Chapter Seven
"Colin!" Kristina yelled. "What happened?"
A laugh sounded, but 'twas not Colin's. Chills of terror consumed her as she absorbed Red Holme's hateful, gloating laugh.
"Your lover hit his head on a rock and washed down the river," he crowed with glee.
"Nay!" Crushing despair enveloped her. "Colin!" she screamed.
"'Tis too late now. He cannot hear you. If he's not already dead, he will be soon."
Dear God, please don't let it be so.She clasped another stone in her hand and hid it beneath her leg. In her other hand, she held the small dagger. She would stab this beast for what he'd done to Colin.
"Come, sweet lass," Holme cajoled. "Come quietly and I will not hurt you."
Sharp claws of hatred and anguish scraped along her nerves. "Stay away from me, you bastard!"
He laughed. "And what will you do if I don't? You can't even see me. How will you defend yourself?"
She would kill him! She wanted to shout it, but kept her mouth shut tight instead. She had to use the element of surprise.
"Show me your hands," he said.
She remained still, her hands hidden behind her skirts.
"I'm holding a sword stained with your lover's blood. I could easily kill you with it. You wouldn't see it coming. Would you like to join him in his watery grave?"
Rage burned in her gut. "I hate you! Whoreson!"
Holme cackled again.
Please let Colin be alive, please, please, please.
"Show me your hands!" Holme demanded.
Leaving her weapons hidden beneath her skirts, she brought her empty hands out.
"Stand up," he said.
She moved her hands beneath her legs again, preparing to push herself up, but she grasped her knife and the stone. She then pretended weakness as if she couldn’t gain her feet.
Holme grasped her elbow and painfully yanked her upward. "Hurry. We're leaving."
She swung her arm around, aiming the rock at his head. It made contact, but not hard enough.
"Bitch!" His hand struck her forearm hard, sending intense pain through it, and she lost her grip on the stone.
He yanked her close and smooshed his mouth against hers. She turned her face away and thrust the knife toward his abdomen. It made contact with something. Leather armor? She pulled her hand back and stabbed again, lower. He growled against her ear, grasped her hand, then yanked the knife from it.
"You will pay me recompense for that, over and over. And I will enjoy every minute of it." He yanked her to him, lifting her. She hiked her knee upward, smashing it into his groin.
He growled and hissed through clenched teeth. "Damn you, wench!" He held her tightly under one vise-like arm, nearly squeezing the breath from her. Her heart pounded hard as she tried to free herself, but his strength made him immovable.
Holding both her wrists in one of his hands, he wrapped a cord around them and tied it. He pushed her facedown on the dirt floor, grit and small stones biting into her cheek. While he bound her ankles, she screamed, kicked and fought with all her might, but she could not overcome his brute strength. Next, he tied a gag in her mouth, but this did not stop her from screaming and yelling, although the sounds came out muffled.
He crawled backward through the narrow cave passage, dragging her by her feet, a few inches at a time. By the time they emerged into the second cavern, her skirts were around her waist, but she didn't think he could see her. Colin had said this chamber was especially dark.
Dear Colin, please be all right.
