Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
“That was so much fun!” Elizabeth said, standing and wiping crumbs from the front of her gown. “And it was even better than I remember it.”
Flora hummed thoughtfully, nodding at Ryan when he held the door open for the two of them. “Ye were right about their stew. It was quite delicious.”
“We should come back every month,” Elizabeth declared, flashing a wide grin up at her. “We can bring Maither and Faither and Uncle Lucas. It will be so much fun.”
The suggestion lit something warm in Flora’s chest. Softly, she said, “Aye. I think it would be a good time.”
As they began their walk back to the carriage, Flora heard music and laughter drifting toward her and Elizabeth from a side street. Elizabeth heard it too, glancing up at Flora with a toothy grin. Unable to deny her even this, Flora nodded and let herself be led back into the crowd.
The music and revelry only got louder as they approached the performers.
There were three of them playing instruments as one interacted with the crowd, playfully plucking a hat from a man’s head and putting it on his own.
Elizabeth let out a squeal of delight, weaving through the people and leaving Flora no choice but to follow.
“A wee lass and her sister!” the man cried, immediately spotting Elizabeth as she took her place at the front. “Come to see a show, have ye? Perhaps ye’d like to be a part of it!”
He extended his hand to Elizabeth, and she immediately passed Flora her half-empty bag of sweets to accept the invitation.
Then, she was pulled into the center of the show.
Panic flared as Flora watched the girl be led around in a ridiculous dance, and she searched for Ryan in the crowd.
He was smiling, watching as Elizabeth giggled during a spin.
Then, he locked eyes with Flora, giving her a nod.
If he’s nae worried, I shouldnae be. And Elizabeth is havin’ fun.
“Flora!” Elizabeth said as she put her feet on top of the man’s so she wouldn’t have to keep up with his comical attempt at leading. “Look at me!”
“I see ye!” Flora replied, the men and women around her laughing at Elizabeth’s enthusiasm. “Ye look radiant, Elizabeth!”
By the time the man released Elizabeth and returned the stolen hat, Flora had to admit to herself that she was beginning to enjoy the show.
It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, and while the noise and crowd made her nervous, she could see herself learning to love this.
The sense of community was intoxicating.
And when Elizabeth made her way back to Flora, it almost pained her to have to end their trip.
“I ken the sun’s still high in the sky, but it’s startin’ its descent,” Flora said, bracing herself for Elizabeth to argue. She softened her tone as she continued. “It’s best we go back to the castle, aye?”
To her surprise, Elizabeth didn’t put up a fuss; instead stifling a yawn. “Aye. I’m a wee bit tired, but I had a lot of fun.”
“So did I. Especially gettin’ to watch ye with the street performers,” Flora agreed as they made their way toward Ryan. “Ye ken, havin’ fun will tire ye out.”
“Nay as much as bein’ bored,” Elizabeth said with a cheeky smile. “When ye’re bored, ye just get so tired.”
Flora laughed and shook her head, saying, “Ye’re wise beyond yer years, Elizabeth.”
“Ye and Uncle Lucas say the same things a lot,” she replied, waiting for Ryan to open the carriage door and help her up.
“Do we now?” Flora said, not hesitating to accept Ryan’s assistance this time around. “Perhaps we just observe the same things.”
“Perhaps,” Elizabeth agreed, stifling another yawn. “May I sit next to ye?”
“Of course, ye may.” Flora didn’t hesitate to scoot to the furthest end of the bench, lifting her arm in invitation.
As Elizabeth tucked herself against Flora’s side, the carriage began to move. It rocked rhythmically, and Flora couldn’t resist closing her eyes. She didn’t sleep, her body still on high alert from a lifetime of looking over her shoulder.
The carriage kept a steady pace for nearly half an hour. Then, suddenly, they picked up speed. Each hard bump they hit jostled the girls, waking Elizabeth after a few seconds.
“What’s happenin’?” Elizabeth asked, her voice thick with sleep. She reached up, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she blinked around the interior.
