Branded By a Warrior (37 page)

Kendrix whispered back, “Remember what your Aunt has taught you my child,
every single thing
, make her proud
Isobel
.
She will come for you, and she will be counting on yer bravery my daughter. I love you with all my heart my love, never forget that.
”

Clenching his jaw, Broderick tried to contain his rage towards Siobhan and Kincaid for putting his beloved family in his position. He vowed to his fallen parents, to Elisabeth’s fallen family, he would nae let Kincaid live through the night.
That bastard’s black heart would be pulled from his chest by his hand.

“Dinnae hurt her Siobhan, Elisabeth has warned you
twice, she willnae
be so lenient again
.
” Kendrix
decreed, his warning
was evident; it was obvious that in his absence at Castle MacMillan his little wife had shown her warrior side.

The b
rother
s watched as Siobhan’s face went white, it was apparent the threat of Elisabeth’s wrath was enough to properly warn the conniving bitch.
Swallowing deeply, Siobhan walked forward and pulled Siobhan down roughly, glaring at the men the entire time. After Isobel was removed, several
Douglas warriors pulled them down
off their horses and jerked them
over to the two
hefty
wooden posts set in the middle of the camp.

Broderick and Kendrix did not fight as they were each tied to a pole, hands behind their backs, facing Kincaid’s tent
across the snow-trampled field. Side by side they stood tall, weaponless and m
enacing as they waited for their q
ueen.

Soon enough Kincaid had wrote his missive to Elisabeth and sent it out with his fastest messenger bound for Castle MacMillan.

Night had fallen, and the MacMillan brothers were left alone in the center of the camp while the Douglas warriors warmed themselves by fires, or sought the c
omfort of their pallets in
tents.
Kincaid had taken to his tent along with Siobhan.
Alone together, the brothers spoke in low tones, devising plans to ensure their safety as well as Isobel’s. They knew right were
Isobel
was, she was in a small tent with lady servants, hidden from them and the bone chilling wind, they were sure she was safe for the time
being while they awaited Elisabeth.

“
Kendrix, I must tell you a secret about Eli
sabeth, something only King
Richard
,
I
and Elisabeth know
.
” Broderick spoke in a soft tone, not to draw attention of any of the passing Douglas men who patrolled the area.
Watching Kendrix turn his attention
off the
tent where his daughter was housed, he locked eyes with
him
and continued, “Elisabeth is the hidden heir to the King of England, should he fall, she
is next in line for the crown.” Close enough together, Broderick
was able to make out Kendrix’s face in the dark, his brother
started to laugh quietly.

“You laugh? I tell you I married the heir to the Crown, and you laugh?
Elisabeth must be protected at all costs when she arrives with my army, she must survive!
”
Completely confused at Kendrix’s reaction, he watched hi
s brother in astonishment
. Had Kendrix gone insane?

Shaking his head and focusing on Broderick, “I laugh because
we should have known Brother, of course she was born to be a queen, the woman radiates royalty.
Kincaid has given Elisabeth exactly what she
needed;
he has played into her hand perfectly
.
”

“Explain Kendrix, now
!” H
is quiet voice rumbled.

Adjusting his feet and back
against the rough pole
, Kendrix cleared his throat and cast a watchful gaze across the empty camp before locking eyes with Broderick, “Understand this Brother, this is something
your wife
should be telling you, not me. Had you welcomed her properly, I imagine she would have told you this herself. I
agree
she shall be protected at all costs, but for an entirely different reason
than being
King
Richard’s
only surviving heir
. Did you stop to wonder
why
Elisabeth l
ost focus tonight and became inj
ured? Did you wonder why she was sobbing in my arms? Today, moments before you arrived in the study, she realized she would not be able to ride with us to seek vengeance
upon Kincaid.
Grief consumed her, which is why I comforted her, now t
hink Br
other, what would cause your queen to not ride by yer side
?” H
e asked quietly, watching Broderick’s face change.

Closing his eyes, Broderick’s reply was but a whisper.
“
She’s with child.”

