Clinging to him, frightened near out of her own skin, she began to cry louder. “Da hid me here!” She said. “He went to find Mairi!”
Hearing the commotion, Traigh and Rory came rushing into the barn. As soon as they saw the little girl clinging to Black Richard, they sheathed their swords and offered assistance. Black Richard had to pry the child away and hand her down to Traigh.
As he descended the ladder, he said, “Abel has gone off to find Mairi.”
Lord only knew what fate had already befallen Mairi. Knowing Abel as he did, the man was fit to be tied with anger. He pitied the Farquars should Abel get his hands on the men who took his eldest child and daughter.
With Traigh staying behind to watch after Liza, Black Richard and his men set off in search of Abel and Mairi. They stopped at the border, swords at the ready. He knew these lands like the back of his own hand. At their northwestern border, were Farquar lands. North and all along his eastern borders were the Chisolms. The MacRays were to the west and south. The MacCulloughs were, quite literally, surrounded by their enemies.
He and his men scanned the horizon and listened. Not a Farquar was to be seen. Undoubtedly, they were back at their own keep by now, celebrating their victory over a farmer and his innocent children. The cowards.
Turning slightly in his saddle, he looked to Rory. Using hand signals, he gave the order for them to fan out and search. Slowly, the men spread out and cautiously urged their horses onto Farquar lands.
’Twas quiet here, with a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. In the distance, Black Richard could hear the sound of the stream gurgling a hundred paces away. Birds sung to one another, oblivious to what was taking place around them. Glancing overhead, he saw a squirrel jumping from one tree branch to another. Other than the birds and squirrel, he neither saw nor heard any other sounds of life.
They had not traveled far when they heard the excited and agitated voice of Abel MacCullough break through the trees.
“Run!”
Abel and Mairi came running toward the MacCullough men as if they were being chased by the devil himself. Thinking quickly, Black Richard and Rory raced forward. Black Richard grabbed Mairi about her waist while Rory paused his steed long enough for Abel to climb up behind him. A heartbeat later, they were racing back toward the safety of their own land.
Uncertain of how many Farquars were chasing them, they raced back toward Abel’s croft, yelling at Traigh to mount and bring Liza. By the time they reached the little spot of farmland, Traigh was already mounted, with the little girl sitting in front of him.
They did not stop to ask questions or to assess the situation. Riding at breakneck speeds, they tore across the land, back to the safe confines of the keep. The gate opened before they even reached it. Black Richard and his men stormed through, out of breath and with hearts pounding.
In short order, they dismounted and raced up the steps an inside. Colyne and Raibeart were waiting anxiously for them in the gathering room. “We heard there was an attack!” Colyne called out as Black Richard and the others crossed the floor.
“Are we goin’ to war?” Raibeart asked eagerly.
Black Richard shook his head. “Before ye talk of war, do ye not think it best to find all the facts first?” he chastised them. Did I have such a thirst for blood and war at their ages?
Intrigued rather than bothered by his gruff tone, the boys fell into step behind the others and followed them into Richard’s private study.
’Twas not until everyone had a chance to catch their breaths and find their wits, and the small family reunited, that the interrogations began.
Black Richard listened intently as Abel and Mairi recounted the events of the day. What he heard made his skin crawl. It also heightened his urge to lay siege to the Farquars.
Thankfully, Mairi had not been too badly hurt. Cuts and scrapes from running through bramble bushes along with a cut and bloodied lip from the hand of the Farquar man who had taken her. The ne’er-do-well hadn’t fared quite as well as Mairi, however. Black Richard felt a good deal of pride toward the lass, for her fast thinking and the bravery she showed in the face of adversity.
“Did ye kill him?” Rory asked, his brow furrowed into a fine line, his eyes ever hopeful for an affirmative answer.
Mairi shrugged her shoulders. “I do not believe so,” she replied. “But he will nae be usin’ that arm to hurt anyone else for a time.” The poor fool had mistakenly believed Mairi would be docile, too terrified to act. But the moment he let his guard down, she took the dirk from his belt and plunged it into the unsuspecting man’s arm. “Had I been able, I would have stuck it in his cold heart,” she told them.
“I wonder why they did not come after her?” Lachlan asked, to no one in particular.
Black Richard had been wondering that very thing. Believing this was a subject best done outside the ears of the innocent, he said, “Colyne, Raibeart, take Mairi and the children to see Hattie.”
Colyne’s eyes drew into slits, insulted by his older brother’s intentions. “I am old enough to be here,” he said.
Richard bent at the waist and whispered in his brother’s ear. “Ye may be, but Andrew is nae.”
Understanding burned in Colyne’s eyes. Giving a curt nod, he ushered the other children out of the study.
Once the door was shut, Richard looked to the men who remained. “The Farquars, as we all know, never act unless they are paid. The question is, who paid them?”
“The Chisolms?” Lachlan offered up. “They certainly have the coin.”
Richard thought on that for a long moment yet remained uncertain. “The Chisolms or the MacRays. Each of them have the coin and each of them have an axe to grind.”
“But we have a peace accord with the MacRays now,” Lachlan reminded everyone.
Richard scoffed. “We can trust the MacRays as much as we can trust the Chisolms or Farquars. Even with a peace accord.”
“But ye married his daughter,” Abel spoke up. “Certainly he would not do anything to put his daughter in harm’s way.”
Richard could not disagree more. He was still bothered by the manner in which Garrin ignored his only daughter the day Richard married her and took her away. There was something off about all of it, including this attack by the Farquars. “I am not certain that is the case,” he admitted aloud. “But no matter who was behind it, we must remain diligent. Lachlan,” he said turning his attention to his cousin. “Increase the border patrols.”
“To the north?” he asked with a raised brow.
“On all sides,” Richard replied. “Find whatever extra help ye can to finish the wall as well. I fear we have not heard the last of the Farquars or the Chisolms.” And if his instinct was correct, he hadn’t heard the last of the MacRays either.
Chapter Eight
Although it had been a long, exhausting, and taxing day, Black Richard was quietly looking forward to seeing his wife. However, the troubles at Abel’s farm had kept him away until nightfall. He had sent word to his wife letting her know he would be missing the evening meal. No apologies or words of promise to make it up to her.