Highlander's Kiss

Chapter 7: Gavin

Gavin coughed up spit and a bit of blood. With the seconds passing as slow as hours, he didn't know how long he'd been subject to his torture. Every time he was afraid he'd submit to Maxwell's beatings, he summoned up the courage to maintain his honour, for himself and Elyn. He could already hear her quietly chastising him if he began to show any weakness, and it gave him that much more of an edge.

For the last two days, the false King had him locked up in a deeper keep than Gavin knew existed in Iverlochy. Gavin's wrists and ankles were bound so he was standing on his toes, his arms and legs spread apart. The metal braces dug into his skin, their rough edges only dulled from cutting the flesh of prisoners. Gavin faced his tormentor, a lowlander by the name of Colin, who almost too eagerly volunteered to "handle" the Laird.

Gavin grimaced and shook the sweat from his face and forehead. His hair was matted and sticky, and he couldn't feel his toes or fingers. Still, he managed to ball his hands into tight fists. Colin seemed to take some kind of enjoyment from tormenting Gavin, bringing harsh whips against Gavin's stomach and back. The King had instructed him to not kill him, but remind him what hell was like. Everyone once in a while Colin would remind Gavin of Elyn's predicament.

"Your whore is probably screaming for mercy right now," Colin mocked. He held up his hand to his ear. "In fact, I think I can hear her from here."

Gavin spit in Colin's face, the mixture clear and bloody. Colin wiped his face with disgust, then spit back at Gavin. Colin's spit was weak and pitifully small.

"Lady Katrine will be here any day now. I hope the groom is ready for his big day. I certainly wish..."

"Do ye ever shut up?"

Colin gaped then clenched his jaw. He smacked Gavin across the cheek, but recoiled and grabbed his hand with pain. Gavin grinned. "Highlander's aren't made of the same weak stuff you lowlanders are. Bunch of English wankers for all I care."

"Why... if the King heard such words..."

"What if he did?" Gavin challenged him. "Bring him down here, I'd love to see his face. He could see who he is marrying his daughter to. Probably someone stronger than he could handle down there in that swamp."

"How dare ye talk of Katrine like that?"

Gavin shook his head with mock humility. "I'm so sorry, Colin, were ye interested in Katrine?" Gavin laughed, much heartier than he expected. "As if Maxwell would let a stray dog marry his daughter."

Colin reared back and whipped Gavin again.

The screeching of the door being shoved open rang out in the dungeon and diverted Colin's attention. They both watched as the King entered, and was followed by a young scribe who looked way over his head, with soft features and fearful eyes. Robert Maxwell's face lit up when he saw how Gavin was being treated, and he swiftly closed the gap between them.

"I see ye are treating our guest with the respect he deserves."

Colin smiled. Gavin snapped back. "I'm sure yer daughter will be happy to see how her husband-to-be is going to look for her wedding day. Just clean and trimmed up."

Maxwell smiled, shrugging off Gavin's words. "It donae matter. I think I have something that'll interest you. It just arrived this morning." Gavin didn't take his eyes off Maxwell until the King produced a box he had been hiding. He took a step closer to Gavin and flicked his eyes down to it.

"See? Shall I open it for you? Since it looks like you're... occupied."

Gavin grunted. Robert slipped the small bit of twine that was binding the box together and opened the top. A bloody organ was resting in the swatch of hay at the bottom of the box, the red smearing the straw like spilled wine.

Gavin's face contorted. "Nay... ye canae be saying..."

"Oh, I am. This is Elyn." Robert turned over the organ in the box, the small thing twisting as the hay stuck to it. Robert watched Gavin intently, gauging his reaction.

Gavin searched for words, his eyes darting between Robert's horrid smile and the box. "Nay, I donae believe ye. If that was her, that would mean Katrine is here too. It hasn't been long enough."

"Hmm, very interesting, Gavin," Maxwell said. "But she is here. She's waiting up in her chambers."

Gavin struggled to remain calm. He stared at the contents, trying to make sense of it, trying to decide if it was really Elyn's. Did it even matter? If it wasn't, what poor soul had lost their insides to Maxwell's wickedness? Gavin released an anguished scream, less out of sadness and more out of pure rage. He fought against his chains and thrashed, the metal clinking loudly on the stone. As Gavin fought, Robert's face beamed.

"You'll pay for this Robert, mark my words. If not today... soon."

"I'm sure I will," Robert laughed. He turned to leave, but stopped to nod for Colin to continue. The young scribe eyed Gavin with sympathetic eyes, but hid his sadness before Robert turned and could catch him. The door to the dungeon slammed shut behind them, leaving Colin and Gavin alone once more.

Colin lashed Gavin again, but Gavin didn't have the energy to feel anything anymore. He had gone numb to it all. It didn't matter if Robert was lying or not, it was still wicked what he had done. Gavin clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth as each lashing seared him. He didn't grind his teeth out of pain, but heartbreak. Where was Elyn? If she was here, was she bleeding out? Was she already dead? Gavin's heart sank. He had to find a way out of this hell.

***

After the lashings, Gavin was left to fight for his rest. The way he was strung up made it almost impossible to sleep, and he found himself slipping in and out of lucid nightmares. Dreams where he was forced to watch Elyn be tortured, a much worse punishment than what he had endured.

Hours later, in a state of stupor, he was unlocked from his shackles and hauled back to his cell. He was locked back inside the giant cell with Barron and the others scattered around, some sleeping and others still awake and alert. Barron was grasping the bars when Gavin had been thrown in, and he quickly knelt down next to him and surveyed the damage.

"They really got ye this time didnae they?" Barron said.

Gavin grunted and spit. "Worse."

"What?"

"He claims to have killed Elyn. He said Katrine was here and we'd be married at any moment. But I donae know if I can believe him... I can still feel her, Barron." Gavin swallowed a mixture of spit and blood. "I can still feel Elyn out there, somewhere."

Barron nodded grimly and secured his cloak over Gavin's ravaged body. "Rest, lad, everything will work out."

"I know it will — if it donae, our clans are finished." Gavin grew weak as the words left his lips, and he quickly fell back to sleep.