Twenty-Seven
James had carved several more notches since the feeling of unease began in him.
Had his father been injured?
Would anyone know where to look for he and Katie had something happened?
“Love?”
He looked over at her as she walked towards him. He was sitting at the bank of the loch.
“I’d been calling out to ye. Are ye well?”
The concern on her face shook him out of his musings. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Aye, lass. All is well. I am well.”
“D’ye wish to return, James? It has been a long while.”
He looked at her closely, noticing worry in her gaze. “Ye worry also, aye?”
Katie nodded. “I love it here with ye, but I canna help but wonder how our families are faring.”
Her safety would always come first for him- his wife above all else and all others.
James looked down to the small belly protruding a bit more from the flaps of her open chemise. She looked like a vision of an angel. Her beautiful tiny belly unhindered by garments and on display for his hungry eyes.
There was nothing as appealing or as beautiful as the love of his life carrying the life they created in her belly.
“This is the safest place for ye, mo stòr.”
“But the battle is between ye and the Kerrs, James, nay me.”
He’d kept the full truth from her to not cause her to worry unnecessarily.
“Boyd Kerr had made serious threats against ye. I only mentioned that he threatened to kidnap ye. ‘Twas more serious.”
Shock registered on her face. “Kill me? But he doesna know me.”
“Nay, he doesna, for any who know ye, would adore ye. He knows that to destroy me, he would need to use ye.”
She kissed his bare chest before looking up again. “Why did ye nay tell me?”
“Why worry ye? It served nay purpose. I wanted ye to be here with me without yer thoughts wandering to those bad men.”
“I wish to share yer burdens, husband. We can bear them together. Together, we can bear anything.”
James leaned down and kissed her, bringing her within the solid warmth of his arms. Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “And I love ye for those beautiful thoughts and words, mo stòr.”
She nuzzled his chest.
“Come. Ye must be hungry, aye?”
The smile that appeared on her face made his heart stutter.
“Aye. Need ye ask? I’m always hungry.”
He laughed and they sat before the fire, Katie devouring the fish. He rose to go hunting.
“We could eat fish again later, James. Ye doona have to hunt. Make today an easy one for ye.”
He kissed her forehead as he rose.
“Nay, my love. Ye devour the rabbit every day. ‘Tis yer current favorite.”
She laughed as he’d emphasized the word “current,” as her tastes and favorites varied from week to week.
“I shall return in no time. There’ve been many as of late.”
Yawning, as she did daily during this part of the day, she nodded her head. Katie began settling herself underneath their hut.
“Rest, mo stòr. Ye need to sleep.”
Her cheeks blushed slightly. “I wish that I wasna so tired. I love ye.”
Kissing the top of her head, he told her the words he always said to her before leaving to hunt. He touched her belly and their babe gifted him with a light kick that made them smile.
“I love ye, my treasures, more than my life.”
James watched her settle in, and began walking where he’d been finding more rabbits as of late. He passed the tree and noted the notches. He looked back at Katie, figuring that she was nearing, if not passing, four months along. He couldn’t judge by merely looking at her, since she was petite and any belly would look large on her form. If she was anything like Maddie, and they were nearly the same size, then the bairn would cause a giant belly on her small stature.
They would need to return. Katie needed to be near a healer soon, anyhow. He would not take any risks with her life or that of their bairn.
James arrived where he’d found a large population of rabbits and game. Mayhap he’d hunt larger game for the next day or two so he would not need to leave her. Not an animal too large, for he never hunted for larger than what he had need of. Thinking about that for another moment, he decided against that since his wife had taken quite a liking to rabbit. James began slowly following a plump one that would surely satisfy her appetite.
He smiled.
James knew his little stòr’s appetite was increasing daily. Luckily, she did not suffer the common affliction of vomiting in the morning as some of the other women he’d heard had experienced.
James stopped for a moment, finding it odd that the rabbits had left the area, for he’d only seen the plump one. Curious, he traveled a bit out of the meadow and into a wooded area. He’d missed exerting his body after being idle with Katie for a few months.
Not that he was complaining, since they’d found other sources of amusement and exertion. If he had to be idle, he’d want to be so with his wife, that was of certainty.
