Chapter 28
Archer slumped against the wall beside Reid, hacking and coughing as the smoke burned in his lungs.
“Was there anyone else in there?” he asked the healer.
“Nay, just Reid,” she replied. “Dinnae move and let me take a look at ye.”
Someone brought him some water, and he gulped it down to cool his insides. The healer crouched by him and touched a hand to his face.
“Some burns, but they’re nae so bad. I have some salve for that,” she said.
“Later,” Archer muttered. “I want that fire put out, and I want to ken who started it and how.”
“The bed and furnishings will be burned to ash, but the fire hasnae touched the medicine cabinet. They’re doin’ a good job of puttin’ it out. It’ll be under control soon.”
“Good.” Archer nodded once. “This is sabotage, plain and simple. I ken it.”
Reid coughed and spluttered beside him, almost falling over as he leaned on him.
“Wh—” he choked out, his voice raspy.
“Whoa, take yer time,” Archer said, steadying him. “Are ye with us?”
The healer moved back to Reid and helped straighten him up. Archer turned and knelt beside him as he peeled his eyes open.
Reid’s eyes were glazed over as they danced wildly around the passageway. He scrunched up his face as he tried to make sense of what was happening around him.
“Save yer strength,” the healer urged.
“Ye’re in McLennan Castle,” Archer explained. “Me scouts found ye near the borders with O’Gunn.”
“Aye, he had me there,” Reid managed, before he coughed again. “I escaped. What’s…” He pointed toward the still-raging fire.
“It’s fine,” Archer said. “It’s a long story, but ye’ve been unconscious for days after bein’ brought back here. Someone started a fire close to the healer’s chambers, but I got ye out.”
“The Laird saved yer life,” the healer added.
“Then I’m forever grateful to ye,” Reid rasped. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Four days,” the healer answered. She passed a cup of water to Reid.
Reid took a sip, struggling to swallow. “I needed to get back here to warn ye, Laird MacLennan." He coughed and took another sip before he added, “One of yer councilmen is in league with O’Gunn. I heard them talkin’ about him.”
“Aye, I ken,” Archer said. “Mack Douglas. He’s already been dealt with.”
“Mack?” Reid frowned. “Nay, I didnae hear that name. It was another.”
“Who?” Archer asked.
“Harold? Me brain is scrambled up. Harold Millar?” Reid groaned.
“Henry Millar?”
“Aye, that’s the man.” Reid keeled over and almost threw up. “Aye, Henry Millar. He’s loyal to O’Gunn. They’re plannin’ somethin’, but I dinnae ken what.”
“Calum!” Archer shouted.
It took less than ten seconds for Calum to round the corner. “Me Laird?”
“Keep the guards with Reid and find Henry Millar immediately. Throw him in the dungeons when ye do. Mack wasnae the end of it. Millar is the real danger.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” Calum replied before running off.
Archer turned to Reid. “I’ll be back to hear yer story, but first, I need to get Eileen.”
“Eileen’s here?” Reid asked.
“Aye. She… Well, it’s a long story. But I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell it to ye when she hears that ye’re awake. She’d barely left yer bedside since ye were brought here.”
Well, except to get into me bed.
“It’ll be great to see her again,” Reid said. “Thank ye, Laird MacLennan.”
“It’s ye who I need to thank once we have Millar under lock and key. He’s been a plague on this castle for years.”
Archer then stood up and strode away from the fire. He could feel the heat ebbing as more buckets of water were brought and poured over it. Part of the healer’s chambers would be damaged, but the castle had withstood far worse over the years, and the brickwork would endure.
As he ascended the stairs to the first floor, the cold hit him. It hadn’t felt as cold when he’d left Eileen in his warm bed, but after being burned by the flames, the night felt chilly.
He touched a hand to his face when he got to the top of the stairs; his cheek felt raw. He looked at his hands as he hurried down the hallway, noticing the raw skin. They looked sore, but he didn’t feel any pain yet. He would once his heart rate slowed.
He turned the corner, and his heart almost stopped. He choked on a breath before rushing to the open door. Outside his room, the two guards lay on the floor, both of them stone-cold dead, pools of blood beneath them.
He bolted into the room and looked around. Eileen wasn’t there. No sign of a struggle except for the dirk lying by the wall. Archer went to it and picked it up; the tip was stained with blood.
Aye, good lass! Ye fought against him when he came for ye, and I’ll make sure that wasnae in vain.
Archer wiped the blade on his trousers and looked around again to find spots of blood on the floor—Henry’s not Eileen’s.
Did ye come yerself, Millar? Or did ye send someone else to do yer dirty work for ye?
Archer followed the blood out of the room and into the hallway. It led him to the back of the castle.
He ran to the stables and found the stablehand unconscious on the ground. He went inside and found the same beast he’d ridden to chase down Eileen when he thought she was escaping.
It’s too dark, and ye’re too much of a coward to take any route other than the path straight to O’Gunn Castle. I’ll hunt ye down like a dog, Millar.
Archer spurred the beast into a gallop and flew from the castle like the wind.
Eileen dared not move. Her cheek throbbed where he’d hit it, and her head was sore from hitting the wall, but that was not what stopped her. It was the knife he held to her neck as they rode. The bouncing motion of the horse threatened to push the blade into her skin.
She was sitting astride the beast, her attacker at her back, holding the knife in one hand and the reins in the other.
She could sense all of that, but she couldn’t see it with the hood over her head and couldn’t scream with the cloth in her mouth.
Her head had cleared since the attack, but there was nothing she could do.
