Could it be a woman? They were not often seen on those types of vessels.
The boat sliced through the waves, finally slowing as itheaded toward an area he knew held hidden rocks in high tide, but this was low tide. The rocks were in clear view, yet the ship headed straight for the outcroppings. Why? There was nothing there but three rocks, one flat enough to stand on, the other two pointed and unfit to hold anyone or anything. The only purpose they served was as an impediment to seamen in the dark of night, when the surface would reflect the moon with shimmers across waves, hiding the obstacles that could sink a ship.
The vessel maneuvered to go around the rocks, so Thane turned to head back to his castle, but his peripheral view caught something he didn’t like.
Something he could not ignore.
The ship stopped next to the rocks.
He’d gone partway down the hill toward MacQuarie Castle, but he couldn’t discount the slim possibility of impending malice about to take place in front of him. There had to be a reason the ship halted at that spot, as if it were arriving at its destination. For what? Then a scenario popped into his mind that he refused to believe. The woman was not moving. Was this all part of a plan?
He shook his head, his imagination getting carried away. They couldn’t be leaving a dead body on a rock in the middle of the sea, could they? He turned around to stare again, his mind reeling, but it always returned to the same thought.
They wouldn’t do it, would they?
Or would they?
He sat on a rock, vowing to see exactly what the ship was about before leaving. After all, it could be someone meant to spy on his clan or someone looking for a way to mount an attack against him. As chieftain of Clan MacQuarie, it was paramount that he do what he could to determine if this ship was preparing for an invasion. From their position, the sailors could see his castle clearly, watch the movement, decide if it was worth theeffort. His castle was a long way away from most activity on Mull. He’d not been attacked since becoming chieftain four years ago, but it could happen.
No way in hell would he allow anyone to take away what he’d worked so hard for. After several years of living off the land in the forest, surviving on fish and rabbit meat, he and his loyal followers had finally found a deserted castle on the western end of the Isle of Mull and made it their own. His sister had made it better with her warm touches and her fine cooking, and he’d decided long ago that he would never give it up.
He liked his life.
Once he accomplished the one driving need in his life to find his mother for revenge, he would relax and convince his brother and sister to find spouses, then he’d spend his days hunting, fishing, and sword-playing. He was too close to achieving his objectives to let anything slip through his fingers.
He moved back, hoping he wasn’t noticed, and found a tree to stand near to draw attention away from his large frame. Damn the gods in heaven, but once the boat stopped, one of the occupants bent over, lifted up the colorful blob, then deposited it on the rock before turning away and climbing back into their ship.
Had they actually disposed of a person on that rock?
A person in the middle of a sea that would cover and hide that rock within a few hours when high tide rolled in?
He ran his hand down his face as if he could pull back time and erase what just happened, but alas, the body was still there. After observing and studying the object, he made his decision about what he’d just witnessed. The man had deposited a woman on the rock.
The man settled in the boat, but another man stepped from the vessel to the flat rock, pulling his fist back and punching whatever they’d tossed there.
That movement convinced him he was right. And the fool had just punched a woman, a woman already down and not moving. He couldn’t stop himself from bellowing, “Stop yer brutality, you spineless bastard!”
The dark-haired man jerked his head toward Thane but said nothing, instead jumping back into the ship and waving his arms for the oarsmen to begin their voyage back to wherever they came from.
Thane wished to stay so he could determine the fool’s destination. Mull? Arran? Ulva? Where did the scum live?
That much would have to wait. As much as he’d vowed to focus on one thing only, his conscience wouldn’t allow him to ignore the fact that an innocent lass had been left on an outcropping to die after being beaten first.
He headed down the hill toward their castle and the keep, shouting at the guards on the curtain wall. “Where is Brian?” Brian, his only brother, was his second-in-command and was often running practice sessions in the lists. They looked nearly identical, except Brian’s hair was nearly black while Thane’s was brown. Both extremely tall, they prided themselves on their physiques, practicing their sword skills as frequently as possible.
“He’s with your sister in the hall,” Artan, one of their top guards, replied.
“Artan, ready our smaller boat.”
“Aye, Chief.”
Thane rushed inside the hall, interrupting his siblings’ conversation. “Brian, we’ve got to get over to the outcroppings.”
Their sister Mora scowled. “What is wrong? Has something happened? Please tell me, Thane. You never get upset about anything, except…well…never mind. You never get upset.”
“Some fool dropped a lass on the outcroppings. My guess is he beat her and left her there to die.” Thane was certain it was done with the intent of murder, the inkling radiating from deepin his bones.
“Another of your gut feelings, Thane?” Brian drawled.
