Moonstruck Madness (50 page)

"Guid."

"Has the mist cleared, Ewan?" Sabrina asked hopefully.

"Nae, lass,
it's
still theer,"" he replied, keeping an eye on the eggs and not looking up.

"When do you expect it to?" Sabrina persisted.

"Dinna ken," Ewan answered unhelpfully and spooned fluffy eggs onto their plates along with some cold mutton.

Richard ate his hungrily under the watchful eye of

Ewan, but Sabrina just nibbled at hers. "You know the glen very well, don't you, Ewan?" Sabrina commented.
"Aye, lived here ferever."

Sabrina nodded her head to Richard, who eagerly withdrew the map from a pocket of his jacket. "Ewan, do you know where this cave is?"

Ewan took the map and gazed down at it thoughtfully for a moment. "Wheer did ye get this, laddie?" he asked
Curiously
, his eyes going suspiciously between the two of them as they sat there watching him anxiously.

"My aunt Margaret made it. At least she made the tapestry of it and we copied it. She said Grandfather told her to make it, and then to give it to me and Sabrina. It's
a
map of the treasure, Ewan," Richard confided with growing excitement. "Do you know where it is, Ewan?"

"Waur a secret, ye know," he said softly. "Naebody's tae know aboot it."

"As the laird's grandson, Richard has the right. Don't you agree, Ewan?" Sabrina asked.

"Aye, he's the richt," Ewan agreed, and picking up his broadsword, held it casually in his hand. "Come, ye'll see the treasure, but ye'll nae tell anyone aboot it. I promised the laird to guard it with me life."

Sabrina and Richard got to their feet as he motioned them to follow him, but rather than leaving the cave he headed towards the back of it. He reached for one of the torches on the wall and holding it in front of him made for one of the dark corners of the cave, the light from the torch revealing a narrow passage they had not seen before. Following Ewan into it, Richard found Sabrina's cold hand, and they walked cautiously along the slippery' stone path, moisture dripping from the walls as they headed deeper into the earth, the torch Ewan held before him making his kilted figure look grotesque as it cast huge, wavering shadows on the walls.

They came to the end of the passage and stopped,
a
large wooden door built across the opening barring their way. Ewan took a large key from his sporran and fitted it easily into the lock, the noise as he turned it grating' loudly in the close confines of the tunnel.

Ewan pushed the door open and entered the darkness first, signaling for them to follow him. They moved carefully behind him as he made his way further into the room, leading them to the far corner. Suddenly Richard grabbed Sabrina's arm with his other hand and squealed in excitement. "Look!"

Sabrina followed his pointing finger and caught her breath as she stared at the big chests full of golden objects and coins revealed under the torch held above them by Ewan. They looked just like a hidden treasure should, with the lid opened on the chest to reveal gold and jewels crowding inside and almost overflowing. Stacked around them were paintings in heavy gold frames, and vases and other objets d'art of priceless value.

Richard ran across and stared down into one of the chests, his hands finding a large gold goblet filled with golden guineas. He picked up a necklace of pearls and held it out to Sabrina, the large pearl drops gleaming ghost-like in the torchlight.

"The treasure, Rina, we've found the treasure!" he cried, jumping up and down as Sabrina came to stand beside him.

Ewan stuck the torch in the wall above the chests and moved away, lighting other torches around the room while Sabrina and Richard gazed in awe at the treasure. Richard stuffed as many coins as he could into his pockets as he gazed in rapture at the fortune that was his.

Ewan silently came up beside them and watched with
a
half-smile on his lips. Sabrina wished she could feel the excitement, but the look on Ewan's face worried her as he stared almost hypnotically at them and the treasure.

As Sabrina remained subdued beside him, Richard turned around curiously, his small face glowing with excitement as he said, "Come on, Rina. You can have wh—" He stopped what he was saying abruptly, the coins he had held in his hands dropping to the stone floor and rolling across it as he stared in stunned silence at the opposite wall of the cave that was not illuminated by torches.

Sabrina turned around curiously at Richard's look, her screams of terror echoing around the small chamber as she stared into the hollow-eyed skulls of skeletons hanging in chains from the wall. Richard buried his face against Sabrina's breast as she leaned weakly against him as they cowered in front of the treasure. They stood frozen in fear as Ewan chuckled beside them.

"They waur fules.
They shouldna come in tae the glen. They wae goin' tae steal the treasure. Naebody haed better try tae do that," Ewan said menacingly as he stood before them now, his feet planted firmly apart and his broadsword held carefully before him at an angle. He could easily lift his arm, bringing it down in a mighty swing that would split either of their heads wide open.

Sabrina held Richard rigidly still beside her, some instinct warning her should she move it would mean instant death.

Ewan shook his head regretfully. "Ye shouldna hae come here, fer I canna allow ye tae leave knowin' the secret. Ye can stand watch over it like them on the wall," he told Sabrina and Richard with a sly grin, his crazed eyes glowing malevolently in the flickering light.

"You can't harm us, Ewan," Sabrina told him shakily. "We are the laird's kin. He would not like it if you harmed us."

Ewan frowned thoughtfully. "Angus wouldna be happy?
I
dinna ken what tae do? I'm supposed tae protect the treasure frae the English," he mumbled, then with a gleam in his eyes he looked at them suspiciously. "I canna believe ye the laird's kin. He dinna like the English, and ye be English dogs, comin' tae steal our gold," he spat. "A real duinhe-wassel ye are, in yer fancy britches. Wheer is ye kilt,
mon
?" he asked Richard angrily.

