Authors: Gerri Russell
"Only if you promise that if we are discovered, you will run and hide yourself among the barrels."
"Agreed."
At her consent, Hamish turned away to head for the doorway that led to the storeroom from inside the castle. Rhiannon positioned herself near the other door. She aimed her bow at the doorway and waited, her heart thundering in her chest.
She had to protect Violet. After several long minutes, the door on Hamish's side slammed open. Bright light and the shouts of men followed. Rhiannon spun toward the sounds. She kept her aim on the shapes moving within the hazy darkness, until a single figure broke away from the others, heading her way. She waited. Prayed he would turn. But nay, he continued toward her. Halfway across the room, she loosed her arrow and hit her target in the thigh. He stumbled to the ground.
Without thought, she nocked another arrow, allowing it to sail into the same space where the man she'd just hit had been. A cry of agony pierced the air. Her fingers trembling, she set another arrow. The door slammed open behind her. She twisted around and let the arrow fly, missing the man. He surged forward.
With a gasp of fear, Rhiannon plucked another arrow from her quiver and darted behind a long row of barrels.
"She's got tae be here somewhere," a voice called out of the darkness. Could this be the man who had betrayed Violet's presence to the Bishop?
"I watched her go down here with the child and the warrior," an unfamiliar voice said.
A chill moved through her at the realization that these men were after her, and not Violet. Rhiannon crouched behind a wooden barrel as the men ran past. Even if they were after her, she had to lead them away from Violet. She couldn't take a chance like that with Violet's life.
Rhiannon braced herself and bolted for the open door. A shout behind her told her she'd been spotted. She twisted around to see who followed. Two hulking men came at her, their features distorted by the shadows, but she knew their intent from the menacing grins on their faces.
She let another arrow fly. One man fell to the ground. She hurried up the stairs, in the darkness, her heart pounding and her hands shaking. Rhiannon broke through into the light only to hear footsteps coming swiftly up behind her. With a burst of desperation, she sped forward only to be hauled back against the solid wall of a man's chest. He wrenched the bow from her fingers and jerked her hands behind her.
"Going somewhere, my sweetlin'?" he breathed against her ear.
Rhiannon shuddered. He smelled of sweat and fish and rotten teeth. She twisted in his arms. She gasped at the sight of the man who'd fought Camden at the cottage. A scream tore from her throat, only to have his brutal hand clamp over her mouth.
Chapter Fourteen
Rhiannon struggled against the hands gripping her. Despite her efforts, the man held tight. She twisted and writhed in his arms only to have a large burlap sack tossed over her head, engulfing her in darkness and the stench of dead fish. Her stomach roiled.
She kicked and squirmed, her nails tearing the flesh of his forearm. The man grunted at the assault and pain exploded in her cheek and temple as his forearm connected with her head. He dragged her across the ground, then threw her atop a horse. Her skirts bunched up about her legs. The man mounted behind her a heartbeat later, his rough hands pinning her to the saddle.
They were moving very quickly. The shiver of apprehension that coursed through her body did not go unnoticed by her captor. He laughed, the sound grating.
The sounds of battle echoed all around as they rode for what felt like forever. The air seemed warmer than it had a few days before when she and Camden had been forced to take shelter in the cottage. And by the fast gait of the horse, Rhiannon could only assume much of the snow had melted. As they continued and the sounds of battle faded she became increasingly uneasy.
"Where are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Who are you?" The bag lifted from her head as the man slowed his pace. Rhiannon pulled a breath of clean air into her lungs. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness though she was uncertain of where they were.
"Where we're takin' ye is of nae concern of yers. If ye behave well enough, ye might live tae see it." His grin was a dark, evil slash across his face.
"Lord Lockhart will come after me. You'll see."
The man's face brightened. "I'm prayin' that he does." He narrowed his eyes and let them slide down to the thrust of her breasts. "And if he takes his time, mayhap I can sample what ye have tae offer."
She gasped.
He laughed coarsely. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he jerked her head painfully to one side. Her cry of pain opened her lips to the revolting feel of his mouth sucking wetly upon hers. She brought her fist up to beat him away.
He caught her wrist and twisted it painfully behind the small of her back. He released a husky laugh. "God's teeth, yer goin' tae be a fun one tae tame."
Two riders edged closer to them. "Stop playin' with yer catch, Axel. We have tae get her out of here and hand her over before we'll be paid."
The man called Axel grunted and replaced the burlap sack over her head, kicking the horse into a faster gait once more.
"We've captured the cannon," one of his men shouted. Camden couldn't see exactly who it was inside the blue-black cloud that had fallen over the crumbling mass of stones that once comprised the outer wall of Lee Castle.
"Then the victory is ours," Camden called to his men. They hadn't been able to stop the breech, but they'd ended the conflict shortly after. Now that the cannon was no longer in their attackers' control, many of the enemy had turned and fled. Yet Camden had seen a group break through to the castle grounds before anyone could stop them.
"Orrin, do we have any idea where the men who breeched the wall were headed?"
"They got into the keep before we could secure the gates."
"Bloody hell," Camden swore under his breath. "They are after Violet."
"Or did they come for Rhiannon?"
Stunned by the question, Camden froze. "Where are Violet and Rhiannon now?"
As if in answer, the sound of hoofbeats filled the air. A dozen well-armed men raced past the fallen rubble of the wall and out into the open land. As they passed, Camden did not miss the feminine outline of a leg that draped against one of the horse's flanks. The rest of Rhiannon's body was concealed beneath a dark woolen sack.
