Sound of the Heart Read Online Free

Andrew’s corpse might be sprawled on that field of death was beyond Dougal’s comprehension. He looked into the forest on either side of the parade of captives, peering deep into the spring branches. The slender trees glistened with promise of new life, but any buds were barely visible. It was too early for green. Still, Dougal looked for any sign of his brother, then snorted at his own idiocy. Even if Andrew had somehow survived, even if he had run for his life, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to hang about and follow soldiers.
    Go home,
Dougal thought hard.
If you’re out there, go home.
    He could almost visualise Ciaran going down. That seemed, though the thought broke his heart, almost feasible. Their younger brother was smaller-boned and almost feminine in his looks, but fierce from necessity. The way of the youngest, always chasing the older two. He stood up to everyone, wanting to prove he was more than just a bookish mind, but swordplay wasn’t his strongest asset, and they all knew it. Ciaran should have been fighting with his father that day. That was how they’d always practiced.
    Then again, Duncan was dead. He wouldn’t have been much help.
    For the thousandth time, Dougal sifted through his memories, wondering if there were anything he could have done to change the day’s outcome. At least to have his brothers and father marching alongside him on this miserable road to incarceration, rather than headed for an English funeral pyre.
    Hundreds of bodies burned. Thousands more limped along this road with him, the undead marching toward the unknown. The Highlanders had set off the year before with such confidence, building their numbers and their conviction with every step. The clans had come together for their Prince, and now they had died for the man. And where was this wonderful Prince? Gone. Some of the men in the crowd actually spoke of seeing him ride away. He’d cheered them on, ridden his beautiful white horse back to a safe distance, then turned tail when the loss became horribly obvious. Dougal shook his head with disgust and winced at the resultant pounding in his head.
    There was nothing he could have done to save the others. He knew that. And yet he supposed his soul would always wonder.

CHAPTER 3
    Talk of Brothers
    Throughout their lives, Andrew and Dougal had heard each other’s thoughts. The natural flow between the brothers wasn’t something they discussed, and they never told anyone else about it. They talked as regular people talked, of course, but this was something deeper, and something entirely their own. They had no trouble finishing each other’s sentences, or not speaking at all but knowing the words nonetheless. There were occasions when something needed doing, or emotions needed sharing, and they both knew.
God
, Dougal thought, swallowing a knot in his throat,
I will miss that most of all.
    Thinking of home made him look around again, and he wondered where they were headed. The sun was there somewhere. Just hidden. He squinted up into the gray, looking for a hint of brightness. Ah. There. He had been right. West to Inverness. That was the only nearby place he could think of big enough for all of them. Three hours’ hike at least, with all these stumbling captives and their guards. His feet ached at the thought, his head even worse.
    He’d been to Inverness once before, riding with his father and Andrew. It was a grand place, with more folk than he was used to seeing, though there had been even more at the Gathering two years prior to that. He smiled, despite the present situation, thinking of that week. So many of his clan and others, all coming together to celebrate . . . what? To celebrate life, he figured. To celebrate each other. The food, the music, the competitions—it had been an exciting time. And the lassies . . . oh, there was a thought to make any man smile. He could practically hear their sweet laughter even now.
    Dougal loved the lassies. Fortunately, they