by Mia Pride
“You have three days to deliver Elwynna Mac Rochride back to her father, or your wee bonny healer will be disposed of… but not until every man in camp has satiated himself. I may go first.” The blond man winked at Flynn just before running his tongue up Maggie’s cheek. She cried out and jerked away, squeezing her eyes shut with disgust, and the man gripped the blade harder.
“Our camp is almost a two-day ride away!” Tuathal argued, but the man only sneered.
“Three days… ride hard.”
“Aye. We will bring her to you,” Tuathal glared at the man, “but only if you vow that nay harm will come to Maggie. She is not to be touched by any man. If, upon my arrival, Maggie claims to have been violated, I will not surrender Elwynna.”
Flynn stared at his king in bewilderment. He was agreeing to give up Elwynna? There had to be another way. “My king… this is… we cannot…” Flynn was at a loss for words, Àdhamh would surely kill Tuathal, leading to his own death. Nothing but grief, death, and despair would come of this.
“’Tis the only way, Flynn! Do you not want your future bride back? She is one of us, and our healer. I am sorry. I tried to keep Elwynna safe, but ‘tis not worth the loss of lives we shall have if we battle over her.”
Tuathal turned to the blond man holding Maggie captive. “Three days. Mal shall have his daughter back. Remember my conditions.”
With that, the man smiled with malice and nodded before he let a shrill whistle out and backed into the bushes behind him. Five archers dismounted from surrounding trees, some smiling with mirth, others sneering in disdain. Flynn’s instincts had been correct. They were set up by Eoghann and surrounded the entire time. They never stood a chance at succeeding in their attack. They kept Tuathal alive, if only until Mal had Elwynna.
Rage, all consuming, boiled in Flynn’s blood. The fear in Maggie’s eyes, the way she shook with terror and cringed with disgust at the man’s touch. Nothing felt right. How could they sacrifice an innocent woman, one who carried a child, to the vile hands of her father? Why would Tuathal allow this? His conviction was stronger than ever. He would not leave this camp. He would stay to save Maggie and, somehow, find a way to save Elwynna as well.
“My king. I will stay here. I will not leave until I have Maggie.”
Àdhamh, finally being released and allowed his tirade, shouted all the curses he could up at the gods, spitting in the dirt beneath his feet and glowering at his king. “I came all the way from Alba to fight for you! I took my wee sister with me to give her a better life! And you allow the enemy to take her away without a fight? Then you offer my wife up in exchange? You are a bastard!” Àdhamh spat at King Tuathal once more, looking as if he were ready to murder the man.
A few men hissed at his words and many more backed away, just in case Tuathal unsheathed his sword. Instead, Tuathal measured Àdhamh, looking him up and down with narrowed eyes. “You are one of my best warriors, Àdhamh, so I will let this go, only because I would be equally upset if my wife and sister were threatened. However, the next time you speak to me with disrespect, we will fight to the death… and I shall be the victor. Do you understand?”
Glaring back at Tuathal, Àdhamh’s nostrils flared and his lips pursed, fists clenched at his side. Flynn had grown quite close to Àdhamh before their animosity over Maggie. Though Àdhamh had acted as an overprotective brother, he was a good, fair man, and Flynn ached to help him. Only, he could not show any sign of his intentions in front of Tuathal. He was loyal to his king, but he would never stand back and allow a woman to be sacrificed. It was not Tuathal’s way either, and the entire situation left Flynn baffled to find answers.
“I am staying here. I will break into the camp and get Maggie back.” Flynn said with his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Even if I have to watch from the shadows, I will not leave her.”
“I will stay with my brother. I know their camp well and I have met many of the men.”
Tuathal stepped forward and nodded. “You two may stay. I cannot allow any more than that. My plan is to retreat and—”
“Truly? You will leave my sister here, at the mercy of these men?” Àdhamh shouted. “Nay! You plan on collecting my wife as well? Does it not matter that she is carrying my child?”
