Enchanted Lover (24 page)

“Only a few who are fearful of your so called magic
hate you,” he told her. “If you are steadfast, you'll win them over, but my
cousin is remiss in not leaving you better protected.”

“I fear he is the one who needs protection.”

“Are you sure Jared is in danger?”

“Aye,” she replied in a whisper.

Jared and his men reached the designated place at the
appointed time. Laird Innes and a small group of men were already there
waiting. Ian had fared well during the arduous ride. They had moved at a slower
pace so the young man did not suffer a setback from his travels.

The meeting was being held on the lands of a neutral
clan that lay in a buffer zone between the Innes and MacLean holdings. Telling
his men to hold back, Jared rode forward with Ian.

Laird Innes eyed Jared when he came closer. His
expression was unreadable until he gazed lovingly at Ian. Embracing his son,
Angus looked back at Jared. “Why have you done this? You could have held Ian
hostage as you hold my daughter.”

“Your daughter is my wife,” Jared pointed out. “Ian
is my brother-in-law, and you, whether you like it or not, are my
father-in-law. I am serious about my peace plan. Doesn't this prove the truth
of my words?”

“I wonder, Laird of Dunbocan, could your plan be so
straightforward?”

“Both sides have much to gain by this peace.”

“Mayhaps you have more to gain than we know. Do you
seek peace because a rebellion within your own ranks threatens to rise up and
destroy you? You have already admitted some of the masked riders are traitors
among your own men.”

Jared took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I
had no rebellion I knew of until I announced my plan to kidnap Asilinn and make
her my wife. You know discontent rises and falls from time to time. I assure
you I am in no jeopardy of being replaced.”

“Why seek peace now?”

“I decided on a plan I thought would work and our
king was in favor of it.”

“Taking Asilinn for your wife?” Jared nodded and
Angus scowled. “‘Tis a trick,” he accused.

“My holdings outnumber yours two to one. Do you
honestly believe I could not have defeated you already if I chose to mount an
all out attack? I prefer to work through peace and treaties but I have no fear
of war when it is necessary.”

Angus shifted in his saddle. “Your peace plan seems
fair. I am urging my council to consider it carefully.”

“Good,” Jared said with a smile. “Now I'll hurry back
to my wife who begged me not to come on this expedition.” Jared turned
Ailleagian back towards his men.

“Wait! Why did Asilinn ask you not to come?”

“She had a vision of my death at the hand of the
masked riders.”

“I wouldna see her a widow this soon. Come back to my
camp and eat with me. I have a gift which may offset the treachery.”

Jared was puzzled but he rode back to Morven and told
his clansmen to wait for him then rode alone to the Innes encampment.

Laird Angus Innes set forth a bountiful table for a
man on the road. They ate and discussed various aspects of the peace plan Jared
had suggested in his letter. Eventually Laird Innes dismissed all others except
Ian and Jared.

“Tell me what my daughter said about her vision.”

“She foresaw my death by ambush on the trail. She was
not specific about the manner of the attack but she said I was alone. I ride
with ten of my best men. If it is a true vision, I think it is further in the
future than Asilinn seems to believe.”

“She has an instinct about these things,” Angus said,
rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Do you remember the battle at Bone Cross? It
was Asilinn's vision that predicted the manner in which my forces would defeat
you. And at Crathie last year, she foresaw our defeat and begged me not to go.
Dinna take her words lightly.”

“It must be a terrible curse for her.”

“I know you are anxious to return to Dunbocan, so I
give you this gift.” Angus opened a large leather pouch and yanked out a chain
mail vest. “Wear this beneath you shirt and tell no one,” he advised. “If any
in your party are among the traitors, I wouldna see them warned. If you are
attacked, as Asilinn has predicted, this armor will cover your vitals well. You
may survive to punish those who rise against you.”

Jared eyed his father-in-law curiously. “Could it be
you dinna find me such an objectionable son-in-law?”

“Think what you will,” Angus said gruffly. “Go now
before I change my mind and run you through myself.” With that, he rose and
left Jared alone with Ian.

