Page 126 of My Brave Highlander

"Dirk MacKay is dead," Torrin said. "And has been for over a decade."

"Aye," Haldane said. "This man is an imposter claiming to be Dirk MacKay. He's taken over the clan and castle and imprisoned my mother. And he has taken Lady Isobel hostage. He has used her ill and abused her."

"This is an outrage!" Cyrus said. "Who is he in truth?"

"We know not."

"I'll kill the bastard, whoever he is," Torrin muttered.

"And I'll help you," Cyrus said.

Haldane gave a sly grin and Nolan wondered what he was up to. Was any of this true?

One of the MacLeod guards spoke up. "A MacKay and a party of four passed through here a fortnight ago."

"Who was with him?" Torrin demanded.

"A woman he said was his wife, a man named MacInnis, and two servants. The MacKay man claimed his father was on his deathbed and he had to make haste."

"That's him. His friend is MacInnis," Haldane said.

Torrin muttered a string of curses, then asked the guard, "Did you get a look at the woman he said was his wife?"

"Nay, 'twas snowing. Nasty weather, and she was shrouded in wool blankets to keep warm."

"If that was Isobel, why would she say naught nor ask for the help of the MacLeod guards if she'd truly been taken hostage by MacKay?" Cyrus asked, narrowing his eyes at Torrin.

"That's what I'd like to know, but I wasn't here," Torrin growled.

"She fled Munrick for some reason. My sister is not daft. She would not have left here during a storm unless she felt her life was in danger. I want the truth from you and your clan," Cyrus demanded.

Rigid with suppressed rage, Torrin turned, his gaze landing on Nolan. "What happened while I was gone, brother? You were supposed to be watching over the clan and my betrothed."

A second of icy fear sliced through Nolan. No one could suspect him. "Naught that I know of. She simply vanished one night. We thought she'd changed her mind about marrying you."

"Nay, there had to be a reason," Cyrus said, his shrewd devil-dark eyes making Nolan squirm. "She agreed to marry Torrin. She would not simply change her mind. Something happened here."

"What are you not telling us, Nolan?" Torrin demanded.

"I've told you all I know." Stay calm, he told himself.

The two chiefs glared at him several moments longer and sweat broke out over his whole body, despite the chill wind.

Torrin turned back to Haldane. "Who do you have with you?"

"My friends, MacKays mostly, and two of my mother's guards."

"If you leave your weapons at the gate, you may stay the night," Torrin said. "We'll leave in the morn and rescue Lady Isobel."

∞∞∞

The sky was overcast and the frigid wind whipping at a steady rate at Dunnakeil two days later when the skirl of bagpipes playing a call to battle from the roof of the guard tower alerted the MacKays something was amiss.

Dirk strode from the stables. The men knew what to do when the MacLeods arrived. He'd been training them for over a week. All wore armor and carried weapons as they gathered in the inner bailey.

"Halt!" one of his guards yelled from the guard tower.

Dirk hurried forward to see how many men had arrived and whether an attack was being launched.