Camden fought the urge to kick his horse into a gallop and follow. "God's blood, how did they find her so quickly?" His voice vibrated off the fallen stones from the wall. "Did they take Violet as well?"
Camden turned his horse back toward the keep. In the courtyard he dismounted, then raced for the door that led from the courtyard to the storeroom. Orrin followed close behind. In the dim light Camden could make out several men's bodies lying on the floor with arrows protruding from their flesh.
"Violet," Camden shouted into the void. "Hamish, where are you?"
A scraping noise sounded off to his right a moment before Hamish appeared. "My lord, I failed you." He drew closer. "Mistress Rhiannon fought valiantly, but there were too many of them. Four men attacked me. I tried to help her…"
"You did what you could, Hamish," Camden said, noting the trickles of blood that raced down his chin, his arms, his thighs, though nothing looked fatal. "Where's Lady Violet?"
Hamish nodded, his eyes wild in his white face. "She's safe. That I know." He turned toward the back wall and as Camden hurried after him, Hamish grasped one of the huge wooden barrels. Orrin helped gently lower the barrel to the floor. Violet crept out from the back.
Camden threw his arms around his niece, hugging her tightly. She returned the embrace, her small body melting into his. His breath caught in his chest. "Praise the saints you are safe."
A shudder wracked her small body as she pulled away, her wide eyes searching his. "I heard men shouting. And Rhiannon screamed." Tears filled her eyes. "They took her away. Just like my mum and daddy."
Gratitude for her safety mixed with fury at his failure to keep Rhiannon safe. "I'll find her and bring her back," he said, his voice trembling with rage. Camden placed Violet in Orrin's arms, then moved to leave the storeroom.
With one hand, Orrin grasped Camden's arm, holding him back. "Are you certain you want to go after her?"
Camden turned to stare at the hand clutching his arm. "Are you suggesting we abandon her to those marauders?"
Orrin released his grip. "I'm suggesting that perhaps they are doing you a favor. They've taken her away, a Ruthven, your sworn enemy. Perhaps it is for the best."
Camden's blood ran cold in his veins. "They are murderers, Orrin. How can I desert her if I am the very cause of her abduction?"
"We have to think this through," Orrin reasoned. "Did they steal her to murder her, or did they do so because they knew you would follow? Who is the real target here? We need to have a plan before you charge into some sort of trap."
Camden knew he wasn't thinking. He was only feeling.
I promised to keep her safe.
"She's Lady Violet's nursemaid."
"Is that all?"
Guilt twisted Camden's gut. He had unleashed the demon that had captured her. And she needed his help.
Or did he need to help her to appease his own guilt?
Camden released an unearthly growl at the mix of emotions that tortured him — fury and guilt, and if he were truly honest, fear, welled up inside.
"I fear for her life because something changed, Orrin. I don't know when. I don't know how. But I stopped hating the sight of her and find I look forward to seeing her instead. She might be a Ruthven, but she is still a living being. And despite her name, I swore I'd protect her."
Camden clasped Orrin's arm, and the tension between them drained away. "If they had meant to kill her, they would have done so here. They took her away instead. To me that means they're looking for information from her or plan to use her as a trap for you instead."
"I must take that chance." Camden said. "Now that the battle has ended, I will take a small contingent of men with me. You and the others should remain here and set things to rights." He headed out the door toward his waiting horse.
Orrin nodded and followed, carrying Violet with him.
Camden mounted and signaled five of the men who were mounted and ready to join him.
"At least they left us a trail in the snow," one warrior said as he fell in behind Camden, waiting for the order to move out. The other men followed his example until all six were ready to continue the battle elsewhere.
Camden surged forward, leading the way. The wind blew cold and crisp against his face as he rode out of the gate of Lee Castle. An overwhelming sense of urgency spurred him to put his horse into a gallop.
He had to find Rhiannon and ensure her safety. But more importantly, he realized with a sudden start, he had to keep her from learning the truth about what he had done.
What would he see in the depths of her eyes if she learned that he'd hired an assassin to kill her and every member of her family? An assassin who had already killed both of her brothers?
He could picture the pain and the betrayal in her bright tawny eyes. "Nay," he swore into the wind. They would reach her before her trust in him came to a bitter end.
A dark figure followed Rhiannon's captors through the woods. He slowed his horse, keeping his distance. If they caught him now, they would not be kind in their punishment. They wouldn't believe he was merely a spy, reporting what he saw for a few silver coins.
He hung back behind the dormant heather shrubs and scrub trees. Their lanky branches did not conceal him fully, but enough to keep him from being detected by either horse or man when he stayed completely still.
He didn't want to be here, tramping through the snow. What had started out as justified revenge now seemed cruel. The girl hadn't hurt anyone, even though everyone at the castle had treated her poorly. She tried to help. And she was good to Lady Violet, gentle like the girl's own mum would have been.
In return they hurt her. But what could he do to stop the torment? He had to stay out of harm's way himself.
He had no choice but to follow, to observe, and report what he saw, no matter how much he might want to help the poor girl. He'd sealed his fate with that first silver coin he'd taken.
As the cold wind burned his cheeks while he waited, watched, he wished he'd made a different choice.
Rhiannon shivered in the saddle as she sat in front of her captor on the horse. The trail they followed had deteriorated into hardly more than a sheep track as they descended into a gorge sparsely dotted with shrubs and trees. The light of day was beginning to fade. Dusk cast gloomy gray shadows across the land. The sparse pines created a ghoulish scene as their long, leering limbs hung down over the path.