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Three of the leaders, including Ron Jacobs himself, had consented to accompany him—only, of course, if they were permitted to bring their weaponry alongside them. It took all of Nathair’s strength not to roll his eyes as he returned down to the throng of men.
As if these malaperts could take me down even three against one. The only reason they’re nae deid is that Alexander doesn’ae want too much bloodshed.
Alexander was kind. Too kind. Nathair wasn’t sure he could be the same in his position.
He met the three elected men at the front of the crowd—Ron leading them, of course—and nodded at them. “Thank ye for listenin’,” he said. “The Laird is up in the residential wing. It will nae take long before—”
And that was when it hit.
Nathair screamed in pure red agony as unexpected, intense pain shot through him. The arrow had hit his shoulder from the back, and when he looked down, his hands and his vision shaking, he could see the head of it pointing dangerously through his front, covered in the red tang of his blood.
Ron and the two other men had identical expressions of shock on their faces, and one of them let out a wordless yell of alarm. More cries were coming from all around him, but Nathair suddenly felt dizzy. Some sounds were louder than they should be, others he couldn’t hear at all.
Get it together. Ye’ve got to get it together. Ye’ve got to—
But then he screamed, more like a loud, furious roar, as his knee crumpled under him, a weight smashing hard against the back of his leg and sending him to the floor.
Dimly, through his swimming vision, he could see the guards from the residential wing hurrying to defend him.
What are they doin’ here?
Ron had his sword out, but it was hard to tell if it was pointed at Nathair or at whoever had attacked him. There was confusion, screaming. Someone called out, “Ye’ll never trick us into submission again!”
Then came the hardest thud of all as something smacked hard against the back of his head. His teeth rattled, and he felt like his brain was shaking inside the skull. That was followed by a sickening crack in Nathair’s ears.
And then he saw and heard and felt nothing at all.
The village was strangely empty as Jeanie walked through. The children who usually played on the streets were indoors, the men hardly anywhere to be found. Half of the shops were closed, the other half staffed only by the womenfolk left behind.
Nathair had told her that it was to be a battle, but she had not realized the size of the thing until she saw how empty the village had become. Apparently, men from other villages were involved, too.
Jeanie’s heart was almost overwhelmed with the fear she felt for her betrothed. He had sworn he’d send the women and children down to her on some pretense. Indeed, she could hear a little carriage in the distance even now. But what would he do? What about Alexander?
There were no guarantees in war. When this was over, would there be a Laird left to follow? A Man-at-arms left to marry?
An’ where in the world is Cicilia?
Part of the reason she’d come here rather than elsewhere was that Cicilia had been spending more and more time here. But hard as she looked, she couldn’t seem to find her.
Has she gone back to the Castle?
That made her guts clench so hard that she thought she may be sick. Bad enough that the men were there—was she to fear losing her best friend, too?
Jeanie approached the village entrance just as the carriage stopped, and three people bundled out. The tightness in her belly got stronger. Only Catherine, Alice, and Matthew walked toward her now.
“Where are the twins?” she demanded as soon as Madame Sinclair was in sight. “Did ye nae bring them? Ye cannae have left them at the Castle, Catherine.”
Tall, awkward, adolescent Alice shrugged. “Aye, they dinnae want to come until their sister got back. We must o’ passed her on the road if she’s nae here wi’ ye.”
Catherine gave her a faint worried look that was meant to be reassuring, Jeanie supposed. “The bairns are well guarded. Nathair an’ Alexander themselves saw to it.”
Jeanie’s stomach roiled. “All right. Cicilia, then. It may be that we should check around the village once more, make sure I have nae missed her.”
She prayed that she had. If Cicilia was headed back to the Castle alone, who knew what horrors awaited her there? The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon. Had she arrived at the Castle already? Was she hurt? Was she safe?
“Why does it matter?” Matthew asked in the blunt way that only a child could. “She’s tough enough to make it back herself, an’ Uncle Alexander is at the castle, an’ he fancies her, ye ken.”
Alice giggled at that, but a worried look hid just behind Catherine’s eyes, too. Jeanie couldn’t keep the fear away, and she looked away from the children to hide the tears nipping at her eyes.
