Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
They are inside the castle walls.
Eleanor’s pulse raced as her breath caught in her throat. She quickly took a deep breath and searched Callum’s face. “Ye cannae leave me here now; whoever is comin’ has someone inside these walls.”
Nodding, Callum reached for her hand as he went for his sword, placing it back in the sheath with expert precision.
“Ye will have to follow close behind me, try and stay out of harm’s way, I cannae defend the castle and protect ye at the same time.
” His voice was calm and even, with the military precision of someone who had fought many battles.
“I will make sure that I am nae in the way,” she promised as he opened her chamber doors.
The hall outside was quiet, almost too quiet, as the sound of fighting raged on in the distance. She could have sworn she heard her own heart beating as she waited for Callum to move.
“We have to find who screamed before we go outside,” Callum instructed, squeezing her hand as he began to pull her in the direction of the great hall, which stood in the middle of the castle. If they were to start anywhere, it would be there.
The silence rang in their ears before they began to push forward, their steps filling the air with loud thuds.
Who could have screamed?
Eleanor hurried to keep up, panting for breath as she ran just behind.
The strength of his hand gave her hope, hope that everything would work out.
The thought, however, was short-lived as the smell of blood permeated the air.
Her heart almost stopped beating when she realized that the scream may have come from whoever was bleeding.
They had not even made it halfway down the hall when the sickening, sweet smell with a tang of iron made them stop in their tracks.
Someone has been hurt.
She breathed heavily, dreading what they would find when they moved again, rounded the corner. “Nay!” Eleanor screamed, her breath stuttering in her chest when she caught sight of Marion at the foot of the stairs. She lifted her hands to cover her mouth and almost burst into tears.
The maid was lying still, almost too still to pass for someone alive.
The pool of blood around her seemed far too large for someone of her size and stature.
It was difficult to see exactly where the blood was coming from when it had already soaked into the length of her dress.
Her face was pale, almost grey, in the dim light of the castle.
How long had they been speaking while she lay bleeding on the floor? A wave of guilt washed over Eleanor as she bent down to check for a pulse. There had to be something that she could do to save her friend.
Yanking her to her feet, Callum spoke in a brisk voice. “We have to keep movin’.” Callum pulled her along, almost making her trip as she looked back at her friend.
“But Callum, we have to help her! She could still be alive!” Eleanor began to cry as she fought against the strength of his grip, trying to tug her wrist free.
Stopping in his tracks, Callum turned around and spoke in a harsh whisper.
“Where do ye think I am goin’? There is only one person who can help Marion now.
We must send for Fiona at once. She kens how to get into the castle.
There isnae time to waste.” He turned away from her again and began to pull her in the direction of the eastern towers.
He cares for his people.
Eleanor felt numb, unable to process what she had seen.
Callum cared just as much for the maid as she did, and although she wanted to turn back, she saw the sense in sending for Fiona before anyone else.
There was nothing that any of them could do for Marion, not with a wound like that.
And had the healer not saved Callum when all had seemed lost in the past?
Her better judgment told her to keep pressing forward and trust that Callum knew best. Had he not saved her on more than one occasion? First, from whoever would have likely killed her on the road, and then from the assassin.
She hurried along behind him, moving through the halls without so much as a soul in sight.
They reached the towers in no time at all and took steps two at a time. Her lungs were burning by the time they reached the tower of ravens, where the messages were sent. A strong smell of birds and fresh hay filled her senses as soon as they opened the doors.
“Write a note to Fiona!” Callum commanded before leaving her hand and heading toward the ravens perched on the other side of the room.
The birds all seemed uneasy, squawking and pacing back and forth, eyeing them both with suspicion as they bobbed their heads. The sounds of battle carried up even to the highest tower, making the birds uneasy on their perches.
Outside the castle walls, the battle raged on with men shouting and women screaming. The sounds alone struck fear into her heart as Eleanor quickly raced toward the simple desk. Her hands shook as she used a sharpened piece of coal to hurriedly scribble a note.
Castle under attack. Marion wounded. Come at once.
Her heart skittered again when Callum came toward her with a raven on his arm.
The large black bird sat obediently as Eleanor attached the note to its leg. They walked over to the window, allowing the bird to take flight, yet it was the scene in the distance that made them both freeze, drawing their attention to the horizon.
Men were fighting in the castle grounds, but beyond them, and beyond the walls, marched troops of men in shining armor, their hoods held low. Their movements were skilled and tight, far too practiced for normal highland raiders.
“This isnae a normal invasion, Callum,” she managed to gasp the words when she remembered to breathe.
“Aye, this is a skilled military attack. It has been planned for months…” his words trailed off when the sound of clinking armor seemed to rattle the horizon.
“Come, we must go,” he sounded far too calm for a man facing an army that seemed like it outnumbered his men two to one.
An attack of that magnitude could only have gone unnoticed if members of his clan had been bought off to hold their tongues.
She allowed herself to be guided again, never stopping as they took the winding steps two at a time. They reached the bottom of the stairs again in no time at all and headed back toward the castle foyer.
