Highlander’s Viking Seductress: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Read online

  I love him.

  The realization was disturbed by a squawk overhead. She opened her eyes again and searched for the source, fearful she knew by now what kind of bird made that sound. This time, it was not just one. There were eight of them. Each of them squawking loudly as they flew overhead. Together they swarmed, their black feathers flapping in time - directing their soaring flight down to the cove below.

  Idunn stumbled away from them, a cold fear enveloping her. They were warning her again of the danger to come.

  Her feet broke out into a sprint. She had already made her decision between the Vikings and the Scots. There was no contest.

  As Idunn reached the castle, she could feel her arms and legs burning with the effort of having run so far. She rushed under the portcullis, holding the skirt around her knees and pushing past the other servants in her haste to find Gavin.

  She ran between the different areas of the yard, searching the storerooms, the soldiers’ tents, and even the kitchen garden. Seeing he was nowhere in the castle grounds, nor with the soldiers’ camp, she knew he had to be in the keep.

  Standing by the door, she was nervous about crossing the boundary. As a slave, she had no place entering this part of the castle. If she were caught, she could be punished for it. Such an idea of punishment seemed foolish in her next thought. What did punishment matter when slaughter could be delivered at any moment from the Norse?

  She waited for the cook and one of the scullery maids to step out of the kitchen before slipping in through the door behind them, careful to not alert them to her presence. In the steam and heat of the kitchen, so much was happening, the stress of the work so heightened, that no one looked at her as she walked past. She cast a glance back to them as she stepped through the doorway into the servant’s stairwell, but still, no one looked her way.

  Closing the door behind her, she hurried up the staircase, remembering the path from the stolen night shared with Gavin in his garderobe. That was the night he had revealed her sword kept in his private closet, claiming it too fine and precious a weapon to place with the other soldiers’ swords.

  She recalled the journey they had taken through the keep and found the corridor where Gavin had taken her that night. She found more than one other servant on route and had to hide behind doors to mask herself from being seen. In the corridor outside Gavin’s chambers, she hid in the shadows of a doorway as a footman passed by. Once he had left, she ran the last of the distance to Gavin’s garderobe and knocked loudly on the door, praying to the heavens that he was inside.

  She did not relent in her knocking but continued to rap against the wood until it was answered.

  The door eventually opened, revealing Gavin’s face pulling on a tunic over his chest. His eyes widened in surprise to see her.

  “Idunn!” Gavin took hold of her wrist and pulled her into the room, casting a fearful glance up and down the corridor, in case she had been seen. She stumbled on her feet behind him. He could see she was breathing heavily, her cheeks blushed red, her hair falling out of its customary braid. “What are ye doin’ –”

  “Please, Gavin, there is no time. You must listen to me.” She was struggling to get her words out; she was too out of breath. Gavin took her arms, trying to calm her. She breathed deeply and coughed to clear her throat.

  “Just breathe, Idunn. Have ye been running?” To his question, she nodded. There was a wince to her features, one of evident pain. “What is wrong?”

  “They are back.”

  “Who is back?”

  “The Norse.” Her words struck him. He clung tighter to her arms, realizing what she meant. “They are in the cove just down the coast. They have already made a camp.”

  His mind went back to the last invasion. They had been so prepared for that attack; the morning had been just a normal drill of their usual practice before the Vikings landed.

  But now… the Vikin’s have the advantage over us.

  “Gavin, listen to me.” Idunn pulled on his arms, urging him to focus. “I know their tactics. They will attack Banff by land, focusing first on the castle then moving onto the village. They will topple the source of power first.”

  “We are nae ready.” Gavin shook his head, barely able to believe it. The soldiers were tired from recent exercises. Getting them ready in time for a battle would be difficult.

  “I can tell you what to do. I know their weaknesses,” Idunn was speaking so fast, his thoughts were struggling to keep up with her, “Put a line of men by all the gates. Man the river too as well as the path, they will cross it easily. These are the weak points in their armour.” She took her arms from him and pointed to her body. First, she placed her hands on the upper part of her shoulders, at the crook when they joined the collarbone, then down to the backs of her knees. “Tell your archers on the castle walls to aim for these places.”

  “Idunn, please slow down. I need to think.” He stepped away from her, covering his face with his hands and brushing them through his hair, pulling on the locks in confusion.

  “There is nothing to think about.” She jumped in front of him. “You need to prepare for battle.”

  Gavin took hold of Idunn’s arms once more, realizing what the attack meant for her. The Vikings could take her away. If they found her within the castle - now loyal to the Scots, she would be killed.

  I cannae let that happen.

  Gavin lifted a hand to Idunn’s chin and brushed her cheek with his thumb.

  “Gavin –” Her eyes darted between his in confusion.