Lost in thought about his father and his wife, he hadn’t realized how far he’d wandered. He must have been completely immersed in thought without regard to his environment.
This was exactly how he’d shown Katie not to be.
James turned and stopped. He’d heard leaves move.
It may have been a sweltering day, but windy it was not.
Unsheathing his sword, he remained still.
Patient.
Someone was here. Mayhap it was one of his patrolling soldiers.
Or not.
James waited, listening.
There it was again. There was the slightest movement of leaves, and it was not made by an animal, but rather, was made by a man who was poorly trying to conceal his presence.
The other man may as well have announced his arrival with bagpipes.
James’ acute hearing was unrivaled, and skillfully honed. He stood with his eyes closed, feeling the familiar surge of aggression rise in his body.
Whoever the interloper was, potentially posed a threat to his wife and bairn.
Whoever he was, he’d best have a sound reason for being there.
Whoever he was, was now standing behind him.
James turned in fury, sword raised.
The man before him had blatant fear in his eyes, as James’ sword had pressed against his throat in one smooth, uninterrupted movement.
James noticed the man wore Ramsay plaid.
“Who. Are. Ye?”
“I come from the clan Ramsay.”
James pressed the blade of the sword further into the shorter man’s neck.
“Doona tell me what I already know. I will ask ye once more before I leave ye unable to speak.”
“Al-Alpin G-Grant of the clan Ramsay.”
Alpin stood looking up at the towering giant. This was was the man Katherynne had married? This giant beast?
She’d shunned him for this man?
He’d felt a bit guilty after their last encounter.
A bit.
But Alpin yearned for a higher station. Since the brat had already wedded, he’d decided that he would be the one to gain favor by finding James first and relaying the messages he’d overhead Connor and the Menzies laird were wanting to give to him.
Eavesdropping had its own advantages, such as when he’d overhead them speaking of this location.
Being the last born son, the opportunities to rise above and become more than what he was born into, were little. Connor had in place his commanders, and even as the son of Malcolm’s old second-in-command, he was still not accorded the consideration he should have been given.
One way or another, he’d make a name for himself.
He knew that if he could reach James first, inform him of what transpired, they could return quicker to the front that Connor and the Menzies laird were holding. He and James would intercept the group of warriors moving this way, and would preserve time.
Which was precious at the moment.
A large grouping of men would surely move slower than him. They’d also planned to leave after Alpin had. Alpin had barely stopped to drink water and let his horse rest.
The battle was long and showed no end near. If they were to overcome the endless supply of men Kerr had, they needed to break off into other contingencies.
They needed James Menzies to command the sixth contingency Connor and the Menzies laird were currently assembling. Mayhap if he returned efficiently with James, they’d give Alpin his own contingency to command.
“What are ye doing here? On my land?”
Alpin cleared his throat, not so much as moving a hair lest his throat be cut by the sharp blade.
“Could ye lower the sword, Menzies?”
“Nay. Tell me yer purpose for being here.”
It had just occurred to him that Katie wasn’t with her husband.
“Where is Katherynne?”
That had been the wrong manner for Alpin to respond, for he saw anger flash in the other man’s eyes.
“Ye dare mention my wife’s name?”
Alpin felt the blade prick his skin and felt a droplet of blood as it made its way down.
“Ye better come forth with answers, Grant. Why do ye utter my wife’s name? What purpose are ye here to serve? How did ye find us?”
Tripping over his tongue, Alpin quickly told the brute what he wanted to know.
“I am well a-acquainted with my laird’s f-family. Before ye were wed, our former laird gave approval ff-or me to seek out K-Katherynne’s attentions. I came here after overhearing my laird and yer father. They n-need ye to return to command a sixth contingency. I’d overheard yer father described th-this area to my laird.”
After the smaller man had finished, James continued to hold his sword in place while staring into Alpin’s eyes.
He’d not seen the man flinch or move his gaze. Alpin was being honest, but James had the sense that he’d not been told all.
Moving his sword away, James sheathed it. Alpin breathed in deeply several times.
