Highland Dream (Book 1)

Chapter 16

Now, where to stand here. She mustn’t show her hand too early with HER, so who would she grace with her presence. They would be so lucky to have her beside them, while she was mind numbingly bored by the spectacle about to unfold. Alpina had her brats with her, she would have been tolerable otherwise, why these women decided to disfigure their bodies for tiny demons she had no idea. Ah…Fyfa, now that would mean a couple of interesting hours. A cruel smile pasted itself unbecomingly across her face as she headed towards the painfully shy girl.

Her group of shadows followed, as she knew they would, knowing exactly what was to come. Fyfa, had actually turned into an alright looking sort of girl, obviously nothing like Larena. But Larena and her group had made sure Fyfa knew her place in this clan for a very long time now, so they only occasionally needed to reinforce that now. Oh what fun this would be. Taking a lock of the ridiculous looking red, curly hair from Fyfa’s shoulder, she leaned in a whispered “Oh, I’m so sorry Fyfa. I thought I told you how much I dislike this colour. You know what I expected of you and yet you disobey, now what are we going to do with you now.” The smile widened impossibly when she saw Fyfa shrink further into herself. Impossibly trying to merge with the wall.

Vika joined in the fun. “Fyfa, what are you wearing. Is your father now that drunk that all you can afford to wear is the sack you have on. You know if you were able to wear something more flattering…at least we would be able to look at something nice when we saw you passing by.” The women around them noticed, but did not interfere as they were the younger women in the clan, they knew that if they tried to help, Larena would focus instead on them. It may have been wrong, and they would have to confess about it in their prayers, but if Larena decided you were her target she did not stop until you broke.

The loud war cries filled the air moments before the men charged at each other. Camdyn was right in front, the men on his team only marginally behind him. His claymore was the first to strike. The first clash of metal on metal, and his was the first opponent to fall. And just like that the battle had begun. Cam relished this feeling, how his brain stopped thinking and just reacted. Knowing when an opponent was faking a move and which direction to swerve to misdirect and obfuscate. He was one of the best in his clan. He smashed shields, and was fairly sure her had left a few broken bones in his wake. By the time half the field had been cleared the sweat poured from him. The salt stinging in his eyes and matting his hair to his forehead. His muscles were starting to turn from the burn of good exercise, to the burn of pain. This was what when he really relished on the battle field. Pushing his body to the ultimate limits, which were just not reached in normal training sessions.

His blood pounding, he spied the twins out of the corner of his eye. Something was off, but as he tried to make his brain think enough to work it out, Corey came out of nowhere and side swiped him. Only his inexperience showed after the initial blow. His head spinning and now blood joined the sweat leaking into his eyes, he still managed to deftly unarm Corey and send him to the floor. Despite the injury he told his body to ignore, he went on to the next potential enemy and smashed the field to pieces. This was who he was, a Highlander through and through…it was in his blood.

Aislinn was startled by the war cries. She had never heard anything like it before. The boys in her village had had pretend battles and war cries, but nothing compared to the fury she heard within those. She recognised Camdyn out in front, shirtless, but wearing a kilt of the MacKay’s colours. The sword looked unbearably heavy as he brought it above his head, almost in slow motion his sword arced downwards gracefully and the crash of metal on metal could be heard where she stood. The blow sent Camdyn’s opponent to the floor and off he moved, soon lost to her eyes and her worry increased. There were obviously injuries happening on the field. What if she lost sight of him, and he was injured, how would she know? More importantly, she knew Camdyn to be a very well trained and successful warrior. But she still worried terribly for him.

After one particularly brutal crash between, well she thought it was, Hamish and one of the twins, she decided that that was enough excitement for one day and looked at her two companions instead. But they proved no distraction as she found their attention rapt on the battle, she doubted placing herself in mortal danger would have taken their attention off of the furore. What she did next, however, some would have called putting herself in mortal danger.

Larena had caught her eye. And what she saw sent her non-existent anger from imaginary to full blown explosion. Leaving her new friends behind, she was pushing her way through Larena’s copies seconds later. So shocked someone was ready to stand up to Larena, those copies just stood further back to watch how this would enfold.

Grabbing Larena’s wrist in a bruising grasp, ripping it away from the shoulder of a pretty girl with huge brown eyes, the confusion and fear she saw in those eyes sent Aislinn’s anger tumbling out of her mouth. “How dare you? What do you think you are doing? She is a member of your clan. You are supposed to be mistress to this clan, until your brother marries. And with your position here, you would most probably become mistress of another clan. But with how you treat the people you are around the same age as you, and those who are you’re elders, I see that you are truly rotten. You do not treat these hard working, wonderful people with the respect they deserve, no instead you belittle them and rule the women, who are supposed to come to you with their problems, by fear and disinterest. Any clan that had you as its mistress, and did not have a support network who worked to help Camdyn, will surly become destitute and lifeless within months.”

“How dar…”

Cutting her off, Aislinn could not stop now “No, now see here. These women are people you should look up to. If all you see is personal wealth and clothing as what makes a person, then I feel utmost sorrow for you, because ultimately you are the one who will go through life hollow.” Without a by-your-leave she took the hand of the terrified girl in front of her and pushed through the stunned onlookers. Astonished at the spectacle she had created. She did not think a woman on the walkway was paying attention to the battle, most held approval in their gazes as they looked at her, others were in awe of her ability to do what they dared not to. Iona and Minna had caught up to them by the time she had dragged the silent girl to the tower staircase. Uncharacteristically they never said a word the entire trip back to the courtyard, or even upon entering the main hall. It was when she had a young charge in a chair and had corralled a servant into fetching something for them to drink that Iona and Minnam both exploded with their need to re-enact the whole speech, word for word.

Aislinn was mortified, but the girl in the chair beside her, who still had not said a word, reached over and squeezed her hand in grateful thanks. For Aislinn had managed what no one in the clan had managed since Larena’s birth. She had shut Larena up, even if it is only to be temporary.