  “Ye must go to them.” His words shocked her. Her eyes widened, and her jaw slackened.

  “Nei!”

  “Idunn, if they find ye here, ye could be killed along with the rest of us. Ye ken, as well as I, that we are on the back foot here. They have the upper hand.” He brushed her cheek once more, hating the fact that he might never be able to touch her again. “I cannae risk ye dyin’.”

  “But…” She struggled for words. “Nei. Gavin, I am not going to leave you.” Her words urged him to pull her to him. He kissed her with desperation, the passion still between them, but this time laced with fear.

  “I love ye for it, bandia.” He pulled back his lips, pressing their foreheads together. “I would love ye to stay here, but this changes everythin’. Here ye are a slave, nay matter what I try to do me faither refuses to release ye.”

  “You have asked him?” She pulled her head back, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

  “Of course, I did.” He shook his head, needing her to trust him. “With yer kin, ye are safe. Ye will nay longer be a slave, and they will nae harm ye in the attack. Ye must go now, take me horse from the stable and ride to them.”

  She opened and closed her mouth, searching for words. Gavin brushed the wisps of her hair behind her ear.

  “Gavin, there is something else…” she whispered.

  “What is it, bandia?” he asked, looking straight into her glistening eyes.

  “Before I saw the Norse, I… I was following Tadhg. He… I think he is up to something Gavin. The Norse coming, he being close to their location. It cannot be a coincidence.”

  Gavin took a step back with a frown. Confusion clouded his green eyes, but then he dismissively moved his arm.

  “I know Tadhg can be an unpleasant man. Sometimes cruel even. But he is my brother and a Highlander. He would die fer us. I’m sure there is a perfectly good explanation for his whereabouts.”

  Idunn knew how much family meant to Gavin. But she also knew Tadhg. There was no way that he wasn’t somehow involved in this. His cruelty and his desire for raw power were written in his eyes.

  “But, Gavin, I know what I saw. He may be your brother, but please… Be careful.”

  He took one step closer to her and caressed her cheek. “I will, I promise.”

  “I love you,” she whispered, with her eyes on his.

  “I love ye too,” he murmured, and kissed her again. When they parted, she was holding tightly to his arms,
showing no sign of letting go. “Ye must go. For me, Idunn. I need ye to do this to stay safe.”

  She parted from his arms with tears in her eyes. She was shaking her head, clearly not wanting to go. He walked past her to the door and held it open for her.

  “Go, bandia.” He felt his throat constrict with the tears he was holding back.

  She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes before running out. Closing the door behind her, he allowed himself just one moment of stillness before leaping into action. He pulled free his weapons, including Idunn’s sword, holding it up in the light for a moment, the sun glistening on the compass motif. Placing it into his belt, he hoped it would show him his path, just as it had shown Idunn.

  He sprinted from the room to raise the alarm and prepare the castle for the inevitable attack. With each hurried step, the memory of Idunn’s pained face came back to his mind.

  Stay safe, bandia.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Idunn had to wait until the alarm was raised before she could sneak into the stable and take Gavin’s horse as he suggested. The steed went willingly with her, used to her from their ride out to the loch. As she climbed onto the horse and galloped quickly away from the castle, she looked back to the walls and the mad dash of staff and soldiers under Gavin’s orders.

  They were already readying the archers, and the trebuchets were being dragged into place behind the walls, preparing for the defense. Soldiers were gathering at the portcullis, weapons being passed around, helmets being donned, and swords unsheathed.

  She looked away from them, turning her gaze back to the horse and the path ahead. As she rode, her stomach tightened into knots, each step towards the Vikings making her more nervous about what might happen in the ensuing hours. She understood why Gavin had sent her away – he had been right. If she had been discovered by her kin showing loyalty to the Scots, they would kill her.

  Knowing it was the right thing to do did not make it any easier, feeling she had abandoned Gavin, leaving him to his fate.

  She made the journey quickly, arriving at the cove much quicker than anticipated. It started to rain as she reached them, the grey clouds swarming overhead, and the gentle patter of rain greeted them. She looked up to the sky briefly, feeling the icy water on her face and clothes. It was a day much like the one when she had first arrived in Banff.

  She tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding. Casting a look around the clouds for the ravens again, she searched the skies - but they were long gone, far away from the cove. As she reached the edge of the camp, she practically jumped from the horse in her eagerness to search the place.

  Some of the Viking boats had been dragged to the shore; makeshift tents had been set up too, along with racks of weapons. In truth, it appeared the Vikings had been there for a day, preparing for the attack, unseen and protected by the cliffs.

  She snapped her head around the camp, searching for the one person she needed to talk to. Gavin may have thought that she had done as he asked, but she could not do it. She had another plan in mind. Unable to see through the weapons and the crowd of Viking warriors, she jumped onto a nearby rock to get a better view.

