He waved them down, motioned for them to crawl deep beneath the tangle of limbs.
Shouts and frustrated curses rang out behind them as the castle guard started hacking their way through thedense thicket.
As he and his men continued working their way beneath the dense weave of branches, the ground angled up, and the limbs overhead gave away to the edge of a crag.
Though steep, the broken rocks littering the face offered a way to climb down to shore and escape. Rónán shoved to his feet, waved his men forward. “Hurry!”
As the last of his guard began descending the steep incline, Rónán sheathed his sword, caught hold of a jagged shard, and took a step down.
The slash of a blade to branches paces away had Rónán glancing up.
Eyes wild, a large warrior charged.
To his left, fury in their eyes, two more knights came into viewand rushed in.
Rónán glanced to where his men were making their way down the dangerous cliff. Bedamned. They needed to be farther away to avoid rocks tossed bytheir enemies.
“Stop him!” the closest man yelled.
Nay, they wouldna win. Body tense, Rónán made the sign of the cross, stepped back up to the snow-laden ground, and withdrew his sword. If he were to die, ’twould be in giving his men achance to live.
Chapter Fifteen
The fire in the hearth crackled cheerfully, the soft scent of wood and fresh rushes filling the air in her father’s richly adorned chamber. Tension humming through her, Lathir touched his brow as he slept in his large, ornately framed bed.
Cool.
Thank God. A shudder ripped through her at the memory of his right leg in an unnatural position and blood smearing his torn garb in Murchadh Castle’s dungeon. Had they not arrived when they had… She shoved aside the horrific thought. But they had. For that shewas thankful.
Though two days had passed, her father, like her betrothed in a room down the corridor, still slept.
Lathir brushed an errant lock from her father’s weathered face, willing him to awaken. However thankful to have brought him and Kieran home, she damned leaving Rónán and a smallforce behind.
Blast it, where were they?
Nerves twisting in her gut, she shoved to her feet and walked to the hearth. She took in a portrait of her father and mother hanging above. The love in their eyes made her heart ache. She wished the years back, that her mother still lived and her father was well.
A soft groan had her turning.
Pain-filled blue eyes lifted to hers. “Thank God you are alive, lass. I thought ’twas but a dream.”
“Father!” Tears blurred her eyes as she hurried to his side.
His covers tumbled back as he tried to sit up.
On a sniff, she caught the edge of the quilt. “’Tis best if you rest.”
Lines marred his brow as he shoved her hand away. “Help me. I willna lie here like an invalid.”
Frustrated by his stubbornness and aware he wouldn’t change his mind, once she’d aided him to sit, she filled, then handed him agoblet of ale.
He downed the cup after several slow butlong swallows.
She set the empty mug on the table. “Nor with your leg broken will you be walking unaided.”
He tried to raise his leg, winced. “Bloody hell. Tell the steward I need a walking stick. Despise the confounded things, but I willna be condemned to this blasted bed.”
His grumbling raised her spirits. He may be injured, but ’twas proof he was well on his way tohealing. “Aye.”
