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out. Spurring his horse, Bro de rick galloped past the battalion.
    Alerted by his actions, h is men quicken their pace as he raced towards the castle.
    He whispered a blood oath to his late friend Duncan; he swore if there were a way to save her, he’d gladly sell his soul to the Devil to keep her alive. He owed Duncan so much, not to mention the young lady in his arms who had saved him from dueling with his closest friend.
    Years had rolled by after that fateful night, the young men aged but their friendship never was repaired. They had respect for each other and kept their distances over the years. He would right his error by saving Elisabeth’s life. Broderick knew how much Duncan loved his little sister; Elisabeth had meant everything to Duncan and her parents . Somehow, he just knew Duncan had a hand in Elisabeth’s survival. It made him think of his own brother who rode beside him, he would give anything to keep Kendrix safe, even force him to escape like he suspected Duncan forced her to do.
    In his arms he held the last remaining survivor of the ancient Drummond clan, one of the most fabled women of their time, the Warrior Queen of Scotland, Elisabeth Drummond. Even on death’ s doorstep she was mesmerizing, he wondered what she was like? Her tenacity and spiri t had captivated him years ago, what was she like now?
    From this day forward he would protect her with his life, that, he vowed. The alliance between the Drummond and MacMillan clan went back to his father’s time. His father and Elisabeth’s father had made a pact years ago to defend their borders together. There had been peace amongst the two clans for all of Broderick’s life. He was honor bound to seek justice for the fallen clan, as the only living laird of both clans it would be up to him to protect her and Drummond lands.
    Many grueling h ours later, his castle came into view. Tucked high in the Highland mountain range, his castle beckoned as they drew near. Looking up at his castle, he whispered to the fading woman in his arms, “Hold on a little longer Elisabeth, a warm fire awaits you; I will do whatever I can for you, just stay with me lass. ”
    Torches surrounded th e perimeter of the castle walls illuminating the s tone castle in the blowing snow; a more welcoming sight could not be seen. Perched high in the mountains , Castle MacMillan was a veritable fortress. The remote location in the rugged Highland mountains made it so isolated none dared attack.
    Ahead of him Broderick watched the heavy wooden drawbridge begi n t o lower as his thundering mass of MacMillan warriors returned to their home. Galloping across the drawbridge first, he rode past his people, th e huts, blacksmiths and stables. Broderick rode directly up to the keep so he could get her inside as quick ly as possible.
    He had tried many times to get the lass to wake up; he talked to her, pleaded with her to no avail. The small wom an in his arms did not move, speak or wake the entire ride.
    Sliding off his saddle h e took the stairs two at a time, not even giving a backwards glace to his hundreds of warriors. They knew their duties, and he needed to get her by a fire and call the healer.
    Behind him he heard Kendrix ride up and dismount, his steady gate crunched in the snow as he walked ahead of him and pull ed open the castle doors so he could carry in the injured lady .
    “How bad is she?” Kendrix asked as he pulled of his leather gloves, looking over at him.
    Taking a cl eansing breath, “She’s dying Kendrix, massive wound to her shoulder , all the way to her chest. She bled all over me; she can’t have much blood left in her wee bod y , I’m drenched in her blood . She’s freezing; I’ll need the healer and Old Rhona wi th supplies to clean this wound. I nee d to get her in front of a fire. ” He explained as he crossed the keep and walked over to the tower that held the family rooms. Climbing the stairs tw o at a time Kendrix held the torch to light the