  “Idunn!” A familiar voice called out. It was one of the warriors, someone she had known well from previous battles. “You are alive? What has happened to you?” She jumped down in front of the warrior to speak to him.

  “There is no time to explain. Take me to Einarr. Is he here?” she ordered, raising her chin high. She felt there was something out of place in her slave garments, giving instructions to the warrior she had once fought with side by side.

  “Já, he is. This way.” The Viking nodded and gestured for her to follow.

  She followed him through the camp, noting all the familiar faces as she walked. Each warrior was preparing, fastening on their armour, and choosing their weapons. The start of the attack had to be moments away. Within a minute, she was shown to a tent at the edge of the beach.

  “Einarr?” her escort declared loudly, calling his attention from the maps in his hand.

  “Já?” He slowly turned around when his eyes settled on Idunn. She stepped towards him, uncertain what she felt as she watched him. “Idunn? You are alive?” His surprise and shock were evident. He waved away the escort, leaving the two of them alone.

  She quickly surmised what she felt in his presence: emptiness, and thanked the gods that had somehow orchestrated her life so that she had not married him. She could not imagine spending a passionate night with this man, not like she had done with Gavin under the stars.

  “Já, I am alive. Einarr, you have to stop the attack.”

  “Stop the raid? What are you talking about? How are you alive?”

  “The Scots took me as their slave.”

  “You survived the battle? I do not understand how. How are you still alive?” He closed the distance between them and took hold of her chin. It was a harsh and jerky movement, raising her face so he could see it better. “Well, you do not look beaten as I would expect a slave would be.” She tore her chin from his grasp, determined to not let him touch her again.

  “Why are you so surprised that I survived?” It was a strange thing to ask more than once. It made her suspicious. “You saw me fight many times; you know I am capable.”

  “Ah, sæta.” The awfully sweet name he used to call her returned, making her feel as though her insides were twisting. It was a far cry from the loving and admiring word bandia that Gavin used. “I am surprised as the last time I saw you, you were laid on the beach, bleeding to death.”

  His words delivered a heavy blow.

  “Are you telling me…” She paused and took a step towards him, her voice seething with rage and anger. “That you left me on that beach to die? You left your betrothed to the hands of your enemy?”

  “Well,” he shrugged, as if it did not matter, “I needed to get away, sæta. I had to think of my own life. Going back to you would have been too much of a risk.”

  “You saw it as a choice? Me or you? And you chose you?”

  “Já, I did.”

  “This will be close,” Findlay said again, shaking his head. Gavin looked away as they walked across the ramparts of the castle towards the archers.

  “Aye, but let us be practical,” Gavin urged with a firm order, “We cannae waste time with worryin’.”

  “I ken, Gavin,” Findlay tapped his arm briefly, trying to show some comfort.

  “Listen up!” Gavin called as he jumped on the wall in front of the archers. His men turned to look at him, all of them carrying their bows and preparing their arrows for quick dispensing. “Their armour has weak points. Where the collarbone meets the shoulder, here.” He pointed to his shoulder where Idunn had directed. “Strike them there if ye can. Such a blow there will take their men down.”

  The archers nodded; some of them even checked their own armour to see if they had such a weak spot.

  “There’s another too.” Gavin lifted his leg. “At the back of the knee. It is nae such a clean shot and willnae be such a blow, but it could mean takin’ someone out of battle. Is that understood?”

  “Aye!” they called in unison.

  “Good, then remember,” Gavin paused; the heat of his normal speech did not feel as passionate as it had done the first time. They were caught on the back foot, in the weaker position, and he had just said goodbye to the woman he loved because he knew they were likely to lose. “We do this for our Clan. For our Laird. And for every Man.” His half-hearted declaration of their normal battle cry was still met with fervour.

  He turned away with the smallest of smiles back to the staircase with Findlay following him. His men would fight to the end of the world to keep this castle safe, which worried him.

  How many men will I see die today? It is nae right.

  “Gavin?” Findlay called, as they reached the bottom of the steps and began to walk away across the courtyard.

  “Aye?”

  “How did ye ken about the weak sp
ots in the armour?” Findlay was curious, his voice lilting with surprise. Gavin looked at him. There hardly seemed any harm in telling him now, as they might not survive to see the night draw in. Idunn was long gone.

  “Idunn.”

  “She told ye? Why would she tell ye?”

  “Because she and I dinnae have the relationship of master and slave.” Gavin shook his head as his hand moved unconsciously to the handle of Idunn’s sword at his belt. He felt Findlay slap his shoulder in comfort.

  “If it were any other day, me friend, I would congratulate ye.”

  “Daenae today. She was the one who warned me they were here. She saw the Norse this mornin’.”