Never in his entire time serving his king, had Flynn seen such fire blaze in Tuathal’s eyes. Roughly, Tuathal shoved Àdhamh to the ground, towering over him like a feral cat ready to pounce on its prey. Leaning over Àdhamh, Tuathal reached down and took him by the collar of his dirty green tunic. “You start to anger me, lad. Never interrupt me again! Never question my tactics or my loyalty again!” he shouted and shoved Àdhamh to the ground. “Now, shut your mouth before you ruin everything!”
Flynn, Brennain, and Àdhamh all looked at Tuathal questioningly. Ruin everything? He sounded as if he had a plan. He also sounded much calmer than expected, considering Maggie’s life was being threatened. Suddenly, all the pieces came together in Flynn’s mind. Tuathal was a man of many strategies, yet he would never be so aloof in a situation like this, unless…
“That man who had Maggie, is he… who I think he is?” Flynn whispered carefully so only Tuathal, Brennain, and Àdhamh could hear.
Tuathal helped Àdhamh back onto his feet and looked around the remaining men. “Head back to camp! We retreat!” Tuathal shouted loud enough to rattle the trees. Their men looked confused to hear their powerful king pulling away without a plan to save Maggie, but dutifully, they did as they were commanded.
Once the men cleared, Tuathal nodded toward Flynn. “Come. Mount up. We shall speak as we ride. We must appear to be making haste.” He marched over to his large black horse and mounted easily as the rest of them did the same. Following alongside Tuathal as they traveled away from Mal’s camp, they could see the rest of their army riding away in the distance.
“I must catch up with them soon. We shall not truly retreat. I had to make it appear that we were cooperating until I can get a plan together.” Tuathal looked over at Àdhamh with his steely blue gaze. “I would never give your wife up! After all we have been through, you believe I would allow that? I know you are distressed, Àdhamh and I cannot blame you, but your impertinence almost ruined everything!”
Before Àdhamh could offer up a rebuttal, Tuathal turned to Flynn and raised a knowing brow. “Aye. That man is who you think he is. ‘Tis why I am slightly comforted that Maggie is safe. I will still allow you and Brennain to hang back and observe, but I want you to do nothing unless absolutely necessary. As long as Maggie is safe, you stay quiet and unseen.”
Brennain laughed and clapped his king on the back. “You truly are a man of strategy. You have men everywhere, do you not?”
“Aye, I do. ‘Tis imperative if I am to keep my people safe.”
Àdhamh growled through clenched teeth and sent a scathing look at them all. “Will you stop speaking in cursed riddles and tell me who that bastard was who held a blade to my sister’s throat?”
“He is one of my men, Àdhamh. I have many more than anyone knows. Even Flynn and Brennain did not know his face. They knew I had another man in Mal’s camp, but they did not know who. Nor did he know of them. ‘Tis the best way to keep everyone in line and out of danger.”
“So, you are saying that man was not truly going to harm my sister?” Àdhamh said in bewilderment.
Shaking his head, Tuathal replied, “Nay. He has made quite a name for himself at Mal’s camp. He is trusted and had to keep his men believing he is loyal to them. But, he answers to me. As long as Maggie is in his care, she is safe.”
“He is one man! He cannot keep all the other men away from her!” Àdhamh argued. “I still do not like this. We need to get Maggie out!”
“Aye. And we shall. As soon as we catch up to our warriors, we will rest, eat, regroup… then, we attack tonight, much sooner than they anticipate. They will be unprepared for our attack. Brennain and Flynn, turn around now and quietly scout the camp. Learn where Maggie is being kept and come up with
ways to get her out. When we all arrive again after sundown, we will rescue Maggie. After she is safe, we attack.”
“Aye,” both Flynn and Brennain said in unison.
“I am coming with them,” Àdhamh demanded, slowing his horse and preparing to turn around.
“I would not expect anything less from you, Àdhamh,” Tuathal smiled. “You are a faithful, good man. The sooner you learn that I am, as well, the better off we shall be.”
Contrition marred Àdhamh’s face as he scooped his long blond hair away from his eyes. “Aye, my king. I am sorry I doubted you.”