“Aye, I had noticed subtle changes in her throughout the past weeks
while you’ve been gone
, changes I once saw in my own wife when she carried Isobel. I questioned Elisabeth during training upstairs in your study and she froze like a statue, causing me to land my blow upon her sword arm. She hadn’t yet
realized
she
is
still thin and
assumed her ailments were due to missing you. I knew we would ride south upon your return; she needed to come to grips with her motherhood before we set out to seek vengeance.
I
dinnae
know when you would return, and I did not want her injuring herself during drills, the only way to stop her was to have her realize.
She cried for her family, for the loss of avenging them with her own hands,
” pausing he waited until Broderick looked back at him, “I say he played into her hands in truth, he gave her the only excuse viable to wage her war
and be present
, he took the only family she has left. She will come Broderick; she would ride through hell for you, even after how you treated her. She would make a deal wit
h the devil himself for Isobel.
She willnae let Kincaid take us from her
, even with your child in her belly
, your wife will come.
”

“
Jesu Kendrix, why didn’t you tell me before this? My wife is with child, and very well riding here with hundreds of warriors to save us! How bad did you injure her sword arm?”

“Dinnae get angry with
me
for not telling you sooner, it wasn’t
my
news to share earlier Brother, she’ll probably be furious for me telling you! Her arm
is nothing compared to the damage you waged on her heart! You left her in my care Broderick, I did my job and watched over her, I love her like a
sister;
I would give my life for her.
In the
past weeks she has impressed the entire clan, castle, warriors and myself with her intelligence, compassion and Jesus, the woman is a military genius!”

Sighing deeply, he let his mind take in what Kendrix had just said. Elisabeth, his wife, the love of his life was carrying his child, “
I’m sorry Kendrix, ye are right.
I have
no right to be angry with you.”

“Trust her Broderick, for once in your life when she comes, trust that she has a plan. I would imagine at this very moment she is planning and plotting, I’ve known no one who possesses the ability to read enemies and have such brilliant plans, not even our grandfather. Whatever happens, trust that it is all in her plan. Kincaid is no match for
her;
she will protect your babe with her very
life,
as she will do the same for the three of us prisoners. All we have to do is simply wait for her
well laid
plans to unfold and get her
and Isobel out of here alive
. I have complete faith she will save
Isobel;
there is no doubt in my mind. Nothing will stop her Broderick,
nothing
.
”

The cold winter wind nipped at his face as he rested his head against the pole he wa
s tied to,
reflecting on his brother’s words
“I am to be a father?”

“
It appears y
ou are the
husband
to
the future Queen of England, and
father
to the heir of
the
MacMillan
Clan. You are
married
to T
he Warrior Queen of Scotland who carries your babe in her
womb;
brace yourself Broderick, life j
ust got very interesting for ye
Brother
.
” Kendrix playfully announced softly so only Broderick could hear.

“I
dinnae
deserve her
.” Brod
e
rick
admitted, ashamed for the way he had treated her. How much he wished he could take it all back, to fix his wrong doings and make it right with her this very moment.
Time and time again he had reacted poorly, and every time she forgave him,
would she forgive him this time?

“You will be able to spend the rest of your life proving to her that you do, get some rest Broderick, I have a feeling The Warrior Queen of Scotland ri
des our way, and she is very angry
.
”

Waking to the
insistent
pounding upon her door, Elisabeth pushed herself off the floor of her cold solar and rubbed her face as she shouted, “Who is there?”

“Tis Rhona
my lady, open the door!”

The panic in Rhona’s voice made her snap to attention, popping up off the floor she swung the bol
t free and pulled the door open. B
efore her the elder lady was in tears holding a letter in a shaking hand.

“Broderick left hours ago Elisabeth, in search of Kendrix who had ridden out of the gates on his stallion, they think little Isobel followed them without their knowledge. They
cannae
be found,” reaching out she gave the letter to Elisabeth with a trembling hand, “this arrived moments ago from a Douglas messenger, my heart tells me something is wrong Elisabeth,
very wrong
. I can feel in me bones, just like when the boys
’
parents died
.
”

Taking in the information Rhona shared, the time line and premonition, she pulled her dagger out and opened the letter and read the words of her most hated enemy, Kincaid.

Elisabeth,

I have what you want, all three of them.

I will trade your life for theirs.

Hurry, Isobel misses her Aunt.

Kincaid

“Fuck!” S
he
roared as she crumbled the letter in her
fist
, her heart pounded in rage.
How had this happened? How had he captured them?

Kincaid had taken the only family she had left. He taunted her, and he had given her exactly what she needed to avenge her family, even in her condition.
Nothing could stop her
from descending upon Kincaid and
his men, she would raise Broderick’s army of warriors and she would rain cold death upon the Douglas clan.
The man had sign
ed his own death warrant.