Yet.
They rode out of the castle. She didn’t know which path they took, but she assumed it would be the quickest route from MacLennan Castle to O’Gunn Castle.
It was obvious to her now that whatever had pulled Archer out of the room was a distraction orchestrated by Henry Millar.
Does Archer even ken? Is he comin’ after me?
The only thing that brought her some solace was the damage she’d done to Millar’s shoulder. He used that arm to hold the knife to her neck, not risking holding the reins with it.
The first chance she got, she would stab his other arm and then make a run for it. It was not a great plan, but it was the best one she had.
All she could do for now was wait for a chance—one chance. She’d rather die than be taken to Laird O’Gunn, and if she were to die, she would go down fighting.
They rode for a long time, and when they slowed down, her heart stuttered in her chest. With every passing moment, she realized that Archer wasn’t coming after her.
They came to a complete stop, and she heard voices.
“Ye have her?” someone asked.
“Aye, as I promised,” Millar said.
“Let’s see.”
“What? Ye dinnae believe me?”
“I’ve learned nae to trust anyone with this sort of thing. Let me see the merchandise.”
The dagger remained at Eileen’s throat, but her hood was yanked back. She blinked a couple of times, her eyes quickly adjusting to the moonlit darkness.
Two men on horseback stood before them on the path. O’Gunn Castle wasn’t immediately visible. They were not there yet.
Both men were large. They wore leather jerkins with thick shoulder pads and leather bracers on their forearms. Shortswords hung at their belts, and the one on the left had a noticeable scar across his left eye.
“Aye, very nice,” the scarred man drawled. “It’s a long way to the castle. We might need to stop for some refreshments.”
“We’re to get back as quickly as possible,” the other man reminded him. “And O’Gunn—”
“Aye, I ken,” the scarred man cut in. “I’m only jestin’.”
Eileen tried not to tremble as Millar held her. She’d rather take her chances with him than the scarred man, who was most definitely not joking. She had to assume they were on the border between O’Gunn and MacLennan.
“What of ye, Millar?” the unblemished man asked.
“Ye’ll nae see me again. Now, I want me money, and I’ll be on me way.”
“See, that’s the thing,” the scarred man sneered. “We’ve been told to kill ye. We get the money and the merchandise. That’s a great deal for O’Gunn.”
Eileen felt Millar tense up in fear and press the blade to her neck as the silence stretched out.
“Och, quit yer jokin’,” the other man said.
The scarred man laughed. “I had ye there, Millar. Ye almost pished yerself.”
“Aye, aye, very funny,” Millar snapped, annoyed. “Just give me the money and be on yer way.”
“There ye go.” The scarred man took a large pouch out of his saddlebag and tossed it to the ground beside Millar’s horse. “A deal’s a—ye double-crosser!”
“What?” Millar gasped. “I didnae—” He clamped his mouth shut when a rider flew past in a blur.
The two blackguards drew their swords, the unscarred one bringing his up to parry the blow as the horse and rider flew past. The metallic clang rang out into the night, echoing through the trees.
Both men turned their horses as they searched for their attacker.
Millar moved to grab the reins, but Eileen brought her bound hands up and grabbed his arm to stop him from cutting her, then threw herself to the side before he could regain his balance, pushing them off the horse.
She made sure to do it on his injured side, and when they hit the ground with a grunt, he screamed out in pain.
She kicked out her legs, trying to get away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her forearm, pulling her to her feet.
The unscarred man fell from his horse and didn’t move.
Millar searched around wildly for the dagger he’d dropped.
The scarred man fell silent as he dropped from his horse with a thud, unmoving like his friend.
Another thud as the attacker jumped down from his horse before Eileen and Millar.
Eileen gasped in relief. Archer stood before her, his eyes flashing with bloodlust.
“Me Lai—” Millar started.
“Nay!” Archer growled. “There is nay excuse for this, is there?”
“N-Nay, Me Laird,” Millar stammered. He let go of Eileen, dropped to his knees, and began to weep.
Archer looked at Eileen, the message in his eyes clear. She turned away and pulled the gag out of her mouth.
She looked into the darkness between the trees surrounding them. She couldn’t help but smile. One moment she’d been as good as dead, and the next she was saved.
Henry Millar didn’t beg for mercy or say a word as Archer ended his life. There was a swift rush of air, then a soft squelch, like a knife sinking into jam. Millar did not make a sound, only a short gasp, then a gurgle.
When she heard the hiss of metal against leather, Eileen turned back around to watch Millar fall onto his side, his neck stained red.
She ran for Archer and leaped onto him, wrapping her legs around him. He grabbed her rear, the act becoming familiar, and held her to him under the moonlight.
Three dead men lay around them, but it was one of the most romantic moments of her life.
Her hands were still bound, and they were squashed between them as he held her, but she didn’t care. She pressed her lips to his, holding them there, warmth filling her after the fright she had. A tear rolled down her cheek.
She pulled back and buried her face in Archer’s shoulder. He slid his hand up her back, encompassing her in safety and warmth. Her body began to shiver not from the cold, but from the fear catching up with her after outrunning it for as long as she could.
“I thought he would kill me, or worse,” Eileen mumbled.
“I told ye that I wouldnae let him have ye,” Archer said. “Ye’re safe now.”
“Aye, I am,” she sniffed.
I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
“I feel so alive.” Eileen let out a watery laugh. “I tried to have hope, but it all felt lost. I’ve never felt so euphoric.”
“Hold yer tongue for now,” Archer said. “I have a surprise for ye back at the castle.”