Chapter 10 #3
She shivered, once, then nodded.
He fetched her damp dress off the chair, found the knife in his trunk, then walked silently across the floor, avoiding the boards that made noise.
He handed Sunny her dress, turned his back to her until she’d donned it, then pulled her out of bed and set her carefully on her feet.
He wrapped one of his plaids about her hips, cinching it tightly.
He pulled the other over her shoulders, then tied it under her arms and behind her back where it wouldn’t get it her way but would still keep her warm.
He put a knife in her hands, then leaned close again.
“Brianna’s dead at the door. We might make it to the hall, but I imagine not any farther than that. Be silent as the tomb, love. Our lives depend on it.”
She put her free hand over her mouth—no doubt to keep a gasp trapped there—and nodded. Cameron pulled her into his arms and held her there until she had caught her breath and was no longer gasping.
“Brave wench,” he said quietly. “Stay behind me. Keep yourself against the wall if you can. I’ll stand between you and the rest of them as we did in the village.
Kill whoever comes near you, though. Don’t hesitate, don’t show any mercy, just kill.
Those whoresons downstairs don’t deserve compassion. ”
She nodded again, a jerky motion that showed him just how terrified she was.
“Put your feet after mine. The floor squeaks.” He flashed her a quick smile. “Silent as the tomb, my love. I’ll get you out safely.”
She put one hand on his shoulder and nodded a final time.
He led her over to the door, then opened it carefully.
He stepped over Brianna, then led Sunny down the stairs.
No one stopped them, which worried him. The hall was asleep as well.
He made his way carefully but without hesitation to the front door.
No one stirred and that unsettled him more than anything else.
Surely they would not be let go so easily.
He lifted the wooden beam barring the door, then opened the door itself. It made a horrible squeak as he did so. He jerked Sunny out of the door with him, then pulled it shut behind him.
“Run,” he said.
She bolted with him for the stables. He didn’t bother with a saddle. He flung Sunny up onto his horse’s back, grabbed a handful of mane, then swung up behind her. He drew his sword from the sheath as his mount leaped forward.
They were waiting for him at the gate.
“We’ll run through them,” he said.
Sunny had his extra knife in her hand. She flung it as he ran his horse right into Giric. He cut down three of his own cousins, and kicked another in the face that tried to bring down his horse, but he didn’t stop.
“You all right?” he shouted.
“Fine,” she said breathlessly.
Cameron pushed his mount into a gallop and the brave beast leaped forward as if he knew he had to fly.
But it wasn’t over.
His cousins, his bloody kinsmen were behind them within minutes. He could do nothing but continue on and hope that good would triumph over evil in the end. There was no possible way for him to turn and fight them all. He resheathed his sword, then wrapped one arm around Sunny and held on.
He supposed that their best hope was to make for the MacLeod witch’s house. Perhaps the gate hadn’t worked the time before because Sunny had been destined to stay with him. Things were different now. It would work.
He would accept nothing else.
Two grueling, relentless, endless hours later he was hurtling through the MacLeod forest. Unfortunately, Giric was right behind him, shouting at him.
At least his cousin was the only one with the spine to continue to follow him.
The rest had fallen back an hour ago. The odds were, for a change, in his favor.
Cameron tightened his arm around Sunny. “I’m going to leap off soon and engage him. Ride on, then dismount and run for the house when you can.”
She nodded.
He squeezed her, hard. “Brave gel.”
She put her hand behind her and touched the back of his head. He slipped off his horse and ducked under the hooves of Giric’s mount. He rolled up to his feet, then ran after his cousin.
“Fight me, you coward!” he shouted.
Giric whirled his horse around, but the ground was too soft.
Giric leapt off his horse as it went down.
Cameron ran up, punched his cousin as hard as he could in the face, then left him lying there in a stupor.
Giric’s horse struggled to its feet, then bolted.
Cameron turned and sprinted after Sunny.
He caught her as she was sliding down off his horse. He took her hand and ran with her toward the witch’s house.
He heard crashing in the underbrush behind him. He whirled around and saved himself having his head cleaved in twain by nothing but luck. He shoved Giric back.
“Take the clan,” Cameron spat. “You’ve left it full of nothing but liars and bastards. Take it and leave us be.”
“Never,” Giric growled.
Cameron shoved Sunny along behind him as he backed up toward the house. He fought Giric ferociously, beat him back, then turned and ran with Sunny.
“Go,” he said, pushing her ahead of him.
The house loomed up in front of him. Cameron pushed the door open, then shoved Sunny inside.
He felt something slam into his back. He realized that it was a knife. At almost the same time, he heard Sunny cry out. He whirled around in time to see Giric bend over and pick up a rock. He watched, feeling a little detached, as that very sharp rock came down toward his head.
The pain was blinding.
He fell backward, then spun at the last moment. If he landed on whatever was sticking into his back, he would kill himself. At least if he fell on his chest, he might survive.
He pitched forward.
Damnation, he had wanted to die as the laird of his own clan, with Sunshine Phillips at his side, with a cluster of children standing by his bed, children who were grateful for the legacy he’d left them. He didn’t want to die now and leave Sunny behind, alone.
He didn’t remember hitting the floor.