Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander Read Online Free

lass.”
    “Get some more water to put in
the cell,” Katie ordered.
    “Not until your prisoner is
chained.”
    Her partner secured Ian’s ankles
in leg irons, and then cut the bonds on his wrists. Ian heard the clink of the
manacles locking into place. The chains were of a sufficient length to allow
him movement about the small space.
    Ian’s gaze swept the room. He was
in a cell bigger than most in his father’s dungeon. Beyond the entrance, a
large anteroom served as an area where one guard could watch over the whole cell
block. The other doors hung open indicating no prisoners shared this space. The
cart they brought him in sat in the anteroom. Two dimly-lit passageways ran
into the anteroom from opposite directions. They appeared to be the only ways
in or out.
    He focused his attention on the
room where he stood. A wood-frame bed with a blanket and straw-stuffed ticking
sat in the center of the long wall. In one corner were a table and two small
stools. A cup and trencher sat on the table. She must at least intend to feed
him. On the opposite side, a ditch made a urinal of sorts. A torch and a candle
lantern lit his prison.
    Keith gave Ian a shove toward the
wall. He lost his balance and struck stone. Slowly he sank to the makeshift
bed. The ticking felt soft beneath his sore body.
    “Careful, Keith,” his captor said
sharply. “Ian Innes is no good to me dead.”
    “Katie Blackburn, I’ve know you
since were a tiny lass. Dinna be bossin’ me around. If he dies, he just
disappeared on his journey. ‘Tis that simple.”
    Blackburn, now it all came clear.
The Blackburns captured him, yet another step in their foul behavior of late.
In truth, Ian wondered what became of Brian Blackburn’s reason. The laird of
Duntaigh Castle taunted the Innes Clan, who avenged the transgressions with
strikes that left the Blackburns worse off than ever. Was Ian to become a tool
to convince his father to give over the disputed lands?
    It made no sense. Blackburn’s own
daughter and a single man sent to complete this task. If memory served him,
Katie was Blackburn’s eldest daughter and named after her mother. She certainly
had her mother’s coloring. The girl had pure white skin and red-gold hair the
color of fire. There were four Blackburn children, three daughters, and a son.
Ian had not seen any of them in years. Not since the friendly times when they
were all children.
    Was this truly Katie’s plan? Her
companion implied as much. Ian’s head throbbed too much to consider it much
longer.
    “I’ll fetch the water and
supplies.” Keith walked out of sight.
    His captor stood over him with
her forehead wrinkled into a frown. She paced the cell shooting a glance at Ian
every few steps. Eventually Keith came back carrying two buckets of water and
with a sack slung over his shoulder. He set them on the table and stared at Katie.
    “If you dinna need me for
anythin’ else, I’ll leave you to yer business. I need to cover our tracks, but
I dinna like it, lass. You play a dangerous game. If Rannoch finds out, you may
find yerself chained below.”
    Ian remembered the name. Rowan
Rannoch and his few remaining clansmen swore allegiance to Laird Brian
Blackburn some years back. They came to live at Duntaigh Castle shortly
thereafter. What say would Rannoch have over Katie Blackburn? Ian listened to
Keith’s departing footfalls. Katie moved closer and removed his gag. She leaned
down to hand him a cup of water and wiped the blood off his face with a wet
rag.
    Ian sat up and sipped the cool
water. It soothed his parched throat while he studied her in the dim light of
the lantern. She did not seem to notice her cloak hung askew and her too-loose
gown gaped again to give him a nice view of her snow-white breasts. He moved
his hand thinking to give her a stroke that would bring it to her attention.
The chains rattled and she jumped out of reach.
    “Is it still night?” he asked.
    “’Tis the morning after your
capture. We