FLAME ACROSS THE HIGHLANDS (5 page)

Ian had worked hard at all duties he was assigned, always finding time to watch the
men folk at their mock battles, admiring his cousin Morgan’s skills as much as Robbie admired him now. Ian had adored Duncan’s son for his kindness to him as much as his prowess. Morgan had taught the lonely boy how to use a sword, and in the obsessive determination to please the elder lad, Ian had practiced hard with both
claymore
, a Scottish two-handed sword, and the English broadsword. He would be ready if the need arose.

Because Ian was the son of a woman of lesser rank, he had to be twice as good at everything he did. He as not as arrogant as some would imagine. It was just that he had had to prove himself double the worth of anyone else. A hard shell had been erected around himself in his boyhood, for he was more sensitive than he would ever have cared to admit and loathed it as a weakness. His father’s death, Morgan’s death, and the devastation he had felt had only hardened that shell. He built an aura around himself that made him appear invincible as he hid at times behind a silent, mockingly arrogant mask.

The turmoil for the Scottish crown and a fight to free Alba from Edward I’s English had given young Ian a chance to prove himself. Amidst a clattering, clamoring, weapon thrusting, shouting throng he had at last come to full manhood. It was then he had been fully accepted into the clan, his tainted “peasant” blood at last forgotten in the glory of his heroism. It had been a turning point in his life. The men of clan Campbell, including his uncle, had admired him for his strength and leadership, and the lassies had granted him their smiled and much, much, more. Falling under the spell of his striking male comeliness, they had given him their all-consuming passion and aye, their love. It was a reward Ian accepted as his due.

Now I add one more duty, wooing Robbie his bride
, Ian thought. Well, he liked the lad. Right from the first when he’d seen the wee babe he had formed a bond with the boy. Now he would do him proud and hope all would be well. So thinking, he turned away from the wall and headed back to his chambers. He would try to keep this mission in perspective. He’d seen so much blood and killing that he fully intended to live to the fullest! It was a brutal world but he could survive if he kept the right attitude. Appreciate each day of life, that was his motto. If he was of the right frame of mind it could well be an adventure, a chance for merriment. That was another reason he had asked that Aulay accompany him, for the little man was never boring and seemed to understand Ian’s moods as no one else could.

Aye, Aulay, he thought with a
smile. The dwarf was the son of a half-French, half-Scottish court jester who had once been trained in that humorous skill until Edward’s declaration of fire and sword had nearly taken his life. They had been friends for so long he could hardly think of a time when the dwarf had not been at his side. And perhaps the reason Ian had befriended the little man quite so stoutly was that he knew what it felt like to be an outcast. Under his tutelage, his stern defense, Aulay had at last been fully accepted.

“Uillean, summon Aulay. Tell him to make ready for a journey,” Ian instructed as he passed one of the castle manservants. Ah yes, the more he thought about it the more
determined he was to enjoy this journey.
             

Chapter Four

The changing colors of the morning sky lit up the rocky shoreline and cast a glow upon the  small fishing boat, a
curach
, that skimmed through the waters of Loch na Keal. Two men sat aboard the skiff, one pulling relentlessly at the oars. 

"We must be daft, Ian, to come by boat and no' by land.  I've fought at yer side for many years now but I hae no intention of b
eing some water beastie's meal."  Aulay, a tawny-haired man nearly half Ian's lofty height, though just as muscular, voiced his misgivings with a deep-throated rumble.  "I'm a warrior no' a mariner like the MacQuaries."

The sea water whipped and churned around the boat.
Grabbing tightly to the oars, Aulay cast his companion a surly frown.  So intent was he in his grumbling that he paid little heed to a large rock looming in their path until it was nearly too late.  Only at the last moment was the dwarf able to steer the craft to safety.  The boat just barely cleared the obstacle, brushing the granite with a  scratching sound.

"Aye, I can see
that you are no mariner."  Anxious to avoid another near collision, Ian quickly took the oars, guiding the boat towards the land.  Only  when the boat was back on course did he speak again, answering his friend's unspoken question.  "I thought it safer to travel by boat.  This so-called peace is too new for me to be too trustful of traveling MacQuarie lands.  Remember what happened to Morgan so long ago.  I would not want to be taken unaware.  I have no liking for a claymore to be piercing my back."

"Och!  Ye hae been wise.
” Aulan massaged his tired, aching muscles. “I can see that  now when I think on it."

