She said, “What will you do with me?” But there was only the faintest of fear of the unknown, far in the background. The girl was no slink, but then, she had already proved that.
John said, “First, I will demand you tell me how you are here, under these circumstances.”
Her mouth tightened stubbornly, but he held his peace, waiting, and finally she spoke. “I am Alice of the Thompsons.”
He nodded to that. “I am John of the Hawks.”
“I was but one lass, in a family of five sons.” He couldn’t see what that had to do with it. Most families of Caledonia had at least as many children as that, and a large percentage of males was certainly preferable, considering the number of casualties taken by the clanns-men in raids and in defense of the flocks.
But she was going on. “It was not a family for a lass. My mother had been captured in a raid from the Edin Phylum, and I was raised by my kyn and my brothers. I was more prone to play with the toy claidheammors than with dolls and the other nonsense of girl children. Until I was all but a woman, this was true.”
“Go on,” John said.
“So it was that when my five brothers were killed in a raid of clannsmen from Aberdeen, attempting to protect our herds—”
“Five!” John said blankly. “All five in one raid?”
“All five. Two came home that night with but wounds; however, they died before the week was out, when the fleshrot set in.”
“Aüi, lass!” John murmured.
She took a deep breath. “I was still a child, but I took an oath that I would have my revengement on Aberdeen. I took it before my clann elders, and in their pity, none laughed. But as the years went by, over and over I told all that one day I would have my revengement. And I set aside childhood and practiced as best I could and as best my kyn would allow me with claidheammor and skean and carbine, though it was seldom indeed I could cozen a clannsman into allowing me to use his firearm.” John of the Hawks was staring at her.
She took another breath. “And always, after I had grown to womanhood, I pleaded with them to take me on their raids. And sent praise to the Holy, that it would be so. “Until finally, perhaps worried of my health, the sachem and caciques discussed the matter, and one was appointed a spokesman to remonstrate with me, since it had become a scandal in the Caithness Phylum and I made all uncomfortable. When I held to my oath, then he demanded if I would be satisfied with but one raid against Aberdeen and would then subside, let my hair grow long, and participate in the activities of women.”
“Go on,” John said, his eyes still wide in disbelief. He had never heard such a tale. Surely it could never happen in Aberdeen amongst his own kyn.
She said bitterly, “I was not to find out until later that the raid was a minor one, deliberately planned for my sake. We rode to the outskirts of the heath of Aberdeen—”
“And the preserves of the Clann Hawk,” John muttered.
“Yes. And there we proceeded to do no more than round up and butcher the cattle. Far from danger of meeting the clannsmen of Aberdeen.”
“But that was when I, on a long scout, found you.”
“Yes. And counted coup on Will, Raid Cacique of the Clann Thompson, and two of his sagamores.”
“Aüi!” John blurted. This would be something to relate to the muster when he was raised up to full clannsman.
“So then,” she said, “all was forgotten about the original purpose of the raid. The whole party was gathered together, and we rode at full pace for Aberdeen, Will, the Raid Cacique, riding ahead in a furious rage.”
She shrugged. “You know the rest. Your herds were practically unguarded. We rounded up the horses, and each member of the party was given a few head to herd back to Caithness. Will was revenged, at least in part. If mine, alone, of the horses have been recaptured, then it is the biggest raid known in the memory of living clannsmen.”
“Yours will not be alone,” John said sourly. “But I will admit, it was a gigantic raid—and well executed.” The last was hard to bring out.
“And now,” she said, her voice again bitter, “I suppose von will return me to Aberdeen to become a clannless one in your household.”
For a long time he stared at her. Finally, he shook his head. “No, lass. You were never meant to be a kitchen drudge. Before the week was out, you would be stolen from our longhouse by a Clark or a Fielding or one from the other clanns of Aberdeen.”
“What difference that to you? They would have to pay the brideright, and a few horses or cattle—I would surely bring a few horses—must be welcome to a clannsman as young as yourself. I see that you are already wed. Or is it that you do not find pleasure in my appearance yourself?” There was a wistful quality in her voice as she touched a feminine hand to her hair.
“I am not wed,” he said gruffly.
“Aüi,” she said, her voice bitter still. “I am not so sure that the clannsmen of your phylum will find me desirable either, John of the Hawks. Undoubtedly, the younger men will think of me as you do. If I am honorably stolen by one of your Aberdeen clannsmen, it will be by one of the older clannsmen, perhaps incapacitated by wounds, who desires youth in bed and a strong lass who can be driven to hard work at his hearth and in his quarters.”
John of the Hawks had come to his feet again. He stared down at her for a moment, then walked over to where he had tethered the horses and returned with the one upon which she had been riding when he had leaped from his ambush.
He held the reins to her.
She looked up at him blankly.
“Return to Caithness,” he said. “I am not as yet raised up to full clannsman, Alice of the Thompsons, and will not be until the next muster. Thus, I am not eligible to steal a bride. And if I returned with you to Aberdeen, someone else would take you before it was meet that I could. So return to your kyn, Alice of the Thompsons.”
She stood and looked at him, bewildered.
He added, “And I will come for you another day.”
She blushed then, as a good lass must “If you come, my kyn will defend me.”
He twisted his mouth in amusement.
“And if they fail,” she insisted, her head high, “I will take my own life with my skean.”
“I have heard of the tradition,” he said with amused skepticism, “but I have never heard of its happening. Besides, at the next meeting of the Dail I will ask the Sachem of the Hawks to confer with the Sachem of the Thompsons and honorably arrange for the stealing of Alice of the Thompsons, arranging in advance with her claim for suitable payment of the brideright.”
In a sudden, seemingly uncalled for fury, she raised her hand to slap him.
But he was having none of that. He grabbed her strongly and kissed her full on the mouth. She held tense for a long moment, then her mouth went soft, as though unwillingly. Through her jerkin, he could feel the softness of her breasts. Finally, he released her and stood back, smiling.
She rubbed her hand across her mouth. “But… but I am not your bride,” she said in horror. “And it is against the bann.”
He grinned at her. “It surely is,” he said.
She turned and jumped astride the horse and glared down at him in feminine rage. “I have been shamed,” she snapped.
“I doubt it,” he told her. “For none know save you and me.”
She dug furious heels into the steed and was gone. And John of the Hawks stood and watched after the woman he loved until she was long out of sight.
Largely, as he rode back to Aberdeen, herding the recaptured three animals, his mind was on Alice of the Thompsons, as was to be expected of a young man yet to be wed. But he dwelt also on the men from Beyond, and because the distance was passing far for one who rode and herded animals, he had ample time to consider ramifications.