Skye looked back up to the guards still unsure.
“I don’t know, Anna.”
They arrived at the raspberry bushes in a short enough time but Skye was not liking how far they were from the main gate so she picked the berries as fast as possible, grabbing some branches with leaves as well for the tea.
A shout in the distance attracted their attentions. They all looked up to see a rider approaching, Brian leaning to the side behind the man controlling the horse waving and smiling widely.
Feeling relieved, Skye put down her basket to greet the newcomers when chaos erupted.
Horrified, she watched as the man fell, blood spurting from his neck.
Skye froze in stunned disbelief before she was in motion, racing towards them as the soldier hit the ground, Brian leaping off to kneel at his side.
She fell to her knees beside him and saw the arrow sticking from his wound. Not thinking past the immediate needs, she reached for his neck as she told Brian to pull the shaft slowly from the wound, hoping it wasn’t barbed.
Once satisfied he was doing as told, her healing powers worked from the inside to close off the sliced veins and stop the flow of blood.
It wasn’t until she was roughly yanked away that Skye heard the screams.
Equilibrium lost, her stomach pitched from the disconnection and she heaved her breakfast before someone shoved a handful of grass over her mouth and placed something foul smelling over her head before she lost consciousness.
Chapter Ten
“I hear tell, the one heavy with child comes from a line of gifted. Be that truth?”
Riona waved her hand dismissively. “I have never seen anything from her or her kin.”
“Hmmm. If it be rumors only then perhaps t’would be better to exchange her for me brother.”
“What?” She screeched.
“Me brother was taken in the last raid, I need to send a missive for a trade.”
Riona glared at the filthy man in front of her. “I do not care who was captured, my brother paid ye well. I shall be returned.”
The man leaned forward in his chair, the wood creaking under his skinny form.
“Yer brother still owes me.” He leered, showing rotting teeth. “Although, I would be most willing to negotiate other means o’ payment.”
Making a face, she curled her lip in disgust at the filthy Englishman.
“Ye shall trade me for this person of yours that was foolishly captured. Take the tall girl to the mats.” She straightened at the thought, her eyes lighting. “Aye, take her. Tis a good idea.”
“That I might also do, but tis flaxen haired gurls that make these balls burst.” He practically drooled as he cupped himself lewdly.
Riona glowered at the little man. “I am to wed the laird of those lands ye so badly want to be able to pass without persecution, Will. If I am despoiled I shant be able to wed that . . . that churl and then what? We both loose.”
The man sneered at Riona.
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Take the other girl and be happy.”
“God’s teeth, ye are arrogant.” Will raised a brow as he leaned back, his eyes taking in her form. “Ye are not even fond o’ him. What makes ye think he is affectionate o’ ye, an enough to marry ye at that?”
“Tis none of your concern.” She looked at him from over her nose. “Just know I will be his wife once that wench is removed forever from his sight.”
The man’s eyebrows lowered in anger as he rose from his chair.
“What is my concern is your lack of respect for me and the unstable position ye be in. I think ye might be needin a lesson.”
* * *
Quiet weeping woke Skye from her unconscious state. Moving caused her head to ache and she quickly spent a moment to rid herself of the pain as her thoughts turned to what happened before looking around and seeing herself and Anna in an open pen.
“I be so sorry for insistin we pick berries.”
Skye turned around and saw a disheveled Anna curled up against the trunk of a tree, tears streaking through her dirty face.
Making her way quickly to the girl, Skye knelt beside her to search for injuries.
“How are you? The baby?”
“I be so sorry. I should have listened to ye.” She swiped a tear away, smudging the dirt across her cheek. “Can ye forgive me?”
Taking the younger woman’s face in her hands, she looked into the girl’s eyes.
“There is nothing to forgive, and if there was, I would always forgive you. But this is not your fault.” She stressed each word. “Now, how is the baby?”
Anna smoothed a grimy hand over her covered belly and smiled. “He has been quite busy lettin me ken he be in there and just as unhappy over me decision.”
Sighing while giving a quick breath of relief, she smiled and lowered her hands to the girl’s shoulders.
“Good. That’s very good.”
Anna’s voice lowered to a whisper as Skye looked over her shoulder and around the camp.
“I have spoken with the man who captured us. He kens who we be. He be talkin to Riona now.”
Scooting around, Skye sat next to Anna and placed a comforting hand on her arm.
“What did he say?”
“Once he found out who I was, he asked about me brother’s keep.” Anna shrugged, touching her face where Skye saw the bruise under the grime. “He was no too happy with me lack of answers.”
“Oh, my God, Anna!” Skye whispered furiously as she touched the girl’s cheek.
“Nay!” The girl took her hand and lowered it. “He kens the bruise. For it to be gone now would no be a good thin, I be thinkin.”
Skye growled at the truth of the girl’s words.
“Listen to me.” Anna said, linking fingers with Skye. “I told him ye were a relative of me mother, but I dunno ken what Riona might be sayin since I had no the time to talk to her about me deception.”
