"Hurry!" Colin descended several steps, as far as he could see, but 'twas pitch-black below. As he took out his dirk, a blinding thought occurred to him. "The chimney sweep!" He cursed. That had to be it.
Bryce returned in record time, holding a small lantern aloft.
"One of the chimney sweeps is Holme!" Colin took the lantern and followed the stairs down into the darkness.
"How do you know?"
"I'm guessing. Their brush was lying by the fireplace. I haven't gotten a look at either of them. Did you notice if one has red hair and a bushy beard?"
"They were both clean shaven. One is big and burly, while the other man is shorter and has a limp. They're always covered in soot and wearing cowls."
"Damnation! That's it. Holme shaved his beard to disguise himself." Descending the damp steps, Colin breathed the mold-scented air, his lungs still burning from the smoke. "These steps go deep beneath the castle."
"No doubt intended as an escape route for the laird if the castle was under siege."
"Aye. Holme grew up here. He would know of this hidden stairwell. He must have kidnapped Kristina and brought her out this way."
"If we hurry, we can catch up to him."
Once the steps ended, Colin hurried along the low, narrow tunnel, dodging the debris, for several hundred yards. Bryce followed closely behind him. Dawn light filtered in at the end, and the small iron gate was open. Damnation! How could they not have known this was here?
They crawled through the opening and emerged onto a bush-covered hill near the wood. He couldn't even see the castle from here. Gorse bushes, brambles and other vegetation, which had hidden the gate, had recently been cut away and dragged aside, along with large stones. A light layer of snow now covered them. Holme and his men had clearly worked hard on this. Whoresons, the lot of them.
A new pathway of broken ferns and disturbed snow led downhill. Colin sprinted along the trail, which ended at the river.
Muddy boot imprints smudged the snow on the riverbank. "God's teeth! Holme has put her on a boat and taken her downstream. The falls!" When Colin visualized Kristina in a boat going over the high waterfall and crashing on the rocks below, he felt as if the life force drained from his body, leaving him colder than the icy air surrounding him.
"Holme should know how dangerous the falls are, since he grew up here," Bryce said. "If he'd wanted her dead, he would've already killed her. Clearly, he wants her alive."
Thank God his brother was the voice of reason.
"Aye." Colin breathed a bit easier. "Let's hope. If he does, he'll drag the boat ashore upstream of it and take her overland. Let's go get the horses."
The two sprinted back toward the castle, where a bit of smoke still escaped skyward. He prayed the fires had been put out.
Ralston ran to meet them. "Did you find Kristina?"
"Not yet. We believe Red Holme took her downriver. We need horses."
"I'll go with you. After Anna told me what happened, I searched part of the castle and some of the outbuildings. No sign of her."
"I thank you for the help."
"You don't have to thank me. She's my sister. Red Holme must be stopped."
"Aye." Saints! Colin couldn't believe the steward had welcomed Red Holme into the castle. When he'd told Colin he'd hired a couple of chimney sweeps during his absence, he hadn't thought anything of it. They used their services at least once per year.
By the time Colin, Bryce and Ralston reached the open portcullis, the stable lads had led all the horses beyond the walls because of the fire and smoke. The agitated horses snorted and laid their ears back. Thankfully, some of them were already saddled.
"The fires are out." Cyrus MacKenzie strode toward them. "Did you find Lady Kristina?"
"Nay. But we know Holme has taken her down the river. We're riding to intercept them."
"We'll come with you." Cyrus turned and yelled, "Fraser! Bring all the men and the horses."
"I appreciate your help in extinguishing the fires," Colin told him.
"'Twas not such a hard job once everyone cooperated with the buckets of water."
