They rode for a couple of hours at a slow pace over the rough ground, only stopping now and again to give the horses water and let them rest for a few minutes. During those times, Holme sat her on the ground and said naught to her. She was thirsty, and the gag further dried out her mouth. Her stomach ached with hunger. But she doubted they had any food.
As they continued to ride, she was near numb from lying across Holme's knees, and her mind was starting to fog.
"Halt!" Holme drew up. "We'll camp here by this small loch. Carry her over there, Mungo."
The man pulled her from the horse and carried her for a few seconds, then laid her on the damp ground. The air smelled of wet black dirt. She rested for a moment, thankful for the change in position and the relief. Her stomach would probably be bruised and sore for days. She turned over, sat up and listened. After drawing the cowl of her arisaid over her head with her bound hands, she covertly tried to pull the gag from her mouth, but it was tied too tightly. She wanted to yell curses at the loathsome men.
"Put up the tents, Dobson," Holme ordered.
"I'll build a fire," Mungo said.
"Nay, 'twill make it easier for them to find us."
"We have to eat."
"Scroggie should still have some bannocks."
"They disappeared. Someone must have stolen them."
Holme let out a string of curses. "Build a fire, then. I doubt Cameron still draws breath, and his men won't know where we are. You two go out hunting for some game. If Cameron and his men happen to follow the scent of the smoke, we'll be ready for them. And if Colin Cameron survived his swim in the river, I want him killed first. In fact, 'tis a good idea to lure the Camerons here so we can finish them off and be done with them."
Nay! Watch out, Colin, she wanted to yell at him across the miles.
The men went about their duties mostly in silence, with a few clatters and thumps now and then. Within minutes, she smelled smoke.
On the one hand, she hoped Colin and his men would smell the smoke and come to her rescue; on the other, Holme's plan to lure them in frightened her.
Hearing no one nearby, she lifted her bound hands and again worked at the gag, using all her strength to tug it from her mouth. Finally, it came free, and she could breathe freely through her mouth again. Her jaws and the corners of her mouth were sore from the abrasive material and the unnatural position it had held her mouth in.
An owl hooted in the distance and the air was growing colder again, telling her night was approaching. She hoped it was dark enough that Holme wouldn't notice right away that she'd removed the gag. If he saw she wasn't going to scream, maybe he would leave it off. She would keep quiet until she actually needed to use her voice.
She needed to relieve herself, but she didn't want to draw Holme's attention to such a personal matter. 'Twas obvious he wouldn't give her privacy.
"Cut the ropes off her ankles and put her in that tent," Holme said, surprising her. Had he noticed the missing gag?
"What about her wrists?" Mungo asked.
"Nay. Leave them tied."
Why did he want her ankles cut loose? A chill crept over her, along with nausea, for she suspected what he planned.
She acted like a demure kitten as the man cut the ropes from her ankles and helped her stand. Holding her arm, he guided her forward. She stepped in a hole and stumbled, knocking her cowl off. He laughed, lifted her into his arms and carried her. She felt one of his dirk hilts by her leg.
"I would like to keep you company, m'lady," Mungo murmured, too low for Holme to hear, no doubt, then he sniffed her hair.
Though she wanted to gag, she forced a smile and stealthily moved her bound hands toward the knife hilt. Judging by the smooth, hard feel, the hilt was made of bone. She clasped her hand around it gently and pulled. Once she had it in hand, she hid it within the folds of her skirt between her knees.
He lowered her to the ground. "Here you are, m'lady. This tent is fancy enough for a queen."
She doubted that, for it stank of man sweat. "I thank you."
"Do you, in truth?"
Before she could answer, he plastered his mouth to hers. She turned her head away and screamed.
"What the hell?" Holme's voice echoed from several yards away, then running footsteps approached. "Get away from her afore I string you up from the nearest tree!"
Mungo scrambled away from her. "I did naught. She was whispering sweet words to me, trying to seduce me. She wanted me to untie her wrists."
