“Then we come back up here. The sooner we try, the easier it’ll be to sneak back up here if we canna leave. We must do it before anyone can check on us.” Thor gathered the folded plaid, but Greer thought better of it and took it. She quickly refolded it into an arisaid. She could hide the items within the billowing lengths of the shawl since there was far more material than she needed for her height and size.
“Nay one will ask why I’m wearing one, but they may ask why ye carry a spare plaid.” Greer’s explanation made sense to Thor, so he moved to the door. He put his ear to it, but only silence met him. He lifted the bar soundlessly and eased the lock open. He waited again, but no noise came from the passageway. The door opened without a creak, but Thor paused after every inch. He peered down the passageway toward the main stairs, but there was no one there. He looked in the opposite direction, and the passageway was still empty.
They crept to the back stairway and descended. Both prayed no servants crossed their path, and they only breathed easier once they stepped outside. The stars shone brilliantly that night, and they cursed them. An overcast night would have made their flight far easier. Thor’s eyes swept the bailey, noticing the knights and foot soldiers milling about the enclosed area. Walking through the front or postern gates were impossibilities. Their options appeared so slim that he considered having them return to their chamber.
Greer pointed across the bailey. “Canna we hide in a storeroom? Some of them have dugouts as cellars, but ye ken women and children hide in them during raids. Rose is smart enough to guess that might be where we’d hide. She would never let them search any.”
“We dinna have a way to cover the hatches, so if they insist upon searching the storage buildings, they’ll see the rings on the ground. They’ll use them to lift the door before anyone can stop them.”
“We need to have faith that Blaine or Rose would be certain to stand on top, so the English wouldnae see them. Do we have any other choice?”
“Nay. We hide down there for the night, then we try to make our way out at dawn. There’s a market tomorrow two villages over. It isnae in the right direction, but there are bound to be wagons and carts with sacks of grain, hay, and animals. Mayhap we can hide on one until we can get away.”
“Arenae those two of yer men?”
“Aye.” Thor released an owl’s hoot. Both men drifted toward them, neither acknowledging what they heard. But they’d recognized Thor’s call and came to investigate. “What’s happening?”
Alasdair, a black-haired man a couple years older than Thor, opened the garden gate. He and David, his younger brother, entered as though they didn’t hear Thor’s question. The group of four moved in the far depths of the garden where no one could hear or see them. Alasdair glanced over his shoulder before answering.
“The priest and the Sassenach argued until Father Bennett threatened to have them all imprisoned and carried off to see his brother, the bishop, which made the bastard bluster and screech like a rooster. Blaine’s guards still outnumber our unwanted visitors, so they settled quickly when the Keiths stepped forward, a dirk in both of each mon’s hands. The bluidy turd insists Lady Rose and Blaine offer them chambers for the night. It’s obvious they wish to poke around once everyone retires. They’re daft to think they can shut even one eye if they remain inside the keep.”
“What has Blaine said?”
David grinned. “He suggested they make their beds in the dungeon and refused to entertain the idea of them as guests. Sir Richard what’s-his-face warned Blaine that he had to agree since the piece of shite represents the king. Everyone laughed. Even men who arenae warriors drew dirks at that threat. The English were still tossing worthless threats when we stepped out.”
“Why’d ye come out here?” Greer asked. “Are ye headed to the barracks? Is that where the other Sinclairs are?”
“Nay, ma lady,” David answered. “We all ken Thor. We figured he’d be in the gardens or a storage building by now if he wasna with ye in a storeroom within the keep. We kenned he wouldnae remain with ye in yer chamber. Harris and Keenan slipped away to look inside while we came out here.”
“If Lady Greer and I can hide in the cellar of one of the storage buildings, then we can try to escape in the morning.” Thor looked in the front gate’s direction. “We canna cross the bailey with so many knights standing aboot.”
David looked in the same direction. “We can distract them and get them to face away while ye sprint across. Ye’ll need someone to cover the hatches in case any of them get a hair up their arse to search. Henry is on watch tonight. He can come to let ye out just before dawn.”
“Give us three minutes,” Alasdair offered. The two warriors slipped out of the shadows and hurried toward the garden gate. Thor and Greer followed at a far slower pace. They remained in the dark and watched. They couldn’t hear what the Sinclair men said, but it was clearly antagonistic to the English. The Sinclair warriors shifted, so the knights had to turn their backs to most of the bailey to keep their eyes on the Highlanders.
Thor grasped Greer’s hand and bolted. She’d already gathered her skirts well above her ankles. While anyone could tell there were two people running, no one could tell it was Greer since Thor’s bulky frame completely hid her in profile. Greer tugged his hand and steered him toward a building where she knew there was a dugout. He hurried to slide barrels out of the way, and she lifted the trapdoor. Thor jumped down, then raised his hands to help lower Greer. She hadn’t realized how deep the dugout was until she waited for her feet to touch the dirt floor. It also made her appreciate Thor’s unusual height. She’d grabbed the inside ring and pulled the door shut as Thor pulled her down. They held their breath when they heard people moving inside the building.
“Thor, we’re covering ye now. Henry will fetch ye in the morning. Are ye all right there for the night?”
“Aye.” Thor prayed Greer wouldn’t freeze. They would have to huddle and make do. It was the best he could offer.
CHAPTER16
Thor kneeled and felt around in the dark, barely having had a chance to see what surrounded them in the darkened space. He led Greer as they inched away from the trap door, his hand outstretched to prevent himself from slamming into any of the sacks of grain stored in the cool crawl space. There was enough room that Greer might have navigated the area while crouching, but it wasn’t nearly deep enough for either of them to stand. Thor didn’t wish to bang his head into anything, so he opted to inch forward on his hands and knees. When they reached the far wall, Thor pushed aside a bag of what he guessed was seed.
“Come here,mo ghaol.” Thor guided Greer to sit on his lap. Once she was situated, he pulled her arisaid’s extra lengths of wool over her head and around her shoulders. He unpinned the extra plaid on hisbreacan feileand draped that around both of them.
“Ye shall suffocate me. Between the wool, the clothes I have stuffed against ma back, and yer body heat, it’s like stepping into a bluidy fire.” Greer nestled closer despite her complaints. Waves of exhaustion crashed over her, so she shut her eyes and tried to relax.
“How do ye feel?”
“Better than before, but I’m tired.”
“I ken. Sleep. Ye need it. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow likely willna be any better.”
“Ye willna sleep will ye?”
“Nay.”
