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Their personalities were quite different, though Perhaps because he was the oldest and t

he couards, Stephen was the most serious and rarely smiled Christien spoke his mind more often and was the easiest to rile; Lucien had a wonderful sense of humor, and Faust was the quiet one

All spoke in their native tongue Like Gabrielle, they could understand and speak Gaelic, though they preferred not to

Gabrielle kne fortunate she was to have the loyalty of these four men They had been her protectors most of her life They had shielded her when her adventurous nature took her into precarious situations, and had kept her secrets—even from her father when she didn’t want him to find out about some of her escapades Her safety was always their primary objective, but she valued their confidence as well On numerous occasions they had saved her from peril, even at the risk of their own lives

Just last ethe stalls when two drunkentheir lascivious intentions The minute they moved in her direction, Faust stepped in front of her and laid the round before they knehat happened

She also recalled an incident that occurred last year She was heading toward her father’s stables to see the new foal that had been born Just as she was rounding the corner of the stable, the hitch on the grain wagon at the top of the hill broke, sending the cart careening down at her with ferocious speed She had barely turned to see it corabbed her shoulders and threw her out of its path, taking the i His ankle was so bruised and swollen, he couldn’t walk on it for weeks

She cringed at the thought of the trouble she had caused these steadfastabout some of the other tihts when she was a little girl that Stephen kept watch so that she could sneak out of her chamber and listen to the musicians in the courtyard She also res, she and her friend Elizabeth climbed atree by the river and fell into the irls to the cook to be washed and given clean clothes before Baron Geoffrey was ever the wiser And she could never forget when she was nine years old and the band of ragged wanderers made camp in the meadow next to her father’s castle She had been cautioned to stay away frouests and should be treated as such The cook had been baking berry tarts for the evening meal, and so Gabrielle waited until they were placed in the opento cool and then gathered theobble down the treats with great relish, and she would have lingered to visit, and ht even have accepted their invitation to ride with them for a while, had she not turned to see Christien and Lucien standing ten feet behind her with their arms crossed and scowls on their faces When her maidservant questioned the unusual stains on Gabriel’s skirt that night, the guards did not mention her disobedience, but later when they were alone with the little girl, they warned her about the harsh ways of the world

Christien and Faust were the newest uard, but Stephen and Lucien had been with her for as long as she could reh all of the important, as well as the trivial, events of her life, one or more of them had been by her side Even in her lowest moments, they were there When her ain summoned to her bed, Gabriel knew in her heart that this would be her final visit For two long, sad days, she and her father sat with the dying wo her brow Many servants and physicians ca that time, but outside the chamber door, for every uards stood watch Not one would leave his post

As Gabrielle now rode with the of all that they had done for her, she said a prayer of thanksgiving for these dear friends

Stephen pulled her attention frohts when he veered to the east Gabrielle followed After the horses had a good run, she slowed the pace The rugged landscape surrounding her was craggy and covered with a dazzling green blanket There were spills of bright purple heather, white chickweed, anddown the hills Her father had told her that all of Scotland was lovely, but Gabrielle, looking over the vast landscape, thought the Highlands were stunning

The higher they rode, the colder the air became The scent of pine was thick, and the cold wind felt wonderful against her face

They had been cli almost two hours when they suddenly reached the tip of a plateau Stephen had already scouted the area and explained to Gabrielle that there was really only one way to get to their destination

“Since we’re coht ahead, but as you can see, the way is thick with trees, and it h We could probably h”

“And if we can’t e it?” Christien asked

“Then we’ll go another way,” Lucien answered

“Finney’s Flat is on the other side of those trees?” she asked

“Yes, Princess”

She blocked the sun from her eyes with her hand and looked to the east and then the west The line of trees seemed to extend for as far as the eye could see The plateau was massive

“How deep are the trees?” she asked

“I didn’t try to go all the way through,” Stephen said He glanced up at the sky to note the position of the sun and then said, “We have quite enough daylight to find out”

“If the closeness of the trees is a concern, could we approach Finney’s Flat from the east or the west? Would that be quicker?” Lucien posed the question

Christien answered “Princess Gabrielle’s father told us that there oods on the east side of the flats, and beyond those woods is Loch Kaenich There are also thick woods lining the west side of Finney’s Flat, and beyond those woods live the wild Buchanans”

“Wild Buchanans?” Lucien was curious about Christien’s description of the clan

“That is what Baron Geoffrey calls them, and from soeration”

“It’sthat none of the clans allow trespassers,” Faust interjected

Gabrielle frowned as she turned to look at the soft-spoken guard “Faust, we’re on MacKenna land now, and no one has tried to stop us”

“Nay, Princess,” he answered “We aren’t on MacKenna land ’Tis true that their holding does border Finney’s Flat on the south, but we’re on the southeast tip, and that little piece of land is controlled by Laird Monroe, your future husband That is e have been left alone”

She slowly scanned the horizon The area looked co journey across the Highlands, she hadn’t seen another soul Were the people who lived in this vast wilderness in hiding so they wouldn’t have to interact with outsiders, or were they simply few and far between?

“Stephen, what if ere to try to cut through the east and approach Finney’s Flat from the north side?” she asked

“Princess, do you not see the ht north of us?” he asked “The Buchanan laird told your father that toward the bottom of theabove Finney’s Flat…”

“Your father, the baron, told us that the path winding down froet to the bottoainst the sun, you can see it,” Lucien explained

“The mountain from the base of the trail to the land above is controlled by the clan MacHugh, and they do not suffer trespassers” Faust made this comment

“Suffer trespassers?” She smiled as she repeated his words

“They are…quick to rile,” Christien said “And quick to react”

“We could not allow you to go there,” Stephen said

“Laird

MacHugh is a dangerous man,” Faust said

“Aye, we have heard the MacHugh clan is quite fierce, and their leader is a savage,” Christien told her

She shook her head “I would not be so quick to judge a man because someone has spoken ill of him”

“What is your pleasure then, Princess?” Stephen asked “Hoould you have us proceed?”

“We’ll walk through the forest directly ahead of us,” she said “It is the fastest route, is it not? And it will be good for us to stretch our legs”

Stephen bowed his head “As you wish, Princess I would suggest that we ride as far as we can into the woods so that our horses will be hidden from the curious who happen by Faust, you will stay with the mounts e are forced to walk”

As it happened, they were able to ride a fair distance into the woods, though there were a few tight squeezes through prickly brush Twice they had to backtrack to find another way around, but once they had crossed a narrow creek, they were able to gather speed When they reached the last crush of trees, they dis over the reins of her horse to Faust, Gabrielle followed Stephen who parted the brush ahead of them

The clearing was only a few yards ahen Stephen suddenly stopped and put his ar any farther She stood beside hi to hear the sounds of the forest As she waited, she silently adjusted the strap holding her pouch of arrows over her shoulder and shifted her bow to her left hand in preparation A few seconds later she heard a harsh bellow of laughter followed by a loud blasphemy

She stayed perfectly still She heard , but their voices were muffled and it was impossible to understand the conversation

Raising her hand to her guards so that she would get no argument, she slowly crept forward She ell-hidden by the trees, but when she shifted ever so slightly to the left, she had an unobstructed view of the flat land beyond She spied seven arb with their brown hoods pulled up over their heads