Highland Persuasion (The MacLomain Series- Early Years) (28 page)

“You’re angry when you should not be,” he said, sensing her thoughts. “This decision is yours and yours alone.”

Iosbail ground her teeth. He had the right of it. Still. “’Twould be nice if you favored this as sisterly love.”

“As would it be if you favored all of
this
as brotherly love,” Adlin returned. “Do you really think I want you to marry the MacLeon?”

It seemed Alexander and Adlin both liked to have their final say before handing her off to another man because next she knew Innis took her arm and Adlin faded away.

Bloody hell!

Between the MacLomain and Sinclair men she’d been made a mess.

No Broun lassie should have to deal with such.

Yet here she stood arm and arm with Innis ready to be married when she could be running in the opposite direction. A decision, as turns out, that would please everyone she cared about most. But as the holy man started to say his words, Iosbail was unable to move. Why?

Fear.

That same old fear.

“Aye,” Innis said in response to the holy man’s question.

Much like when she and Alexander were married, Iosbail tuned out all the words. They’d meant nothing then and meant nothing now. She closed her eyes in shame. What a thing to go through life and not care about the binds of marriage, especially if it suited what she hoped to accomplish. With Alexander it’d been pure revenge. With Innis it was pure escape.

One way or another it was all done for the wrong reasons.

“Well, lass, answer the question,” Innis said. “Will you take me to be your husband?”

It should have never got this far. Iosbail opened her eyes, looked first at Innis then at the holy man before she said what was in her heart. “I already did take a husband and it was Alexander
mac Donnchada
, son of Malcolm III,
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
and rightful heir to the throne of Scotland.”

If there’d been a light flutter of activity in the great hall before it vanished with her words.

Everything grew deadly silent.

The holy man’s eyes rounded.

Innis growled.

Iosbail spun.

Alexander still stood near the bottom of the stairs but she knew when their eyes locked that he’d heard every word. Her announcement barely registered with everyone before the doors to the hall burst open and several clansmen flooded in. MacLomain and MacLeon men alike were at arms. Iosbail’s eyes widened at the sight.

King Edgar stood surrounded by warriors, rage evident and shook his head, screaming in fury at her across the room. “How dare you!”

How dare she? What did he speak of? How was he here?

The crowd stepped aside as he strode forward. Yet he was soon stopped when Alexander and Shamus blocked his path. Loathing in his eyes, he looked at Alexander. “You never should have escaped. A brother hidden away, protected. I never did see the point.”

“Brother,” Alexander shook his head. “All along you knew who I really was. Why try to kill me when you could embrace me?”

Edgar snorted. “I’ve more use for the throne than my siblings do. The people,” he spat, “spoke too highly of you.
A mere
cousin
!”

“You feared a knife in your back from your own countrymen,” Alexander murmured.
“You coward.
Did it ever occur to you to try to win over your people?
‘Tis not a hard thing to show Scotsmen kindness.
You’d be amazed at how they’d protect and love you for it.”

“Nay, they’d only want land and protection,” Edgar spat.

“Is that so wrong? You are their king.” Alexander shook his head. “’Tis no wonder you are so ill liked.”

“Why should I protect those who dinnae even like me?” Edgar chuckled.
“’Tis their duty to protect me.”

“Then I see you’ve no hope with your people, Edgar.”

“King Edgar to you!”

“Nay.”
Alexander shook his head. “You’re no king of mine.”

“Then soon you’ll die along with your Broun whore.”

“Try to kill me but never say another word against Iosbail.”

Edgar chuckled low. “Ah, so she’s spread her legs for you
has
she?”

Alexander’s fist shot out but Shamus stopped him, shaking his head.
“’Tis his final hour, laddie.
Be the good king you are as he falls.”

The Sinclair frowned but lowered his arm.

Only to have Shamus punch Edgar square in the face so hard he fell to his back.

Iosbail rushed through the crowd and arrived just as Edgar stumbled to his feet. Alexander grabbed her hand before she could go further.

“How are you here?” she asked.

Edgar wiped the blood from his mouth and snarled at Shamus before looking at her. “Do you think me free from magic?” He shook his head, enraged. “But somehow my magic wasn’t enough. You all managed to evade my attack then vanish from Scotland. The next I knew you were here. You’ve powerful allies,” he muttered.

Insanity lit his eyes when he looked at Iosbail. “And I’d planned it so verra well. Marry the Broun to the Sinclair then have them ambushed. It mattered not by
who
.
If that didnae work bank on the Broun’s revenge to see the deed done.”

Iosbail shook her head, confused.

“Did you think to keep the Defiance all to yourself!” he roared, spittle shooting from his mouth. “Nay, I learned of it and did what needed to be done to set in action your rage, Broun. From all I’ve heard of you, you should have already brought Alexander to his knees in swift death.”

