Chapter 5
This was a nightmare. An absolute cast-iron nightmare. Abi stared straight ahead, refusing to look at the hell-hounds galloping at their side, or the yawning drop to the ground, and most definitely not at the brute behind her.
How had she gotten into this mess? All she’d wanted to do was get a phone signal. That was what had led her into this...this...she had no words to describe the situation in which she found herself. It was beyond insane. It was utterly ridiculous.
Surely even the most die-hard re-enactor would break character when faced with someone like Abi who was clearly lost?
Whoever these men were, they’d kidnapped Abi, and with each step they took deeper into the forest her apprehension grew. Although, she realized, she was not as scared as she ought to be. Reid Campbell had promised she would be safe and for some unaccountable reason, she found herself believing him.
There had been fury in his eyes when he warned his men not to touch her. His men had seen it too and they didn’t doubt that he’d act on that warning. For some reason, Abi didn’t doubt it either. There was something about Reid Campbell...
Don’t be an idiot!she told herself.He’s a brute. A thug. And he’s taken you captive!
Nevertheless, she found herself being all too aware of the man seated behind her as they rode. His bare arms, which trapped her between them as they held the reins, were thickly muscled and if the hardness of his chest was any indication, the rest of him was too.
Ah, damn, damn, damn. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get free before she sank any further into this lunacy. At least she still had her cell phone on her. Reid Campbell might be a brute, but he hadn’t bothered to take it from her and had hopefully forgotten she had it. It was tucked into the inside pocket of her jacket. She could feel its reassuring weight against her chest every time the horse took a step.
The moment—the veryinstantshe got the chance—she was dialing 999 for the police and getting this whole lot of madmen arrested. Seriously, what did they think they were doing? You just couldn’t go riding around the Scottish countryside staging mock-battles and dragging innocent travelers into your games! And if this was some extreme kind of works team-building event, then she’d be having serious words with the CEO of whatever company they worked for!
The woods got gradually thicker as they rode. The willows and alder gave way to towering oak and ash, their crowns soaring high over Abi’s head. She kept her eyes peeled for any signs of normality and anyone she might ask for help: hikers, campers, farmers—anyone who might help her escape the lunatics she’d fallen in with. But they saw not another soul. The woods were empty of people although they teemed with wildlife: deer bounding away when they scented the dogs, birds flitting through the trees, rabbits dashing into the undergrowth. But no people. No footpaths, no roads, and no way for Abi to escape.
Then without warning, a voice suddenly called out, “Stop right where ye are! We’ve got arrows trained on ye and ye’ll be pricked like pincushions if ye take another step further.”
Reid drew the horse to a stop and the column of men stopped behind him. The hounds seated themselves on their haunches, whining.
The saddle creaked as Reid shifted his weight behind her. “Alan Murray,” he yelled. “Do my ears deceive me or are ye actually doing the job I pay ye for?”
There was a rustling noise and several men materialized from the undergrowth. They were dressed in greens and browns, melding seamlessly with the forest. Abi wouldn’t have had a clue they were there if they hadn’t revealed themselves.
One of the men, obviously the leader, approached them with a grin on his face. “Welcome home, captain,” he said. His eyes flicked to Abi but he didn’t comment. “Although I’m afraid I canna let ye pass without paying the toll. Three bottles of scotch should do it.”
“Is that all?” Reid said, and Abi thought she detected humor in his voice. “Ye are going soft in yer old age, Alan. Ye’ll get yer ration of whisky the same as every other man and no more.”
The man, Alan, spread his hands. “Ye canna blame a man for trying.” He stepped aside with a flourish. “Dun Treve awaits, my lord.”
Reid nodded and nudged the horse forward once more, winding through trees that were thinning until finally they ended all together and Abi found herself looking down into a broad river valley. The river that wound its way along the bottom was wide and sluggish, and she saw boats dotted on its surface. A second, smaller river joined it from the hills in the distance and where the two rivers met sat a castle. Another castle! Abi was getting heartily sick of the sight of them. What she wouldn’t give for her plain old little hotel right now!
This castle appeared in better condition than the first. Its walls were high and smooth with those square things like teeth along the top. What were they called? Battlements? The damn thing even had a moat with a drawbridge across it and she spotted flags and pennants atop the towers, snapping in the breeze.
Soon,she promised herself.Soon I’ll get the chance to use my phone and call the police.This would all be sorted out by nightfall. She’d be in Tarness, happily ensconced in her hotel room, having had a decent meal and a hot bath, ready to set out looking for Layla in the morning.
Oh, she wanted that so badly it almost took her breath away.
They rode down a gentle slope and then turned to ride along a broad path that followed the river bank. On the river she spotted men in small fishing boats throwing nets over the side. But these weren’t your usual fishing boats with steel hulls and a motor, these were wooden things without mast or motor and the men in them were dressed in plain brown clothing that looked all the world like it had been made out of old flour sacks.
What’s wrong with these people?she thought.Are they all as crazy as Reid?
They rode steadily towards the castle then clattered over the drawbridge and into a large, cobbled courtyard. Here the walls were so high that Abi had to crane her head to see the top and the guards patrolling the battlements carried large spears as tall as they were. She swallowed and forced down her unease.
Reid pulled up his mount and a group of young lads came running to take the horses. Reid swung his leg over the saddle and dropped easily to the ground then held up his hand, looking up at her expectantly.
Abi blinked. Did he expect her to do the same? She’d never been on a horse in her life before this. She was a city girl through and through and had no idea how to get off this damned beast.
Oh, hell.
Keeping a tight hold of the saddle horn, she swung her leg over the horse’s back as Reid had done. But her momentum was more than she’d expected and she found herself suddenly sliding towards the ground. She gasped but Reid’s hands went around her upper arms as her feet hit the ground and he steadied her, setting her back on her feet.
“Are ye all right, lass?”