Both men squinted their eyes toward the shore as they approached with caution.  The western coastline of the island appeared to be of solid rock, cream colored  and gray granite walls that r
ose vertically from the sea.  Such sea cliff scenery was awe inspiring, Ian had to admit.  Duncan no doubt, had his eye on claiming it, thus this matter of the marriage, he thought.

Ian remembered Eachuin, a chief of the MacQuaries, talking about this area of
Scotland when Robert the Bruce’s Highland troops were awaiting battle. The land was said to teem with wild beasts that outnumbered men and hunted with a ferocity and joy seldom found elsewhere. The sea was silver with fish. Noisy clouds of wildfowl hung above the coastal waters. Boar rooted in the forest lands. There were even said to be wild herds of cattle with flowing manes like lions, and red deer that roamed in thick herds.

  In the distance a stone fortress was visible, high on a hill rising somberly above the rock walls. 
Ian knew it must be both an observation point and in times of peril a place for clansmen to congregate. It looked stern and solemn as the sun rose behind its massive structure, reflecting off the stones. A reminder of the warfare that had raged for years.

"It looks quiet enough.  No boats.  No sign o' any 
MacQuarie's guarding the beaches."
If they proceeded much farther, however, they might be seen by some of the inhabitants of the stone and thatched-roof huts further down the shore. Aulay looked questioningly at Ian.

“We’ll move on. You’re right, it is quiet.” Ian touched his dirk nonethesless to be prepared if need be.
"No sentries......  Could it be that Lachlan MacQuarie is as daft as Duncan?"

"O
ch!  To say such a thing!"  Aulay was taken aback by such a comment.  It was unlike Ian to show such disrespect.

"It's true.  'Tis not only the MacQuaries that make me uneasy but
Duncan as well.  He has been acting so strange of late.  There is a faraway look in his eye.  And this sudden talk of peace when all he has held in his heart up to now has been hatred for our enemies. It makes me wonder."

"He is growing old.  He and Cameron and a few of the others will be throwing down their clay'mors afore too many more years hae passed.  Then ye can be
clan chieftain."

"Or Robbie!  The law of tanistry makes him as much a successor as am I."  Tanistry, or succession by cousinage meant there was
always more than one claimant. It was up to Duncan to decide and to name his successor.

Aulay shook his head.  "That young laddie has none o'
Duncan's mettle.  He looks to me as unlike a Campbell as a changeling.  There are many who are uneasy because of the mystery surrounding the laddie.  I've heard the talk.  It was as if he came out of the mists.  All of a sudden he was in Duncan's hall being nurtured wi'out much explanation."

"
Duncan explained the story to my satisfaction."  Ian was quick to defend the young man. “He took Robbie in when his parents died, to keep him safe from those who are jealous of the power we Campbells now wield.”

"Perhaps, but I dinna think
the others will choose to follow such as he, an untried youth who is little more than a bairn. Nae, it will you!"

Ian tensed his jaw.  "We should not even thi
nk of choosing another chief until Duncan lays his sword and shield aside. Until that day I'll do as he bids. Even take myself to Lachlan's MacQuarie's hall."

No more was spoken on the subject as both men concentrated on guiding
the boat towards the shore. There were places along  the island that were less rocky, flatter, sandy beaches. Ian made his decision to disembark on one of the white sand-strewn beaches near a fjord-like inlet far below the fortress.  Maneuvering the small craft into the inlet, they were soon out of range of view of anyone down shore.  It was here they beached the skiff. 

On the shore shells, drift wood,  logs and sea
weed littered the rock-strewn sand. They made their way through tangled seaweed until they came to several pathways leading in or out of the valley. Which one should they take? Ian made the choice, walking briskly along. The smaller man tried to keep up, taking tow footsteps to on of Ian’s long strides.

As the moved farther inland they could view the moss and lichen covered rocks more
closely.  The scenery was quite wild.  Different. They found the rocks and sand gave rise to an oasis of fertile soil further inland, however.  There was greenery--hazel shrub and flora--and widespread heaths.  The woodlands gave way to broad valleys and rich green land crisscrossed by rivers and streams. Aside from the fact that there as not as much arable land and pasture, it as not vastly different from their own territory, Ian reflected.

