Maxwell turned on his heels and straightened his back. Bram was right. God only knew how far she had managed to travel, and even now, they may be too late. Johnson and his men may have seen her alone and taken the opportunity that presented itself to them. What on earth had she been thinking?
She was thinking o’ me.
Skylar had been trying to save him from himself from nearly the day they had met. All he had done in return was shut her out, ignore her, and make her feel worthless. What a grand way to repay the woman he loved—a woman who had loved him unconditionally, even though everything that had happened to get them together had been something she had been forced to do.
Well, he was going to ignore her instruction not to come after her, not because he was selfish or because he did not want to listen to her but for her own safety. She knew what Johnson was capable of, and still she had left. It made him wonder what the hell she had seen in that vision.
“Caelan, organize a meeting with the council. Tell them what has occurred and the action we’re taking.”
“Aye, my laird,” Calean replied quickly before hurrying from the room.
“Bram,” Maxwell turned to his brother, “get the men ready. I need tae dress for battle. I’ll meet ye in the courtyard as soon as I’m able.”
Sometime later, in the courtyard, Bram had already mounted his horse and had Maxwell’s steed saddled and ready. A few men had gathered, but with such short notice, many were not yet fit to follow.
“Tell them tae follow us on,” Maxwell called out to one of the men before turning back to Bram and the small group with him.
“I dinnae ken where we ought tae even begin looking,” Maxwell said.
“I dinnae if this information is o’ any use tae ye, my laird,” one of the mounted soldiers said, “but it was I and some other guards who accompanied Lady Macleod when she took the young boy, Ogilvie, back tae his mother. Perhaps my lady may have sought shelter there. She did speak with Ogilvie’s mother for quite some time.”
“What’s yer name?” Maxwell demanded.
“Jacob, my laird.”
“Very well, Jacob. Ye lead the way tae Ogilvie’s house. It is a good suggestion. Skylar doesnae ken anyone around these parts, and perhaps, having met and spoken tae the boy’s mother, she will go there, tae somewhere she kens she’ll be welcomed.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Skylar did not realize how dark it would be at such a late hour. Keeping to the shadows, she crept across the courtyard to the stables but could not shake the eerie feeling that enveloped her. It sent a tingling sensation of fear down her spine. Her imagination was running away with her, seeing things in the shadows that were not really there, and reprimanding herself, she tried not to let her fear overtake her. She could not let it get the better of her, or she would never leave.
I’ve come too far tae turn back now.
Skylar had not yet left the castle grounds, but her meaning was not intended in the physical sense. It had been more to do with her inner turmoil—the doubt that had plagued her as she had gazed longingly at Maxwell before she had left his bedchamber, the grave finality of her decision to leave in the first place, and how much of her it had taken to make it.
Avoiding the large gates that stood at the main entrance, she kept close to the walls and in the shadows and walked the horse to a smaller gate set on the side of the castle wall. Though there was a Judas gate within the main gates at the front, this small entry was used by those who frequently left the castle to gather firewood or hunt for food in the woodland that surrounded the castle.
There had been a little doubt as she approached it whether there would be room for the beast she was leading, but she was lucky that the gap happened to be just big enough for the horse to pass through. Unlike the large gates at the entrance, there were no guards keeping watch at this one. It had been the reason she had chosen it in the first place. She did not desire to have to answer more questions about where she was going at such an hour. Having to face Kendrick was difficult enough, and he, in his wisdom, had an understanding of her dilemma. The guards, on the other hand, would be far more wary and likely not let her pass.
Once she had made it outside without being noticed, Skylar mounted the horse and began the gentle trot away from the walls, still being mindful to make as little noise as possible. Looking over her shoulder, she gave the castle one final glance. The sadness overwhelmed her once more, for she was leaving so much behind: Bram, Katherine, Kendrick, and her new home. But most importantly of all, she was leaving the one and only man she had ever fallen in love with. She would never lay eyes upon this castle or those within it again, and as the tears welled in her eyes, she flicked the reins and pressed her horse forward.
Once the sobbing had started, it had not relented, and for the next half hour, Skylar found herself between two states of being. She was either crying uncontrollably or wiping away the tears once the crying had stopped, only to think about everything she was losing and for the tears to start again.
This was the only way she could keep Maxwell safe, but she acknowledged, as the grief nearly took her over, leaving him was probably the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life.
Having traveled for some time and now being a good distance away from the castle, Skylar then had to decide where she ought to go. There had not been much time to consider what she would do after she had left the castle grounds. With the inner turmoil taking most of her concentration, she did not know what her steps would be once she was out in the world and all alone. All her energy had been spent focusing on following through with her decision. Now, however, as a very thin line of light hovered on the edge of the horizon, she had another decision to make: what direction she ought to travel.
“Perhaps we should go home,” she said out loud, speaking to her mare as though she could understand her. “It has been such a long time since I have seen it. I now have tae find where I belong.” She heaved a sigh. “But then, Father isnae there any longer. Our house might even belong tae another by now. Perhaps it’s not such a good idea. If Johnson’s men are still there somewhere…”
She trailed off then as the thought of Laird Johnson entered her mind. The horrid man had caused so much pain to so many people. She had thought her own loss and grief had been difficult enough, but after Maxwell had relayed all the suffering the laird had caused him and his own family, it only fueled the hatred she felt for him.
Maxwell had freed her, but her sisters were still in hiding. Perhaps she could now do for them what Maxwell had done for her. There was certainly no going back. She had to go forward. What better way to occupy her mind, to distract her from the pain and loss she felt and would continue to feel for some time, than giving herself a worthy purpose? She could find her sisters and free them one by one. Eventually, they could all be together again, just as her father said they would.
“We could start with Lana,” she declared.
Lana came first to her mind because of the letter her sister had sent to the convent, warning her about Laird Johnson and his plans for her. Somehow, Lana had known where she was, and Skylar had still not been able to fathom out how. Perhaps their father had told her before they had left, but that did not make any sense. He had not told Skylar where any of the others were, and she was the oldest of them all.
That in itself presented a problem, for to find Lana, Skylar first needed to know in which direction to look. At that moment, she had not one clue where she ought to begin.