“I am a man with a wife and two children. Had I heard another man offer them up to the enemy, I would have killed him before he had a chance to explain. I am only sorry I had to put you through that while I came up with a plan. ‘Tis not easy being a king, overseeing so many innocent lives, and having to come up with strategies without notice. All it took was one man, Eoghann, to fool us. We could have all died. ‘Tis also why I keep men of my own hidden and scattered in the shadows,” he grinned. “Now, be gone. I shall return with our men at nightfall.”
With a knicker to his horse, Tuathal took off at full speed, ready to catch up with his men and prepare them, once more for battle.
Fear for Maggie still niggled at Flynn. He was relieved to hear that she was currently in the hands of one of Tuathal’s men, yet men were fallible, and that man had licked her cheek and frightened her. After all she had endured in life, to have a man treat her in such a way, even if only playing a role, was enough to enrage Flynn. Friend or nay. That man would feel Flynn’s fist for frightening his love.
Desperate to watch over Maggie’s safety, Flynn turned Arawn in her direction and sprinted back toward camp, Brennain and Àdhamh on his heels.
Chapter Fifteen
A small fire burned in the large tent Maggie had been unceremoniously tossed into by Eoghann. Once they had pulled her away, the dagger at her throat had been removed and the large blond man had switched to a gentler version of himself. Baffled, Maggie bit her lower lip and stayed silent, wrapping her cloak tighter around her shivering body. Old fears were hard to shed. Aye, she had learned to protect herself in certain ways, and had also learned that not all men were cruel, but now she was held captive by many men and threatened with violation, the very fear she had faced her entire life. Panic bubbled to the surface and she clenched the fabric of her cloak to hide her quaking hands.
She had promised herself not to cower in fear, and she would not. For some odd reason, her captor was being much nicer now that he was alone with her. “Here, drink this,” he smiled as he handed her a mug of hot tea. She stared at it warily, wondering if the man meant to drug her. Taking the mug in her hands, she was at least pleased by the warmth it offered her frozen fingers. A tentative whiff of the rising steam revealed the healing scents of dandelion and mint. She smelled no bitterness or malicious herbs mixed in, but to be certain, she dipped her pinky into the hot liquid and sampled a taste. Honey had been added for sweetener, but no other surprises.
“’Tis naught but what you smell and taste, I vow. I am to keep you safe.”
Maggie could not help but scoff at his words. Had he not just been holding a cold sharp dagger to her throat, licked her cheek, then threatened to take her by force and share her with other men before killing her if Elwynna was not delivered? She shivered at the thought and looked away from the man. He had kind hazel eyes and a surprisingly genuine smile, yet she knew a handsome face could hide a beastly man. Her father had been quite handsome, yet he had destroyed her mother.
Taking a sip of the tea, she sighed at its warmth. “I am not who you think I am,” the man said softly, as if not wanting to be overheard. Two men stood at the entrance of the tent, one of them her own companion, Eoghann. Och, she hated him for using their past to form trust between them, then betraying her. She understood Flynn’s promised whisper to come for her, but he was only one man. What could he possibly do? Tuathal had willingly left her behind and that thought stung enough to make her eyes water. He had ordered her brother seized when he tried to save her, then had him dragged away. She had saved so many of Tuathal’s men from illness and injury that his betrayal broke her heart. He had been one of the very few men in this world that she could trust. Yet, she now realized that he was like most men, willing to do what was best for him, sacrificing a weak woman for his own needs.
She appreciated Tuathal’s demand to Mal’s man to keep her safe and untouched, but he had to know that his threat to keep Elwynna if Maggie was hurt was hollow. Mal knew how valuable Maggie was. They could misuse her and Tuathal would still give over Elwynna to retrieve her. And hearing Tuathal agree to give over her sister made her heart break. Elwynna was just as valuable to this world as she was, but it was just like a man to put a price on a woman’s worth, depending on how useful she was to him. This only made Maggie more furious with her supposedly fair king.
All she could do now was be brave, bury her fears, defend herself as best as she could, and pray Flynn came back soon. But, three days was a long time to be alone in this camp, and this man kept saying things that made her brows crinkle with unvoiced questions. “Who are you?” she whispered, before taking another sip of tea.
