The Firebrand by May McGoldrick

“Tiberius.”
    “Aye. That was why I broke out the seal and searched out the map. Each of your sisters already has her own section of it.”
    “And all three pieces are needed.”
    “Laura has already sent word that you three agree to the exchange.”
    The temper flashed in her face as she turned to him. “There is nothing in this world I hold more dear than our mother, but that would not have been her wish. We are to protect the Treasure of Tiberius and keep it away from the likes of that foul English king, no matter what the hardship...no matter what the sacrifice.”
    Wyntoun paused, watching the emotions play across Adrianne’s face.
    “I believe your sister was only trying to buy time until an alternate plan could be devised.”
    Adrianne gave a small nod, a flush of embarrassment darkening her cheeks. Her voice was gentler when she spoke again. “Our instructions were to protect the map. But what if Nichola knows the whereabouts of Tiberius? This will give our enemies the chance to force the information from her. The treasure needs to be moved.”
    “Together, the three of you have the ability to find Tiberius. The journey to locate it should not be a difficult one.”
    The young woman came to her feet. “But what about our mother? We must raise an army! We must go south and free her before ‘tis too late!”
    The Highlander frowned at her. “You don’t know where she is being held.”
    “It doesn’t matter.” She paced across the cabin. “Someone must know. We go to the Borders and take one castle at a time, if we have to. We--”
    “I understand now why your mother saw fit to have word sent to your sister Laura.”
    Adrianne whirled to face him, blue eyes flashing, the revealing tear in her blouse already forgotten. The young woman was the very image of a storm about to break.
    “No army Athol or William Ross could raise will match the English king’s if she is being held south of the Tweed River. We tried that once, at Flodden Field, and lost many of Scotland’s finest.”
    “I will not sit back and let her be murdered as my father was.”
    “Aye, no one could blame you for feeling that way. But sometimes, you must use forethought in dealing with such a delicate matter. You must plan your course as if you were sailing your ship through the reefs off Mull.”
    “You sound very much like Laura,” she scoffed.
    “I take that as a compliment.”
    “‘Twas not intended as a compliment.”
    The ship suddenly dove downward into a trough, and Wyntoun knew they had moved into the open sea.
    Adrianne pressed a hand to her stomach, reaching out to steady herself with the other. “What...what is Laura’s plan?”
    “I am to take you to Balvenie Castle, Athol’s stronghold in the Highlands near Elgin. Laura and William Ross are to go there as well. When you are all together, you three and your sisters’ husbands will agree upon a final plan.”
    “But that’s not where you are going, are you?” The look of distrust was alive again in her eyes.
    “Nay, not directly.”
    “And why is that?”
    He studied her for a long moment, considering whether to answer or not. Moments before, when she’d been wild and reckless—when she’d held the dagger to his throat—the decision would have been easy. He would tell her nothing. Now, however, he was beginning to understand her.
    “The weather in the Highlands can be a dangerous thing at this time of the year. Once we make the mainland, it could take as long as a month of hard travel to reach Balvenie Castle.” He went to a small sea chest by the bed and returned with a map. Spreading it open on the table, he waited until she was leaning over it, too.
    “My plan is to go to Duart Castle first. Depending on the wind, we should be there tomorrow…or the next day.”
    “Where is Duart Castle?”
    He pointed at the map. “‘Tis here, on the Isle of Mull. ‘Tis the MacLean stronghold. From there, I could send men to the south into the Borders—and