Page 47 of Warrior’s Lady

Chapter Fourteen

Rhiannon struggled against the hands gripping her. Despite her efforts, the man held tight. She twisted and writhed in his arms only to have a large burlap sack tossed over her head, engulfing her in darkness and the stench of dead fish. Her stomach roiled.

She kicked and squirmed, her nails tearing the flesh of his forearm. The man grunted at the assault and pain exploded in her cheek and temple as his forearm connected with her head. He dragged her across the ground, then threw her atop a horse. Her skirts bunched up about her legs. The man mounted behind her a heartbeat later, his rough hands pinning her to the saddle.

They were moving very quickly. The shiver of apprehension that coursed through her body did not go unnoticed by her captor. He laughed, the sound grating.

The sounds of battle echoed all around as they rode for what felt like forever. The air seemed warmer than it had a few days before when she and Camden had been forced to take shelter in the cottage. And by the fast gait of the horse, Rhiannon could only assume much of the snow had melted. As they continued and the sounds of battle faded she became increasingly uneasy.

"Where are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Who are you?" The bag lifted from her head as the man slowed his pace. Rhiannon pulled a breath of clean air into her lungs. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness though she was uncertain of where they were.

"Where we're takin' ye is of nae concern of yers. If ye behave well enough, ye might live tae see it." His grin was a dark, evil slash across his face.

"Lord Lockhart will come after me. You'll see."

The man's face brightened. "I'm prayin' that he does." He narrowed his eyes and let them slide down to the thrust of her breasts. "And if he takes his time, mayhap I can sample what ye have tae offer."

She gasped.

He laughed coarsely. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he jerked her head painfully to one side. Her cry of pain opened her lips to the revolting feel of his mouth sucking wetly upon hers. She brought her fist up to beat him away.

He caught her wrist and twisted it painfully behind the small of her back. He released a husky laugh. "God's teeth, yer goin' tae be a fun one tae tame."

Two riders edged closer to them. "Stop playin' with yer catch, Axel. We have tae get her out of here and hand her over before we'll be paid."

The man called Axel grunted and replaced the burlap sack over her head, kicking the horse into a faster gait once more.

"We've captured the cannon," one of his men shouted. Camden couldn't see exactly who it was inside the blue-black cloud that had fallen over the crumbling mass of stones that once comprised the outer wall of Lee Castle.

"Then the victory is ours," Camden called to his men. They hadn't been able to stop the breech, but they'd ended the conflict shortly after. Now that the cannon was no longer in their attackers' control, many of the enemy had turned and fled. Yet Camden had seen a group break through to the castle grounds before anyone could stop them.

"Orrin, do we have any idea where the men who breeched the wall were headed?"

"They got into the keep before we could secure the gates."

"Bloody hell," Camden swore under his breath. "They are after Violet."

"Or did they come for Rhiannon?"

Stunned by the question, Camden froze. "Where are Violet and Rhiannon now?"

As if in answer, the sound of hoofbeats filled the air. A dozen well-armed men raced past the fallen rubble of the wall and out into the open land. As they passed, Camden did not miss the feminine outline of a leg that draped against one of the horse's flanks. The rest of Rhiannon's body was concealed beneath a dark woolen sack.

Camden fought the urge to kick his horse into a gallop and follow. "God's blood, how did they find her so quickly?" His voice vibrated off the fallen stones from the wall. "Did they take Violet as well?"

Camden turned his horse back toward the keep. In the courtyard he dismounted, then raced for the door that led from the courtyard to the storeroom. Orrin followed close behind. In the dim light Camden could make out several men's bodies lying on the floor with arrows protruding from their flesh.

"Violet," Camden shouted into the void. "Hamish, where are you?"

A scraping noise sounded off to his right a moment before Hamish appeared. "My lord, I failed you." He drew closer. "Mistress Rhiannon fought valiantly, but there were too many of them. Four men attacked me. I tried to help her…"

"You did what you could, Hamish," Camden said, noting the trickles of blood that raced down his chin, his arms, his thighs, though nothing looked fatal. "Where's Lady Violet?"

Hamish nodded, his eyes wild in his white face. "She's safe. That I know." He turned toward the back wall and as Camden hurried after him, Hamish grasped one of the huge wooden barrels. Orrin helped gently lower the barrel to the floor. Violet crept out from the back.

Camden threw his arms around his niece, hugging her tightly. She returned the embrace, her small body melting into his. His breath caught in his chest. "Praise the saints you are safe."

A shudder wracked her small body as she pulled away, her wide eyes searching his. "I heard men shouting. And Rhiannon screamed." Tears filled her eyes. "They took her away. Just like my mum and daddy."