“Rhona, call to Ajax, I need him to order the army up, we ride
within
the hour
, they have
my family
and I want them back
!” S
he exclaimed as she started to pull at her
blood soaked
tattered dress she had slept in.
Jaw clenched, she saw red.
The time to act was now, all the weeks, all the heartbreak led to this. Tonight she would see that man
die;
Kincaid would meet his maker tonight.

“Yes my lady, at once
!
”
Rhon
a turned to run down the stairs. T
he wolfhounds came bounding up the stone stairs and ran to Elisabeth’s side. Watching Rhona disappear down the stairs, Elisabeth looked down at her shaggy hounds in despair.

“Ye are not with t
hem? Jesu
!
” T
urning she
pulled her broadsword out of her belt and slammed it on the table, ignoring
the sting in her upper arm where Kendrix had cut her earlier
she focused on the task at hand-
preparing for war
.
Ripping her shredded gown off of her she moved quickly as she selected her items to bring.

Stripping naked
she looked down at her still flat stomach and ran a tentative hand over her womb, closing her eyes she prayed Broderick would understand. Kincaid had given her no choice; she could not sit by and send t
he warriors without a leader. Kincaid
had taken three people she loved, and she would ride into hell to save them, even carrying Broderick’s child. Taking a soothing breath, she opened her eyes and pushed aside the thought of being with child, she needed to transform into The Warrior Queen of Scotland. 

The words
of her brother ran in her mi
nd.
Focus on your goal, push aside fear and doubt. Calm your heart and mind, become one with your weapon and keep your eye on the prize Sister
. Duncan’s words echoed within her, nodding to herself she opened her eyes and knew what she had to do. Pulling on a fresh pair of warm tights she quickly dressed, grabbing a new gown Rhona had modified for her
,
she smiled as she focused her body and mind.

It was a
gown fit for a queen, but designed for a warrior. She had full movement in the arms and shoulders;
hidden pockets were sewed
in by Rhona to allow for weapons to be hidden.
The dress was regal, yet it did not hinder her movements at all.

Sliding it over her shoulders, she set to th
e laces that were
fitted
down her sides,
which allowed her to dress without assistance
.
Once secured, she lifted her skirts and slipped on her leather huntsman boots, lacing them with efficient grace she slipped
several daggers into each boot.
In the cold distance, she heard the signal to arms; her men would be ready and waiting soon.
Lovingly placing Broderick’s tartan across her chest
,
it fell
gracefully over her left shoulder she walked over to her armor.

Standing before her wardrobe she picked up her hand tooled leather bracers that Broderick had made and pulled them on one by one, lacing them tightly around her slim wrist
s
. Picking up her leather belt, she strapped
it securely
around her
waist, b
efore her was a mass colle
ction of weapons to choose from. S
he needed to prepare herself for anything, yet could not be hindered by heavy weight
, hence the reason she refused to wear her chainmail
. She needed her speed more than ever.
Eyeing her weapon
s, she looked at
the lethal blades Broderick had made with his own skillful hands; tears welled in her eyes as she thought about him. He had been so angry, so hurtful, and so wrong; yet, she loved him and would still give her life for him.

Whatever had caused his accusations would be dealt with in time, his life, along with Kendrix and Isobel’s now hung in the balance, her only goal was to see them rescued and deliver sweet vengeance upon Kincaid and his men. As she attached each weapon to her side, she stood a little taller, f
elt stronger and more confident. S
he
was
T
he W
arrior Queen of Scotland, and she would kill anyone who stood in her way. 

Running her hands through her mess of locks, she plaited her long red hair and coiled it upon her head,
grinning;
she leaned into her wardrobe and pulled out the golden cir
clet that belonged to Broderick’s
mother. Placing it in her crown of red curls,
she secured the beautiful piece.
Grabbing Broderick’s black sable fur she swung it over her shoulders and latched it closed.

Gently grabbing her trusty bow, she angled it over her shoulder so the string ran between her breasts, strapping on her quiver full of specialized arrows she adjusted it until it was perfect. Closing her eyes and clasping her hands she knelt quickly and sent up a prayer to the heavens and to her parents and brother, today more than any she needed their guidance and watchful eyes. Tonight she would avenge their souls.

S
lowly rising, she opened her eyes with determination. S
ignaling the hounds, she walked out of her solar and quickly made her way down through the keep.

