Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander Read online

  Katie lunged at him, shoving him hard in the chest. “You are a sick man!” she screamed. “I saw what you did to Sorcha.”

  “You what?”

  He came close, gazing at her with menacing eyes. “You little bitch. You spied on me.”

  “Ian made me suspect you of foul play. I went to see for myself and saw you with Sorcha.”

  “So that is how he charmed his way beneath your skirts. Tell me, Katie, what did you see?”

  “I ken you are lovers. You did things to her….”

  “I didna do anything to Sorcha she didna want. She enjoys a little pain with her pleasure.” He moved closer. “Had a little pain with your pleasure, did you not?”

  Katie stepped away and glared at him. “There is no comparison.”

  Rannoch grabbed her wrist and jerked her over to the bed. He threw her down on the soft ticking, secured her wrists with the cuffs, and chained her to the bed. Rannoch pulled down her bodice and ran his hands over her exposed breasts in a roving exploration. Then his hand went beneath her skirt touching her.

  “Stop it,” she shrieked striking at him and kicking him repeatedly as she twisted beneath him. Finally, he left off his assault and stood to tower over her.

  “You wilna be so high and mighty when I take you. I will wait until I am sure you dinna carry his bastard.” He grinned at her expression. “I see you didna think of that in the heat of the moment. Dinna fear, when the time comes, I will teach you to please me.” He went to the door then turned to look back at her. ”Just wait and see.”

  He left her chamber with a resounding slam of the door.

  She could hear him barking out orders to his men. “One of you will guard her at all times. Lady Katherine is not to leave her room.”

  Quivering Katie sat up and heard the rattle of the chain. Would he come again to shame her with his insolent touch? She had no doubt. Only her joining with Ian kept her from rape moments ago. With one hand, she adjusted her gown to cover her breasts and leaned back against the headboard. Her secrets were out and now she must find a way to help Ian. Without care, he could die in the dungeon cell. She did not believe Rannoch would spare him because of her offer of marriage. In fact, now that he knew what she had done it was likely he would kill or maim Ian.

  First, she must free herself from the damned manacles then she could figure a way out of her chamber. Slipping one hand beneath the ticking, she pulled her dirk from its hiding place. Perchance she could pick the lock that bound her to the bed.

  After working for hours trying to make the narrow blade spring the lock, Katie slumped back in the bed. All seemed hopeless. She slept off and on through the night. Each time she woke, she worked to free herself from Rannoch’s cruel trap. Eventually, she drifted into an exhausted slumber.

  When she woke again, the first rays of the morning sun were shining through the narrow windows in her chamber. A disturbance in the hallway drew Katie’s attention. She could hear the guard challenging someone outside her door. The conversation stopped and the door opened. Tessa walked into the room and turned back to the guard. “A few moments of privacy with my sister if you dinna mind.”

  Surprisingly the guard nodded and pulled the door shut. “Tessa, what are doing here?”

  “You need me and I am here,” she said simply. Tessa walked over to the bed and withdrew a key from a small, velvet sack that hung on her belt. She held it up for Katie to see.

  “How….”

  “Dinna ask.” Moving closer, Tessa freed Katie from the manacles.

  Rubbing her wrists, Katie looked at her youngest sister in amazement. “You ken I have trouble believing your claims of foresight.”

  “Someday you will be convinced. Until then, I accept that all the family would deny my gift.”

  “We find it frightening because we dinna understand it.”

  Tessa nodded. “If I didna live with it daily, I wouldna believe it either. That is a conversation for another day. My time here is short. The guard wilna allow me to visit with you very long. The keys to Ian’s cell are in the anteroom outside his chamber. I ken you will find a way to save him from Rannoch.”

  “Aye, so,” Katie murmured, hugging Tessa to her chest.

  Tessa pushed back. “You must get past the guard Rannoch placed at Ian’s cell.”

  “Any advice?”

