Chapter 5
The guards took their time drinking.
Nora waited patiently, trying to ignore the temptation to stare at Callan.
She could feel him over her shoulder and kept drawing her nails along her dress.
There was an itch deep inside her that she knew she couldn’t touch, and she was eager to have it fade.
She was certain that all of this would go away once she was in Laird MacPherson’s presence.
There was no other choice but for her to do her duty.
The experience of being attacked had shaken her.
Any idle thoughts she had of running away had vanished, for it was clear she could not defend herself.
Perhaps it was best to yield to her brother’s wishes.
At least she would be helping her clan, and she would be guaranteed of having shelter.
Hopefully she would be able to wield some influence with Laird MacPherson as well and help improve the wellbeing of his villages.
The warnings Callan had given her rang true, but surely no man could be so cruel? Laird MacPherson was probably just too busy and his advisors hadn’t done a good enough work of alerting him to the state of his villages.
The guards were riding horses. Nora was allowed one of her own, with the guard the horse belonged to riding with one of his companions. The guards formed a makeshift circle around her, which she hoped was for protection’s sake and not to keep her trapped.
The village faded away in the distance and they took to the road that led away from it for a while before veering off onto a trail that led through the forest. The canopy of trees blocked the sunlight and the trees were so thick they obscured the outside world.
The guards shared crude jokes and cruder laughs.
Nora’s skin crawled and fear was lodged at the base of her neck.
She tried to ignore them as best she could, but some of them looked at her as though they had never seen a woman before.
“Did ye hear about the warrior who went tae princess?” the largest guard said.
“Nae, Brune, what happened?”
“She doubted his romantic abilities, sae he asked if there was hair between her legs. She told him there was none and he said, ‘that dinnae surprise me, for grass dinnae grow on a well-beaten path’.”
The laughter of the men created an uneasy cacophony. Nora averted her gaze as a hot blush appeared on her cheeks. Such words were not meant for ladies’ ears. Such words should not have been meant for anyone’s ears, she thought.
Unfortunately, Brune wasn’t finished.
“Did ye hear about the fat priest who visited a keep? He asked a peasant if he could make it through the city gates before they closed. The peasant replied aye, if a cartload of hay can get through, then ye should be able tae, although it may be a tighter fit.”
Nora did not believe that priests should be the subject of jokes either, yet none of the men around her shared this belief.
Brune rode close to her, so close she could smell him.
When there was a lull in their conversation, Nora thought she might as well use the opportunity to learn about her future husband.
These men were in a good position to enlighten her, after all, and she could not bear to hear any more of these tasteless jokes.
“What can ye tell me about Laird MacPherson? Hae ye been in his service long?” she asked.
Brune turned his head and a low, guttural laugh rolled from his throat.
“Pays well and dinnae asks questions,” he said, and somehow that did not put her mind at ease.
“I cannae say what he will be like as a husband though, but what will ye be like as a wife?” he asked in such a way that it sounded like an insult.
Nora didn’t ask any more questions after that, so put off was she by the way they all looked at her.
At one point Brune made a gesture to the other guards and they all stopped. Nora was forced to stop as well, otherwise she would have crashed into the other horses.
They dismounted.
“Brune, are ye sure?” another guard said, but Brune held up his hand.
“If any of ye want tae step away, ye can. Now then. Lass, get off yer horse,” he said, the words more of a threat than a request.
Nora looked around at the men. Some of them looked as hungry as wolves. Others looked away.
“I think I would rather remain on the horse,” she said.
Brune didn’t like this. He grabbed her arm and while she tried to maintain her position, she was unable to resist his strength.
He yanked her off the horse, almost pulling her arm from its socket.
She cried out as she crashed to the ground, feeling the impact in her feet and knees.
Brune still had hold of her arm, fingers digging deep into her skin.
Tears formed in her eyes and Nora feared that it would not be the last time she cried today.