The castle was alive with
activity;
it was now common knowledge that
Kincaid and his men had captured Laird MacMillan, Kendrix and little Isobel.
Pushing the double wooden doors
to the castle
open with force, Eli
sabeth marched out of the keep
w
ith her wolfhounds at her side into the dark night.

The sight before her stopped her in her tracks.

The entire MacMillan army was before her, in full amour, saddled and waiting in perfect rows, their eyes upon her.
Her
warhorse was saddled and being held by Aj
ax, Kendrix’s first in command at the front of the warriors.

Standing upon the top of the castle stairs, she looked out at the hundreds and hundreds of battle hardened warriors before her and her chest expanded with pride. Broderick foretold of a time when she would need to lead his army, tonight was that night.

Nodding to the fine warriors before her, she walked down into the torch lit bailey towards Ajax and her stallion. Head held high, she swung up into her saddle easily and took the reins from Ajax who mounted his horse as well. Addressing Ajax with a few vital questions, “Ajax, do we know where they are being held? How many men did you leav
e behind to guard the castle?” S
he questioned quietly to giant blonde warrior.

“West of us, under the shadow of the
Glenmore
Mountain
, he has a camp set up. We were able to get a rough number of close to two hundred warriors with him; he’s been there for weeks. The messenger was more than happy to divulge the information rather than dying, he also spoke of a woman who arrived a day ago, a woman by the name of Siobhan
.” H
is voice was dripping w
ith hatred as he said her name.

“I am going to kill that bitch with my own hands
!”
She vowed. H
ot rage lanced through her as she took stock of the situation.
Since the moment she had found out that Kincaid had her family, plans began to form in her head.

“I’ve ordered two hundred men to stay behind, before you are three hundred of our finest warriors
my lady, is that sufficient?” Ajax
questioned
scanning over rows of warriors
.

“Aye Ajax, you’ve done well. I do not want to leave the castle prey to a secondary attack if this is a ploy to get us to vacate
.” S
he declared
, turning her horse so she was facing the warriors.
She needed to address her army.

The wind whipped as she sat upon her stallion looking over the countless warriors dressed for battle, the large moon cast an eerie light upon their faces as she began to speak
, “Kincaid has captured your Laird, Kendrix and his daughter Isobel. I want my family back!
Tonight we ride, tonight we shall see the end of Laird Kincaid’s tyranny, and tonight he shall die!” H
er voice carried through the bailey with
rampant
fury;
the warriors shouted their battle cry in unison as she stood before them.
Every soul before her was bloodthirsty for vengeance, every man before her wanted Kincaid dead.

Quickly informing them of her unique plan, she ordered the drawbridge to be lowered and then sealed upon their exit. The warriors left at the castle would defend it with their life. With Ajax at her side, she led the hundreds of warriors out of the protection of Castle MacMillan and set their course for a hard ride through the night to Glenmore Mountain, she had a rat to kill.
If Kincaid Douglas wanted her, by god he could have her, and it would mean his death.

Their journey took them west upon the treacherous course to Glenmore Mountain, a small range of craggy peaks. It wasn’t long before they found the tracks of previous riders, only hours behind the messenger they stormed through the moonlit forest, racing against the frozen wind. The army of kilted warriors rode
at her side
, armed and ready to wage war once again. Confident in her plan and the men at her side she ran though the plans in her mind as her horse pounded through the snow, Conn and Isla at her flank. She calculated for every possible scenario imaginable, over and over again in her head she ran through the details.

Long before they reached the camp, Elisabeth gave quick hand signals to the warriors, splitting; the warriors rode off in two different directions
, disappearing into the forest before her
. Leaving her alone with her wolfhounds in the middle of the forest just before the foothills of the mountain. She would make a solo entrance while her army circled around the
camp;
she needed to give them time to slowly approach
,
her long
distance archers needed to be within distance when the time came. They would slowly creep towards the camp as she finished the ride by herself.

Spurring her stallion forward, she rode in the direction of Kincaid’s makeshift camp.
The last leg of her journey was eerie as her dogs trotted along side of
her;
the moon was high in the sky casting shadows upon the forest in the foothills of the mountain. Holding her head high she focused on the three lives ahead of her, she thought of each of them as she rode towards the camp. She prayed Isobel was safe and unharmed, she had heard vile stories of Douglas men raping younglings.