Unyielding by Violetta Rand

Author:Violetta Rand [Rand, Violetta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Highland
Published: 2019-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

KAI ARRIVED IN his tent and disrobed, using cold water left over in a pitcher to wash his body before he changed into a clean tunic and breeches. Then he donned his tartan, while concentrating on the issue at hand. Cadha. He took her disappearance personally, for he was responsible for the lives of everyone under his command. What would Jamie say? Until now, he had an unblemished record of service. Aye, he’d lost men in battle—which always stayed with him—their faces and names forever fixed in his mind and heart.

But this…

He paced, dreading the possible outcome. Perhaps they’d find her body somewhere mauled by a wild beast—or worse, she’d been taken and raped, left for dead, freezing to death all alone.

“Captain Kai?” Kenneth called from outside the tent. “Permission to come inside.”

“Aye, enter.”

The experienced soldier stepped inside, his shoulder-length hair tied back in a queue and wearing a grim expression. He immediately took up a position in front of Kai, standing at attention.

“Cadha the maid is missing,” Kai said.

The soldier met his intense gaze. “Aye, Colin has informed me of the situation.”

“We have a small encampment. How did you lose track of one woman so easily?”

“I doona know, sir. The last I saw, she intended to take a nap in the women’s quarters. We were surprised when Lady Miran arrived without ye, so I attended to her needs first, questioning Bodmond. I feared the unpredictable lady had run away from ye.”

Kai could not fault him for thinking such a thing, for he had warned all of his men she was prone to bouts of irrational thoughts and actions and might get herself into trouble. He grunted in acknowledgement. “Even so, Kenneth, did ye not assign anyone to watch the women’s tent?”

Kenneth shook his head. “Everyone was gathered about the fire when Lady Miran rode in.”

“Except for Cadha?”

“Twas not too long before the lady arrived that the maid announced her intention to rest. I dinna think it out of place, for the maid is older than the others, and it is unusually cold today.”

All acceptable explanations. Obviously, the soldier had done nothing wrong. Maybe Cadha had needed to relieve herself and wandered too far into the woods and gotten lost, the best scenario he could hope for. “Tell me,” he started. “Chamber pots were provided for the women?”

Kenneth glanced at Kai in near disgust. “I-I…”

“Chamber pots…”

Was the man blushing like a woman?

“Aye, sir,” Kenneth managed to say. “Several were provided.”

Good. Twas a necessary detail Kai had made sure to mention as their supplies were packed, for he did not want to be bothered in the middle of the night with women who needed to piss—which always seemed to happen at the most inopportune times and at a greater frequency compared to men.

“Send out two teams to search a wide area around the camp. The rest of the men will stay here.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“You are dismissed.”

Kenneth bowed and departed.

After Kai finished dressing, he struck out on his own, searching for footprints in the snow, a torn piece of material, anything that would suggest Cadha had passed by.

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