Chapter 15
S andy could barely contain the excitement that hummed through his veins and buzzed along his skin. Dressed in their black capes and matching masks, he and Tam waited on horseback beside the road. The long shadows of the trees hid them from view, but the moon gave enough light for Sandy to see Tam’s grin.
This was going to be their last outing as highwaymen. It was risky, especially with Edmondson out to get them, but Sandy really needed the money. Gillies Tower really needed the money. More roofs needed fixing, and hungry tenants needed help to buy grain. This one final holdup would hopefully bring them enough money to last for a couple of months. Especially if the attack on Edmondson’s camp brought them booty as valuable as Brigid claimed.
The coach appeared around the corner of the road, all black and white in the moonlight. Sandy shivered in anticipation. A little closer. Just a little more…
With a shout, Sandy urged his horse forwards, Tam close beside him. They rode straight into the middle of the road, blocking it.
“Halt!” Sandy called out.
The coach horses panicked. Rearing and stamping, they slowed down, and the coach came to a halt.
Sandy prepared to shout his next line. But then a gunshot sounded - the coachman! This time, Sandy and Tam’s horses reared and screamed before they could get them under control. The coachman still held his gun pointed at them, but as far as Sandy could tell, neither of them had been hit.
Sandy whipped out his own gun to level at the coachman.
“I warn you not to shoot again, man,” he said. “It’s two against one. If you shoot, you’ve not a chance of getting out alive.”
The coach door flew open and a young man leapt out with his own guns.
“Even odds,” he announced. “Who shoots first, gentlemen?”
Sandy and Tam exchanged shocked glances. Their marks didn’t usually put up much of a fight. Something like this had never happened.
“Don’t be foolish,” Sandy said, addressing his comment to both of the men. “There’s no point in risking your lives. Just hand over your money and continue with your journey.”
The young man took a step closer. “I can assure you that I have absolutely no intention of doing so,” he said grimly.
Sandy urged his horse forwards.
There was no way he would let this fall through. He needed this money.
Then shouts rang out from the surrounding woods. Sandy pulled his horse to a halt and stared about wildly. What was happening?
A group of men rushed out from the trees, surrounding Sandy and Tam in moments. To his horror, Sandy recognised some of them even in the low light. Edmondson’s men. It looked as if the highwaymen had themselves been ambushed!
Sandy and Tam managed to fire off a couple of shots as they tried to manoeuvre their horses closer to the trees. But, as the road filled with men, the chaos only thickened.
“We need to get out of here!” Sandy shouted to Tam. His friend nodded in agreement.
But how? Their every path was blocked by Edmondson’s men, teeth flashing silver in the moonlight.
There was only one way to do this.
With a yell, Sandy kicked his horse forwards. They flew through the line of unmounted men and crashed into the forest. Tam came behind him, screaming and whooping. The two of them flew through the trees, letting their horses choose the way.
Edmondson’s men came after them, of course, but by now they had a good head start. Even in the thick undergrowth, their horses were sure-footed and steady.
Sandy took control of his horse again, choosing a path he knew well. He could still hear Edmondson’s men crashing through the undergrowth behind them, but they didn’t have a chance any more. Sandy and Tam had grown up here. They knew these twisting woodland paths better than anyone else could.
Still, there was no point in taking chances.
Sandy deliberately led the men away from Gillies Tower before finally looping around and losing them for good. He and Tam were exhausted by now, as the first light of dawn touched the sky. Their poor horses were even more tired, beginning to stumble over roots and loose stones. They could run no longer, but Sandy couldn’t let the poor beasts stop yet.
At long last, after a tiring final drag through the woods, they reached the familiar walls of Gillies Tower. Sandy had never been so relieved to see the safety of his home. A servant rushed down to open the gate before Sandy could even hammer on it.
“Secure the castle,” Sandy ordered. The man’s eyes widened but he bobbed a bow and darted away.
With any luck, their wild race through the woods had thrown the men off their scent. But Sandy couldn’t help but feel that his luck had all run out. Surely Edmondson had put all the pieces together by now? He could only hope that the men had been watching out for the mysterious highwayman who’d raided their camp, not for the Laird of Gillies Tower. But, after everything that had happened in recent days, such a hope seemed tenuous at best.
He dismounted from his horse. The poor beast was shaking now. Sandy patted its neck affectionately.
“You saved my life, old friend,” he said, before handing the horse over to a stable boy. “Care for him well,” he ordered.
As Sandy and Tam climbed the final few steps to the house, Sandy sighed deeply. He would have to be very, very careful from now on, if he was to avoid being arrested as a highwayman. Most highwaymen were hanged.