“He has just paid you a great tribute,” Ian said. “This
chain mail was a gift to him from Robert the Bruce. Use it and go with God.”
Ian stood and shook Jared's hand. “I owe you my life. Know I will work for the
peace when I return to Cairngorm.”

Putting on the vest, Jared thanked him and headed
back to his men. They had eaten and were anxiously awaiting his return.

“I was about to come after you,” Morven declared.
“What did the old goat want?”

“He wished to talk of his daughter. Let's get moving.
I'm ready to go home. We have a few hours of light left.” Jared wheeled
Ailleagian and started for Dunbocan Castle. The men fell in quickly. Jared
pushed them forward well into the evening.

At length Morven approached him. “Laird, are we to
ride straight through the night?”

“Getting a bit soft in your old age,” Jared teased.
“No, we'll make camp. We can easily make Dunbocan tomorrow if we get an early
start.”

Morven had the men set up camp and soon they all
slept beneath the stars. Jared's dreams were full of sapphire eyes and golden
hair. He should be more wary of her but her fair face and passionate response
to his touch were making his guard slip. A beautiful woman could be a curse to
a man.

They rose early and set out, striking through Burnum
Woods in the late afternoon. Soon they reached an area thick with Mountain Ash
and pines. Jared felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. Something was
amiss. He could feel it in the air. Pulling up, he sent several men to circle
around and check the trail ahead. The horses shifted restlessly beneath their
riders while they awaited word. But none came.

Half an hour passed in uneasy silence. Jared grew
tired of waiting. “Come, let's see what has happened,” he said, leading the way
up the trail. Suddenly a force of a dozen masked riders swooped down on them.
For a brief period the air was thick with the clash of swords and battle cries
and then the assailants retreated abruptly, disappearing as quickly as they had
come.

Jared gathered his men. “Scatter and find them!” he
ordered. “Go in twos. No man is to be alone.” Morven started to join him but
Jared waved him off. “Go with Ross! I'll take Malcolm.”

Jared and Malcolm flew down the narrow trail to the
dense thicket. The area was full of hoof prints in the soft earth. Pulling up,
Jared dismounted and studied them. He was about to remount when five riders
bore down on them. Malcolm was surprised and knocked from his horse with the
first blow.

Jared ran toward the oncoming men sword at the ready.
With his first swing, he pierced the chest of the rider nearest him. He swung
again and unseated a second rider but the other three now surrounded Malcolm.
Jared jumped up on Ailleagian and went to his friend's aid. Malcolm was
severely wounded and the three men sought to finish their job.

Grabbing his crossbow Jared took aim at one of Malcolm's
attackers. Ailleagian jumped and the arrow misfired. One of the men knocked the
crossbow from his grip. Enraged, Jared attacked like a madman with his sword,
temporarily disabling one of the masked marauders. Malcolm managed to pull
himself on the back of his horse while Jared kept the other two occupied.

“Ride,” Jared ordered. With a pained look, Malcolm
slumped in the saddle and kneed his horse to retreat.

Jared took off in the opposite direction hoping to
keep the attackers from pursuing Malcolm. Ailleagian raced deeper into Burnum
Woods with the masked men in hot pursuit.

Three of the men raced after Jared. For a fleeting
instant, he thought of Asilinn's vision. Was this how he was to die? He glanced
over his shoulder. Only two riders were in sight. Whirling back around he was
forced to slow his pace because of the difficult rocky path that dropped away
on one side. Rounding a bend, he came face to face with the third rider.
Ailleagian reared when the masked man jumped into the trail.

The other two riders ran headlong into the fray.
There was no room to maneuver. Jared engaged one man and turned sharply to ward
off a blow from behind but the third man took advantage and toppled Jared from
the horse with a glancing blow.

The three men jumped to the ground stabbing and
kicking at Jared. It was impossible for him to get up. A few of the jabs
penetrated the chain mail Angus had given him but most bounced off only
bruising the flesh below. Unable to see the armor beneath his shirt, the men
seemed frightened by the way their swords failed to kill Jared.

Finally managing to struggle to his feet, Jared was
hit in the jaw with the butt of a sword. Stumbling backward he lost his balance
falling down the embankment and rolling into the dense underbrush at the bottom
of the ravine.

