Sleet slashed into the face of Hughie MacKim, stinging his eyes and forcing him to bow his head as he ran. Reared in the hills, he ignored the rough heather that scraped against his bare feet and calves, leapt across the overflowing burns and splashed through the patches of bog. High above, a pair of questing oystercatchers piped as they flew arrow-straight, beneath the ominous dark clouds.
“Ewan! Wait for me!” Hughie shouted as his brother stretched his lead.
“No!” Ewan, five years older and six inches taller, shook his head. “You heard the tacksman as well as I did. If I don’t join the clan today, he’ll evict our parents and burn the roof above their heads.”
“I can’t keep up.”
“You’re too young, Hughie. You should have stayed at home.”
“But I want to fight as well. I want to be a ma
