"We have nay fear of a barbaric and heathen MacDonald!" the redhead shouted.
"You want to see barbaric? I'll be glad to show you." He sent them a malicious grin.
They both rushed him at once. He dodged aside, first striking one in the arm and the other in the abdomen. Dunn barked behind the men, drawing their attention and giving Neacal the opening he needed. By the time the redhead saw him coming, 'twas too late for him to raise his sword to block the blow. Neacal ran him through and, after he toppled to the ground yelling and thrashing, he focused on the dark-haired man.
MacBraden put up a good fight but in the end he was no match. Neacal practiced with a sword for several hours per day and had great endurance. After a few minutes of swordplay, MacBraden tired and faltered, stumbling over a rock. Neacal's next blow struck him in the chest and he sprawled upon the ground.
Neacal watched both men, but clearly they were not rising again.
"Dunn, come!" Neacal yelled.
MacBraden had said three dozen more were coming.
Neacal was ready to fight every last one of them until he faced Anna's husband. If he was the rotten and abusive brute Neacal imagined him to be, he would rid the world of the bastard.
Neacal glanced around. "Anna!" He headed toward where he thought she'd gone. Dunn trotted along in front of him. "Find her and the horse, lad."
Moments later, the dog barked from behind the tall bushes up ahead. Neacal rushed forward to find Anna still in the saddle, her face wan.
"What happened?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"
"Nay. They're all dead. But the last one said three dozen more soldiers are coming." He leapt on behind her.
"Saints," she hissed. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"Do not fash yourself over it. 'Tis time for us to head back to Bearach Castle." He turned the horse around, heading west, and urged it into a trot. Because a rugged mountain lay in their way, they had to retrace their steps to rejoin the trail leading north to Bearach. "Can younowtell me why you left the castle?" he asked.
After a long moment, she nodded and turned to him. "I'd met the Hamilton chief before. I knew if he saw me, he would send a missive to the beast who claims to be my husband."
"Claims to be?"
Was it possible she wasn't actually married?
Before he could find out what she'd meant, Dunn drew to an abrupt halt in front of them and growled. The hair on the dog's back stood on end. A faint sound reached Neacal's ears… a multitude of hoof beats. In the far distance, he saw a garrison on horseback. That had to be the three dozen, all of them on the trail they needed to take to reach Bearach.
"Damnation, that's the rest of the garrison. Come, Dunn!" Neacal turned the horse about and raced toward the mountain again. 'Twas the one where he'd lived for a time, and he knew almost every stone on it.
Though Anna sat in front of him, he had no time or attention for a discussion. He wrapped one arm around her to make sure she didn't lose her seat during this jarring ride. Sparing a glance back every few minutes, he was thankful he didn't see their pursuers again.
Once they were several miles away and nearing the large mountain, he slowed the horse to a walk, then dismounted and let him drink at a stream. When he remembered that Anna had not yet broken her fast, he said, "You must be starving. I'm sorry I have no food."
"Nay, I have an apple left. But I'm not hungry." She avoided his gaze.
"You said he claims to be your husband. What does that mean?"
Anna pressed a fist to her stomach. When her eyes finally met his, they were filled with anguish. "The truth is Ranald Blackburn murdered my husband, his cousin—John MacCromar—and then forced me to marry him by threatening to kill my sister." Anna's voice caught and tears sparkled in her eyes. "To prove he meant what he said, Blackburn cut Kristina's face, leaving a terrible scar. Then, he ordered one of his men to hold a knife to her throat during the ceremony. Afterward, Blackburn shoved her down, causing her to hit her head and go blind. She still cannot see. You wished to ken the truth. There it is."
Neacal was near speechless, imagining what the two women had suffered through. "The bastard," he rasped. Outrage surged through him, tensing his muscles. He wanted to hunt the beast down now. Was he with the garrison following them or had he simply sent his men? He hoped he was leading them. Neacal had an arrow destined for the whoreson.
"He paid the priest who performed the ceremony a generous sum for his silence. Besides, 'tis his distant cousin."
"The marriage is not legal," Neacal growled.
"Depends on who you ask." She wiped the angry tears from her eyes. "The officials in our town would not go against him. I had no way to fight him, no funds and no one on my side, so I escaped and disappeared."
"Where is your sister?"
"I secreted her away to live with my aunt. I pray she is still in hiding there, and safe. I wanted to bring her with me but she wasn't able to travel."
