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Bliss tensed suddenly, grabbing Trey’s arm. “Soldiers approach.”
Bryce bolted off the bench just as the bell tolled, signaling the same.
Bryce turned to Bliss. “Keep Charlotte safe.”
“And yourself,” Trey added, before he and his brother ran out the door.
Reeve and Duncan flew off the stairs and raced past them.
“You women stay together,” Duncan ordered, before they disappeared out the door.
Carmag and Mara followed, scurrying into the hall, Carmag taking after his sons and Mara turning to the women.
“Get Tara, Charlotte, and the babies and bring them here,” Mara ordered.
Mercy flew up the stairs, Bliss not far behind. “Duncan left the babes alone.”
But once they reached the bedchamber, they found that Tara was already there with them. She scooped one up, and Mercy grabbed the other.
“Go to Mara,” Bliss ordered. “I’ll get Charlotte.
The women didn’t argue; they fled down the stairs while Bliss went up.
Charlotte was hurrying out of the room as Bliss approached.
“What’s happening?”
Bliss was about to explain when she suddenly grabbed Charlotte by the arm and propelled her forward. “We have to get out of here.”
Fear ran through Bliss, for she knew that her vision was soon to come true.
Chapter 34
Bryce and Trey sat atop their horses, watching as a troop of soldiers approached the edge of the village. Duncan and Reeve were quick to catch up with them, while a line of mighty warriors stood at the ready behind them.
“The women are safe?” Trey asked.
“They gather in the hall with Mum,” Reeve said.
Trey felt relief wash over him and was ready to battle alongside his brothers though for some reason he did not think the soldiers were here to fight. Something was wrong, and he didn’t like it.
One soldier approached. “It is time for the MacAlpin clan to pay allegiance to King Kenneth, the true king of Scotland.”
Trey felt uneasy, and it rippled through his mare. She became skittish, hard to control, and he fought to keep a rein on her.
Reeve moved his horse forward. “This is MacAlpin land, and the false king is not welcome here.”
“This is the king’s land, and you will obey—”
“We obey the true king,” Reeve shouted with fury. “Now get off our land.”
The soldier laughed. “It is not your land, and you will learn that soon enough.”
It worried all the brothers that the soldiers left without argument. Something wasn’t right, and as they rode back to the keep, their warriors remaining on the outskirts of the village in case the soldiers returned, the four felt on edge.
It was as they got closer to the keep that Trey sensed it, and he looked to Bryce. “Bliss and Charlotte are in trouble.”
The brothers rode hard, leaping off their horses as they reached the keep and rushing inside.
