Blood of the Clans Ch. 17

"That's all well and good, Sloan, but what do we do wi' the Douglas'?"

Blain whispered to him, knowing Sloan's thoughts held an answer at the ready.

"It would be a good time tae introduce them to An Cailleach of Corryvrecken, don't ye think?"

The words brought an excited dawning across Blain's face, and Sloan bade him to remain subdued and not bring attention to them talking.

"What do we tell the others?" Blain asked in whispered tones again, not even caring to venture a thought, as he knew his nephew was well ahead of him,

"We say they got in their birlinn, and we got in oors. We were just aboot tae leave and the clan came oot and were upon us. We were farther away and did'ne get hit wi' arras, but the Douglas' lost three men tae them and then they were boarded and killed ootright, there in front of us. We nearly got caught as well, They chased us fer hoors, but we ootsailed them intae the sea and took co'er behind an island. We waited most of a day, until we knew it was safe tae leave, before we sailed back."

Blain heard the story and it seemed as real a story to tell, as if it actually happened. Once again he looked at the brilliance of his nephew's foresight to plan something out with such detail, in such a short time and with such cunning, and knew he was destined to change the name of Fraser in history to come.

The winds rose with the coming tide, as they neared their final destination for the night, a small village at Puldorran, just north of the Clachan Bridge, the Fraser's had crossed a week earlier in their search. The two birlinns were close to the beach, as they were when they were scouted before. The area held no means of a quick disembarking and a place to land was sought. A little way back up the coast, the Fraser's and Douglas' were out and splashing through knee deep water to get to the shore, the shallow draft of the birlinn allowing them that depth. Once on shore, they turned to bid the mixture of clansmen farewell, the men aboard waving back, as they slid into the cloak of darkness and headed to the spot where the others would be waiting, after hiding their boats.

Making their way back to the village, the sound of dogs barking in the distance, had them stopping and waiting until they quieted, before continuing. Coming to the edge of the several buildings that made it up, every eye was peeled for signs of movement. With a peace among most of the clans, owners had taken to becoming lax in the security of their possessions, giving the raiders the ease of making for the two boats, without drawing attention to themselves.

Cutting the lines from their moorings for haste, the two were drifting freely. Blain made sure he jumped on with Keith Fraser, to the boat the Douglas' were converging on. With the need for speed and stealth being their main defence, no objections were made to the sailing arrangements, as two Douglas members climbed aboard with the Fraser's. The trap set, the boats made their way out into the black waters and the deadly darkness of night.

Blain sat at the forward rowing position on the port side, with Declan Douglas, Harlan's oldest son and leader, sitting in front of him. The other Douglas' were in the aft rowing positions, with the faces of everyone looking away from him. He gave a signal to Sloan, steering the other birlinn, once they were up to a good speed, to set the plan in motion. Keith Fraser was steering the Douglas birlinn, as they had planned and once they were a safe enough distance, Keith held the tiller hard over, while Sloan did the same in reverse to his, bringing the two boats together.

Sloan gave out the order, "Oars Up!", and the Fraser's on the starboard side pulled up their oars, as they watched it approach. The Douglas', caught unaware, had their oars ripped from their hands, pulling arms out of their sockets, the backs of the men in front getting broken from the force of the oars ramming into them.

Blain let go of his oar as the bow approached him and saw it get slammed with such force, Declan was bent backwards, his spine snapping, folding him in half backwards on the bottom of the boat. Before the boat had finished rocking from the impact, the Fraser's quickly set about taking care of the remaining three Douglas', blades at their throats, if there was to be any protest to what was happening. The lifeless body of Declan and a crippled Foster Douglas, were tossed over the side, into the frigid waters, listening as his cries soon vanished and silence was held over the water once again.

"Douglas', take oars and row."

Sloan's command stunned them, after the brutal display of their brethren being destroyed physically and tossed away. They were without leadership and defence, unable to decide for themselves what to do and succumbed. The points of Claymores edging closer to their necks and bodies, had them picking up the oars and rowing with effort. The open water now coming up as they cleared the point, ended their rowing duties and they pulled the oars in, stowing them as commanded, the grey sailcloth being lightly illuminated, as it unfurled and snapped taut with the wind. The crescent moon broke through the clouds and vaguely lit the choppy waters of their journey, as well as the fear on the Douglas faces and the smiles on the Fraser's.

The eight miles passed in unspoken silence, only the Fraser's knowing of their destination. The hands of the Douglas' were bound behind them and their weapons removed, taking away any chance of retaliation. The oldest Douglas member felt he had to make an attempt for their lives.

"Fraser, why are ye doing this? We're tae be allies. Oor Clans hav'ne any bad blood between us. We've done nothing tae ye. Why are ye doing this tae us? What are ye going tae do wi' us?" Garnet Douglas protested, hoping an answer to one of his questions would make some sense in what had happened.

The fear and helplessness was thick on every Douglas, waiting for an answer that gave them hope.

Sloan turned from looking at their destination coming into view and smiled at them.

"No tae worry, Lads. We're just spending the night on an island and then visiting a friend of oors in the morrow."