Page 58 of Seduction in a Kilt

Ivy thought about what he was suggesting. “Nay, it depends on ye and what kind of proof ye have tae bring down Carson. I have nay power, nay army if that’s what’s needed.”

Just then, there was a loud noise. Ivy and Evander looked in its direction. Ivy could not believe her eyes when Liam suddenly burst into the chapel through the broken back door, his sword in his hand. He looked thunderous, and magnificent.

“Liam!” she cried, jumping up from the platform and running to him. “What are ye doin’ here? I told ye nae tae come!”

“I followed ye,” he said simply, his eyes fixing on Evander, who was on his feet and backing away. “Dinnae move! Stay exactly where ye are,” Liam commanded, his voice reverberating around the broken walls, pointing his weapon at Evander. Evander reached under his cloak and brought out a sword.

“Why did ye follow me?” Ivy protested. “I’m all right. I’m nae hurt.” She gestured at Evander and added, “Leave him alone. He’s done naethin’ wrong. He’s harmless.”

“I couldnae just leave ye tae come here on yer own, Ivy, and I’m nae gonnae apologize fer carin’ about ye. And dinnae tell me that he’s harmless. That’s what he wants ye tae think.” He scowled savagely at Evander and approached menacingly. “Who are ye? If ye wantae live, show yer face, now,” he demanded.

“Yer dog has a big mouth, Lady Ivy. Call him off before I run him through,” Evander hissed viciously, clearly uncowed by Liam’s threats.

“Stop! Listen, can ye hear horses comin?” Ivy suddenly shouted, straining her ears to hear. They fell silent, and the sound of horses approaching fast could clearly be heard.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Liam snarled at Evander, “Friends of yers, is it?”

“Whoever it is, they’re naethin’ tae dae with me,” Evander hissed back furiously. “This meetin’ was suppose tae be secret.” He slid backwards along the wall and craned his neck to see out of an empty window. He jerked his head back suddenly. “Jaysus! ‘Tis a party of Gael’s men! What the hell are they doin’ here?”

“Ye tell me,” Liam shot back with disdain. “Ivy, get behind that archway, out of sight. If we can take them by surprise, we may have a good chance of gettin’ out of here.”

“What about me?” Evander asked.

“Ye? They’re yer friends. The only reason I havenae killed ye already is because Ivy seems tae believe yer lies and thinks ye harmless.”

“They’re naethin’ tae dae with me, I tell ye! They’re me enemies just as much as they are yers. Gael would love tae kill me.”

“I ken the feelin’,” Liam said as he ran to the rear door and pressed himself against the wall, ready to attack anyone who entered.

“How many are they, Evander?” Ivy asked, drawing her sword and retreating beneath the archway as Liam suggested.

“Five or six from what I could see, all armed tae the teeth,” he replied. “How the hell did they ken we were here?” he repeated, leading Ivy to believe he was genuinely baffled. He took up a position in an alcove near the ruined front doors of the chapel. There was an ominous silence coming from outside. Liam and Ivy exchanged glances.

The first of Gaels’ men who stepped silently into the chapel through the back door did not get very far before Liam plunged his sword into his chest. As he was pulling it out, another man barged in after him, his sword raised. He attacked Liam with a fierce growl.

Liam ducked and spun on the balls of his feet, coming up to block the downswing of his opponent’s blade with his own. The man was large, with a bushy black beard, and he fought furiously, trampling over his fallen comrade’s body heedlessly as he advanced and engaged with Liam.

Evander too had leaped out behind the first soldier through the shattered front door and was about to cut him down when the next man appeared and, on seeing Evander, yelled “Watch out!” to alert the first, who managed to swerve and avoid Evander’s strike. Evander backed up, frantically parrying the shouter’s blows. The first man turned and also attacked him.

Another soldier burst in, and was about to attack Evander as well, when Ivy sprang out from her hiding place and came to Evander’s aid against the trio. She and her informant fought hard, their feet moving rapidly as they parried and exchanged blows with the three attackers. The clash of metal filled the air and bounced deafeningly off the walls.

“Dinnae hurt the girl but bring her!” a tall rangy man with a scarred face shouted as he came running in through the door, gripping his sword and looking left and right. His eyes alighted on Ivy, and he too plunged into the fray, directing his efforts towards increasing the pressure on her.

Liam was still holding off the bearded soldier, who was proving to be a challenging foe. Even as Liam skillfully thrust and parried and rained down blows relentlessly on his enemy, he was getting as good as he gave. This was because he kept glancing over at the fight going on on the other side of the floor. It was obvious that Ivy and Evander were outnumbered and slowly becoming overwhelmed, now pitched against four men.

“Ivy, run!” he shouted over to her frantically, narrowly dodging the arcing downswing of his foe’s blade. “Just get out Ivy, get away, ‘tis ye they want!”

“I’m nae runnin’!” she yelled back, still valiantly fighting alongside Evander. Evander, who was slowly being forced backwards, tripped over something behind him and fell on his back. The fall knocked the breath from him, and his sword fell from his hand. In a split second, he rolled to one side, only just avoiding being skewered by one of the soldiers. In a moment, he was back up on his feet and retrieving his sword, engaging again with the last of his opponents.

After that, Ivy was soon completely overrun. Scarface and one of the other men took her sword off her and held her securely by her upper arms. She fought and kicked to get free, but it was no good.

“Ivy, are ye all right?!” Liam shouted, redoubling his efforts against his bearded foe. Finally, his attacker stepped back onto his dead comrade’s body and lost his balance, tottering slightly. It was enough of an opening for him to stab the man in the belly.

As the man dropped his blade and folded over, clutching his gut, Liam kicked him hard in the chest, wrenching out his sword from the wound at the same time. The man flew backwards, his bloody entrails squeezing out from between his fingers, and landed against a wall.

Without pausing for a second, Liam leapt across the room towards the men who were dragging a struggling Ivy out through the front doors. However, the moment they glimpsed Liam heading towards the door, they rushed to engage him. Ivy was screaming and shouting, cursing her captors and doing everything she could to make it as hard as possible to get her through the broken front door.