Chapter 2
They were setting out on their journey when suddenly they heard a thunder of hooves as a group of guards charged towards the castle.
Islay smirked as she thought this would provide even more of a distraction for their escape, and the more guards that were in the castle meant there were fewer they could encounter outside of it.
She continued walking, but Kirsten had stopped.
The girl had a fretful look on her face as she glanced back at the castle.
“What are ye waiting for?” Islay demanded.
“Should we nae head back? I rarely see guards ride that quickly. What if something is wrong?”
“I’m sure naething is wrong,” Islay said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Ye worry tae much. They’re probably just trying tae get back before all the good ale is gone.” Islay intended to turn her back on the castle, but Kirsten was still unmoved.
“I really think we should turn back and make sure that naething is wrong. What if they’re calling the guards back because they’ve discovered we’re missing? If we gae back now, we can pretend that naething is wrong.”
Islay rolled her eyes and shook her head.
She could tell that Kirsten was not going to relent, and if Islay forced Kirsten to keep moving forward, Islay would never hear the end of it.
With a sigh, Islay agreed to go back to the castle, but with the caveat that once they discovered nothing was amiss, they would go ahead with their plan and leave under the cover of night.
They walked briskly and ended up returning to the hall as the guards were entering. The guards had had to alight from their horses. While riding away would have made things much easier, Islay knew that taking horses from the stable would be more likely to alert others to their scheme.
They walked into the main hall as the guards walked forward. Their swords hung by their sides and they panted, sweat dripping from their brows. They seemed apologetic as they entered, looking at the guests at the ceilidh sheepishly.
“We apologize for disturbing ye, my laird,” one of the guards began. The tune had fallen silent; people looked on in hushed anticipation. Callum rose from a chair and leaned forward, interested in what the guards had to say.
“If it is something important, then ye need nae apologize. What haes happened?” Laird Gallach asked. Iona was still by his side, looking up with interest at everything that was going on. Islay and Kirsten stood in the doorway, ready to slip out whenever the opportunity presented itself to them.
“Bandits,” the guards growled. At the mention of the word, a gasp rose up from the guests, and they began to murmur. Laird Gallach placed his hands on his hips and glared at the crowd, clearing his throat for them all to cease speaking so he could hear the guards.
“What dae ye mean?”
“They attacked a traveling merchant. We found his cart upturned on the road leading back from the keep through the town. What wares were left were strewn over the road. He was slumped against a tree, already dead. There wasnae gold tae be found on him. It was the work of bandits alright,” the guard said.
Laird Gallach furrowed his brow and stroked his chin. He was about to speak when Laird Connall walked across the room and approached the guards. Islay paused for a moment, intrigued by what he might say.
“Laird Gallach, I hope ye dinnae mind me talking tae yer guards. While I’m here, I’m obviously happy tae offer any help ye need with what guards I hae, and if ye need any other men, I can send word tae my keep. But first, I want tae know how yer men know this was the work of bandits?”
Laird Gallach turned his gaze to the guards.
“There’s no mistake,” the taller of the two guards said.
“There were sword marks and arrows sticking out of his carts. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are bandits lurking in the area, and it’s only a matter of time before they strike again.
We’re all gaeing tae hae tae be careful.
” His words were ominous, and the mood in the room changed.
Moments before, there had been a happy and jovial atmosphere.
Now, there was uncertainty and fear. Islay pulled Kirsten away.
They walked to Islay’s room, and she closed the door behind her, pacing and thinking about what to do next.
Kirsten sat on the bed and wrung her hands together in her lap.
“I suppose that puts an end tae it. We cannae leave now. Nae with bandits roaming the woods,” Kirsten said.
Islay turned and flashed a wild look at Kirsten. “It doesnae change anything!” she said in a high-pitched voice. She had been so close to escaping and wasn’t going to let it slip away from her so easily.
“What dae ye mean? Ye cannae tell me that ye expect me tae walk out there with bandits roaming around!” Kirsten flung an arm and pointed out of the window to the dark forest that stretched beyond the keep and the town, covering the world in its shadowed, verdant blankets.
The forest was a mysterious place of rivers and rocks and wildlife.
If the stories were to be believed, then there were nymphs, trolls, pixies, and ogres as well, although Islay didn’t put much stock in stories.
She had never seen any evidence of these monsters, so she wasn’t going to be scared of them.
Bandits, on the other hand, were another story…
Islay stopped pacing for a moment and placed her hands on her hips.
In this mannerism, she resembled her father and seemed almost as tall as he did.
“The bandits are nae everywhere in the woods. Ye heard the guard; they attacked the merchant down near the town. All we hae tae dae is change our plans a wee bit and gae in the opposite direction. We wilnae run intae any bandits.”
“Oh, aye, because these are the only bandits in the world.” Kirsten rolled her eyes, her words fueled with fear.
“When we talked about these things, we never thought about the dangers. I hae heard about what bandits dae tae people, especially women. Killing ye is about the best thing they can dae. They beat ye, rape ye, make ye work for them. Nay Islay, ye are asking tae much of me. I’m nae gaeing tae put myself in that danger.
I cannae gae out there when there are bandits around, and neither should ye. ”
“Dinnae tell me what I should and shouldnae dae!” Islay cried. “If ye are tae much of a coward tae seize yer destiny, then sae be it. Naething is gaeing tae stop me from being free. Nae my father, nae my betrothed, nae ye, and certainly nae bandits.”
Islay picked up the pack and made sure it was secure across her body.
She strode to the window, and Kirsten looked horrified, pleading with Islay to stop.
Kirsten lunged off the bed and reached towards Islay, trying to pull her back and stop her from making a terrible mistake.
Islay wasn’t having any of it, though, and she was too fast for Kirsten.
She had spent her life planning for this moment, and now that it was here, she was not going to let it slip away.
Underneath Islay’s window were thick vines that rose up around the keep’s towers like huge fingers.
Islay climbed out of the window and clambered down them.
The vines were as strong as the stone underneath them, and they were thick enough that Islay could get a good purchase on them, although it was tricky in the night.
Thankfully the keep wasn’t a huge, towering castle, so she did not have to climb for too long.
She went as quickly as she could without being reckless, although she knew that speed was of the essence as she couldn’t trust whether Kirsten would keep their secret or not.
It was a shame that her cousin had not summoned the courage to come with her, but while Kirsten would be filled with regret, Islay would be free to live on her own terms.
In reality, Islay was actually glad that the bandits had attacked.
With the attention focused on finding the bandits, there would be fewer people looking for Islay when they eventually discovered she was gone.
It would likely be in the morning, when she did not appear for breakfast or her meeting with Callum.