In a show of surrender, he put up his hands.
“Very well,” he said, trying to stall for time. “I can see that you mean what you say. What do you want from me?”
Argyle was still agitated. “Get out of our way.”
Kieran shook his head. “Think, man,” he said. “How do you intend to leave? On foot? Dragging an injured woman? Or are you planning on riding out of here? If so, where are your horses? How will you take Annie with you if she cannot ride?”
Argyle frowned, looking at Brendan for the first time as if his brother might have the answer. “I want horses,” Argyle said, returning his attention to Kieran. “Give me your horse.”
Again, Kieran shook his head. “Not mine,” he said. “He responds only to me. He would be useless to you. If you let me enter the stables, I’ll find you horses that you can ride.”
Argyle’s face darkened. “Nay,” he said. “Dunna come any closer.”
Kieran grunted in exasperation. “So we are to stand here all night?” he said. Then he waved his hands at Argyle in a sweeping motion. “Back away so I can come in.”
Argyle was torn. He didn’t want Kieran any closer, but he needed the horses. He had to get out of there. They could slide past Kieran, but they couldn’t slide past the entire de Wolfe army and that’s what was coming if they didn’t move quickly.
They had to get out of there.
“Pick her up,” he hissed to his brother. “Pick her up and back away.”
Brendan awkwardly picked Annaleigh up, her wounded head dangling over his left arm. Argyle began to back up with him, keeping the distance between him and Kieran.
“Come in and get us two horses,” he said. “Brendan and I are going through the postern gate. We’ll meet ye around the side. Bring the horses and if ye bring any men with ye, we’ll throw Annie down the side of the mountain that Castle Questing is perched upon.”
Kieran took a few slow steps towards the stables’ entry. “And what do you think will happen to you if you do that?”
“We’ll run off. We’ll take our chances.”
“I’ll have a thousand men looking for you. You cannot escape.”
“Mayhap not, but Annie will still be dead. Are ye going tae take that chance?”
Kieran never had a chance to answer. The next thing he realized, Argyle’s head was flying off his shoulders and blood was spraying everywhere. He saw the flash of a blade and heard Brendan scream.
Help had arrived.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
He wasn’t quitesure how he was going to tell Annaleigh what had happened.
He’d been trying to figure it out ever since leaving de Wolfe’s solar. All he could see was the hope in her eyes when he had asked permission to court her. Now, all he could see was the disappointment knowing that he hadn’t secured William’s blessing.
He was a failure.
That wasn’t something he normally experienced. Ever since he’d been a small boy, success and victory had come easily to him. There had been a few setbacks, of course, but nothing catastrophic. He’d always been able to recover.
But this time, it was different.
Not only had he not received permission to court Annaleigh, but the entire situation with de Wolfe had spiraled out of control.
What do you expect to gain?
Those words from de Wolfe were rolling around in his head. He’d been so deeply offended by them that the conversation had immediately turned sour. De Wolfe had tolerated his anger untilhe became insulting and, then, the man had come back at him. Truth be told, War knew he deserved it, but he had been quite wounded by William’s intimation that he expected to “gain” something.
Truthfully, War didn’t know what he wanted.
Up until a few days ago, he’d only had one father. He’d been content. Now, he’d lost the only father he’d ever known and de Wolfe didn’t seem too keen to having another son. It wasn’t as if War expected him to fall at his feet, weeping with joy and gratitude. Or… maybe he had, just a little. Maybe he’d hoped for an embrace and a warm reception with de Wolfe declaring how proud he was that War was his son.
