"What have we got 'ere, Sean?"
"A lil' red-haired demon if yer asking me Cap'n. I know you said you wanted one alive for questioning, but I'm thinking we could have made a better choice. She's naught but trouble."
I had to disagree with Sean. While the look in her blue eyes was definitely showing defiance, it would have been a shame to slay such a woman. Fiery red hair, a light sprinkling of freckles on a Celtic face and a lean body that told of hidden strength as much as her surviving the battle did. The bruise on her right cheek from having to be subdued with the back end of a musket did nothing to hide her fierce attractiveness.
"She shot Robert in the shoulder and stole William's singh dubh and gave it back to him in 'is thigh. It took five men to keep 'er quiet sir. Are ye sure you be wanting to do this yersell?" Sean gave me a look that indicated he was more than willing to give her a bruise on the left to match the one on the right.
"That won't be necessary Sergeant. I can handle the Irish witch. Now go on down with the others and rest yer old bones for a spell. Leave us here to...discuss the situation." The grizzled veteran nodded, and turned to go but stopped at the edge of the stone ring that was all that remained of the tower which had once stood on this crag top.
"Beggin' yer pardon, Cap'n, but if ya might allow me a suggestion? Yer pistol. Give 'er ta me. No need to give the bitch a chance to balance the scales. I know ya can oe'rpower 'er with knife or sword, but the gun, it's too easy for 'er sir." The sergeant's suggestion had merit.
"Agreed. Here it is. An' take my sword too. I have my boot blade if I need it and I don't expect I will, despite the spirited opposition. Oh, and leave that lantern on the stone there, please? I expect this may be awhile." I glanced over at our captive as I said it. She shot me a look that had not an ounce of fear in it. Resolve a plenty and perhaps a bit of contempt. But it held no fear and, surprisingly, no hate. This might take a while.
She sat on a loose stone that had once been part of the tower walls. The ruins surrounded us and gave some shelter from the ever-present highland winds, but on her perch the wind blew into her face and set her red hair to dancing. The strands of motion over her piercing blue eyes only enhanced the image of resolute and defiant beauty. No, this would not be an easy task. But it might be an enjoyable one.
The hard approach was not going to work with her. Give her a reason to resist and she would never give me anything. It would be best to try another tactic. I circled her slowly, and came up over her right shoulder. Heeding the warning of my men, I would leave her hands and feet tied for now. But I was not going to get any information out of a gagged prisoner.
"I'm sorry if you were mistreated, cherie. The boys can be overzealous at times and it sounds as though you gave them reason to be aggressive with you. Shooting and stabbing people does not exactly give them reason to treat you the way a lady deserves." As I said it, I slipped loose the knot on the cloth that had been tied across her mouth and moved to face her with the gag dangling from my fingers. She raised her captivating blue eyes to make contact with mine and the beginnings of a smile touched her lips. Then there was a wet splat as her spit caught me full in the face.
"Sod off, bastard. I don't hae' shite to say to thee or thy bunch o' hooligans down the hill." She thrust the words out of her throat like a challenge, daring me to tell her otherwise. I used what had recently been her gag to clean the spittle off my face and then tossed it over my shoulder casually, refusing to show the anger she was searching for in me.
"Well, my dear, then I suggest you come down out of the wind and get comfortable. If that is true, we most definitely will be here for a while." I said this as I sat on the soft grass a few feet away and settled in. I might as well take my own advice.
"I'm perfectly fine where I am, I have no need for thy bloody hospitality. And I like the wind."
That part I could see. As the wind came up she would turn to face it, closing her eyes and concentrating on the way it brushed against her face and neck, the touch of a subtle and invisible lover who knew better than to force things, seducing with the light touch rather than hard force.
Aye, and that was going to be my key as well. I was going to have to convince her that there was a better reason to tell me the things I wanted to know then there was to deny me.
"So then cherie, what might be your reasons to not tell me why you and your lads were travelling with the English? By your colouring and your speech 'tis obvious what your point of origin is. An' there's not many from your isle that would be willing to travel with their patrols. No, you had a reason to be with 'em. Or did they have a reason to be with you?"
The only answer I received was a glare from the crystal blue of her eyes. Although it may have spoke volumes about the way she might treat me if she had a knife and her freedom, it told me little else.
"The men you were with would not have come up into these lands lightly cherie. They knew who ruled these lands. English kings can go on all they want about the reach of their arms but no English dog ever ran down a Highlander up here. These are ours, and shall be until their lord Christ returns..."
At the last, she lifted her head again and gave me an altogether different gaze.
"Their lord Christ, thou sayest. Not thine?" Her voice was gentle but something told me to beware. "Art thou not a god-fearing Christian man then?"