  Tessa looked pleased. “The guards have a keg of ale. Any of them who are on duty partake often. I procured some of Sorcha’s potion to aid your cause.” Drawing a vial from her velvet pouch, she handed it to Katie.

  “You ken Rannoch is having Sorcha poison father?”

  “Aye.”

  “How did you….”

  “I heard them talking then I watched. Sorcha gives this to father in very small doses. If you were to put the whole vial in the ale, I think it may have the desired effect.”

  “How did you get these things?”

  “The potion was easy. I took it from father’s chamber and replaced it with one filled with water.”

  “Clever girl, but what about the key?” Katie asked.

  Tessa smiled. “I see things in my mind’s eye and I am also a clever spy when it becomes necessary. Rannoch confides in Sorcha. I overheard them and learned much. While she had his attention, I got the key.”

  “Please tell me you didna see them together in his chamber.”

  Tessa laughed. “Nay, Katie, but I am a bit of a pick pocket when I need to be. Rannoch and Sorcha spoke in the hallway. He told her what he had done to you and Ian. I was around the corner.”

  “Tessa!”

  “I peeked and Rannoch had his healer up against the wall with his hands all over her. I simply ran through the passageway and bumped into him. He was so startled ‘twas easy to snatch the key.”

  “If he suspects you, your life is in danger.” Katie grabbed her wrist. “Tess, he is an evil man. This is not a game.”

  Tessa’s face lit and she rolled her eyes. “He wilna suspect me. He will just think he lost it, or perchance that Sorcha took it. She didna seem too pleased about this plans.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I have not seen him coming after me. I am safe.”

  “Your visions, what if you are wrong? What if you just didna have the vision which will warn you of the danger?”

  “I am not wrong. I have seen myself happy and safe far into the future. Brianna has more to fear from him than I do.”

  “Brianna….” Katie knew this was true. A voice at the door interrupted them.

  “Time’s up,” the guard called.

  Tessa gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I have provided the tools, now you must free yourself from this chamber and deal with the guard at Ian’s cell. Dinna worry about me.” With that, she hurried out the door and began a cheerful conversation with the guard thanking him profusely for allowing her to visit her big sister.

  Katie shook her head in disbelief then turned her attention to finding a way to escape her chamber. Although there were several secret passages in Duntaigh Castle, she could not access any of them from her chamber. Suddenly it came to her. There was a way out if she was brave enough to take it. Hopping off the bed, she went into the bathing chamber. Katie moved over to the wooden cover by the wench and pulled it open. She could hear the water moving far below. For years, this had allowed her to pull fresh water from the underground river that ran through the caverns below the castle. If the rope would hold her, she might be able to lower herself to a level where she could escape.

  She rushed over and bolted her door from the inside, then shoved a heavy chest in front of it. Walking back to the opening, she peered down the shaft. She could squeeze through. Would the rope hold her? It looked sturdy enough. Ian needed her help.

  Katie slipped the keys Tessa gave her into a purse and stuffed it in her bodice. Gathering up some rags to clean and bind Ian’s wounds, she tied them into a bundle and slipped it around her shoulder. Katie looked at the wench. She must drop the bucket down into
the river and then climb down the rope. Not an easy task, but the natural cave which gave access to the water would help. Going back to her chest of drawers, she found her riding gloves and slipped them on. The soft leather offered some protection from the rough rope.

  Unlocking the wench, she watched the bucket drop into the darkness. It hit the river with a splash. “God, help me,” she whispered as she locked it in place. Grabbing the rope, she began her descent.

  Katie pressed her back against the sides of the cave as she moved ever downward. Close to the bottom, it opened up. This allowed her to swing the rope to the water’s edge without falling into the frigid, rushing water. Safely on the rocky ledge above the river, Katie pulled a bucket of water up. She picked up the bucket and took one final look up the shaft. From the bottom, it seemed impossible she made a successful descent. “Thank you, God,” she said aloud.

