Chapter 2 C2

She curled gratefully into the warmth of the blanket, uncaring that the stones and sticks on the ground dug into her skin. Laird Cameron. She'd heard talk of him from the soldiers who drifted in and out of the abbey. He was a ruthless man. Greedy and eager to add to his growing power. It was rumored that his army was one of the largest in all of Scotland and that David, the Scottish king, feared him.

Malcolm, bastard son of Alexander-and her half brother-had already led one revolt against David in a bid for the throne. Were Malcolm and Duncan Cameron to ally, they would be a near unstoppable force.

She swallowed and closed her eyes. The possession of Neamh Álainn would render Cameron invincible.

"Dear God, help me," she whispered.

She couldn't allow him to gain control of Neamh Álainn. It was her legacy, the only thing of her father's that she had.

It was impossible to sleep, and so she lay there huddled in the blanket, her hand curled around the wooden cross as she prayed for strength and guidance. Some of the soldiers slept while others kept careful watch. She wasn't fool enough to think she'd be given any opportunity to escape. Not when she was worth more than her weight in gold.

But they wouldn't kill her either, which granted her an advantage. She had nothing to fear by trying to escape and everything to gain.

An hour into her vigil of prayer, a commotion behind her had her sitting straight up and staring into the darkness. Around her, the sleeping soldiers stumbled upward, their hands on their swords when a child's cry rent the night.

One of the men hauled a kicking, wiggling child into the circle around the fire and dropped him on the ground. The child crouched and looked around wildly while the men laughed uproariously.

"What is this?" Finn demanded.

"Caught him trying to sneak one of the horses," the child's captor said.

Anger slanted Finn's features into those of the devil, made more demonic by the light of the fire. The boy, who couldn't be more than seven or eight years old, tilted his chin up defiantly as if daring the man to do his worst.

"Why you insolent little pup," Finn roared.

He raised his hand, and Mary flew across the ground, throwing herself in front of the child as the fist swung and clipped her cheek.

She went reeling but recovered and quickly threw herself back over the child, gathering him close so she could cover as much of him as possible.

The boy struggled wildly under her, screeching obscenities in Gaelic. His head connected with her already aching jaw, and she saw stars.

"Hush now," she told him in his own language. "Be still. I won't let them hurt you."

"Get off him!" Finn roared.

She tightened around the little boy who finally stopped kicking and flailing. Finn reached down and curled his hand into her hair, yanking brutally upward, but she refused to let go of her charge.

"You'll have to kill me first," she said cooly when he forced her to look at him.

He dropped her hair with a curse then reared back and kicked her in the ribs. She hunched over in pain but was careful to keep the child shielded from the maniacal brute.

"Finn, enough," one man barked. "The laird wants her in one piece."

Muttering a curse, he backed away. "Let her keep the dirty beggar. She'll have to turn loose of him soon enough."

Mary snapped her neck up to glare into Finn's eyes. "You touch this boy even once and I'll slit my own throat."

Finn's laughter cracked the night. "That's one crazy bluff, lass. If you're going to try to negotiate, you need to learn to be believable."

Slowly she rose until she stood a foot away from the much larger man. She stared up at him until his eyes flickered and he looked away.

"Bluff?" she said softly. "I don't think so. In fact, if I were you, I'd be guarding any and all sharp objects from me. Think you that I don't know what my fate is? To be bedded by that brute laird of yours until my belly swells with child and he can claim Neamh Álainn. I'd rather die."

Finn's eyes narrowed. "You're daft!"

"Aye, that might be so, and in that case I'd be worried one of those sharp objects might find its way between your ribs."

He waved his hand. "You keep the boy. The laird will deal with him and you. We don't take kindly to horse thieves."

Mary ignored him and turned back to the boy who huddled on the ground, staring at her with a mixture of fear and worship.

"Come," she said gently. "If we snuggle up tight enough, there's plenty of blanket for the both of us."

He went eagerly to her, tucking his smaller body flush against hers.

"Where is your home?" she asked when he had settled against her.

"I don't know," he said mournfully. "It must be a ways from here. At least two days."

"Shh," she said soothingly. "How did you come to be here?"

"I got lost. My papa said I was never to leave the keep without his men, but I was tired of being treated like a baby. I'm not, you know."

She smiled. " I know. So you left the keep?"

He nodded. "I took a horse. I only meant to go meet Uncle Alan. He was due back and I thought to wait near the border to greet him."

"Border?"

"Of our lands."

"And who is your papa, little one?"

"My name is Crispen, not 'little one.' " The distaste was evident in his voice, and she smiled again.

"Crispen is a fine name. Now continue with your story."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Mary," she answered softly.

"My papa is Laird Edward Woods."

Mary struggled to place the name, but there were so many clans she had no knowledge of. Her home was in the highlands, but she hadn't seen God's country in ten long years.

"So you went to meet your uncle. Then what happened?"

"I got lost," he said mournfully. "Then a McDonald soldier found me and intended to take me to his laird to ransom, but I couldn't let that happen. It would dishonor my papa, and he can't afford to ransom me. It would cripple our clan."