Ransom

'How come you got a scar under your chin?'

'I fell down the steps. It happened a long time ago.'

She patted the bed beside her and said, 'Why don't you stretch out beside me and try to get some sleep.'

'But it isn't night yet.'

'Yes, I know, but we're going to be up all night walking,' she explained. 'You should try to rest now.'

He scooted up close to her and put his head down on her shoulder. 'You know what?'

'What?'

'I'm hungry.'

'We'll find something to eat later.'

'Will we have to steal food?'

From his exuberance she assumed he was looking forward to the possibility. 'Stealing is a sin.'

'That's what my mama says.'

'And she's right. We won't steal anything. We'll just borrow what we need.'

'Can we borrow horses?'

'If we're lucky enough to find a sturdy one and no one's around to stop us, then yes, we'll borrow a horse.'

'You could get yourself hanged for stealing a horse.'

'That's the least of my worries,' she said as she shifted in the bed. Every inch of her body throbbed, and there simply was no comfortable position. She moved her bandaged arm down to her side and felt a prick, and only then remembered the surprise she had for Alec.

'I have something for you,' she said. 'Close your eyes tight.'

He bolted upright onto his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. 'What is it?'

She held up the dagger. She didn't have to tell him to look, for he was already peeking. The joy in his eyes made her feel like weeping.

'Brodick's dagger,' he whispered in awe. 'How did you find it?'

'You told me where it was,' she reminded him. 'I grabbed it from the chest on the way out of the hall. Keep it inside the leather sheath so you won't accidentally cut yourself.'

He was so happy to have his treasure back, he threw his arms around her neck and kissed her swollen cheek. 'I love you, Gillian.'

'I love you too, Alec.'

'Now I can protect you 'cause I got my knife back.'

She smiled. 'Are you going to be my champion, then?'

'No,' he giggled, drawing out the word.

'Why not?'

He pulled back and told her what he thought should have been obvious. ' 'Cause I'm just a little boy. But you know what?'

'No, what?'

'We got to find you one.'

'A champion?'

He nodded solemnly.

She shook her head. 'I don't need a protector,' she assured him.

'But you got to have one. Maybe we can ask Brodick.'

'The mean one?' she teased. He nodded again.

She laughed softly. 'I don't think…'

'We'll ask Brodick,' he said, sounding very grown up. ' 'Cause you know why?'

'No, why?'

'You need him.'

Chapter Four

They didn't like the message. Four of Laird Buchanan's elite guard surrounded the young MacDonald soldier, towering over him like avenging gargoyles as he stammered out his important information while quaking in his boots. Three of the warriors were rendered speechless by the announcement. Aaron, Robert, and Liam were outraged by what they immediately surmised was trickery on Laird MacDonald's part. Everyone in the Buchanan clan knew the messenger's laird to be a sneaky, lying, son of a bitch, and therefore refused to believe a word he said. The fourth Buchanan warrior, Dylan, had the opposite reaction to the news. Though he also believed Laird MacDonald to be a sneaky, lying, son of a bitch, he was so amused and intrigued by the message he was eager to hear the details.

Aaron, the most outspoken of the Buchanan group, shook his head in denial and moved forward with the demand that the messenger repeat every word.

''Tis as I said before,' the young MacDonald soldier insisted.

'Then say it again,' Aaron commanded, deliberately moving close so that the man would have to crane his head back in order to look him in the eyes. 'Word for word I would hear this foul message again.'

The MacDonald soldier felt like a trapped rabbit. Robert stood behind him, Dylan faced him, and Aaron and Liam pressed in against his sides. All the Buchanan warriors were at least two heads above him in height, and they could easily crush him with their weight alone.

He turned to the warrior who had made the demand, then tried to step back so that he could put a little breathing distance between them. 'There is a young lady who insists that your laird come to her at once. She waits inside the boarded up church near the crossroads below the Len holding. She claims… to be…'

The dark look on the warrior's face so terrified the soldier he couldn't go on. He turned to Dylan, then stepped back in an attempt to get away from his scorching glare and bumped into the warrior named Black Robert.

'My message is for Brodick and Brodick alone,' he protested.

'He is Laird Buchanan to you, pup,' Liam growled.

'Yes… yes, Laird Buchanan,' the soldier hastily acknowledged. 'I overstep myself.'

'Aye, you do,' Robert muttered from behind. Dylan stepped forward to question the messenger. Brodick had already been summoned to the great hall but had not yet arrived, and so the commander over the elite guard of Buchanan warriors decided to take charge of the questioning. He knew the MacDonald soldier was scared, and so he clasped his hands behind his back as a signal that he wouldn't harm him and impatiently waited for him to regain his composure.

'Continue with your message,' Dylan demanded.

'The lady, she claims to be his bride,' the frightened young man blurted out. 'And she demands that your laird escort her to his home so that she may take up residence.'

Robert nudged the soldier to get his attention and accidentally sent him lunging forward. He bumped into Dylan, who didn't budge an inch, quickly righted himself, and whirled around to face the warrior. 'I do not lie,' he insisted. 'I repeat only what I was bid to say.'

'What is your name?' Robert asked. He thought his question a mild one and therefore was surprised by the messenger's reaction. The young man actually paled like a frightened woman.

' Henley,' he blurted out with a sigh, thankful he'd been able to remember it. 'My name is Henley.'

Dylan demanded Henley 's attention by prodding him to turn around again. The soldier quickly obeyed the order, dizzy now from twirling about in the center of the giants. He tried to concentrate only on the Buchanan commander, but it was difficult, for the other three were deliberately pressing in on him.

'Why did the MacDonald send a boy to give us this message?' Dylan asked contemptuously.

Henley 's Adam's apple bulged and wobbled as he swallowed. He didn't dare contradict the commander by arguing that he was a man, not a boy, and so he said, 'My laird felt that a younger man would have a better chance of surviving your laird's temper. We have all witnessed your laird in battle and know of his remarkable strength.