Hannah & The Highlander [Book 1 in the time travel series]

Chapter Six: The Battle Cry

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Copyright © 2012



Chapter Six: The Battle Cry



@Cailen's P.O.V.@



Cailen made a mad dash for the castle, swiftly dodging a wide swept blow from MacKinnon. He tumbled across the grassy earth landing on his back. He struggled to make it to the castle, but MacKinnon was on him like a beast on raw meat.



Cailen struggled to defend himself, deflecting blow after blow, all the while he was reeling with fear.



Hannah! Hannah!



Letting out a breath of frustration, Cailen turned on his pursuer, his gaze holding all the fire of hell's unholy fury.



"If ye had ne'er come here this day, she'd still be here!" he yelled, as he swung his claymore with all his strength.



MacKinnon started to block the blow-but was too slow. The swords sharp blade cut into his arm, before he ripped it free with brutal force, sending blood spraying across them both.



"I've wounded ye, ye MacKinnon swine! Now run with yer tail between yer legs and lick yer wounds. Leave Balnagown Castle with yer life this day so that we can fight another day! Fer I swear on yer petty life that the next time ye confront me I will nae let you escape with up a wound!"



MacKinnon glared up at his rival laird, his face wan and sickly white.



"I damn ye and yers to the pits of hell, MacBain!" he shouted as Cailen turned his back to his and began running towards the burning castle.



"Then I'll be seeing ye in the after life as well," Cailen snarled.



Cailen put the man out of his mind focusing purely on Hannah. Where was she? Was she still inside the castle? Had they taken her? Or worse? His mind painted many gruesome scenarios and out comes. His chest constricted in pain that he himself did not comprehend.



He ran as if his life depended on it, his feet whispering across the earth. He dodged between fights, ducking and blocking any blows that strayed his way. When he finally made it to the castle he stared up at it in horror. The towers was completely submerged in flames, the stones giving away and hurtling towards the grounds.



Cailen caught sight of a soot coated man coughing near by, he looked worse for wear, but even in covered in ashes Cailen could clearly make out the MacKinnon colors on his kilt. Before Cailen knew what he was doing he was marching over towards the man, a savage anger fueling his actions, such a primeval and barbarian emtion unlike he had ever experienced before.



The next moment Cailen's hand was around the man's throat his fingers digging into the flesh with brutal force. The man let out a strangled cry that sounded like a toads' croaking.



"Where is she!?" Cailen seethed, his anger rising steadily.



"Gah - who?" the man gasped as he struggled to get free from his capture's hold.



"The girl from the tower!" Cailen bellowed. "Ye were with the men who set the fire were you not!?"



"N-nay! It wassna us! It was the girl inside who set the tower afire-I swear! The little chit set the place aflame and then with that crone of her's they found a secret passage way out." the man gasped as Cailen tightened his hold. "Ye should hurry-there are men-men guarding the exit-we found the exit by chance-she's in danger."



Cailen squezzed the man's throat harder, so hard that his nuckles turned white as parchment.



"Count yerself lucky this day, MacKinnon rat," he hissed into the man's ear. "For as long as she is living and breathing and unharmed-yer life will be spared. Now return to yer master ye sniveling beast."



With that Cailen released him, letting him topple to the ground in a gasping heap.



"Pray to God that none of yer commrades have laid a hand on her, other ways there will be the devil to pay." Cailen threatened.



He turned his back and started off towards the castle once more.



@Hannah's P.O.V.@



This was obviously not my day. Falling through time, slipping into a coma, and then being attacked by barbarian guys in skirts-not my idea of a vacation. And here I was-again-being stared at like I'm a piece of chocolate cake ready to be eaten.



There were four of them, all equally big and buff and dirty. Each conveyed a huge ass sword that looked a lot like Cailen's. In my arms, the kitten hissed like it was possessed. It started to fight and claw at the air, squirming in my arms until finally it broke free.



The little fur ball shot forward yowling at the odd six foot of beefy men as if he could take them all on.