Adlin came beside her eyes narrowed. “You went back in time and killed Nigell because you wanted Iosbail to seek revenge on the Sinclair’s. What an unfortunate and ugly way to twist time for your own goals. In fact, had you not gone back she would not have come forward to begin
with.
You created a time loop.
And how lucky for you that she targeted Alexander.”

“
Aye,
and I’d kill a thousand more Brouns if it meant truly enraging Iosbail because killing just one didnae seem to do it. Cold hearted bitch!”

Not the gods nor
the
God could stop the fury of Alexander when he leapt on Edgar and wrapped his arms around the king’s neck. Squeezing tight he said, “I will kill you until you’re dead in not just this life but the next!”

For the first time in her life, Iosbail was so stunned she couldn’t call on her magic if she wanted to. Focus was beyond impossible.

But not for Adlin.

Edgar’s body was whipped away from Alexander as the MacLomain chieftain stalked him, a calm deadly expression on his face. “You dare to invade
my
castle. You dare to invade
so
many lives.”

As the Sinclair struggled against unseen bounds Adlin roared, “My people, leave now! ‘Twill
be
bloodshed!”

Iosbail was caught between people fleeing from the hall even as warriors made ready for battle.

Adlin looked over his shoulder at Alexander. “Take her from here. ‘Tis not a thing you need see and you, my king, need to survive it.”

Alexander shook his head.
“Nay. ‘
Tis a thing I
do
need to see.”

All but the last of the MacLomain clan had fled when Adlin said, “So
be
it.”

Cursing her dress all the way Iosbail began to run for the far wall as battle broke out in the MacLomain great hall. It was only as she grabbed a sword from the wall did she realize that Edgar was powerful unto his own right as were the men he’d brought with him. After all, how else would he have managed to bring so many with him? Iosbail looked around the room as more and more Sinclair warriors poured in. Her heart broke anew as she watched Alexander’s sword clash with the first. What a terrible thing to fight one’s own clan.

But she doubted that these were his men.

Nay, they were brought by Edgar from the south.

It was not a hard thing to see that the MacLeons fought alongside the MacLomains.

Iosbail had no time to think further as a clansman ran at her. Instead of using magic like others, as was so clearly heard by the booms around the hall, she stuck to combat. When the clansman lurched at her she dropped and spun, running the blade across his side. As he fell she parlayed with another. Their swords clashed, his brute strength making her arms vibrate as she held the blade strong.

Blood pounding through her veins, Iosbail let him drive her back then dodged away. With a wide smile on her face she cherished the fast retaliation he offered. Again he drove her back. Again she dodged away. She might not have brute strength but she had a light step and a love for fighting most men didn’t possess. When he again came at her she allowed herself to fall back, her arms shaking and trembling against his power. Just when a triumphant grin lit his face, that look when a man truly thought he’d had his way; she blocked his blade, arched her foot and kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch. Eyes round, an ‘o’ shape to his dry lips, Iosbail smiled and ran her blade up through his center as he fell forward.

Rolling away, she jumped to her feet and ran for another weapon. Blessed be, the MacLomain’s always had weapons hanging here and there around their great hall. With a newly acquired small blade in hand she ran back into the mayhem of warring men.

What a life!

After she slashed her blade across one man’s face, Iosbail ran at another only to have him bend and grab her around the waist. Air rushed from her lungs as he slammed her to the ground. Stars flickered in her vision but Iosbail kept calm and alert. Just as the man’s blade met her neck he was pulled from her, his neck snapped.

Shamus grinned and held down his hand.
“Ready for some more fight, lassie?”

With a hearty chuckle she allowed him to pull her to her feet only to have him pulled away by another warrior. Iosbail didn’t have a chance to make sure he was all right before another lad rushed at her. She smiled, ready, and threw her blade at his throat. It met its mark and he fell forward. She was about to seek out another weapon when Alexander appeared, two blades in hand, one of which he tossed to her. This time she released a full bodied laugh as they went back to back, surrounded by a fresh group of warriors.

“So we meet again,” she said.

“So we do,” he returned.

There was no more time to talk as they began to fight. Iosbail stayed light on her feet and tried her best to keep the Sinclair at her back. Men fell but they battled on. Regrettably the fighting didn’t last much longer. Too soon did she find herself spinning to confront the next man only to find he was not there…no men remained but those who lay
slain.

Blood splattered, heart rushing, her eyes swept over the hall. The last sounds of battle echoed. She heard not the sound of victory but the last gasps and gurgles of men dying. The silent whimpers of men calling for their loved ones as death came to greet them. The sharp tang of sweat and blood met her nostrils, the decrement of waste as bodies released to death.

Never before had she stood in the remnants of such a thing. She’d always fled.

Iosbail started to shake.

What had she done?

Her blade suddenly fell from limp fingers.