Chapter Five
“TROUBLE IS AFOOT, lass.” Liam sidled past her, then gave her a warning look. “Stay here until I see who lies in wait for us.”
Stay here? Where she’d be cornered if something happened to him and whoever they were, headed this way? Figure the odds. She knew better than to follow him right away, though. So she waited a minute or two, then pursued him, careful to brace herself against the rock when she headed up the steepest part.
She had just reached the top when she heard metal clanging. Moments later, she spied Liam crossing swords with several men on the other side of the bridge. It was one thing seeing that sort of thing on television. Another altogether to see it live. She was equal parts enthralled by how he drove his sword through his opponent and, irritatingly enough, horrified when he engaged another far fiercer-looking warrior.
How was she supposed to help? What should she do? Because she had to do something. Help somehow. So she started toward the bridge, only for a man to come up behind her fast and put a blade to her throat. He called out in a foreign language she somehow understood.
Drop yer blade now, King Liam,” he roared. “Or ‘twill be the last ye see of yer lass.”
No sooner did he say it than Tréan melted out of the woodland to their left with his hackles up, growling.
“No,” she managed, looking at him. “Stay back.”
While frightened, she felt strangely calm. But then, she’d never been prone to drama. Rather, she had been in enough dangerous situations with distressed animals over the years that she knew a level head always prevailed.
“Ta.” The man at her back pressed his blade tighter against her throat. “Stay back, wolf.”
Liam had stilled and now had the tip of his opponent’s sword at his throat.
“Ye do not listen well, woman,”he muttered into her mind as more men fell in around him.“’Twill be the death of ye in this day and age.”
“I told you I wasn’t good at being ordered around,”was about all she could come up with because he was right. She had been foolish.
“Set yer weapons down,” the man at her back ordered Liam. “And think naught of using magic because my bladewillbe faster.”
Something about the way he said it made her especially tense. It seemed Liam felt the same because he begrudgingly threw down his sword. Then a dagger. Then another and another. How many weapons did he have on him? Clearly, far more than had been visible.
“More than enough,”he grunted into her mind.“And not one of them able to get past the magic your captor possesses. Magic with Siobhán undoubtedly at its root.”
She realized that was why she’d gone so tense. There had been a shift in the air, hadn’t there? It almost felt like she’d used a sixth sense. One that told her Liam’s magic could have probably gotten past the man’s, but he feared risking her life.
Tréan stalked after them as the man walked them sideways over the bridge, keeping his back to the railing rather thanvulnerable to her wolf or Liam. He had nearly reached the highest part when all hell broke loose.
Dozens of men melted out of the woodland.
Just as they began their attack, the oddest sensation rolled through her, and the blade at her neck went slack. She spun as her captor was yanked back, dumbfounded to discover several large ravens pulling at his tunic. Liam had regained his weapons and whipped a dagger into the side of her captor’s neck. Before he had a chance to fall to his knees, Tréan was on him.
Now there was only one man left standing.
“I want him alive.” Liam strode to the warrior before his own man could end him. He shoved him to his knees and held a blade to his neck. For a split second, she swore she saw an angry dark pulse emanate around Liam before his jaw tightened and his eyes grew hard. “How did ye know I would be here? Who sent ye? Was is Siobhán, Aodh, or both?”
When the man offered no response other than a sly grin, Liam pressed the blade so tightly blood trickled down his neck. “’Twill be far better if ye answer now rather than later.”
Rather than respond, the man’s grin blossomed into a smile before, much to her mortification, he sliced his own neck against the blade. Liam cursed in disgust and let him drop to the ground.
People didn’t generally intimidate her, but Liam did when he strode her way. His eyebrows bunched, and his gaze darkened with anger and exasperation. “’Tis lucky for ye my men came when they did and that yer animals were able to step in.”