Sabrina pulled up Richard's face, holding it to the light frantically. "Look good, MacElden," she cried "See the red hair, the nose and eyes. He's Angus. Angus has come back from the grave to see you," she told him, urging Richard in front of her while she moved closer to the chest full of heavy gold goblets and plates, her hand searching for some weapon.

Ewan peered down at Richard's frozen face in doubt "Come back frae the grave, the auld laird, just to see me, MacElden?" he whispered, his broadsword lowered for an instant.

Sabrina's fingers wrapped themselves around the thick stem of a heavy goblet and without warning or aim she swung with all of her might against the side of Ewan Mac-Elden's head. The goblet struck his skull with a thud, stunning him as he sunk to his knees.

Sabrina grabbed Richard's hand and ran from the room, the evilly grinning skulls dancing in the light behind them. They ran through the darkness of the narrow passageway, slipping on the rocks as they skidded down it. Richard missed his footing once, falling painfully to his knees, but Sabrina jerked him to his feet before he knew what had happened, her sense of urgency spurring them on faster. They breathed a sigh of relief as they came out into the lighted main cavern, and not stopping to rest, Sabrina urged Richard on through it, her heart jumping in terror as she heard the cry of rage echoing behind them. She remembered it from the battlefield, and knew MacElden was out for their blood as he gave the war cry.

As they cleared the tunnel that opened into the hillside, Sabrina stopped in disbelief. Ewan had lied to them—the mists had lifted, she could see sky above them and in the distance through the trees the rim of the lake shimmering silver.

They ran down the hillside, fear quickening their steps as they scurried like rabbits through the pine trees and around outcroppings of rock until they reached the lake's edge.

"What do we do now?" Richard cried, looking back over his shoulder fearfully, expecting to see the crazed Highlander come charging down on them any second.

"Help me, Dickie," Sabrina called as she struggled to pull the small boat across the beach. Richard grunted as he pulled and pulled along with Sabrina until they finally managed to get the boat in the water. Jumping in, they slowly floated away from the shore, but not before Sabrina saw the glinting of Ewan MacElden's broadsword through the trees, and a spot of plaid near the shore.

They paddled wildly as they tried to move the boat across the lake, the water splashing noisily as they struggled. Sabrina looked up startled as Richard cried out in fear, looking over her shoulder to see another boat leave the shore with a kilted figure rowing smoothly through the water in pursuit of them.

"Together, Richard, together," Sabrina cried, tears of frustration and fear streaking her face as they moved jerkily through the water. But suddenly the little boat began to move steadily and faster towards the opposite shore where they could see the familiar ruins of the castle.

"We're in the current!" Sabrina cried out, new hope surging through her as she saw the distance lengthen between the two boats as they neared the shore. The boat scraped bottom abruptly, throwing them to the floor as it beached. Richard scrambled out, giving Sabrina a helping hand as they stumbled over the rocky shore towards the concealment of the ruins of the castle. They ran along the narrow path they had traveled on only the day before and breathlessly fell into the castle grounds. They would never have made the cover of the trees along the shore or have made it back up into the glen.

Sabrina tried to catch her breath as she stared between two large blocks of granite at the empty lake. She could see the two boats bobbing on the shore, but there was no sign of Ewan MacElden.

Richard pressed against her as they hid under the overhanging stairwell and waited. Sabrina cursed beneath her breath at the cries of the gulls protesting their presence and certain to give their hiding place away.

"Rina," Richard whispered brokenly, his voice shaking
with fear, "I'm sorry." Tears trickled from his eyes as he hunched beside her, his face white as a sheet.

Sabrina put her arm over his shaking shoulders protectively. "It's all right, Dickie, I don't blame you, love."

Richard sniffed, taking deep gulps of air as he tried to control his sobs. Sabrina rocked his body back and forth trying to calm him, when suddenly she stilled as she heard the sound of a foot striking stone. She could feel Richard's uncontrollable shaking as they crouched together, frozen with fear.

The terrible scream directly behind them frightened Sabrina until all she could hear was the pounding of her blood in her ears, and looking up she screamed in pure terror as she saw Ewan MacElden swinging his broadsword from the top of the crumbling wall above them, his eyes blazing with blood-lust as he screamed and jumped down behind them. He raised his claymore and began to run towards them. Sabrina pulled Richard behind her, shielding his body with hers and prepared to feel the cold blade cut into her body. But before he reached them a loud shot rang out, and with a stunned look on his face, Ewan MacElden fell to his knees, his broadsword clanging against the broken stones of the castle as he fell forward onto the ground, his plaid spread out across his arm and claymore.

Sabrina stared at the dead man in disbelief, not hearing the running footsteps that came up quickly to where she and Richard still knelt against the ruins.

"Sabrina, my love," Lucien said hoarsely as he pulled her up into his arms and held her body to his tightly, as if making sure she really existed.

Sabrina looked up into his scarred face, her violet eyes full of shock and disbelief. "Lucien?" she whispered, her hands holding on to him desperately. "You are here?" she asked in confusion as she managed to drag her eyes away from his face and saw Terence holding Richard against his chest comfortingly.

She looked back up at Lucien, her eyes taking in every detail of his tired face. "You
came,
you came when I needed you. Oh Lucien, I don't ever want to leave you again. Never let me go, please," she pleaded tearfully as she buried her face against his shoulder, blocking out the chilling scene of poor Ewan MacElden.

Sabrina smiled shyly at Lucien as
he
sat down on the edge of the bed in her room at the inn in Timere. Richard was asleep in the other room, his little face drained of emotion as he mechanically ate his dinner and then without argument allowed Lucien and Terence to put him to bed. Sabrina sighed as she remembered this morning, pain darkening her eyes to purple.