Page 44 of A Laird and a Healer

He came to the main chamber. He believed that this was where Gorram would be waiting for him. He took a breath and then kicked the door in, charging forward, but the chamber was empty. Ryan snarled. Where was this man?

“Gorram! Come and face me, ye coward. I know what ye did. Come and meet me like a man, and we will settle this matter with our swords. I am here tae claim this clan and I will nae be denied my justice for the crimes ye hae committed against my kin!” he yelled, but the words echoed in the hollow hall and there was no response from Laird Gilmour.

Ryan marched up to the long table, and the high seat, just in case there was anyone hiding there, but it was empty. A picture hung behind it. The portrait depicted a woman who looked familiar. Ryan could see traces of Caroline in her features. She was regal and strong, with a penetrating gaze.

He deduced that it was Caroline’s mother. He pursed his lips and controlled his anger. Gorram wanted him to be unfocused, unbalanced. This was all a game to him.

Ryan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and left the throne room. He marched up another level of the castle. He could hear footsteps running away from him, so he gave chase. He spied heels fleeing around a corner and increased his speed, crashing into the figure and sending them flying against a wall. It wasn’t Gorram though, it was just a servant. He cowered and clasped his hands together, shaking his head and practically weeping.

“Please dinnae kill me. I dinnae know how tae fight. I dinnae want tae die!” he pleaded.

Ryan growled. “Where is yer Laird? I want Gorram.”

The servant sniveled and then lifted his arm. A trembling hand pointed to a staircase. “Gae up there. He’s in the room at the end,” the servant said.

Ryan thanked him and then stalked towards the staircase. The servant scrambled away, panting as he did so.

Ryan licked his lips as he steadily ascended the stone steps. The corridor awaiting him was long, and the door at the end was framed by two torches. Shadows danced like demons against the walls. He tensed, almost expecting there to be another trick, like soldiers emerging from the adjacent rooms, but it was as though this part of the castle had been abandoned. He couldn’t even hear the fighting from elsewhere in the Keep. He was alone, and if the servant was telling the truth, then Gorram was waiting for him at the end of this.

It had been a long path to get here. While he had not been able to exact vengeance against Caroline’s father, at least he could still defeat Gorram and take the Gilmour Clan for himself. It had been a plan long in the making, but it was finally coming to fruition, and there was only one man standing between him and the end now.

As he reached the door, he took a deep breath. He hauled it open and then quickly darted to the side, just in case Gorram was standing there with a crossbow trained on the door. When no bolt was fired, Ryan peered around the frame to see Gorram standing beside a bookcase, holding a goblet of wine.

“Ye can enter,” he spoke.

Ryan warily entered the room, drinking in all of the details. His fingers curled tightly around his sword, but there was no trap. There were no extra guards. There was only Gorram.

He was an older man, his skin tight and leathery. Hair was receding quickly from his head, leaving his scalp visible. He had a thick neck and wore fine clothes, but there was a sneering quality to his features. Ryan wondered if the man had ever expressed a genuine smile. His nose was sharp, like a bird’s beak, and his lips were so thin they could hardly have said to exist at all.

He leveled his gaze at Ryan.

“At last we meet,” Gorram said.

“Aye, and the meeting will be swift. I will make ye pay for what ye did tae my Keep.”

Ryan stalked towards him, ready to end this with a swift blow. It didn’t matter how Gorram died, only that he did. However, he was stopped when Gorram lifted a hand.

“First of all I think it’s poor form tae attack an unarmed man. Secondly, did ye really think I was gaeing tae let ye in here without a way out?”

“There is nae way out for ye,” Ryan snarled.

Gorram smiled, which infuriated Ryan. “Ye are sae much like yer Da. I remember him charging intae battle as well. It’s funny really. My brother wanted tae show mercy, but I told him that we needed tae send a message tae the neighboring clans. People dinnae respect mercy, they only respect power. And I hae all the power,” he said with heavy words.

Now it was Ryan’s turn to smirk. “Ye hae naething. I will soon hae yer Keep. I hae Caroline as my wife, and soon I will hae yer life.”

“Caroline will never belong tae ye. Her place is with me and I will see tae it that she is returned tae her rightful place. I hae wanted her ever since she bloomed intae a woman. It takes a certain kind of man tae appreciate a woman like her, one who is refined, and ye are most definitely nae that.”

“She would disagree.”

“She just needs a wee bit of convincing.”

Ryan was tired of his words. He raised his sword, ready to run the man through.

“I would wait if I were ye,” Gorram said smugly. “Ye see, I hae men out there who are under strict orders tae poison the well. All the villagers drink from it. Ye will be condemning them tae die. But I suppose that is nae a problem for ye, Laird Knox. Ye dae hae a reputation for cruelty, after all. Ye could put an end tae the entire clan once and for all, turning this place intae a ruin. All ye hae tae dae is kill me, and this place will wither and die. Oh, but what would yer wife think of ye? Surely, she would never forgive ye for killing the people she loves sae much?”

A thin smile spread across his face, and Ryan’s stomach turned. He grimaced at the thought of Caroline learning that he had placed his own vengeance over the wellbeing of the villagers. But still, he could not allow Gorram’s crimes to go unpunished. There would still be time to stop his men from poisoning the water, that was if he was even telling the truth. This could all have been a bluff.

“There’s just one problem with what ye say. I am nae sure if I believe ye,” Ryan challenged him.