Skye closed her eyes and nodded while rubbing her forehead. “Do you know if the man whom Brian was riding out with is okay?”
“I doona. Everythin happened so suddenly.” She squeezed her hand. “Twill be all right; Collin an Aiden will be here soon.”
Skye refused to say anything, knowing she was just trying to bolster their courage, even as they shook in fear.
A scream had them jerking their heads towards a tent across the fire.
“Riona be in there.” Anna whispered squeezing Skye’s fingers harder.
There was a shout and two men standing nearby quickly ran to the tent and entered.
In a short time, they were dragging a sobbing Riona out.
Anna and Skye watched as she was hauled to their cage and carelessly thrown in. The force bringing Riona to her hands and knees.
When Skye tried to help, Riona glared at her before brushing away her hand and going to another corner.
* * *
“One of the farmers brought this, m’Laird.” Keir said as he held out a folded sheet of paper to Aiden.
Collin stopped his pacing and turned to the tousled man holding the missive knowing this was what they had waited for and dreaded.
“Tis a ransom. In exchange for the man we captured, they will give us one of the lasses.” Aiden said after a brief scan.
“Only one?” Collin asked.
Aiden nodded. “Aye. Only one.”
“Mac an donais!.” Keir cursed.
Gritting his teeth, Aiden ran his hand through already ruffled hair. “Once the exchange be made, they will negotiate the release of the other two.”
They both knew the chances of the other two surviving would become unlikely once the Reivers had their man.
“If we doona meet at the designated place on time with their man,” Aiden continued. “all will be killed.”
Collin looked at Keir but before he could ask, the other man shook his head.
“Nay, the one they wish to trade for has no given us any information on the whereabouts of their camp. Much more q
uestionin an he will be dead.”
“We need that location before we do any type of trade.” Aiden growled as his fist slammed onto his desk then swept the contents off in a fit of rage.
* * *
Anna sat next to Skye with her help after having coaxed Riona to join them. Skye grimaced at the bruises on the girl’s face but kept her hands to herself.
“One of their men was taken in the raid. They be sendin a message to Aiden. One of us for him.”
“Which one?” Anna asked.
“I wasna told.” Riona stuttered. “I suggested they return ye since ye be so close to deliverin but this is all I got for me intentions.” She touched her face and winced.
Anna scooted over as much as her swollen body would allow and tried to comfort the petite woman.
After the shock of seeing Riona bruised and beaten wore off, Skye was back to feeling wary of her and doubted everything she said.
Gritting her teeth, she looked around, trying to think of something that would help them escape.
“If we could only get a fire.”
While Anna fawned over Riona, Skye glanced over their shoulders at the fire and wished they would allow them one.
Night would be falling, it was getting colder and she was worried about Anna and the baby, and she wanted the chance to get through to Sarah. Her sister could do some major damage through the fires and help in getting them out of here. Perhaps steal a horse or two while there was chaos. Anything would be better than the alternative.
“We need a fire.” She looked at the two girls. “Any ideas?”
“I am no goin to ask.” Riona said indignantly.
“No, that would not be a good idea, true.” Skye tapped down the desire to add to the bruises, instantly feeling contrite. “I just wish we had a fire.”
* * *
“Tis no good, Aiden. We have been over this part of the forest an there be too many places to hide. We could be ambushed.”
The men were silent in their agreement.
The time had come and the barely conscience man tied to a horse was testimony to how hard they had tried to wean information from him to help in their endeavor and they feared his current condition would cause harm to the female captives.
Aiden held up his hand to stop the progression and turned to Keir. “Ye go alone from here.”
Nodding in silence, Keir took the reins of the prisoner’s horse and eased passed the others, not looking back as he disappeared into the dense woods.
“I doona have a good feelin about this.”
“Neither do I.” Aiden replied, never taking his eyes from the spot Rory had been seen last and hoping the man returned with information to the enemies hiding place.
* * *
Body shaking in barely controlled fear, Skye rubbed her sore nipple.
“I swear that woman smirked before they took her away.” Skye muttered, trying to ignore the image of the man stripping her with his eyes.
They had huddled together throughout the night, Skye had done what she could to keep Anna warm without causing Riona to know she was using her gift and in the morning a man had come into their pen and hauled Riona out by her hair, but not before twisting Skye’s breast hard and saying he’d be back.
“Anna?” Skye asked while looking toward the area the Reivers had left.
“Aye?” Came the dejected response.
“Is Riona English?”
“Nay. She an her brother hail from the lowlands.”
There was a moment of silence as Skye mulled over her thoughts.
“I think they are English.” She turned to her friend, mouth pursed in thought.
“Why do ye think so?”
“Remember when I said Riona was outside your brother’s bedroom when I cast that spell?”
“Aye.”
“Something has been bugging me about her ever since and I remember it now. When she spoke to me, she spoke in English and there wasn’t a Scottish brogue.”
“That makes no sense. Why would she lie?”
“I don’t know.”
More silence.
Anna sighed heavily. “Ye ken that we won’t live for much longer, do ye no? They will have their fun with us an then we will be killed.”
