Chapter 12 #3
She led the way to the flat wall at the end of the tunnel. Daniel stared at the symbols engraved on the slab for a few moments, then waved the dirk again. “Open it.”
Remembering the entirety of her ordeal in stark clarity, she placed both palms over the boar and pushed with all her might. The big granite slab pivoted, opening into the tomb chamber.
“There,” she said. “You can search the tomb yourself. Nothing but the withered bones of an old corpse inside.”
Daniel sheathed his dirk and snatched a torch from the wall sconce near the entrance to the tomb.
“I haven’t forgotten your tale, Isabail.
You lost your way inside and were trapped for hours.
” He released Jamie, handed him the torch, and shoved him toward the opening.
“Search diligently and bring back everything you find that looks valuable. Go.”
Jamie stumbled forward, one hand on the wall and the other on his throat. His legs were obviously weak.
“Stop!”
Isabail halted Jamie before he could step on the tile that would close the door and seal him inside. “I’ll go with him.”
“Only one of you goes,” Daniel said, grabbing Isabail’s arm.
“Tell him what he needs to know to succeed. And if you’re wise, you’ll not give him incorrect instructions.
The longer we wait for him to return, the shorter my temper will get.
” He pinched her arm until she whimpered.
“And believe me, you will not enjoy my company if it comes to that.”
Isabail shared a look with Jamie. “Leap over the tiles in the floor near the door. The tomb is around a bend in the tunnel ten paces ahead.”
Jamie nodded, then advanced into the tunnel.
“Pray he does not betray us,” Daniel said, pulling her toward him. “I would hate to have to kill you.”
Isabail had been this close to Daniel many times over the years, often while engaged in some sort of playful banter that included her brother.
But this time a shiver of fear ran through her.
The icy tone of his voice left her in no doubt: He would fulfill his promise to kill her if Jamie did not return.
It was difficult to imagine John’s death at Daniel’s hands.
She’d only ever witnessed amusing or tender moments between the two.
Had her brother known the identity of his murderer?
She prayed not. It would have made his last moments unbearable.
John had trusted Daniel like no other. He had forsaken a wife in favor of continuing to share his life with Daniel, even though it meant the earldom would pass to a different branch of the family upon his death—and that was no small commitment for John to make.
“How could you betray him that way?” she asked honestly.
Daniel’s grip on her arm tightened. “Do you not think I have berated myself time and time again for my mistake? Believe me, I have. I even contemplated throwing myself upon his sword simply to make amends.”
Torchlight flickered in the cavern of the tomb. Jamie was returning.
“But my death would not have brought John back,” he said grimly. “And so I dedicated myself to a greater purpose.”
“Accusing MacCurran of your crime?”
He snorted. “MacCurran deserves what has come to him. He and his kin are the cause of many a grievance.”
Jamie appeared at the mouth of the narrow tunnel, his arms clasping the sword and the crown to his chest. He struggled to hold the torch aloft as he walked, but he remembered to avoid the tiles on the tunnel floor as he exited.
“What have you got there, lad?” Daniel asked, releasing Isabail. He stepped forward to grab the silver crown. He grinned as he spied the large sapphire set in the band. “Nothing but a few moldering bones, eh, Isabail? And here I thought lying was beneath you.”
Then he spied a velvet bag in Jamie’s hands, and he snatched it from the boy’s fingers. Tugging on the drawstring, he peered inside. “A gold necklace set with a magnificent heart-shaped ruby. Do you know the value of this find, lad?”
Jamie shook his head.
“Such a necklace can change the course of history. It has the power to right a great wrong, and I intend to see that power enacted. With a little help from a friend in Edinburgh.” Daniel stuffed the velvet bag in the front of his lèine. “Time to make our escape, I believe.”
“MacCurran will come after us,” Isabail warned, hoping that her words were true.
Daniel studied her in the torchlight. “He does seem to have developed a genuine affection for you, Isabail. But perhaps I can use that to my advantage. Slow his pursuit, just a little.”
“Coward.” She glared at him.
He took the sword from Jamie’s hands, held it up to the torchlight, and then drew the blade from its beautiful silver sheath. “And murderer. While you’re tossing insults, my dear, don’t forget that one.”
Then, without further warning or any hint of regret, Daniel ran her through.
