Suddenly, Snaffles halted. His black nose twitched in the air, his body tense. Izzy’s heartbeat ramped up a notch as she knelt next to him, putting her hand on his soft fur in an attempt to calm him. She looked back at Emeric and the others, signaling for them to stop.
“Snaffles,” she murmured under her breath, stroking the dog’s head. “What is it? Can you smell something?”
The dog whined softly, his eyes darting around restlessly. Had he lost the trail? The ground had been turning gradually rockier and now, just ahead, the sparse covering of grass ended all together and gave way to bare rock, with only a few clumps of moss giving any color to the monochrome gray.
“What is it?” Emeric asked, coming to kneel next to her. His eyes scanned the landscape, his expression alert and wary.
“I think he’s lost the trail,” Izzy replied. “It’s next to impossible to track over bare rock.”
Emeric swore under his breath. “Then it seems our prey has eluded us. They could be anywhere in this maze.”
Izzy’s stomach knotted with despair. She bit her lip to keep tears of frustration from leaking from her eyes. No. She would not give up.
She rose to her feet and looked around. There had to be a way to find them. How many times had she been hiking in the Dragon’s Back? Sheknewthis place. True, she’d always relied on way markers and a map, but this time she would have to rely on her skills and knowledge. She could do this. If it meant saving Magnus, she could do anything.
Taking a deep breath, she scanned the landscape, looking for anything that looked familiar. Her eyes roved over the contours of the rocks and gullies, of the ridges and valleys. Then she closed her eyes and called up everything she could remember of the routes she’d walked in the Dragon’s Back, overlaying what she’d seen today with the mental map she remembered.
She saw a route she’d taken many times winding between the craggy rocks, her mind tracing the path of dried streams, patches of green moss, and the peculiar rock formations that looked like dragon scales. She envisioned the valleys filled with heather purple as twilight, and caves echoing secrets of ancient times. Her breath hitched as she remembered the treacherous cliff that dropped into a ravine, a deep and hidden cleft in the wild landscape.
Yes! That was it! The ravine was only a few miles from here. It would be an excellent hiding place. It was secluded, hard to find unless you knew exactly where to look. If Magnus’s captors wanted to keep him hidden, that’s where they would go.
Her eyes flew open and she turned to Emeric, her heart flaring with adrenaline and hope. “I know where they’re going.”
Emeric studied her for a moment before nodding curtly. He didn’t question her judgment or her familiarity with the terrain. He simply pointed to a couple of his men, issuing swift but quiet orders in Gaelic. Izzy couldn’t understand the language, but she could see the immediate response in the men’s stance and determination as they prepared to follow her lead.
She took off at a brisk pace, Snaffles at her heels. She led them onwards, on a trail only she could see, through a series of narrow gaps between towering rocks until, finally, they stood at the edge of a steep descent where the ground fell away into a shadowy ravine.
“Isabelle,” Emeric whispered, coming up next to her. “If Magnus is down there...”
His voice trailed into silence. Izzy nodded. If Magnus was down there, it was going to be difficult to get him out.
Izzy peered down into the shadows, her eyes straining to make out any signs of life. The ravine was deep and narrow, the edges lined with jagged rocks that made it treacherous to climb down. The bottom was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see what lay beneath.
Emeric frowned, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. He spoke softly to two of his men, his voice barely carrying over the wind that whistled through the rocky defile. The men nodded, unslung all their gear except for daggers strapped to their side, and disappeared over the edge of the ravine.
The band waited for what felt an age, each second seeming to last a lifetime as Izzy buried her face in Snaffles’ fur, trying to take comfort in his great strength. But at last, Emeric’s men returned.
“Two guards at the bottom of the trail,” one of them reported. “We took them out and hid the bodies. There’s a small camp in the middle of the ravine that looks like a guard post. Perhaps half of McRae’s men are there, along with Magnus. There’s no sign of McRae himself but the ravine curls around at that point and we couldn’t see around the corner. I’m guessing McRae is camped beyond with the rest of his men.”
Emeric nodded. He and his men gathered behind Izzy. “Ye know this ravine better than any of us, lass. Ye go first but I’ll be right behind ye.”
Izzy swallowed thickly and nodded.
With Emeric and his band of warriors behind, she led the way down into the ravine. The descent was treacherous with loose rocks and steep drops, but Izzy moved with surefooted determination, her eyes focused on the trail.
The air grew colder as they descended, the sun’s warmth barely reaching the bottom of the ravine. The path was lined with sharp rocks and the occasional thorny bush, making it difficult to move quickly.
As they neared the bottom, she could see the smoky tendrils of the campfire Emeric’s men had reported. With a wave of her hand, she signaled for Emeric and his men to stop. They crouched behind a cluster of boulders, their breaths shallow and quiet in the still air.
Part of her could not believe she was doing this. It was beyond insanity. Here she was, leading a band of ruthless Highland warriors to attack another band of ruthless Highland warriors. What had happened to risk-averse, safety-loving Izzy? She would never have believed she was capable of such things. Until she met Magnus. For him, she would do anything.
Through a gap in the rocks, Izzy spied on the camp. A large group of men huddled around the fire, eating and drinking, their laughter echoing off the walls of the ravine. McRae’s outlaws. And there, tied to a thick tree trunk on the edge of the camp, was Magnus.
Izzy grabbed Snaffles’ collar and gave him a quick command to stay quiet so that he didn’t go rushing in there, barking like a lunatic at seeing Magnus, and giving them all away. For a wonder, he did as he was told, as if he too understood the nature of the situation.
“Stay here and keep out of sight,” Emeric whispered close to Izzy’s ear. “We’ll handle things from here.”
“But—”
