Laird of the Wind Read Online Free

Aberlady as we leave. Then the Southrons cannot take it."
    "Torch Aberlady!" She stared at him.
    "Isobel, we cannot stay. We cannot defend this place."
    Silent, she stared at the darkening sky, unsure what to say—or what to do.
    Then Eustace exclaimed softly. "Look there!" He grabbed the hilt of his sword. "In the far corner of the yard."
    She gasped. A group of men—four, five, she counted hastily—emerged from the shadows beneath the back wall of the enclosure. They walked boldly into the bailey and came toward the steps where Isobel and Eustace stood. On the battlement, the few men of the garrison lifted their bows and held them ready. Eustace lifted a hand to hold their attack.
    "Who are they?" Isobel whispered.
    Unkempt and wild in appearance, the approaching men wore simple tunics, leather hauberks and worn cloaks, but carried good broadswords and bows. One man moved ahead and dropped back the hood of his long brown cloak.
    He was taller than his companions, shoulders wide, legs long and lean. His clothing was shabby at the edges and his tangled brown hair and beard needed trimming. HIs features were handsomely shaped despite grime. His strong, agile stride and his very presence seemed to charge the air like lightning.
    Then Isobel realized that she had sensed his arrival moments ago.
    He gripped his unstrung bow like a staff and halted near where she stood. A broadsword was slung across his back. Nodding to Eustace, he looked at Isobel.
    "Are you the prophetess of Aberlady?" he asked. His voice was quiet, with a deep richness that carried well.
    "I am Isobel Seton. Who are you?" She clasped her shaking hands tightly. "How did you get inside her?"
    He smiled, inclined his head. "We came to rescue you."
    She stared. The stranger possessed a wild beauty and an aura of power. His eyes were deep blue, like the indigo twilight, his hands on the bow graceful and strong. He seemed beyond the ordinary realm, a man out of the mist and the legends of an ancient race.
    And Isobel felt almost bespelled. His steady gaze held hers, assessed her from the top of her head to the roots of her soul.
    In turn, she saw the spark of purpose in his eyes and sensed a current of danger. She pulled in a breath and lifted her chin. "You know my name, but I do not know yours," she said calmly, though raw excitement thundered through her. "How did you get inside our walls?"
    "Through the postern gate in the north wall," he said.
    "But that small door is hidden by scrub and rocks, and overlooks a cliff more than a hundred feet high. How did you reach it?"
    He shrugged. "That took some time."
    "Who are you?" Eustace asked abruptly.
    "James Lindsay," he replied. "Sometimes I am called the Border Hawk."
    "Jesu," Eustace breathed out. "I thought as much."
    Isobel gasped. She knew the name—the Border Hawk was a renegade Scotsman who hid from English and Scots alike in the vast lands of the Ettrick Forest. His arrival inside Aberlady could mean salvation—or defeat. His loyalties were known only to himself.
    She had even heard rumors that the Border Hawk was a sorcerer who changed his form at will; that he was alive, that he was dead, that he was possibly immortal, born of the fair race. And it was said that he had done some heinous deed against Scotland.
    She had mentioned him in one of her prophecies, but she could not recall the prediction. Now she wished that she knew the whole of it, though Father Hugh had once dismissed it.
    "James Lindsay," Eustace said, "I hope your purpose is fair-minded. We still outnumber you by a few." He indicated the parapet, where men trained bows on the newcomers.
    "Why would you climb up here to rescue us?" Isobel asked.
    "I came here on another matter," Lindsay said. "We did not know about the siege until we approached the castle. We bring assistance—and some food." He beckoned, and one of his men stepped forward, pulling three limp rabbits from a sack. "I assume this is welcome."
    "Aye!" Eustace said. Lindsay's