“Tell me,” Rhys ordered.
“Lady Heather’s feet were bleeding by the time she reached here, and she took a hard fall here as well. You can still see where her body hit the ground.”
Rhys looked to see where the tracker pointed. The size of the outline fit his wife and he could picture her taking the fall, her knees hitting the dirt and her arms going up in an attempt to protect her face as she went down hard and fast. He fisted his hands at his sides, his heart rammed against his chest, and rage filled his whole body. He knew exactly what his wife was going through, and he hated knowing she would suffer even more before he reached her.
“They do not hide their tracks well. It is as if they leave a trail for us to follow,” the tracker said.
“That is exactly what he is doing. Keep following and remember his men hide well.”
The troop waited until Rhys mounted, and then they took off.
* * *
Heather hadno way to defend herself and even if she could she barely had the strength to do so, but she did not let either stop her. She did something Patience had once taught her. She waited until the warrior got close and she used the only part of her body that had some strength left...her head.
As the warrior leaned down and tore her sleeve off her shoulder, she came up with her head fast and hard, catching him in the jaw and sending him sprawling to the ground. She quickly grabbed the rope away from him as he lay squirming in pain.
“I admire your courage, though I do not think it will last long,” Haidar said and waved to two men to finish the task. His hand suddenly stilled, halting them. “What is that sound?”
The camp turned quiet and listened.
When nothing was heard Haidar raised his hand again and froze in place, his eyes turning wide.
From the darkness, dozens of glowing green eyes suddenly surrounded the camp. Growls started and grew as wolf after wolf slowly and cautiously entered the camp, their sharp teeth bared in warningas they walked over to Heather and one by one circled her, creating a shield of wolves around her.
One warrior mistakenly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. A wolf shot out from the darkness behind him and dragged him back into the dark depths of the woods, screaming.
Heather shut her eyes and cringed until his screams were no more.
Haidar said nothing and made no move, his hand still up in the air. The warriors did the same.
Heather forced herself to her feet, ignoring the pain as best she could.
Suddenly an arrow shot into the camp just missing one of the wolves and a pair of wolves jumped out of the darkness, lunging at a warrior. Their sharp fangs tore at him as they dragged him into the woods, his screams echoing in the night.
No arrows followed after that and from the look on Haidar’s face, the warrior who shot it would suffer for his misdeed.
Heather started walking, the wolves keeping their circle tight around her. Her feet pained her badly with each step she took, and her body ached all over, but she forced herself to keep going. The wolves had come for her and they would see her to safety and all she had to do was walk along with them. She called out no parting words to Haidar as she disappeared into the darkened woods. She would leave him to her husband.
Once out of sight, the wolves parted, and she knew what they intended. She took off running withthem. She told herself not to feel, not to think, just to run as free as the wolves.
Haidar stood not moving at all, his face contorted red with rage and his arm aching from holding it up so long. Wolves remained snarling and snapping if anyone dared to move, and then they began to leave until none were left, their growls and howls continuing to echo in the air.
“Find the fool who fired that arrow and kill him,” Haidar ordered the man who stepped toward him as he brought his arm down painfully slow. “Then gather the men. Plans have changed.”
* * *
The sun was risingwhen Rhys and his men neared the camp. A halt was called, and Pitt hurried over to him.
“Dismount and come see this now,” Pitt urged.
Rhys followed an anxious Pitt and found himself staring at what looked like more than a hundred wolf tracks. “No bodies?” he asked.
“I have the men searching now,” Pitt said and went off when a warrior shouted out to him.
Rhys went and picked up a piece of rope off the ground. He was familiar with the purpose it served since he had worn one around his wrists for some time. Dare he hope—something he had not done much of in many years—that somehow Heather got free before the wolves attacked? Or had they attacked? He stared at the tracks and croucheddown to look more closely and saw a human track amongst the wolf tracks.
He stood and called out for Pitt, but he was already headed his way.
