CHAPTER 29
Chloe jerked back from the tapestry and stepped away, turning back toward Evie. Her eyes were wide, her heart was pounding. Her sister knew instantly something was wrong.
“What is it?”
“They have Jamie,” she said. “They want to ransom him.”
Evie cursed under her breath. Then, “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe said.
They needed a plan. She was too weak to try to use the blood magic again and Bruce had Evie’s piece of the keystone.
“Let’s keep going,” Evie suggested as she glanced down the corridor. “Maybe there’s another door.”
Meaning, maybe there would be another way out. Chloe nodded. She took the torch back from Evie. Together, they headed down the passageway once more. It wasn’t long before they came upon another door. They exchanged silent communication. Evie gave her a nod as if to say go ahead and open it.
Chloe handed off the torch once more. She placed her hands on the door and took a deep breath, glancing at her sister for reassurance.
Upon her nod, Chloe then pulled open the door.
It creaked, but hopefully not enough to alert anyone who may be on the other side.
Light slashed through the open door, pushing back the shadows. She peered inside.
It was an empty room. It looked to be someone’s bedchamber. There was a large four poster bed with curtains, a wardrobe, and a chest. At least, that’s all she could see. She pulled open the door wider.
“Let’s go,” she said, her voice strong and sure.
“Are you sure about this?” Evie asked. Though she sounded nervous, she followed her sister through the door anyway.
“It’s our only chance.”
“What do I do with the torch?” Evie stood inside the doorway still holding the flame.
Chloe stepped back through to glance up and down the walls. “Here’s a bracket.”
Evie handed off the torch. She placed it in the backet, the flame flickering in the drafty, empty corridor. Then she closed the secret door.
“Come on.”
She waved at her to follow. They hurried across the bedchamber to the door. When they reached it, Evie pressed her back against the wall while Chloe cracked the door enough to see into the hallway.
“Looks clear.”
“This is insanity,” Evie said, her voice shaking. “What if we’re caught?”
She turned back to her sister. “Do you want to stay here and wait for Callum and Malcolm?”
“Well…”
“I don’t want to risk that,” Chloe said.
Evie pressed her hand against her abdomen. “But—”
“I know you’re scared. I am, too. I don’t want to wait around for them.”
“How do you plan to get my keystone back from Bruce?” she demanded. Her worry and fear were replaced by irritation.
Chloe pressed her lips together, unable to answer her questions. She hadn’t thought that far in advance and didn’t know the answers to her questions. But she was still determined to go through with this to get out of the keep.
“You don’t know, do you?” Ire flashed in her eyes.
“I don’t, but—”
“Is something burning?” Evie asked, then sniffed the air.
Chloe smelled it, too, then. She glanced around the room. At the secret door, grayish-white smoke seeped around the edges.
“Oh, crap,” she muttered.
She hurried back across the room and pushed open the door.
Smoke poured inside. Coughing and covering her mouth with her hand she peered around the edge of the doorway.
The rafters—dry and aged from being in the darkened passageway—had caught fire from the flickering torch. And the fire was spreading.
“It’s on fire!” Evie gasped.
“We have to get out of here now.”
Chloe spun back to Evie, leaving the door open.
She grabbed her by the hand and dashed to the chamber door, yanking it open.
They rushed into the hallway, heedless of any guards or others that might be roaming the area.
A man stomped up the stairway and appeared at the other end of the hall.
Evie sucked in a sharp breath as they came to a screeching halt.
“Fire!” Chloe shouted. “There’s a fire in the bedchamber!” She pointed behind her.
The man spotted them then, halted, surprise evident on his face.
Chloe glanced behind her to see smoke rolling out of the room’s open door.
She grabbed Evie by the hand and rushed by him, leaving him gaping at the smoke.
Down the curved stairs they went. At the foot of the stairs, she paused to get her bearings.
Men’s voices echoed through the keep, men who were coming closer to them.
A door to their right beckoned. Chloe pulled her sister along and burst through the door, banging it open.
They ended up in the cool night, the breeze fluttering over Chloe’s damp, clammy skin.
Behind her, Evie’s breathing heavy from the exertion.
“I have to rest,” she said.
“No time to rest,” Chloe said. “We have to keep moving.”
She whimpered. Still clutching her hand, Chloe headed across the darkened bailey. The open portcullis gate was in sight. They were going to make it. They were going to get out through the gatehouse.
But then a sharp, biting pain erupted through her shoulder. She lost her footing, her knees buckling. She managed to release Evie’s hand before she went down. She landed hard on the ground, banging her elbows as she broke her fall.
“Chloe!”
As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw the arrow sticking out of it. Then Evie’s startled cry ripped through the night air. Bruce held a knife to her throat with an oily smile on his face.
“Well, well. Isn’t this convenient?”