“If ye are the Laird’s bride I think we owe it tae him tae make sure ye are worthy, and I want my reward now,” Brune said, his broad chest rising. He brought his other hand around. It was like a slab of meat. It cupped her head and pulled at her hair. There was a sneer on his face.
“Nae… please. He will be angry with ye. Think about what he’ll dae.”
“Och nae, he will nae be angry with us, lass, but with the bandits who attacked yer carriage. Unfortunately we were nae able tae get there quickly enough, but we fought them off in the end. I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s nae as though he’s gaeing tae care about ye.”
There was a susurration of laughter beneath his words and it was the most horrible sound she had ever heard.
“Lads, if ye want yer turn then line up behind me. Otherwise turn around and keep yer mouths shut,” he said.
Nora’s heart opened wide to fear. She tried to pull away, but Brune was too strong. He laughed in a mocking way and then he did release her hand, but only to grab her skirt.
Fabric tore. Skin was exposed to the sun.
He grinned and he looked like a wild animal about to devour wounded prey. Nora screamed and slashed out with her hands, trying to do anything she could to defend herself even if she knew it was going to be useless.
Brune caught her hand.
“Scream all ye like, lass. Naebody will hear ye out here,” he said, and the terrible truth dawned on her.
The tears flowed down her cheeks and trembling wails rolled over her wobbling lips.
Brune didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, he only took greater delight in her misery.
He gripped her chin and then ran his large hand over her stomach, turning her around and making her kneel in the dirt like an animal.
She was on her hands and knees. He grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back so firmly that pain shot through her body.
Nora screamed and sobbed but there was nothing she could do. She had no weapon. She had no strength. Even her position as Laird MacPherson’s bride was not enough to protect her. These guards… they were just as bad as bandits and she was a fool to have sought aid from them.
How had her life descended to this? By the gods… she hoped they killed her, for she didn’t want to live with this shame, this regret, this pain that would never leave. She would be a shadow of herself and there would be no way to reclaim what was stolen from her.
Curse her brother, curse these guards, curse the gods themselves!
Salt and phlegm ran across her face as she felt Brune behind her, an assertive bull ready to destroy her, to violate her, to shatter her identity.
Callan had been watching from the distance, trailing the guards from the village.
The road hadn’t offered much in the way of cover so he had to hang back, but once they veered off into the woods he was able to catch up with them.
There was nobody better at skulking in between trees. Still, he thought himself stupid.
Why was he still chasing her?
Why wasn’t he heading home and counting the profit?
Part of him thought he should leave her to her own fate.
She was the one who wanted to return to the guards after all, who wanted to find a path to Laird MacPherson, but she seemed unaware of his depravity and the cruelty shown by his men.
Callan had seen it many times before, men dragged from their homes and killed just because the guards wanted a bit of excitement, children left weeping as their parents were brutally beaten, wives and daughters torn apart and left shuddering wrecks all because the guards felt free to indulge their worst impulses.
Callan didn’t have it in himself to let that happen to Nora. Her position as MacPherson’s betrothed might protect her, but he couldn’t be sure of that. So he rode behind them, watching them move through the trees.
They were so arrogant they didn’t try to hide their path. There were four of them, the biggest of them all rode the closest to Nora. Callan gritted his teeth and then came to a halt as they did. He watched in horror as Brune grabbed Nora’s arm and pulled her to the ground.
He was already in motion when Nora started to scream. The sound was enough to pierce his heart, but he had to remain measured. If he moved too quickly he would give his position away and the advantage of surprise would be lost.
Brune was toying with Nora while two guards stood behind him. The fourth had their back to them. His arms were crossed and he was looking in another direction, horrified enough to make himself blind to what was going on, but not enough to stop it.
The man was a coward, Callan thought, and rage flowed through his body.
He started to increase his pace, building up momentum, so that when he crashed into the fourth guard the impact was immediate and the guard went crashing to the ground.
Callan already had his fingers around his dagger and slipped it between the man’s ribs.
He cried out in pain but soon choked on his own blood.
Callan left him to die.