  She found herself in a sizable cavern carved out by the rushing water of the river. The rocks and boulders that formed the cave were worn slick by the years of polishing. Everything felt slippery and damp. Air moved through the passage from some unknown source. Getting her bearing, Katie decided which direction she should go. She gathered her meager supplies and began walking silently through the natural cave she hoped connected to the dungeon.

  In a short while, she rounded a bend and could see Ian’s cell not far ahead. Katie stopped just short of the antechamber when she heard voices from within. Peering around the corner, she saw a guard with his back to her. He watched the open door of Ian’s cell. Moving cautiously behind him, she slipped into one of the empty cells across from the one Ian occupied and ducked into the corner. From this spot, she could see what transpired in relative safety.

  Rannoch and Draco stood studying Ian’s battered body. They had lowered him enough to let his feet touch the ground. “No serious damage,” Rannoch commented.

  “Nay, Milord. Hurt, but not killed just as you ordered.”

  “Aye, so. We need to find out what happened at the gathering of clans before Ian Innes takes his last breath. Jared MacLean and his allies support Robert at all costs. They are planning something and my position will be assured if I am the one who warns Edward.”

  Katie suppressed a gasp. Not only did Rannoch hatch a plan to steal Blackburn lands, he sought to help the English king defeat Robert the Bruce and garner the Scottish throne. Rannoch was a spy, a killer, and a thief. The murder of her father had not yet occurred, but she knew Rannoch’s intent.

  “Wake him,” Rannoch ordered. Draco picked up a bucket of water and threw it on Ian. Coughing, Ian tossed his head and opened his eyes.

  Katie’s heart fluttered. Her lover lived.

  Chapter 15

  Ian’s vision blurred as he attempted to focus on Draco and Rannoch.

  “Need a bit more,” Draco said with a grin. He tossed another bucket of water over Ian, grabbed him by the hair, and forced him to look up.

  “Ah, you wake.”

  Ian moaned. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to speak. His voice came out raspy and muddled.

  “Give him some water,” Rannoch ordered. “Let’s see what the sot is trying to say.”

  Draco poured water down Ian’s throat until he choked and spit out a mouthful of bloody liquid. It struck Draco’s boot and he moved to strike Ian, but Rannoch stopped him. “We have to question him,” he said.

  “What have you done with Katie?” Ian asked.

  “I haven’t taken her yet, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Rannoch said. “I’m going to make sure she isna carrying your bastard first.”

  How did Rannoch find out Katie was no longer a virgin? Had she told him? Rannoch seemed to discern Ian’s question just by looking at him.

  “When I went to her chamber to chain her up, her virgin’s blood stained the sheeting. She didna deny you took her. How could she?”

  “So you dinna want to play father to my bastard child. As I recall your own lineage came into question more than once.” For this, Rannoch struck him.

  Rannoch came close and glared at Ian, his face blood red. “I am a true Rannoch, not the product of my mother’s indiscretions.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Perchance I’ll make sure you canna join with Katie again,” Rannoch threatened, exposing Ian’s member.

  “Is this what you came for?” Ian asked. “You want to punish me for taking the woman you sought to marry. Were your motives so pure? Did you love her and a desire for a family? I dinna think so.”

  “And what of you? Did you take her as a punishment for her betrayal? Or did you fall for your headstrong captor?”

  Ian smiled. “She is perfection with her red-gold hair and soft, white skin. For a virgin, she went at it with wild abandon. She couldna get enough of me and I savored every moment.”

  “You care for her,” Rannoch accused.

  “I used her well and hope to do so again before I leave this earth.”

  ”Your first words were to question what I had done with her. You offered yourself for punishment in her stead.”

  “I am a gentleman no matter what the circumstance. Ask any of my paramours.” Ian drew a deep breath. “And fair Katie is well worth another tumble. I wouldna have her killed before I get to sample her sweetness again.”

  “I have heard about your special gift with the ladies. At least I offered marriage in order to use her to my own ends.” He poked his finger hard into Ian’s chest. “You used her for sport because of what she did to you.”