“So ye are the one who tried to gain my Katie’s interest?” James’ gaze was measuring, and he found him lacking. “And ye believed coming here, alone, made good sense? Ye are in nay capacity of leadership for me to take yer word. Are ye daft or dumb?”
Alpin bristled- the gall of this man-beast.
“Neither!”
James’ gaze would not move from Alpin. The golden hostile eyes were as eerie as they were frightening.
Like a wild cat’s at night, gleaming in the moonlight.
“Then ye are ambitiously ignorant.”
“D’ye have anything else to say to me other than insults, man? I just arrived here at a neck-breaking pace to inform ye that ye must return with due haste.”
“Did ye make assurances that ye werena followed?”
“I…of course not.”
James crossed his arms, his face growing angrier by the moment.
“What did ye do to make certain the enemy didna follow?”
“I…well…I left at the main frontline where yer father and Connor were. I left quickly. No one could have followed me here. I would’ve known.”
Alpin shifted on his feet as James continued to stare at him. The look in the towering man’s eyes was chilling, and made him believe that James was again trying to decide whether Alpin was dumb or whether he should kill him.
“Did ye double back and lead the tracks astray? Did ye attempt to cover them up? Did ye investigate if ye were being followed ever so often in your journey?”
Dumbfounded, Alpin remained silent, struggling to find how to answer the intimating warrior before him.
“Are ye a focking fool?”
“I-”
James hand sliced through the air. “Shh.”
Alpin watched the giant become disconcertingly still as he listened to something unknown to him. Alpin heard nothing but the thud of his heart.
“D’ye know how to fight?”
“Of course.”
“Ready yerself. Five, mayhap six, approach.”
Befuddled, Alpin began asking a question when James silenced him. James unsheathed his sword and his body was still. The muscles on his body were engaged, coiling, readying itself for battle.
One thought was on his mind, and that was to kill the trespassers and prevent them from finding his wife and unborn bairn.
He’d address Alpin later.
A group of five men came forth, surprised to come upon James and Alpin- much to their misfortune.
James engaged immediately, not wasting time asking questions. The five men each wore different plaids, not only different from James and Alpin, but from one another. ‘Twas as if strangers were assembled to fight alongside the other. They were also smaller than he and Alpin, details that caught James’ interest but did not deter him in his goal to kill four of the five. He needed the last to live for questioning.
James swung his broadsword and sliced through one’s shoulder and upper body, rounding and slicing through another’s. Hearing the leaves crunch behind him, James turned and ran his sword through the abdomen of another. He looked to his left and saw Alpin struggling with two. In three strides, James was behind one, running his sword through the man’s side.
Barely winded, he looked at a shocked Alpin. “Cease. Let him live. I have questions.”
The other man turned to James, fear in his eyes.
“Ye won’t be gettin’ any fro’ me.”
James’ eyes rounded at hearing the man’s English accent. When Alpin went to speak, James raised his hand again as he listened. James’ gaze narrowed on Alpin’s and he said, “Prepare yerself. More come.”
Just then, a grouping of eleven men moved forth, surrounding James, Alpin, and the last living fighter of the original group. The new arrivals, too, were all wearing different plaid.
The instinct in James that had kept him alive and guided him through difficult battles reared up in him. Fear clench his heart, and the hair on his neck stood.
Something was amiss.
There were too many of them to be a coincidence.
The fear in his heart spread until he was nearly consumed by it, and the terror he felt was not for him.
It was for his wife and bairn.
Blood chilling in his veins, rage warring with the newly-felt emotions in James, he turned and ran his sword through the fifth man he’d kept alive. He looked to Alpin, and suspecting that these men, too, were Englishmen, James spoke in Gaelic.
“I will fend them off ye. Hurry to my wife. Just past the meadow, and listen for the waterfall.”
“But ye will die!”
James shook his head, rage, fear, and urgency making the movements sharp.
“Now! Find her and take her to my father or Connor! Go Alpin!”
Just as he’d uttered his last words, James turned and killed two of the men, clearing the way for Alpin to run and leave.
Alone with the remaining nine, James honed his instinct. A few of the trespassers laughed, believing they had the upper hand. When James’ humorless laughter joined in with theirs, the others stopped and looked at one another.
Their eyes widened as they heard James’ battle cry.