Cold fear swept through Deryn. “Who, Darla? What happened?”
Her eyes slid past him to where Madeleine was hurrying up behind. “MacKay warriors,” she gasped. “How they found us I havenae a clue but they came upon the children playing in the woods. They managed to run home but they followed and we couldnae stop them.” Tears began to leak down her cheeks. “They took him! They took Rory!”
Chapter 16
It seemed to Maddy that she was falling down a deep, dark hole. Those words echoed with her into the darkness.They took Rory.
Everything around her became muffled. She heard the voices of the others but could not make out words. She felt the wind and smelled the ground, but everything seemed distant, far away. She was sinking, sinking, sinking.
Rory. Oh Hell. Rory.
Before she knew it, she’d taken off running, desperation burning along every nerve, making her muscles move of their own volition. She heard footsteps behind then strong hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She found herself facing Deryn.
“Where are ye going?”
“He’s taken my son! Where do you think I’m going? I have to find him!” Her voice was shrill, on the edge of hysteria.
“I know,” Deryn said softly. His expression was desolate, and he scrubbed a hand across his face to master himself. “I know,” he said again, stronger this time. “But we will get him back, I promise ye.”
She didn’t have time for this. She had to reach her son. She turned, tried to pull away, but Deryn held her fast. “No! Not like this! We will get him back, I swear it, but ye have to listen to me!”
“How?” she cried, her voice cracking. “How can you promise that? How can you swear we’ll get him back?”
“Because we know where MacKay will be taking him,” Deryn replied, tightening his grip on her shoulders. “To Torryn Keep.”
Torryn Keep. Yes, of course. MacKay’s stronghold. That’s where they would take her son. So that’s where she needed to get to. Right now. She struggled in Deryn’s grip.
“Let me go!”
But he only tightened his hold. “Listen to me! Would ye go running over there and hand MacKay another hostage? How would that help Rory? Think, woman! We will only get one chance at this, so we have to do it right!”
His words penetrated the panic. She blinked, took a deep breath, calming herself a little. “You’re right.”
“Good,” Deryn said, releasing her. “We will go to Darla and Craig’s croft and formulate a plan from there. Agreed?”
She nodded tightly. “Then let’s go.”