Ignoring the bruised nipple, Skye sank down next to the dejected girl and wrapped her arms around her.
“No, Anna, I do not ken.”
Anna smiled ruefully. “I make flowers grow an ye heal, how is that goin to help us?”
“I can do more than heal, just get them close enough to touch and leave the rest to me. Besides you said you can make anything grow, not just flowers.”
“So?”
“Can you make the roots from that tree trunk grow, or maybe even the branches?”
“Aye, but to what end?”
“I don’t know, maybe nothing, maybe everything. But always good to know the extent of what we have at our disposal and what we don’t.”
“I suppose.”
Still scared to death, she looked determinedly at her friend as a tear rolled down the girl’s cheek.
“We will not go down without a fight.”
* * *
“Twas horrible!” Riona cried into Aiden’s chest, clinging to him as her tears wet his tunic.
“Do ye ken where ye were, lass?” Collin asked in barely controlled irritation.
“Nay, they kept us hooded. Twas no till we reached the camp did they remove the blindfolds.”
“What of Anna an Skye?”
Riona looked up at the hard face of the man she held onto and her lower lip trembled.
“Anna be fine, I warned them of yer fierceness if crossed. I doona think they will harm her because she be yer sister.”
Before Aiden could ask about Skye, she went back to wailing, her head pressed against his upper body.
“Poor Anna, what an awful experience an she was only thoughtful of others. I told her I be ruined, that men would turn from me in disgust thinkin I had been . . . been . . . raped.” She whispered the last word in dismay then looked up, eyes red and pleading. “What am I to do, Aiden?”
Aiden clenched his teeth and took the woman by the arms, trying hard to keep his calm.
“What of Skye?” He repeated slowly.
When all she did was burrow deeper, he pried the girl’s clutching hands from his arms and held her away, repeating his question.
Once again, her lips quivered.
“All she could think about was gettin me to ask those brutal men for a fire. Me!” She shivered and more tears coursed down her mottled cheeks. “As if what they did to me just from askin for Anna to be released instead of me was no enough.”
Aiden looked over at Finley who was pacing as if in deep thought.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, he placed her in the arms of her brother as he passed by and went behind the safety of his desk, his brows furrowed in contemplation.
They tried to get Riona to talk as soon as she returned with Keir but all she’d done was insist she be taken away posthaste, stating she was too fearful of being recaptured without the protection of his stronghold surrounding her.
They wasted a lot of time returning to the keep and now, even with her inside the safety of the gates, she was useless.
“Ye saw nothin to help us before it be too late?”
Riona looked like she was trying to think even as more tears fell but in the end, all she did was shake her head.
Aggravated at his inability to save Skye and his sister, Aiden braced his hands on the desk in front of him and lowered his head.
“Come, sister, think hard.”
Finley knew Riona’s antics were going to cost them a valuable foothold. Aiden gravitated towards strong-willed women not whimpering fools like Riona was behaving, and they had discussed this. She was destroying everything they had worked for with her caterwauling. He shook her firmly, his back to the men so they could not see as he glared at her meaningfully.
Riona scowled back at her br
other before she realized what he was silently telling her to do.
“Wait.” She frowned angrily at Finley before she widened her eyes and stepped around him to slip back to Aiden’s side. “I do remember somethin.”
“Aye?”
She batted her eyes and clasped his arm. “It might be nothin, mind ye.”
“What be it, woman?” Collen and Aiden growled as one.
Riona pouted and her lower lip trembled.
Aiden straightened and took a deep breath before patting her hand encouragingly.
“What do ye remember, Riona?”
“Well.” She drew out the word and bit her lip in deep thought. “There was a path, well-worn mind ye, which the rogue’s took often, returnin with buckets of water.”
When Aiden stared at her without saying anything, she sighed and pouted. “I told ye it might no be anythin.”
Aiden looked over at Collin. “A stream?”
“Or an underground pool.” He shrugged in thought. “It could be many places. I will get with me men an look over the charts ye have.”
* * *
Skye and Anna stood with clasped hands as the setting sun illuminated the raiders’ return.
The leader’s face was flushed with fury as he looked at them while holding a badly beaten man.
Both of them knew it was not a good sign.
They watched as they carried the injured man into a tent, the leader following, casting one last fierce look their way before ducking under the flap.
Squeezing each other’s hands, they both weakly smiled encouragement to the other.
Sometime later, there came a commotion from the direction the group had arrived. Several men came through on horses while dragging another on foot behind with a rope. The rain from earlier making the captured man’s footing difficult at the pace the men had kept, mud spattered his body from when he’d probably been dragged earlier.
One of the men jumped off his horse and ran to the tent, calling out for their leader.
They watched him storm out and approach the captive, punching him in mid stride.
The man fell to his knees shaking his head.
Will grabbed his hair in a fist and another punch brought blood bursting from his nose.
“Tie him up. Ye two; grab the wenches and bring them here.” The flickering flames casting his face in an evil glow as he glanced their way. “I want them to watch him die.”
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