“Glenna, you should stop bothering him. Look what your mean streak gained you already. If you weren’t riddled with vengeance, you wouldn’t have lost your hand to a sword. You struck first, or have you forgotten?” Lia stood with her hands folded in front of her.
“Who are you? Who told you all that?”
Kyla yelled, “Leave the bairns alone, Glenna. You want me, do you not? Well, here I am.”
Glenna whirled to face Kyla. “There she is. The queen of Clan Grant. The one who had to come and butt into my grandsire’s affairs. All because of you, he died at the hand of your sire.”
“Nay. If your father hadn’t had me beaten, my sire wouldn’t have killed him. It was the cruelty at the hands of your grandsire and his men that caused everything. Don’t be like them.” Kyla hugged Magni tight against her.
“I don’t like you,” Magni said to Glenna.
“I hate all of you. I’ll see you all dead before this is over, but not until I find out who wounded me. Who was he? I want his name.”
“I don’t know,” Magni cried. “I wasn’t here.”
“It was my son, Glenna. And I’m glad he hurt you after you stabbed an old man from behind. Are you proud of that?”
Glenna threw her head back in gales of laughter. Then she stopped suddenly and stuck her face in front of Magni’s. “Aye. I’m proud of it. And I’ll be even prouder when I finish off your clan.”
She whirled and left, slamming the door behind her. They heard her voice down the hall.
“Kelvan, get them out of here before their friends come. Hide them in the secret holding.”
Magni said, “We’re leaving again?”
Lia said, “Never fear. It’s for the best. You’ll see.”
Kyla said, “What does that mean, Lia?”
“It means the end of this nightmare is almost here. Magni, soon you will go home, and you’ll never feel like you don’t have a family again.”
Magni frowned, trying to understand what she meant, but he didn’t get to ask. They were taken out and tossed into a large cart.
He looked at his sister and said, “Here we go again, Lia.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Broc
Broc took Merryn’s hand as they strode outside the gates around the castle and down toward the sea. “There’s a beautiful spot where you can see the water in three directions.”
Merryn had gotten Shealee down for her nap and as soon as she entered the hall, Broc had been waiting for her. He’d hoped to get her alone for a wee bit.
He found a spot covered in leaves and motioned for Merryn to sit. Once she was settled, he sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her to warm her. “The morrow could be a big day. It could be the end of our troubles.”
“Or the beginning of more troubles. But I hope you are right.”
“Alasdair and John’s patrol leave for MacVey’s and the mainland. Simone and Artan leave for Mingary Castle. I hope they can uncover exactly where my mother and the two bairns are located.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I hope so too. Do you know why?”
“Besides the obvious? Getting your mother and the bairns home?”
“Aye. I’d like to have some calm over Duart Castle so I can explore the lass who is sitting next to me.” He lifted the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I feel we rarely have any time alone.”
“I know. But …”
