Chapter One- Blane Cameron
Chapter One- Blane Cameron
1162
Cameron Lands, Scotland
She was a horrid sight. Her muddied cloak dragged heavily behind her as she walked through the entrance. She was wet from the heavy rains, and her long red hair was plastered against her clothes, but despite this, she was still a beauty. Her dark eyes glittered with defiance as she walked in, and beautiful lips were pursed. Her back was ramrod straight, and she was the very image of the dark magic that she supposedly wielded.
And at one time, she was my friend.
“My Laird,” she greeted me as she sank into a curtsy. “I thank ye for seeing me.”
“Caillen.” I jerked my heads to the guards who stood uneasily against the wall. “Leave us.”
I knew that they were eager to scurry out and put as much distance between them and the witch as possible, but they were loyal to me, and they feared me in danger. When they didn’t immediately disperse, I glared at them. They quietly left, and the sound of the heavy door closing echoed throughout the quiet room.
It was still hours before dawn and most of the keep’s residents were sleeping. I had only been rustled from my sleep an hour before by a missive that Caillen had returned from her exiled state and requested an audience with me. I immediately requested that guards meet her at the door and relieve her of anything that could be used against us. I was told that she’d arrive empty-handed.
“Ye cannae be here, Caillen. My father exiled ye with the promise of beheading ye if ye returned,” I growled.
“But yer father is no longer laird or even alive.” A strange smile crossed her beautiful face. “My condolences on yer loss. I had hoped that as our new laird, ye had reconsidered his sentence. Surely ye realize that I would never cast a love spell on ye. Surely ye realize that yer feelings for me were real.”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. Caillen and I had grown up in the castle together. She’d been the daughter of a servant, and when she became of age, she was granted a job in the household, but our friendship did not waiver, but it had never brewed into anything that resembled love until my father announced that I was to choose a wife.
“They were not, Caillen, and we both know it. I woke up one day, accepted a chalice of wine from ye, and became obsessed with ye. That sort of possession is not love, and it ceased the moment my father found the book of magick in yer room. Ye were jailed, and the feelings faded. ’Tis because of our friendship that ye were exiled instead of executed.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “That may be true, Blane, but it was not I who spelled ye. I am no witch. That book was not mine, and if ye look deep down, I think that ye would see that!”
It was not the first time that I had heard her plea, but it was the first time that I knew it wasn’t true. As more time passed, the longer that she was away, the clearer I saw our history together. She’d always been in love with me. How could I not see that?
Not could I forget the different herbs and flowers that she was always gathering, and the incantations that I heard from her on several occasions. The memories were fuzzy, like I’d been spelled to forget them, but once Caillen was gone, they were more vivid and clear than ever.
“Ye continue to spout lies. If ye are just here to plead yer case, than consider yerself heard. The exile still stands, and if ye cross the border again, ye will be executed, Caillen.”
“Blane…”
“I am Laird Cameron, and ye will address me as such!” I roared. “And I am done with ye, Caillen. Perhaps I believed ye a decade ago, but now I see that my father was right. Ye are a witch. Ye draw yer magic from the Sith, and I will not stand for it on Cameron lands!”
She paled considerable, and her eyes grew dark with rage. “I will not forgive this, Blane. If ye doonae pardon me, I promise that ye will regret it. I will reign blood down on yer lands!”
“Guards!” I roared. I would not let a curse like that stand, but before the guards could enter, Caillen threw something against the ground and a smoke rose so thick that it blinded the eye and coated the throat. Coughing, I fell heavily against the wall and listened as she scurried away. The guards broke into the room, and I pointed and coughed. “After her!”
Hands grabbed me and pulled me from the room. “Blane, what were ye thinking letting that woman in here?” Fraser demanded. My best friend, Fraser Dunlop was like a brother to me. He was my most trusted advisor and the trainer for my army.
The smoke cleared, and I stood. “A part of me needed to see her again. To face the woman who betrayed me. I had wanted her to be innocent ten years ago, but now that I know she is guilty, I wanted to face her.”
“And why did ye not wake me immediately?” he growled.
“’Twas not yer concern. In any case, she is now more than just guilty of her crimes ten years ago. I have a feeling that she had something to do with my father’s death, and I am certain that she is now a danger to the whole clan. Caillen is to be hunted and executed on site.”
Fraser narrowed his eyes and stared at me. “Are ye sure?”
“Aye. She is no longer the fresh-faced maiden who was my friend. She is naught but a bitter witch, a slave to the magic of the Sith, and there will be no redemption for her.” It was hard to say the words out loud, but I had no choice. I had a large and prospering clan to look after. A whole coastline of villages that were under my protection, and I would not let it wither and die and under the bitterness of Caillen.