“I daenae ken,” Flora said, leaning toward the window in hopes that she could spot the reason for the oddity.
Just as suddenly as the carriage sped up, it began to slow down. Flora’s hand shot out, stopping Elizabeth from falling off the bench. The guard riding closest to the window cursed, his hand going toward the blade at his side. Her entire body went cold as she followed his gaze.
Ahead of the carriage were six men, and she heard shouts from behind. Her body rigid, she stood, shifting her gaze to the carriage’s posterior. Four more men on horses were flanking them. None of them looked friendly.
“What is it?” Elizabeth asked, shifting closer in an attempt to see what Flora was seeing. “What do ye see?”
“Stay quiet,” Flora said, grabbing onto the girl and tucking her against her side.
“Is somethin’ wrong?” Elizabeth asked, her voice shaking with fear. “Is… is…”
“I daenae ken,” Flora told her, unable to bring herself to tell the truth but also unable to lie. “But we need to be as quiet as we can and let the guards deal with it.”
Elizabeth sucked in a breath before nodding and burying her face in Flora’s neck. Tears pricked at the back of Flora’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn’t. She had to be as calm as she could for Elizabeth, who was shaking violently in her grasp.
“Ye’re outnumbered!” a voice that Flora didn’t recognize spat, his tone sending a cold shiver up her spine. “Best if ye give up now.”
“Ye must be out of yer mind if ye think that we’ll surrender without a fight,” Ryan spat back, the sound of his sword being unsheathed making both the girls flinch.
“They’re—”
“Shh,” Flora hushed the girl, sliding back so they wouldn’t be visible from the window. “We daenae want them to hear us.”
Elizabeth whimpered but made no other noise. Outside, the horses were stomping anxiously in the dirt, snorting and jostling their tack. More swishing indicated that other men were drawing their swords as well.
There’s nae avoidin’ this fight.
Her ears strained to hear any further conversation, but it seemed as though they were far past the point of talking. The tension rose, bubbling until it reached a rolling boil. Then, the first swords crashed against each other.
One of the men, she couldn’t tell if it was a guard from Castle McGowan or the strangers that had stopped them, let out a thunderous battle cry.
The carriage rocked violently directly after, and Flora could only assume that someone had been thrown against the side.
She squeezed her eyes shut, sending up a prayer that they be spared.
This cannae be real. This cannae be happenin’.
“We will kill every last one of ye just as we did him,” Ryan snarled, his tone so unlike the humorous man that she’d interacted with in the village. “Ye will surrender.”
“What could ye possibly be protectin’ in there?” a stranger’s voice asked, disgustingly interested. Flora shuddered, putting her hands over Elizabeth’s ears in a weak attempt to protect her from the fight. “Seems ye’re quite invested in yer precious cargo, aye?”
Elizabeth let out a sob that she quickly stifled by shoving her fist in her mouth. She inched closer to Flora, seeking comfort. Flora did her best to shield the girl from the horrors happening just outside the thin structure of their carriage.
“It doesnae matter what’s inside,” a man whose voice Flora recognized shot back. She couldn’t recall his name for the life of her, though she supposed that wasn’t important at the moment. “We will lay down our lives for our clan and anythin’ that we’re transportin’.”
“Then prepare to die!”
The fighting grew in intensity, and Flora couldn’t make sense of anything that was happening.
It was a cacophony of shouts and metal hitting metal.
She heard several bodies falling against the dirt, dull thuds that rocked her to her very core.
She heard nearly as many getting back up and rejoining the fray.
Icy realization washed over her. There were more of their attackers than there were guards. The odds were stacked against them, and judging by the way she picked up on fewer and fewer voices she recognized, they weren’t winning.
Carefully, Flora removed one hand from Elizabeth’s ear, reaching into her bodice to remove the knife she’d tucked away this morning. While she was glad she’d brought it, she hated that she needed it. She only hoped that her brief practice was enough.
She leaned in close to Elizabeth and said, “Cover yer ears.”
