, he swung wildly, hitting one man and then another, and his muscles remembered the long years of war. In his mind, he saw flashbacks, memories of battle, the yelling of men, the sound of metal on metal, the grunting of effort as groups of men attempted to kill each other.
It seems this kind of thing will never end.
While he knew that he was tired of war, he could feel the anger and pain of betrayal thrumming inside his chest like a living being. It was like the anger he had felt for so long after the death of his father. Rose had done much to ease his anger, but her betrayal had suffocated the happiness from him. He was back to being cold, hard, and brutish Euan Rede and Henry would see that, and he would regret that he had called for war this day.
The battle continued for a few more minutes when Angus called out to him. “There are more above! One man has come tae tell me. More in the hall! They have found another entranceway, the servant’s entrance, and they are flooding the castle, laird!” He returned to fighting, and Euan could hear the sound of Angus’ grunting as he swung his expert sword against the less expert English sword.
Euan growled and turned towards the stairs. He called to a few of his men, and he left the battle to Angus and his warriors while he and a handful of men crept back up the stairs, their swords gripped firmly in their hands. It was worse than Euan had thought. Even if Henry’s men were less skilled and smaller than his men, he knew that sheer numbers could turn the tide in a battle in an instant. His sword hilt twisted in his sweaty palm, but he held tight.
It seemed like hours until he and his men reached the top of the stairs and found themselves on the edge of the main hall. It was nearly circular and large, and the grand staircase lowered down into it, wide and made of stone. He didn’t like the thought of English or Scottish blood being spilled over the stones of his home, but considering how old the castle was, he was sure it was not the first time. He could hear the footsteps of those English “boys” hurrying from one of the side passages, the passages that had passed by the kitchens.
For the first time, he could feel a trickle of fear. Could all the servants have been killed? Or were they smart enough to barricade the door? Had one of his own men made it there in time to help guard them?
As the men rushed in, he and his own made a line, standing ready to fight, his blade lifted. He didn’t yet see Henry among them, but he called out to the English. When they saw Rede men, they trembled a little in fright. Good.
“Ye can make a different choice here, lads,” he said with a grin, his blade lifted even higher. “There is nae need for battle, nae when ye ken that we can kill ye in a matter of seconds and leave yer body tae bleed out on the stone floor of my home. Utter waste, if ye ask me. Even if ye are English.” He didn’t really believe they would accept. He wanted to fight, but still, it helped to threaten those weaker, so they could feel his power.
The young men swallowed, but they came nearer, not looking as fazed by his threats as he had hoped. His own men flanked him, solid and tall, each better with a sword than the next. He wasn’t worried about their fear. They had seen far worse.
“Well, then, ye have made yer choice, I suppose. Death it is,” Euan replied to their silence.
They stepped into the fray, Euan swinging first, and the fighting began. It was so loud; it rang in his ears. The sounds of battle filled his hall, even with a room as high up as that one. As he moved and hit and struck, he couldn’t help but think of Rose. Rose had done this; even if she was not here battling against him, he knew it to be true. Rose had wrought this disaster, and she was just upstairs, likely thinking she was right to wreak this havoc.
But she loves ye. She told ye so herself. She apologized.
He shook off the memory, but the fighting didn’t help cool his anger or cover his pain. It only made it far worse, and he almost wished that he was dead. He could just slow down and let one of these useless young English warriors run him through, and then it would be over. He wouldn’t have to think of the clan, Rose, or his parents ever again. He would be free. The thought did appeal to him, but only for a moment until he heard Henry Sayer speak.
“Leave the Laird to me!” He called from his place on the steps. Euan turned, his eyes narrowed as he spied a proud Sayer staring down at him and pointing his sword at him. “Surprised to see us, Scot?”
Euan’s fury rose again, and he pushed through the crowd until he was nearly at Henry’s feet. No thought of death now. At least not his own. He wouldn’t let Henry get away with this.
* * *
Rose could hear the sounds of battle as she hurried from her chamber with Walter at her heels. She lifted her skirts so that she could move quickly, but out of instinct, she slowed ever so slightly when she heard the clanging of metal and men’s yelling. Walter noticed. “Ye donnae have tae do this, ye ken? Ye can return tae yer room, and nae one will ken. Ye can save yerself.”
