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world.
    Christien and Faust were the newest members of her guard, but Stephen and Lucien had been with her for as long as she could remember. Through all of the important, as well as the trivial, events of her life, one or more of them had been by her side. Even in her lowest moments, they were there. When her mother took a turn for the worse and Gabrielle was once again summoned to her bed, Gabriel knew in her heart that this would be her final visit. For two long, sad days, she and her father sat with the dying woman, holding her hand and stroking her brow. Many servants and physicians came and went during that time, but outside the chamber door, for every minute of those two days, all four of Gabrielle’s guards stood watch. Not one would leave his post.
    As Gabrielle now rode with them toward Finney’s Flat thinking of all that they had done for her, she said a prayer of thanksgiving for these dear friends.
    Stephen pulled her attention from her thoughts when he veered to the east. Gabrielle followed. After the horses had a good run, she slowed the pace. The rugged landscape surrounding her was craggy and covered with a dazzling green blanket. There were spills of bright purple heather, white chickweed, and milkwort dripping down the hills. Her father had told her that all of Scotland was lovely, but Gabrielle, looking over the vast landscape, thought the Highlands were stunning.

    The higher they rode, the colder the air became. The scent of pine was thick, and the cold wind felt wonderful against her face.
    They had been climbing almost two hours when they suddenly reached the tip of a plateau. Stephen had already scouted the area and explained to Gabrielle that there was really only one way to get to their destination.
    “Since we’re coming from the south, the direct route would be straight ahead, but as you can see, the way is thick with trees, and it might be difficult to get our horses through. We could probably manage it, though.”
    “And if we can’t manage it?” Christien asked.
    “Then we’ll go another way,” Lucien answered.
    “Finney’s Flat is on the other side of those trees?” she asked.
    “Yes, Princess.”
    She blocked the sun from her eyes with her hand and looked to the east and then the west. The line of trees seemed to extend for as far as the eye could see. The plateau was massive.
    “How deep are the trees?” she asked.
    “I didn’t try to go all the way through,” Stephen said. He glanced up at the sky to note the position of the sun and then said, “We have quite enough daylight to find out.”
    “If the closeness of the trees is a concern, could we approach Finney’s Flat from the east or the west?
    Would that be quicker?” Lucien posed the question.
    Christien answered. “Princess Gabrielle’s father told us that there were woods on the east side of the flats, and beyond those woods is Loch Kaenich. There are also thick woods lining the west side of Finney’s Flat, and beyond those woods live the wild Buchanans.”
    “ Wild Buchanans?” Lucien was curious about Christien’s description of the clan.
    “That is what Baron Geoffrey calls them, and from some of the stories he’s told, I don’t think the name’s an exaggeration.”
    “It’s my understanding that none of the clans allow trespassers,” Faust interjected.
    Gabrielle frowned as she turned to look at the soft-spoken guard. “Faust, we’re on MacKenna land now, and no one has tried to stop us.”
    “Nay, Princess,” he answered. “We aren’t on MacKenna land. ’Tis true that their holding does border Finney’s Flat on the south, but we’re on the southeast tip, and that little piece of land is controlled by Laird Monroe, your future husband. That is why we have been left alone.” She slowly scanned the horizon. The area looked completely deserted to her. Since they had begun their long journey across the Highlands, she hadn’t seen another soul. Were the people who lived in this vast