Elizabeth nodded frantically, clamping her hands against the side of her head and hiding her face in Flora’s side once more. With her non-dominant arm, Flora tucked Elizabeth against her as tightly as she could. Then, she held the knife in front of her exactly as Lucas had taught her.
Despite the fear rushing through her, she reminded herself that she had to be strong.
Just like the time she’d spent in the dungeons before the hunt, it was more than her in this situation.
Someone had to be the anchor, the one to provide comfort, the strong one.
Right now, that was her, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
For Elizabeth’s sake.
The carriage rocked violently as the struggle approached them once more. There was the sickening sound of what she could only imagine was a skull being slammed into the wood. Then, the door was ripped open.
A man with the most sinister face Flora had ever seen stood there, grinning as his eyes drifted from her to Elizabeth.
Without thinking, acting only on instinct and the muscle memory from the drills that Lucas made her run, Flora threw her knife with all the force she could muster.
And as it left her hand, she knew that it would find its target.
The blade buried itself in the center of the man’s chest, a gurgle leaving his lips as he lost his grip on the carriage.
As he fell back, blood bloomed around the place that he’d been pierced.
Then, his body landed in the dirt with a finality that she felt deep in her bones.
She didn’t have to look to know he’d never get up again.
For a moment, it seemed as if the entire forest went quiet. The fighting halted, and even the horses stopped their whinnying. All Flora could hear was Elizabeth’s muffled sobs and her own ragged breathing.
Then, it was as if the entire world burst into flames.
The men who’d surrounded them began cursing, scrambling forward to move their incapacitated comrade. A few were struck by the guards, and from her vantage point, Flora saw another of the invaders go down. Blood gushed from a wound in his side, and his eyes were vacant as the guard stepped over him.
“He’s dead!” an equally despicable-looking man cried. He turned toward Flora, dropping the corpse. “And that wench did it!”
Before Flora could make sense of what was happening, another man boarded the carriage.
His open palm struck her cheek so hard that her mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood.
As she tried to reorient herself, he grabbed hold of her, dragging her from the carriage and throwing her onto the ground.
“Ye’ll be punished for what ye did,” he growled, kneeling beside her and gathering her hair in his fist. “And we’ll make sure the girl kens exactly what happens when ye pick fights ye cannae win.”
Lucas was stepping out of his office when he heard a strained, panicked voice demanding, “Where is Laird McGowan? I need to speak with Laird McGowan immediately.”
“Aye, what is it?” Lucas asked, the words booming down the corridor as he turned to meet the guard. “Give me yer report. Now. Be precise.”
It was James, one of the men whom Lucas trusted to keep Elizabeth safe when he wasn’t available. The man was battered, covered in blood and bruises. It looked as if he was barely keeping himself upright, though he forced himself even straighter when his eyes landed on Lucas.
“The carriage was attacked,” James said, exhausted but determined. “We were overtaken by ten men. We managed to take out four of them, but we lost most of our own. I dinnae stop to see who had been hurt. As soon as I came to, I rushed back.”
“Elizabeth, and Flora.” Rage coiled in Lucas’s chest, his fists tightening so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Where are they?”
“I daenae ken, Me Laird,” James said, bowing his head, seeming ashamed that he didn’t have more to report.
“But their bodies werenae there. I’m inclined to believe they’re alive but that they’ve been taken prisoner.
The carriage is still on the road, three quarters of the way back from the village. We took the standard route.”
Lucas gave a tight, controlled nod. “Get yerself to the healer immediately.”
Without waiting for a response, Lucas took off down the corridor. His steps were measured, hurried. The thing he swore he wouldn’t let happen to his niece and Flora, a woman who had quickly become precious to him, had happened. There wasn’t a minute to waste.
“Matthew,” Lucas said, relieved to find the man alone though that small concession did nothing to assuage his anger and worry. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Aye,” his brother said, already rising from his seat. The tone of Lucas’s command brokered no room for questioning the command. “What happened?”
“It’s Flora and Elizabeth,” he said, heading straight for the stables for their horses. “They’ve been captured.”