"Bad kitty!" I said diving for him, but he leaped away, flying straight for one of the men.



The feline's claws ejected, pricing into the skin of his leg; taking a good, thick chuck of him as he sunk his teeth into the flesh. The man howled in pain, shaking his legs back and forth-if it hadn't been a life or death situation I would have laughed; it looked like he was doing a demented, on acid version of the Hokey-Poky.



"Stop it you stupid asshat!" I yelled, trying to grasp the flaying kitten. "You'll hurt the little guy!"



The man snarled, spewing out curses that were muddled in his thick Scottish burgh.



"Get this damnable beast off of me! Now dammit!" he yelled.



The three men stood helpless, completely at a loss at what to do. The kitten finally let go flying into the air before landing neatly on his feet. The cat fixed the men with a malevolent green eyed stare as if bared its sharp fangs in a hiss.



The men glared at him, then turned their attention to us.



"Ye be paying the price for what yer mangy beast did to my leg, ye little bitch!" he snarled.



The words were like physical blow. Bitch? Excuse me?



"Um, beg your pardon, but who are you calling a bitch, you back woods, medieval mountain hillbilly?" I said putting my hands on my hips in a what I hoped a sassy, kickass pose.



"What-"



"You heard me! Was I the one who came to your castle and started picking fights-oh, wait that was you guys! It must be crazy that I'd be a tad bit insulted when a guy I just met calls me the b-word, and before that he and his buddies come here and start killing people? Gee whiz, I have no idea why I'd be upset!" I said with heavy sarcasm.



The men blinked at me as if I'd sprouted horns. Beside me the old-Michelle-cleared her throat.



"I believe that you have just made a bad situation worse."



The rude one snarled like an animal and lunged for me with surprising speed. I was frozen in place watching wide eyed and breathless as the three hundred odd pounds of man came hurling at me.



But he never hit me. Before he could touch me a fist came flying out of no where colliding into his face, knocking him down to the ground. I whirled in surprise, facing my savior.



Cailen stood there looking as if he'd been tossed from the frying pan and into the house. His face was caked with blood and dirt, his clothes weighted down in his sweat. My heart twisted at the sight of all the blood. Was it his? Was he hurt?



"Are ye all right Hannah?" he asked sounding exasperated.



"Yeah," was my brilliant answer. "Are you okay? All that blood . . . ."



" 'Tisn't all mine . . . a fair bit of it is from their dog of a master." he glared at the men who hadn't moved an inch since their leader had fallen. "Off with ye! Yer laird is retreating, return to Tioram to fight another day, or else I will slay every one of ye where ye stands!"



The threat hit home because in the next moment the lot of them were scrambling to get away. The were gone in an instant leaving only the three of us. I stared after them for a long moment before turning back to Cailen who was staring at me.



"I burned your tower down-sorry."



"Donnae concern yerself about the damn tower-towers can be easily repaired-people are another story. Ye're truly unharmed?"



I nodded. "A little singed around the edges, but yeah, I'm okay." I knelt down scooping up the kitten. "This guy was keeping me-us-safe. I think I'm gunna call him C.K."



"C.K.?" Cailen asked, a crease appearing on his forehead.


"For Clark Kent." I explained but all I got was blank stares. "Oh. Yeah, right. 12th century Scotland, you have no clue who Superman is or seen Smallville."



"Let's return inside, I have to see what damage they've done."



"So . . . we won . . . right?" I asked following after him.



"There is nae such a thing as winning when the lives of your people and men are lost in needless blood shed." Cailen said suddenly sounding older and wiser than his years.



I pondered his words as I followed after him, clutching little C.K. to me chest.



_____________Author's Note______________________

So here's chapter 6 before I have my 3 day weekend :)

Leave your comments, clikc the Vote buttom and hop on over to my Profile to Fan :D

I had to rush to think of a name for the kitty . . . And when I wrote this I was in the midst of a Smallville marathon . . . We're all lucky I hadn't been watching Doctor Who. He could have been Captain Jack or T.A.R.D.I.S. We got lucky ^_^

Happy weekends