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“Ye keep an eye on them, I will go and call the lairdess,” the second guard said. She knew she could not face Mara again. There was no way she wished to be humiliated in front of her.
“There is nae need tae dae that,” Edna shouted to stop the second guard. “We will take our leave.”
“Nae, ye will not. Ye will wait here till the lairdess comes and decides what needs tae be done with ye,” the first guard told her firmly and Edna knew everything was pointless. She considered running away but knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun the guards, and one of them was bound to catch her. It would only work to mortify her further and she needed to maintain whatever shred of her dignity she had left.
Shortly after, the second guard returned with Mara walking beside him and Edna breathed in sharply. Mara threw a cursory glance at her before focusing her gaze on the old woman standing beside her. She could see recognition dawn in Mara’s eyes, and her gaze turned lethal. Edna knew that the two women certainly knew each other. Something was going on between them. Neither of them said a word and simply stood there staring at the other.
“Take them both tae the dungeons,” Mara ordered; her voice low and dangerous.
“Mara, I have done nothing. I will leave immediately,” Edna said; trying to keep her words firm.
“Dae as I said,” Mara ordered once again.
“RONIN! RONIN!” Edna shouted at the top of her lungs. She was well aware of what going to the dungeons entailed. She'd never get out of there alive. She had no idea how a perfect day could have turned into the worst day of her life. She was not about to give up her life for nothing. She needed to flee. “RONIN!”
Before she could shout any more, guards appeared behind her, and one of them placed his hand on her mouth to stop her from making a noise. Her words were muffled, and he easily dragged her towards the dungeons or her death. She no longer knew.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Ronin couldn't believe what he'd done to Edna. He knew he couldn't tell her the truth because she'd be as horrified and disgusted with herself as he was with himself. He needed her to direct her rage and hatred at him rather than at herself, so he had no choice but to lie. He knew his words had broken her and saw that she was completely shattered.
He could still hear her silent sobs, and the tears escaping her eyes wouldn't leave his sight. He had clipped her wings because she was an angel. He couldn't even tell her how lovely she was today. His heart had been shattered into a million tiny pieces, all because of the secrets he had been kept from. He was missing her. He missed her so much that all he wanted to do was run behind her and beg her forgiveness. He was aware that she must now despise him.
What he had said to her was unforgivable. He had reduced their entire love story to a farce, and he did not deserve forgiveness. He didn't even deserve to be loved. Someone as pure and innocent as Edna was too good for him, as God had demonstrated by taking her away. Ronin felt as if his life had come to an end. He had lost all desire to live. His family and his life's love had been taken from him.
“What should I do?” he whispered to himself in the empty room as he paced left and right. Before his mind could grasp at anything else, he felt as if someone had called out his name.
It was a faint, barely audible sound, but Ronin had clearly heard something. For a split second, he thought Edna had called his name, but he wasn't sure. He'd sent Lachlan after her to make sure she got home safely, but even hehadn't returned. Ronin had no idea what was wrong, but something didn't seem right to him. He was determined to find out.
He stepped out of his bedchamber and quickly went downstairs, but no one was present there. The entire hallway was completely deserted, and everything looked calm. Ronin looked around fervently, trying to find a clue as to who had called out his name or if it was just a figment of his imagination. It had sounded like Edna’s voice, and he could not deny that. It was possible that his grief was leading him to conjure up images of Edna and making him hear things that were not true.
“Ronin?” Lachlan’s voice forced him to look up and he saw his friend entering through the front door.
“Lachlan, what happened?” Ronin asked, quickly making his way towards his friend,
“I couldn’t find her anywhere. She didn’t leave from the front gate since the guard did not see her, and I tried to look for her along the way tae her home, but she was nae there as well. I dinnae ken where she has gone all of a sudden. She couldnae have reached home so soon,” Lachlan said, and Ronin’s worry rose. If Edna hadn’t reached home, where did she go?
He knew she could have gone to one of her friends' houses, but Lachlan would have tracked her down because they were on the same route. He could no longer dismiss the fact that he had heard her voice call out his name as a figment of his imagination. It all seemed too real, and Ronin had a sinking feeling that something was wrong.
“I think I heard her voice call out to me,” Ronin said; still looking around the hallway hoping for Edna to emerge from somewhere.
“Are ye sure? Ye could have imagined it,” Lachlan reasoned and Ronin knew he might be right but in his heart, he felt as if Edna had actually called out to him.
“Yes, I know. That is why I quickly ran downstairs but no one was present,” Ronin explained.
“What if Mara found her?”
Ronin's heart was suddenly pricked by fear. He knew Mara or any of the guards could find her, and she could have called out his name for help, but her voice had been muffled long before it could reach him. The possibility seemed all too real, and Ronin knew he couldn't let it pass him by. He needed to conduct an investigation to determine what had occurred.
“Where could she have taken her?” Ronin asked Lachlan; knowing that his friend knew the castle much better than he did.
“The dungeons.”
“Let’s go there,” Ronin said and moved aside so Lachlan could lead the way.
They moved quickly to the back of the castle, where a staircase led down to the dungeons. Ronin remembered coming here as a child, but his father had refused to let him in, claiming that it was not a place for children. The dungeons were where people were taken to be executed. He was well aware that whoever went there only left with a dead body. The mere thought of Edna being in one of the prison cells bothered him greatly. He couldn't bear the thought of her precious, fragile form being trapped within those walls.
When they entered, the first thing Ronin noticed was intense heat emanating from somewhere. It seemed as if huge flames were burning and were heating up the entire place. He started sweating immediately.
