The Highlander's Secret(51)

Alan shook his head. “I’m sorry, love, but I’m afraid it is. I recognize her face.”

The visceral response hit Jain hard with a roll of nausea and she crawled away from him to vomit. Her stomach churned and unleashed the entire contents of her stomach. Dry heaves rocked through her body and Jain trembled from the physical toll it took on her slight frame.

When the worst of it was over, Jain came back towards him to see it for herself. The side of Heather’s face was bashed in near the temple, caving in where the skin had broken. Jain reached out with a trembling hand to brush away the hair.

“Who would do such an awful thing?” she sobbed.

Alan’s brows puckered together with concern. She looked at him, though his image was hazy and partially blurred by tears.

“I think ye and I both ken,” he responded somberly.

When Jain was able to control her breathing and regain composure, she asked him plainly, “What do we do?”

Alan sighed, glancing back over the hill. “When we left, Conrad was challenging yer father fer a seat of power. There’s nae telling what’s going on back there right now.”

Jain shook her head. “We cannae let that happen. Conrad is a murderer and an opportunistic scoundrel. My father has the rightful claim. He’d be a good chieftain. We need to bring Heather back, so she can have a proper funeral and show the people what happens when a man like Conrad is in power.”

“Aye,” Alan nodded in agreement. “If we can show this to some of the other villagers, they will finally see Conrad fer what he really is – a scoundrel. All those pretty words of his will mean nothing once they see the fruit of what his labors brought.”

Jain sighed. “I cannae use her death as a bargaining chip. We have to bring her back, but it needs to be fer the right reasons – to expose Conrad as a murderer. It has to be about justice and not returning my father to his seat as chieftain. Our motivation will be correct, and in that way, Heather’s death will mean something.”

“Ye’re absolutely right,” he assured her. “We’re taking her back, so that her family can have some closure and so the men responsible will receive judgment. Are ye willing to take that risk though in spite of the danger we may face by going back?”

Jain cast down at the frozen form of Heather Gordon. “Aye, once they see the truth I’m sure our clansmen will be ready to listen.”

Alan gently placed his hand underneath her chin, drawing her face away so that Jain would look at him.

“Dinnae look at her, love. It will only make ye cry.”

She wiped away her tears and told him, “Aye.”

Without another word, Alan removed his cloak and wrapped Heather’s body in it. “We’ll fasten a sled out of some branches and hitch it to the back of the horse. That way we can bring her back with us.”

Jain furrowed her brow as she stood up on the bank to wring some water out of her hair while Alan collected some branches from the trees.

“Do ye think that will work?”

Alan grimaced, glancing back towards the cloak and said, “I hope so. It’s our best shot at returning her body to the village. Rhona and Boyd deserve to ken.”

She nodded, watching him lay the branches on the ground and construct the sled. He ripped a few strips of fabric from the sleeve of his shirt and secured them in place before pulling Heather’s lifeless body on top of it. The fabric of his cloak wrapped around her like a funeral shroud and covered her completely. Jain considered that, in light of their circumstances, that was probably for the best.

She swallowed hard, trying to choke down a sob that came bubbling to the surface at the heartbreaking scene it made. Alan glanced up at Jain and sighed. “Are ye going to be able to do this?”

Jain gulped again and said, “Aye. Let's just get this over with.”

She followed him up the hill, still shivering from the wet and cold. She wrapped her cloak around her to try and keep warm, but it was impossible without the warmth of a fire to dry her off. Alan helped Jain onto the horse’s back and hitched the sled carrying Heather behind them. He walked along beside, urging the beast forward as they followed the stream back towards Elign. When the trees thinned, Jain turned to him and asked, “Do ye think this will change anything?”

Alan sighed. “I dinnae ken. All we can do is try.”

“What if, even after we show them what a monster Conrad is, the others still want to turn me over to the Vikings?”

“Then we’ll deal with that as it comes.”





Chapter Twenty-four


Jain rode on the horse’s back, slowly making it up the hill. It was a slow journey back and they took special care not to jostle the precious cargo the sled was carrying any more than necessary.

By the time their village appeared on the distance, her heart was heavy with the terrible news they were bringing back with them. Alan glanced up at her from where he was walking and sighed. The branches of Alan’s makeshift sled left deep tracks in the earth behind him from the weight of the load that he was carrying as they continued into the village. They continued on in silence for a little while longer until they reached the village gate. No one was on the road ahead and it was eerily silent.

She cast her eye toward the keep and told Alan, “Everyone must be in the summit. We’ll have to take her to the keep.”