Marion still lay where she had been, undisturbed and deathly still. The pool of blood had not seemed to have gotten any bigger, yet the fact that Marion was still not stirring did not bode well for Eleanor at all.
Please live.
Eleanor whispered a silent prayer as she quickly followed behind Callum. There was no need to linger here anymore, not when she understood the severity of what was happening in the castle and beyond the walls.
Callum flew across the foyer, waiting only until he reached the doors that would lead them to the outside world.
They reached the castle doors at the same time, and Eleanor took a deep breath, preparing herself for what lay beyond the safety of the oak doors.
Bran suddenly appeared at their sides, his eyes flicking from Eleanor to Callum as if he knew that protecting her was his main goal. The way he was stalking, along with the hairs standing up on the back of his neck, let Eleanor know that he was ready for battle, far more ready than she felt.
If things had been different, she would have stayed in her chambers, yet the thought of leaving Callum’s side had struck fear in her heart.
The dog nudged her side with his nose, meeting her gaze as if he could smell her fear.
Callum claimed me, but so has Bran.
A feeling of gratitude came over her. She had entered the castle as a stranger, yet she now had people who cared for her. A family of sorts that had kept her moving forward.
Using both hands, Callum gripped the bolt that held the door in place and lifted it to the side with a loud screech.
Who had stabbed Marion if the bolt on the door had been secured in place?
The sickening realisation made her stomach churn with disgust. Everything they had thought had been true. The person inside the castle would not stop until the toll had been paid in blood.
We are nae safe.
Her thoughts vanished in an instant when Callum pushed open the doors.
Eleanor had not been prepared for the carnage that met her gaze beyond the doors.
Steel clashed against steel as blood splattered the damp earth. Men fought against men while others lay bleeding in the mud. Her knees almost gave way, yet Callum urged her forward as he brandished his sword above his head and headed directly into the thick of battle.
The fierceness of his battle cry sent shivers down her spine as she quickly followed suit with Bran on her heels. Her boots squelched in the mud, making her mindful of how she stepped, no matter how fast they were moving.
I have to keep movin’.
Callum moved like a storm, his movements fiery, calculated, and precise as he cut a path through the throng of men. Two fell at his feet, forcing Eleanor to quickly step aside as they fought their way to the thicker of trees just inside the castle walls.
They moved in unison with each other, each anticipating the other’s thoughts as if they had practiced the skillful dance all of their lives. It was almost as if she had seen Callum fight before, as she moved when she had to and stayed when necessary.
Bran barked and snapped, biting any man who came in her direction.
He moved just as fiercely as his master, making sure that Eleanor was never beyond his reach.
They fought their way together, three of them anticipating the others’ moves as Eleanor kept a safe distance while trying not to lose sight of Callum or even Bran.
“Where have ye been?” Iain suddenly cried out as he fought his way to Callum’s side, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Eleanor and Bran just behind their laird.
He slashed his blade through the air, cutting down a man who came from the side.
He seemed unharmed save for a few splatters of blood and small cuts on his arms and face.
He doesnae ken what has happened to Marion.
Eleanor’s heart broke for the people she had come to care for, but she quickly stepped aside again, ensuring that she was not in the path of the blades as both men swung in defense.
Callum fought to his side, parrying a man away just as Eleanor and Bran caught up again.
“I will handle the battle out here. Ye take the women and children into the inner hall and bar the doors. There are too many distractions goin’ on out here.
” His voice was strong and commanding, undeniable like the steel of his blade.
Callum wants him to assist Fiona with Marion.
A wave of gratitude washed over Eleanor.
Iain looked as if he were about to protest, but his words were cut short when several men ran toward them, their battle cries piercing the air with chilling ferocity.
Eleanor quickly stepped back, keeping her eyes on the battle while Bran took down the nearest man to her, jumping on him while biting his arm until the swords clattered to the ground.
The man cried out in pain and attempted to fight the dog off, but Callum was faster and slashed with his blade just as the dog jumped back. The two were like an unstoppable force of nature, moving together as one.
Eleanor was about to move with Callum again when her body suddenly froze.
“Eleanor!” a hoarse voice cut through the chaos of battle, unmistakable and sharp.
It cannae be…
Her breath came out in quick succession as she slowly turned her back on the battle. She had heard his voice; she was sure of it. It called to her and pulled her in like a wound being opened. It had been months since she had heard the voice, but it was unmistakably his.
“Eleanor!” It rang out clearer this time, filling her senses with an undeniable truth.
Andrew.
Tears stung the back of her eyes as she began to move toward the trees in the distance. Whoever had taken him knew very well that the thicket hid a hidden path that led to a clearing. Her mind told her that it was a trap, yet her heart moved her forward as if her legs possessed a life of their own.
She could not leave him, not after she had spent two weeks searching high and low for even a trace of his presence.
“Eleanor, where are ye goin’?” Callum called to her, but she kept her eyes on the line of trees and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.
I have to find him. That is why I was here.
She turned to Callum and mouthed the words, hoping that he would understand before she left the battle far behind, lifting her blood and mud-soaked hem from the ground as she ran. There was nothing and no one that could hold her back as she left the sounds of battle behind.