All Isabail knew was blinding pain in her gut and a buzzing in her ears, and then everything went black.
* * *
Cormac was an excellent tracker. When they had searched a wide strip of land around the hilltop fort and the bowman found no evidence of a trail, Aiden called a halt.
“You’re saying that they’re still inside the fort?”
“There’s no sign that they headed into the woods, laird.”
Aiden nodded. It made him happier to know that Isabail had not left the confines of the camp.
He urged his stallion into a canter and rode up the winding path to the outer wall.
Any pleasure he felt vanished as soon as he saw Niall at the entrance.
His brother’s face was gray with worry, and there was a dark stain of blood on the front of his lèine.
“What is it?” he demanded, leaping off his mount.
“Isabail,” Niall said quietly. “We found her in the tunnels.”
Aiden’s heart stopped cold, and for the briefest of moments, he couldn’t catch his breath. It was a worrisomely large stain. “Where is she?”
“With Ana.”
He headed for Niall’s hut.
“Aiden,” Niall said, his voice grim. “The sword and crown are gone.”
His lips tightened. “Have you found de Lourdes?”
“No. We found one of the lads unconscious with a bump on his head. He was watching the horses.”
A dull pain flashed behind Aiden’s eyes. “Cormac said there was no evidence of a trail in the woods. Where in bloody hell did the bastard go?”
“Mayhap Isabail knows.”
“He hurt her,” Aiden said. “Why would she know anything?”
“She let him into the tomb, Aiden. There’s no other way for him to have made off with the crown.” Niall’s lips twisted. “He took the necklace, too, of course.”
The dull pain sharpened. Niall was right.
The likelihood that Isabail had shared her knowledge of the treasure with Daniel was high.
The man had been injured only a few days before.
It was not likely he’d spent the hours combing the tunnels that Isabail had.
And the two were exceptionally friendly. Maybe even lovers.
Aiden stiffened. Lord, that made a painful amount of sense. She’d helped Daniel steal the treasure only to be betrayed herself by a false lover.
He strode to Niall’s hut and entered.
Ana met him just inside the door.
“How does she fare?” Aiden asked, the muscles in his throat so tight the words came out hoarse.
“I have healed the wound,” Ana said. “But the blood loss was great. Despite all my efforts, her body is weakening.”
He peered over her shoulder. Isabail lay on a straw pallet, her face deathly pale.
Her blue gown was rent midway down her torso, and the soft wool was soaked with blood.
Will she die? The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak it.
He feared the answer wouldn’t be to his liking.
“She’s awake,” Ana said, stepping aside to let him pass. “I’ve asked her to rest, but she wishes to speak with you.”
As Aiden approached the bed, Isabail opened her bright blue eyes. They were the only color in her face. Even her lips were white as snow.
“It was Daniel,” she said softly.
“I know.”
“He took everything.”
That, too, he knew. “Where has he gone, Isabail? How did he escape?”
“The marsh. His plan was to guide the horses down the burn to the marsh.” Her eyes drifted closed, whether from weariness or a relived memory, he didn’t know.
Nor did he dwell on which it was. It was a vicious blow to hear her speak of their plans to escape.
Still, he knew Isabail had expended precious energy to tell him what she did.
“Rest now, lass. I will find him.” He turned to leave.
“He has Jamie.”
Aiden spun around. “What?”
“He has the lad.”
Aiden swallowed tightly. Of course. Jamie would have been able to gather the horses without alarming the guards. But, by God, why did it have to be him? Jamie had already been through so much.
He sank on his haunches at her side and picked up her hand—the slim hand that felt so perfect clasped in his. “I must go now, Isabail. I must hunt down de Lourdes and punish him for what he’s done. But while I’m gone, you must remain strong. I’ll not have you die. Understand?”
Isabail smiled faintly. “Even the healer will tell you that God is the only one who can decide who lives and who dies. I bow to His will.”
“No,” Aiden said firmly, staring deep into her eyes. “I’m the chief. You bow to my will. Be here when I return, or I’ll shake the life back into you. I swear.”
She nodded. “As you wish.”
Unable to voice a goodbye for fear that it would be the last word he said to her, he stood abruptly and walked to the door. He grabbed Ana’s arm. “Do everything you can to save her,” he said, and then he left the hut.
“Mount up,” he called to the Black Warriors. “We ride for the marsh.”
* * *