Rose was still moving forward, even if it was slower. She swallowed back the sudden wave of fear that had filled her like a traitor. If she stopped, she knew that it would swallow her whole. “No, I must do this. I can save lives, even if Euan refuses to forgive me. And I will have no life if I remain in my room. It will be a waste.”
She took a breath and then turned the corner to reach the staircase. She gasped at the sight of it. It was so strange to see her home, for now, she thought of it as hers and always would, filled to the brim with warriors, each of them wearing the same expression of anger and ruthlessness. Their blades were raised as they were locked tightly in battle. Her eyes roved over the crowd to find her brother or Euan. She hesitated a little on the stairs, but she hurried down them, ready to do what she could. Walter called after her, but she didn’t stop.
He will just have to keep up with me if he means to be my protector.
She had no idea what her plan was when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She hadn’t yet seen Euan or Henry, and no man seemed to notice her as she made her way down towards them, her courage the only thing propelling her forward. There, she could see them! Just as she was nearing the bottom of the stairs, she could see her brother and Euan pushing against one another, their blades touching, their faces close, twisted into snarls. “Stop!” she called, but no one heard her. The room was far too loud, and the men were far too focused on keeping themselves alive to have seen her.
“Stop!” She called out again, but it was no use. Walter arrived at her side, breathless. “They will nae hear ye, Rose.” He lifted his blade, his eyes narrowing over the men. “If any man comes tae ye, though, once he realizes how close ye stand, he will feel the touch of my sword.”
Rose felt a rush of affection for Walter. He had been so kind to her, but she couldn’t think of that now. She needed to stop them. In a strange act of courage, she jumped into the crowd, stepping between Euan and Henry, and called out again, “Stop it!”
At that, Henry and Euan pulled away and turned to her, their faces in shock. “Rose, what the hell are you doing?” Henry cried, and he reached out for her to pull her to his side. Luckily, she expected it, and she pulled away, moving more towards Euan. Henry’s eyes glinted with fury. “What do you mean by this?”
Rose’s mind was racing. She turned to Euan, who gave her the same angry look that he had been giving Henry. Rose wasn’t sure what to do, but what she did feel was the heavyweight of her tiny blade in her dress pocket. She yanked it out and held it out towards her brother. At that moment, no one seemed to notice them. Not just yet. Battle was still swirling around them as if they were in a bubble and no one could see them. Walter jumped down beside her, and finally, Euan spoke.
“What do ye mean letting her out? I told ye that ye were tae guard her!” He was nearly frothing at the mouth; he was so furious. Rose held onto her courage and kept the blade pointed at her brother.
“Why do ye do this, Rose?” Henry asked. Before she could answer, he called to his men. “Stop now! There is too much danger! Cease yer fighting!”
All Euan did was lift a hand to his men, and the sounds of fighting stopped. In a matter of seconds, silence filled the room, nearly as heavy as the battle sounds. Once it was quiet again, Rose said, “Stop this, Henry. It is madness. I was going to write to you to tell you to leave off, to not come to Rede land for your misguided vengeance!”
“Misguided! Ha!” Henry was almost frothing too. He kept his grip on his sword, but it was lowered, and his eyes were moving between Euan and Rose at a rapid pace. “I do not understand, Rose. What are you doing? Why do you defend him?”
“This is my home now, Henry, and I cannot see it torn apart, least of all by you.”
Henry spat on the ground. “You have been brainwashed by your husband, Rose. I suppose I should have seen this coming, but by the sound of your letters, I did not realize that it had happened already.”
“I am not,” Rose said her grip on the situation loosening. She felt a hand on her arm.
“Stand aside, lass,” Euan said to her. He wasn’t looking at her, but his voice was no longer as angry as it had been.
“No!” she said, tired of being pushed around, and now, when she knew what she wanted to fight for, she was going to fight until the end. She stiffened. Her blade was still pointed at her brother. The room was still silent around them. She turned the knife towards her own chest and heard both men gasp. She said in a clear, strong voice, “If you will not see, Henry, what damage you have done and continue to do, then there is no other choice but to take my own life to teach you that lesson!”