Reaching the summit of a hill, Ian could see a group of men and women working the fields with the
cas-chrom
, or foot plough. The patches of land appeared to be too small for horses to be of use. Beyond, a small herd of shaggy cattle grazed peacefully on the hillside. Wishing to maintain at least a semblance of secrecy about their presence, Ian paused in mid-stride, retracing his steps to go in the opposite direction, toward the forest lands. It seemed a convenient point from which to investigate this island whose chief paid but scant attention to the Crown. There would be time for explanation of their being on the island as soon as they found out where the MacQuarie castle keep was located.

Suddenly a sound behind Aulay startled him.  Remembering Ian's concern he drew his sword, fully prepared to defend himself
, but it was only a whimbrel, disturbed in the midst of eating its dinner.  Voicing a squawking protest, the seabird took flight, joined by others  of his kind.

"Now is no time to go hunting, Aulay."  A grin tea
sed the corner of Ian's mouth.

"I wasn't....I...."  Seeing he was being teased
, Aulay relaxed his own mouth in a smile.  "Well, let's hurry on then and be done wi' it."

"Aye.  I'll settle the matter of Robbie's bride and perh
aps find a lassie for myself."

"And one for me as well?"  The hopeful expression on Aulay's face was comical as it was meant to
be, yet Ian's smile faltered.

"Perhaps...."  Despite his tone of merriment, Ian sensed a loneliness in Aulay and he could only hope the dwarf's longing would soon be fulfilled.  If men were judged by heart instead of size he knew that Au
lay would tower over everyone.

A hush of quiet had settled over the land as Ian and Aulay hurried along, yet years of constant warring had made them both overly cautious.  Though the only voices they heard were from a flock of gulls circling overhead, t
hey attuned their ears to hear every sound.   Being in another clan's territory made them very vulnerable and most certainly unwelcome until they had made themselves known and explained their mission.

Focusing their eyes on the mottled golds, browns and greens of the land that rolled before them, they kept a lookout for any sign of danger.  Even so
, Ian was startled as a white and saffron-garbed figure darted out of the foliage several feet away.  The well-proportioned figure and long flowing red hair told him instantly that it was a woman.

"A lassie!"
Aulay's whisper gave voice to the obvious.  Two pair of eyes watched as the woman walked slowly over to the edge of a small lake gouged into the land.  She was unaware of their stares.  Silently the two men crept closer, close enough to see that she was beautiful.  At that very moment Ian was bewitched.

"Look at that hair!  'Tis like a fire, like a raging flame."  As the woman threw her head back, the long tresses whipped about her shoulders, catching the rays of the sun, setting her hair a
blaze with magenta highlights.

"Now, Ian...ye canna be thinking.  Not so soon.  I thought what ye said was all in jest, about finding a lassie.  Ye shouldna........"  Aulay had seen that look in Ian's eye before and knew his protestations were i
n vain.   Still he continued, "She might be one o' the fairies....a kelpie.  I've heard they roam hereabout."

"She looks real enough for me.  Beautiful."  Ian cran
ed his neck for a better view.

"Och, then she might hae kin who would not look favorably on a man of
Campbell blood. Aulay threw up his hands in exasperation. He knew Ian as well as he knew the freckles on the back of his hand. There would be no reasoning with him once he’d set his mind. “Ye could start the feuding up again just for a kiss...”

"Ian didn't hear, he was too involved in watching the young
lass.” I have to see her eyes, to know if they're blue or green."  Leaving Aulay behind, Ian moved closer, his eyes caressing the mounds of the woman's breasts, moving to the narrow waist which he knew he could span with his hands.  The gentle swell of her hips and long legs were outlined by her gown, completing the enchanting image.

"Ian, ye are daft!  I know it for a certainty now!"  Aulay followed Ian, voicing his declaration, only to be silenced
by Ian's hand upon his mouth.

"Hush, you'll chase her away before I have time to speak with her."  Ian flashed Aulay a challenging smile.  "You go on ahead.  I'll catch up with you somehow."
As Aulay hesitated he said,  "On with you now.  But be careful.  I'll be along soon."

“I’ll be along soon!” Aulay echoed.
Mumbling beneath his breath, he walked on ahead, narrowly missing a tree trunk as he turned back to look at Ian.  With a cluck of his tongue he shook his head again in warning.  Ian ignored his friend's chastisement.  Easing out of the shadows he moved towards the girl, seduction most definitely upon his mind.