High on a Mountain Read Free Page A

and
laid the sword aside while he got his cheese.
    He looked at the sword when he stood and
placed the cheese in his sporan , and a spirit of rebellion
rose within him. Da told his sons never to go about unarmed. But
the heavy sword always got in the way. It would be even more
cumbersome in the rough country he’d travel through on the hunt for
the missing cow. Besides, it was useless to carry the extra weight.
He’d never drawn his sword except in training sessions.
    Ailean’s habitual rashness did not allow him
to see beyond his current aggravation with the sword. And the task
his father assigned him still irritated like a persistent gnat
buzzing around his head. He set his jaw in defiance, giving no
thought to how his disobedience could affect him, and, against Da’s
explicit orders, Ailean left the sword where it lay and walked
unarmed from the hut into the bright sunlight of the August
morning.
     
     
    TWO
     
    Ailean located the cow and her calf on the
side of a hill before midday. Good. At least he wouldn’t spend the
whole day looking for one old cow.
    But the cow refused to be driven up the
slope. He tried every tactic to turn her in the right direction. He
cajoled, yelled, waggled his walking stick at her and waved his
arms, but she stood staring, unmoving, her skewed horn aiming an
empty threat at him.
    “You! You there!”
    He turned and looked down the hill. Two men
wearing blue Cambeul tartan labored up the incline. When they drew
near, Ailean recognized one of them and groaned.
    Just what I needed. More trouble.
    Ailean brushed his hair from his face and
tugged the right side of his bonnet further down on his
forehead.
    “Well, well. What have we here. A
MacLachlainn. Trespassing on Cambeul land,” Latharn Cambeul said.
“And trying to lift some of my cattle, besides.”
    “No, I’m not. This cow belongs to my da. She
wandered from the airigh .”
    “You’re a liar. And you’re a cattle thief.”
Latharn moved to the left and signaled his companion to circle to
the right.
    A flush of burning anger colored Ailean’s
face a deep red. “I’m no thief. That’s my da’s cow, and I can prove
it.”
    “Let’s see you try.”
    “Before we drove our cattle to the airigh this spring, we put Da’s mark on them all with tar.
On the right side of the neck, like we always do. You can see it
from where you stand.”
    Although the small, shaggy cow was black, the
clotted black tar mark was visible on her neck.
    “I don’t see a thing,” Latharn said. “Do you,
Odhran?”
    His companion hesitated, then shook his
head.
    “You can leave now, MacLachlainn. Without my
cow.”
    “No. I’ll not leave without this cow!” Ailean
shouted.
    “I think you will .” Latharn drew his
sword.
    Ailean gritted his teeth and reached for his
dirk, berating himself for leaving his sword in the hut. His dirk
would be no match for Latharn’s sword. If only he had his sword,
he’d teach Latharn a thing or two about tangling with a
MacLachlainn.
    “Odhran,” Latharn said. “Your sword.”
    When Ailean heard the metallic scrape of
Odhran’s sword leaving its sheath, he began backing away from the
two men as they advanced, keeping his eyes fixed on Latharn. The
cow, intimidated by the two additional men, wheeled and ran
clattering up the rocky slope, followed by her calf. Ailean turned
and ran after her.
    Latharn laughed. “Look at the coward run,
Odhran. Isn’t that the funniest sight you’ve ever seen?”
    Ailean stopped for a moment and looked down
at Latharn. “Not nearly as funny as watching you lose the camanachd game year after year.”
    “Get off my range!” Latharn shouted.
    I’ll never run from him again. No matter
what , Ailean thought as he ran behind the cow, humiliation
dogging his steps like a hound on the trail of a fox. Even if he
cuts me to pieces, I’ll stand and fight.
    ____________
     
    The cow reached the pasture of the airigh with no further trouble. She and her calf trotted to
join