“He's dead,” the tallest man said. “Not even Laird
Jared MacLean could survive that fall.” The three men turned and fled. Jared
watched them leave just before he lost consciousness. His last thoughts were of
Asilinn.

***

Asilinn paled when she watched the somber procession
entering the gates of Dunbocan Castle. Morven was first leading Ailleagian. He
rode up to her, his face a steel mask. “Milady, we have not yet found the body,
but I fear Laird Jared has been killed. Ailleagian would never leave Laird
Jared of his own accord. We searched until it grew dark and came back for fresh
supplies and more men. Tomorrow we will return… but I fear the worst.”

Wynne caught Asilinn when she fell backward. Her legs
were suddenly unsteady beneath her and her head was spinning. Through the dim
haze, Asilinn felt someone lift her and her world went black.

Morven was sitting beside her bed when she awakened.
Sitting up, she stared at him teary-eyed. “He cannot be dead,” she whispered,
thinking of the life growing within her. Morven misinterpreted her fear as
grief and clasped her to his chest.

“I fear he is, Milady, and now we must see to your
welfare. Jared would have wanted that.”

Asilinn pulled away from him. “I wilna believe Jared
is dead until I've seen his body.”

Morven's face turned grim. “Lady Asilinn, it is not
as easy as you think. The woods are large and dense with thick underbrush. A
man could wander lost for days in certain sections. We have no idea where Jared
was when he was attacked. We only found his horse wandering. You must face the
fact we may never find him.”

“Then he is not dead,” Asilinn insisted. “And I will
not have you proclaiming it otherwise without proof.”

Morven scowled. “You dinna know what you're saying.
I'm afraid this situation will only come clearer in the morning,” he said
slowly. He got up and started for the door brushing past Skye, who stood behind
him dry-eyed.

As soon as the door closed, she rushed over to the
bed. “Asilinn, you must use your gift to find him. I'm sure he isna dead. I
canna explain why. I just know.”

“If he is what will become of our child?”

Skye plopped down on the bed blinking back tears.
Brushing Skye's dark hair from her face, Asilinn embraced her. Asilinn felt
weepy herself though she could not fathom why the death of the man who had held
her captive and coerced her body into serving his every desire should leave her
distraught. She told herself it was because of the babe.

“Please tell me you know it is a lie,” Skye begged.
“Look into the future and tell me.”

“I cannot. All my dreams and visions come unbidden. I
have no control over them.”

“Can I stay here with you tonight?” Skye asked.
Asilinn nodded.

They sat up for hours alternating between tears and
hope but finally exhaustion overtook them and they fell asleep.

Hours later Asilinn awoke with a start and sat bolt
upright in bed. Her vivid premonition was still racing through her mind. “He
lives!” she cried. Skye stirred and sat up rubbing her eyes.

“What?”

“He lives,” Asilinn said. “He lives and you and I are
going to find him. In my dream Ailleagian leads us to him.”

Skye scrambled to her feet. “Let's go.” She stopped
and stared questioningly at Asilinn. “Are we to go now?”

“I feel we must go now, but ‘tis purely intuition.
The only glimpse I saw was you and me pulling aside some brush and finding him.
Since we do not know whom to trust, I'm afraid we must go alone. We'll need to
dress like men. It will be safer that way.”

Skye headed for the door. “I'll get the clothes and
be back in no time.”

Asilinn paced the floor until Skye returned. They
quickly camouflaged their identities in the raggedy clothes and tucked their
braids under a pair of old hats. Asilinn appraised their disguises. “Probably
sufficient in the dark,” she mused. “Do you know the way?”

“Aye,” Skye assured her.

Using the secret passage, they made their way to the
stables. “I'll ride Ailleagian and you ride Faileas,” Asilinn instructed.

The stable was quiet as a tomb when they entered.
Ailleagian looked up and nuzzled Asilinn while she arranged his tack. She was
just about to mount when a tall figure loomed in the doorway.

“What are you two doing?” a voice rasped. A lantern
was thrust into Asilinn's face as a strong hand ripped off her hat, sending her
single golden braid snaking down her back.

“Liam,” she breathed. Her heart pounded in her ears.