Sold to the Highland Savage – Bonus Prologue
Two months earlier
“She’s gone, me laird. Just… vanished.”
Alpin looked up from his ledger. A farmer from the eastern border, stood before him. His weathered face was drawn with fear, hands twisted together.
“When?” Alpin asked, settin’ down his quill.
“Two nights past. Me daughter, Elspeth. Went tae fetch water and never came back.” The farmer’s voice cracked. “We searched all night. There’s nay sign of her.”
Alpin felt something cold settle in his gut. This was the third report in three weeks. Three women, all young, all disappeared.
“Did anyone see anythin’?”
“Naethin’, me laird. But me wife heard horses that night. From the north road. Fast.”
Horses. The second family had mentioned horses too.
“How old is Elspeth?”
“Eighteen, me laird.” The man’s eyes were wet. “She’s a good lass. Who would want tae take her?”
Who indeed. But Alpin was starting to have suspicions, and none of them were pleasant.
“I’ll send men tae search the area,” he said. “And I want tae speak with everyone who lives near that well. Someone must have seen somethin’.”
“Thank ye, me laird.” The father’s relief was palpable. “Thank ye. We just want her home safely.”
After Duncan left, Alpin moved to the window. Callum was training below, swords flashing in the sun. The scene looked peaceful.
But three women were gone.
“Ye look troubled.”
Alpin turned to find Callum in the doorway, sweat-stained from training.
“Another one’s gone. Elspeth MacLeod. Eighteen. Vanished two nights ago.”
Callum’s expression darkened. “That’s three.”
“Aye.” Alpin pulled out a map, marking three spots. “All within five miles of each other. All near the northern border.”
Callum came closer, studying the map. “Ye think someone’s takin’ them deliberately.”
“I think someone’s huntin’ on me lands, and I want tae ken who.” Alpin’s jaw tightened. “Three women daenae just disappear. Nae without help.”
“Raiders?”
“Maybe. But raiders usually take more than just young women. They take livestock, supplies, anythin’ of value.” Alpin tapped the map. “This feels… specific. Like someone kens exactly what they’re lookin’ fer.”
“Or who they’re lookin’ for,” Callum said quietly.
The implication sat heavy between them.
Young women. Taken from their homes. No witnesses. No demands for ransom. Just… gone.
“I’ve heard rumors,” Callum said after a moment. “From some of the men who travel to the markets in the south. Whispers about women bein’ sold. Taken from their clans and auctioned off to the highest bidder.”
Alpin’s hands curled into fists on the desk. “Sold. Like cattle.”
“Aye. I didnae believe it at first. Thought it was just tavern talk, men tryin’ tae sound important.” Callum’s expression was grim. “But now, with these disappearances…”
“If someone’s stealin’ women from me lands tae sell them, I’ll gut them meself.” Alpin’s voice was deadly quiet. “Slowly.”
“First we need proof. And we need tae ken who’s behind it.” Callum straightened. “What dae ye want me tae dae?”
“Double the patrols along the northern border. I want men on every road, every path. And I want them watchin’ fer strangers. Anyone who daesnae belong.” Alpin looked at the map again. “Also, send word to the other lairds in the area. Ask if they’ve had similar problems.”
“Ye think this is happenin’ beyond our lands?”
“If it’s an organized operation, they’re nae just workin’ in one place.” Alpin’s mind was already racing through possibilities. “They’ll be castin’ a wide net, takin’ women from multiple clans tae avoid drawin’ too much attention.”
“Smart,” Callum admitted. “And dangerous.”
“Aye.” Alpin rolled up the map. “Which is why we need tae stop them before more lasses disappear.”
Over the following week, reports came in from neighboring clans. Two more women gone. Both young. Both vanished without a trace.
Alpin read the latest dispatch from another farmer. His daughter, seventeen, taken from her garden.
“This is organized,” Alpin said to Callum. “They’re movin’ fast, strikin’ when guards are down.”
“Which means they ken the lands well.” Callum pulled out a parchment. “Me contacts in the south confirmed rumors. Underground market in the Lowlands. Women brought in and sold. One name keeps comin’ up. Laird Aodh Graham.”
Graham. Alpin knew the name.