“I work for Tuathal,” he mouthed, and she gasped. “Hush.” He covered her mouth with his hand. “I will keep you safe as best as I can, but when others are around, I will need to treat you like a prisoner. Understand?” she nodded slowly, only slightly relieved. This man may try to protect her, and he did not seem like he was eager to force himself upon her, yet he could not stay by her side for three entire days. At some point, she would be vulnerable, relying only on her own very new survival instincts. She was not fool enough to believe that she could hold off a man who wanted to harm her.
Thinking of the dagger still strapped into the side of her left boot, she itched to feel for it and reassure herself that it was still in place. However, she decided to wait. She did not know this man and he had licked her… no man in this camp suspected she was armed with a dagger, and surely none suspected she could throw it accurately at most targets, as long as they were not moving… and not too far away… curse it. Her skills were nothing compared to these men.
A sudden realization made all the blood drain from her face. Eoghann had seen her dagger. He had also seen where she strapped it to her boot. If he chose to, he could disarm her immediately, leaving her helpless. As if he knew she was thinking of him, Eoghann’s face appeared in the opening of the tent, sending her a salacious smile. He was certainly smug at having tricked her into his trap, the bastard.
“Reaghan, Mal is asking to speak with you.” So, the man who held her hostage had a name. She looked at him and his hazel eyes widened. She knew he was torn between staying to protect her or obeying the man he was meant to be loyal to.
“Aye, I shall be right there,” Reaghan said with a nod to Eoghann, who sent her a wink before exiting the tent. She wanted to kick Eoghann in the bollocks, and vowed she would if given the opportunity. He had taken her away from Flynn just as they had finally found their way to one another. She ached to be with Flynn and suddenly, nothing in this entire world seemed more important than being the woman fortunate enough to call him husband. She cared not if his duties to Tuathal kept him away for long periods of time. As long as she was the lass he came home to, her heart would be content.
Reaghan looked at her before exiting the tent, as if he wanted to reassure her, but doing so would be suspicious to Eoghann and the other tall dark-haired guard just outside. Instead, he exited and shouted at the guards. “She is to remain unharmed and untouched! Remember, Tuathal will only give Elwynna back to Mal if Maggie is not harmed… in any way.”
The dark-haired guard turned and stuck his head into the tent, narrowing his eyes at her as if deciding whether or not she was worth the trouble. The slow smile that spread across his lips told her that he thought she was.
Reaghan stormed off with a scowl of warnin
g just before the dark guard leaned over to speak to Eoghann. “He says she is not to be harmed in in any. I assure you, I can accomplish what I wish with her and she will not be harmed.” He laughed lowly and the hairs on the back of Maggie’s neck rose at the scent of danger. “She will scream my name and beg for more by the time I’m done with her, aye?” She could see the silhouette of the huge dark guard as he made thrust motions just outside the tent.
“Do not touch her!” Eoghann warned the man with a growl. “I will gut you myself. She is our prisoner, not our slave.”
The other man gave a grunt that told Maggie he was not at all convinced that Eoghann would follow through with his threat and that worried her most of all.
Breathe, Maggie, Breathe. Losing her head now and going into a panic would not help, just as it had never helped in the past. She had come much too far to lose control now. Still, she clutched her hands together nervously and closed her eyes as she paced listlessly. How long would Reaghan leave her alone? Could she truly trust him? She thought she could trust Eoghann and that had not turned out well. She could only trust herself, she decided.
As several moments passed, Maggie finally sat down on the floor of the tent, tucking her legs up to her chest as she nervously twirled a blade of grass between her fingers, pondering her options.
Reaghan appeared again, this time with a stocky man with long red hair and a matching beard. Looking up at the large man, Maggie scrambled to her feet and adjusted her dress, backing up a few paces to give herself more room. The look on Reaghan’s face was blank and she knew he was playing the role of faithful servant again, but if Mal forced him to hurt Maggie, would he do it to keep himself in his good graces? She was honestly unsure and that thought had her backing up one more step. Self-defense or not, she could not fight off the two men standing in her tent if they tried to harm her.
“Do you know who I am, lass?” The large man’s deep voice filled the room with commanding authority.