  “Aye, so, but I pleasured her in the bargain. I dinna think the memory of her deflowering is something that will make her cringe. She enjoyed all I gave her.” Ian rolled his head, straightening as much as his chains would allow, and gazed at Rannoch. “What did you hope to gain by marrying her?”

  “I want what should be mine. My family built this castle.”

  “A hundred years ago, and then betrayed the Scottish king and had their lands taken.”

  “The Blackburns have no right to Duntaigh Castle. It is mine!”

  “Not yet, but marrying a Blackburn would put you a step closer to reclaiming it.”

  The ticking pulse in Rannoch’s jaw betrayed his lack of control. He struggled to get it back. As Ian watched, Rannoch paced the cell. When he turned back, his eyes were cold. “If you answer my questions, I will not cut you.”

  “You will geld me either way. I just may escape that fate a bit longer if I cooperate.” Ian gave him a slow grin. “Are you the traitor Robert seeks?”

  Rannoch drew his dirk and placed it between Ian’s legs. “Tell me what transpired at the gathering of clans or by God I will cut it off.”

  A musical voice floated out of the air behind Rannoch. He whirled to stare agog at a striking woman with deep-set, dark eyes, jet black hair, and a blazing red dress. Her creamy breasts almost popped out of her bodice as she drew close. “Sorcha, why are you here?”

  Stunned, Ian gazed at the Irish healer. The stark contrast between her midnight hair and fair skin made her extraordinary. Katie failed to mention the healer’s spellbinding appearance.

  Sorcha took Rannoch’s hand and relieved him of his dirk. “If you want the truth, Milord, let me use my potions.” Reaching into her tight bodice, she drew out a small vial and waved it in Rannoch’s face. “I will give him this and you will be assured everything he tells you is true.” She covered Ian. “Besides, I thought you planned to make him watch you take Katie, and then do the deed in front of her.”

  “He took her. She is no longer pure. There is no reason to wait. I will marry Brianna instead.”

  Sorcha gave him a slow smile. “Still, you want to make Katie suffer. Take her and her sister, make him watch, and then….”

  Rannoch studied the container then looked back at Ian. “Are you sure this will work?”

  “Aye, Milord, this and some encouragement.”

  With a curt nod, Rannoch gave his consent and stepped away from Ian. “Use your magic.”

  Sorcha drag
ged one of the stools over to Ian. She stepped up on it and let her body hover so close he could smell the scent of lavender on her skin. She rubbed his chest as she opened her potion and brought it to his lips. Suddenly her husky voice sounded in his ear. “Drink it all,” she said. When he did not open his mouth, she looked at Draco, who came over and forced Ian’s jaw open.

  Ian choked on the first swig of the bitter liquid. The taste burned through his chest. His beguiling tormentor continued to touch him, stroke him, and rub her cheek against his as she fed him her poison. It snaked through him and he began to feel warm all over.

  “Swallow it all,” she told him, pouring the entire contents down his throat. The room spun. Draco and Rannoch stepped back and watched from a safe distance as if being closer might make her magic affect them. Smiling into his face, Sorcha kissed him long and lingering. Then once again, her voice filled his ear. This time it came as a whisper he strained to hear. “Tell them something believable and I will save you. Send them in the wrong direction if you choose.”

  “Sorcha, what are you doing?” Rannoch rasped. “What are you saying to him?”

  She turned to Rannoch with a scornful gaze. “Has my magic not served you well, Milord?” she asked. “I prepare him for you with some incantations. If you heard them, it may affect you as well, even without my potion.”

  Rannoch paled. “I have seen your magic before. Continue.”

  “Nod, if you understand,” she whispered to Ian. “I will lead you. The potion I gave you canna make you tell the truth.” Ian nodded. “Good,” she said a little louder. Standing taller on her stool, she moved back from him and looked at Rannoch and Draco. “He is ready. He wilna be able to lie while he is under my spell.”