Chloe managed to climb back to her feet. She tried to ignore the pain lancing through her. “Let her go, Bruce.”
“I will if you give me yer keystone.”
She clenched her hands into tight fists, her crudely bandaged hand throbbing. She met Evie’s gaze and in them she saw defiance.
“And then what? You’ll let us go?” she demanded. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
“Yer right. We need ye and yer blood to make the stones work. How about I spill yer sister’s blood right here, right now and use her stone against ye?”
Chloe clenched her jaw so tightly, the muscles ached. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” He pressed the blade closer to Evie’s throat.
Hesitation flickered through her. She wasn’t all too sure Bruce wouldn’t slice Evie’s throat.
He wasn’t the man she thought she knew. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her piece of the keystone.
Thankfully, it was no longer glowing. As she looked back at Evie, her eyes glistened with tears.
“All right. You win.” She stretched her hand out to him. “Release her and you can have it.”
She had no weapon. She had no way to stop him once she handed over her piece of the keystone. But she wanted Evie safe. As soon as he released her and she handed off the keystone, she and Evie would make a dash for the open gate.
Jamie would be on his own. Something told her, though, he would be able to find his own way out and to safety.
Bruce removed the knife from Evie’s throat, leaving behind a well of blood.
He shoved her out of his way and stalked toward Chloe, holding the knife down to his side.
Chloe kept her gaze on his face, his glittering blue eyes, and something inside her cracked.
She hated him at the moment. She hated what he did to her, what he continued to do to her.
She hated that he threatened her sister, her best friend, the only other person in the world who understood her.
She hated that he tried to take Evie away from her. And she wanted him to pay for that.
The keystone rested in her palm as she held it out to him. He paused within a few inches of her outstretched hand, smiling triumphantly.
“I’m glad to see you came to yer senses.”
He plucked the keystone from her hand. Then he reached into his pocket and brought out Evie’s piece. He put the two pieces against each other, snapping them together.
Much to her relief, nothing happened. The stones were dormant.
But the moment the stones were put together, her sliced hand started to tingle and burn as if the magic had transferred from the stone to her.
“Now, all I need is the third piece.”
“All you need?” Chloe asked, lifting a brow. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
Smug satisfaction erupted on his face. He opened his mouth to reply but then something smashed into the back of his head. He went down in a heap, landing on the ground with a thud. The two pieces of the keystone tumbled from his hand.
Behind him, Evie held a massive rock. She dropped it next to his lifeless body. Shock rolled through Chloe.
“Eve!”
“Is he dead?” she whispered, sounding horrified.
She quickly knelt and snatched up the two pieces, slipping them into her pocket. Then she felt for a pulse to put her sister’s mind at ease. There was a faint one.
“He’s still alive.”
Evie gasped. “Your shoulder, Chlo. You’re bleeding!”
“I’m fine.”
She reached behind her to try to grab the arrow shaft but couldn’t. She gave her sister a pointed look. Evie shook her head.
“No way!”
“You have to.”
“But the arrow—”
“I know. I’ll deal with that later. Yank it out.”
Chloe was aware of the dangers. Removing the arrow improperly could lead to infection or—worse—her death. But she couldn’t run around with an arrow sticking out of her shoulder, either.
Taking a deep breath, Evie reached for the shaft, wrapped her hand around it, and then jerked. The shaft released from her shoulder with a damp, sucking noise. Chloe clenched her jaw and grunted, proud of herself for not crying out like she wanted. Evie made a gagging sound.
“It’s out. But you’re bleeding. You need stitches.”
“We can deal with that later. Right now we have to get out of here.”
“Chlo—”
There wasn’t time for bandages or finding healers or any of that. Smoke from the keep billowed upward into the night sky as more of the building caught fire. But Evie was determined. She ripped another piece of her shift, folded it, and pressed it against the wound.
“Let’s go,” Chloe said. She reached behind her, grabbing the cloth and pressing it against the wound in the most awkward position ever.
“What about Jamie?” Evie glanced back at the building behind her, worry creasing her face. “We can’t leave him.”
“We don’t have time to go back for him. I have to believe he’ll be fine.”
She started for the open gate, pushing her tired legs to the limit. She had to admit, though, the pain in her shoulder was unbearable. Evie fell in step beside her. They were nearing the gate when the portcullis started to close.
“Hurry!”
Chloe broke into a run for the gate, trying to get to it before it was closed. Evie was right behind her, panting heavily and trying to keep up with her.
But it was no use. The gate closed as they arrived.
They were trapped.
Her breath seesawing in and out of her, Evie said, “Now what?”
“Where do ye think yer going, lassies?”
The voice boomed across the bailey behind them. They turned to see the man—their enemy—walking toward them with his great axe in his hand.
And Rory MacDonald looked irate.