A laird from the western Highlands with a reputation for ruthlessness and a talent for profit. If anyone could organize something like this, it would be him.
“Can we prove it’s Graham?”
“Nae yet. But I have men askin’ questions, followin’ leads.” Callum hesitated. “Me laird, if this really is an organized slave trade, goin’ after Graham directly could start a war. He has allies, resources.”
“So dae I.” Alpin’s voice was hard. “And I dinnae care who he is or what power he has. If he’s stealin’ women from me lands, I’ll bring him down.”
“I ken. I just want ye tae be prepared fer what that might cost.”
Alpin looked at his oldest friend, seeing the concern there.
Callum had been with him since they were lads, had fought beside him in more battles than he could count. If anyone understood the weight of leadership, it was him.
“I became laird tae protect me people,” Alpin said quietly. “All of them. If I cannae keep young women safe in their own homes, what kind of leader am I?”
“A human one,” Callum replied. “Ye cannae be everywhere at once.”
“Nay. But I can make sure that whoever’s daein’ this kens there’s a price to pay.” Alpin moved to the window, looking out at his lands. “Send our best scouts to the Lowlands. I want eyes on Graham and anyone associated with him. I want tae ken where these auctions are happenin’, when they happen, and who’s buyin’.”
“That could take weeks. Maybe months.”
“Then we’d better start now.” Alpin turned back to face him. “Because every day we wait is another day someone’s daughter is bein’ sold like livestock. And I’ll be damned if I let that continue on me watch.”
Callum nodded slowly. “I’ll make the arrangements. But Alpin, if ye’re serious about infiltratin’ these auctions, it’s dangerous. Graham will have guards, protections. One wrong move and…”
“I ken the risks.” Alpin’s expression was set. “But I need tae see it with me own eyes. Need tae understand what we’re fightin’ against.”
“And if ye see one of our lasses there? What then?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? What would he do if he walked into that auction house and saw Elspeth MacLeod or Isla Fraser or any of the other missing women standing on a block, being bid on like animals?
“Then I’ll dae whatever it takes tae get her out,” Alpin said. “Even if it means blowin’ me cover and startin’ a war right there in the middle of their bloody auction.”
“That’s what I thought ye’d say.” But Callum was smiling slightly. “Fer what it’s worth, I’d dae the same.”
“I ken ye would. Which is why ye’re comin’ with me when the time comes.”
Over the following weeks, Alpin threw himself into the investigation. Scouts were sent out, informants were contacted, and slowly, painfully, a picture began to emerge.
One day, he received an unexpected letter from his good friend and ally, Paedar Mac Gregor, recounting an adventure that had ultimately led to his marriage. The story involved the very network of auction houses Alpin was searching for. He himself had infiltrated one to gather information about an enemy, only to leave with Kenina, the daughter of a laird who had been kidnapped and was being sold there. After taking her under his protection they had fallen in love and married.
There was indeed an organized network stealing women across the Highlands.
Graham was involved, though whether he was the mastermind or just a participant remained unclear. And the auctions were real, held in secret locations that changed frequently to avoid detection.
However, finding the auctions was only half the battle. Actually getting inside, gathering evidence, and hopefully rescuing some of the stolen women would require careful planning and perfect timing.
Alpin stood in his solar late one night, staring at the maps and reports spread across his desk. Somewhere out there, young women were being held captive.
Frightened. Alone. Waiting for someone to save them.
He would be that someone. Whatever it took.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Come.”
Callum entered, his expression serious. “Word just came in. One of our scouts found an auction house. Hidden in an abandoned grain warehouse near the border. He says there’s one scheduled fer next week.”
Alpin’s heart began to pound. “Did he see any of our missin’ lasses?”
“He couldnae get close enough tae tell. But Me laird…” Callum moved closer. “This could be our chance. Our only chance tae see this operation from the inside.”
“Then we’re goin’.” Alpin said it without hesitation. “Ye, me, and two others ye trust completely. We go in as buyers, keep our identities hidden, and gather as much information as we can.”
“And if we see one of our own?”
Alpin met his friend’s eyes. “Then we improvise.”
Because that was all they could do.
Walk into the darkness, see the horror for themselves, and pray they were strong enough to fight their way back out.
With or without starting a war.