“Then you should be prepared to lose several of your men. Are they ready to die, I wonder?”
Donal laughed, his hand resting upon a spear shaft. “Areyouready to die, Patrick MacEgan?”
“What do you want?” Patrick asked. “Isabel is of no use to you.”
Donal shrugged. “Perhaps when you are dead, I’ll wed her myself. If your alliance was good enough for the Baron of Thornwyck, so should mine be.”
Patrick did not reveal the rage boiling inside him. “I want to see her. Is she alive and unharmed?”
“She is alive. As for unharmed . . .” He shrugged, a smirk crossing his face.
It took control Patrick didn’t know he possessed to hold his position. The idea of men beating Isabel, or worse, forcing themselves upon her, made him grip the hilt so hard, his knuckles whitened.
“I challenge you for the right to her.”
Donal’s smile never faded. “I have no need to meet you in a challenge. As soon as you cross the gates, my men will kill you.”
Patrick nudged Bel forward in answer. “Then it will be war between our people. We’ll kill every last one of you, and the blood of your clan will stain your hands.”
Donal pointed behind Patrick. “I have my doubts of that.” A rumbling noise sounded, and Patrick turned to see a small group of men surrounding the forest entrance where his brothers were hidden.
He froze, not knowing if his brothers were in danger or not.
“Order your men back to Laochre, MacEgan,” Donal commanded, “and I’ll let them live.”
Patrick drew his horses closer. “I’ve another bargain in mind. It concerns your sons.”
Isabeltriedtobreakfree of the leather bindings but could not. The men’s attention was focused outside the ringfort upon her husband.
She couldn’t see Patrick from her vantage point. Why had he come? With the invasion, he could not leave their people. They needed his leadership.
Dust coated her cheeks, and her eyes stung. He shouldn’t be here. They would kill him as soon as he entered the ringfort. She had overheard their plans of claiming Laochre for themselves.
“Get up,” one of the men commanded. He reached down and grabbed her arm, jerking her to her feet. Isabel stumbled, her arm burning with pain. The Irishman forced her inside one of the huts, down a narrow ladder leading to an underground storage chamber. He lifted the ladder away, imprisoning her in the small space. A moment later, she heard him draw the door closed, sealing off any light.
The stale air terrified her, along with the suffocating darkness. She could not see her fingers outstretched in front of her face, and her heart raced with trepidation.
Not knowing what they had done to Patrick was the most terrifying of all. Her cheeks grew wet, and oh blessed saints, she blamed herself. He should never have left his tribe, not for her.
But he had. He had risked everything to bring her home, but she understood it was futile. Selfishly, she wanted to see him one last time. She wanted to rest in his embrace and feel his arms around her.
Her heart feared the worst, that they had already killed him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Overthenextfewhours, Isabel explored the tiny space, feeling her way around the walls. There was no other way out, save the ladder. And the distance to the top of her underground prison was well out of her reach without it.
She sank down against the wall, discouraged. Then a noise caught her attention. Men were shouting, and she heard the sounds of fighting. She pressed her hands to the cool earthen walls, wishing she knew what was happening. Seconds later, light shone down the chamber, momentarily blinding her. A figure dropped down into the pit, before all light was extinguished again. Isabel heard a groan, and she held herself against the wall, hardly daring to breathe.
“Bastards,” the man cursed, and she recognized his voice.
“Patrick?” she whispered, moving toward him. “Is that you?”
“Isabel?”
She exhaled with relief when he crushed her to him. “Are you hurt?” she asked. She touched his face and shoulders, so thankful he was alive.
“Only a few nicks. Ó Phelan tried to do worse, but he failed.” His hand moved up her nape, stroking the hair. “What about you?”
