The Silent Highlander (Highland Intrigue Trilogy 1)

Odran halted his questions when Lendra and Berdina arrived together. Both women hurried to his wife, their eyes looming large when they caught sight of Lord Fergus, and their mouths dropped open, though neither woman uttered a sound.

Elysia knew what they thought. There was no chance to save the injured man. She had thought that of many of the men she had tended that had been wounded in battle. Surprisingly, more had survived than she had thought would. The difference was often determined by the severity of the wounds and her skill to save them. She called on that skill now.

“Get all my needles and thread saved for wound mending,” she ordered Lendra and wasn’t surprised to see a warrior trail after her when she fled to see to the task.

“I’ll help you cut away the cloth and clean away the blood so we can see the wounds more clearly,” Berdina said and got busy with the chore.

A strong groan had Odran taking powerful strides to his da. He stood at the end of the table where his da’s head laid, braced his hands on the edges, and peered down at him. “Da, who did this to you?”

Fergus groaned again and shook his head as he managed to say, “Too dark. Knocked me down.” His eyes shot open and he let out a painful cry.

“Elysia tends your wounds, Da,” Odran said.

“I’m dying,” Fergus said, resigned to his fate.

Elysia leaned her head over to look Fergus in the eyes. “If I can fight for your life, then you can fight as well.”

“The curse,” Fergus said, surrendering to it, and his eyes fluttered closed once again.

Elysia hated the curse. It had ruled over far too many for far too long. It needed to end and she prayed Annis would be the one to end it. She also prayed that somehow she could keep death from claiming Fergus.

She gently banished her husband, reluctant to leave his da, and the others away from the table so she could tend Fergus without distraction, then she got busy doing all she could to save him.

The men followed Odran as he walked away from his da, though he cast several backward glances as he did, and they all settled at a table near a corner where their talk would not distract.

“That should have been me,” Odran said, his eyes going to where his da laid.

“Nonsense,” Cadell said, dismissing the claim. “You have a crazy person on the loose, stabbing people for only God knows what reason.”

Finch disagreed. “Lord Odran may be right. He was to meet me and the path where Lord Fergus suffered the attack is the one Lord Odran would have taken. That spot is shrouded in darkness at night and his da could easily be mistaken for Lord Odran in such darkness, especially since he was expected to walk that path.”

“True enough,” Stiles agreed. “There are those who still wish to see Lord Odran dead even though we quelled the unrest among the other clans.”

“How can you so easily dismiss the obvious?” Cadell argued. “You had two previous stabbings. Someone has obviously lost their sanity and is stabbing random people.”

“Two women. Why now a man?” Finch asked.

“Did you not hear me say crazy person?” Cadell asked, annoyed. “This lingering curse has turned sane people insane, Lord Rannick one of them. That same insanity is causing unrest and having wise men make unwise decisions.”

“Cadell’s right about unrest and unwise decisions,” Odran said.

Cadell smiled haughtily that Lord Odran acknowledged that he made more sense than the others.

“There is more to the unrest than the clans demanding my da surrender the MacBridan land that surrounds the small church.” Odran paused, retrieving a memory. “Tavish made that clear before he took his own life, knowing full well he would surrender the names of others under torture. He said that more righteous ones would come for me and my wife. This attack on my da has nothing to do with Glenis’s and Deara’s deaths. It was meant for me and the attempts undoubtedly will increase not only on my life but on Elysia’s life when it is learned that she is with child.”

“How do we protect you and Lady Elysia if the culprit lives among us?” Stiles asked.

“Unless he doesn’t,” Cadell suggested. “Who has newly arrived here and has good reason to strike out at those who brought suffering on them?” He gave a nod toward Berdina.

“Watch who you accuse, Cadell,” Rory warned, his hand going to rest on the hilt of his knife at his waist. “Besides, you have reason enough yourself, constantly complaining about being tasked to find wives for the cursed lords and having to follow like a trained dog after Brogan.”

Cadell was quick to defend himself. “Complaining is one thing, killing is another”

“One look at Berdina and you can see she is not strong enough to repeatedly stab a man,” Stiles said.