“He is not!”Stewart roared and struck her again.Her lip was swelling as was one eye.Agnes was glad at the limited extent of her own injuries.The infidel did not cede, though, but spat at Stewart in disdain.He grasped the whore’s hair again and forced her to her feet.“I might have need of a whore, but let us see how well you please me first.Give it to me.”
“It is not here,” she said, her manner still defiant.
“Then take me to it!”He flung her ahead of himself with such force that she barely kept her footing, then turned back to Agnes.“Do not imagine that you will remain behind to tell another of this.Mount your horse.The whore will ride with me, the better to ensure that she remembers where she had left the prize.”His eyes narrowed to slits.“You will follow and do as I say, or I will hunt you down, Agnes.You will regret your choice, but not for long.”
Agnes swallowed and nodded, for Stewart frightened her mightily.She would not have been the infidel for any price in this moment, but she also had the wits to ensure she did not draw his wrath.
It was only a matter of time before he had his fill of the whore.Agnes would not be next.
Indeed, her scheme to become Stewart’s wife showed a decided flaw now that she had witnessed his truth.
What she had to do this day was survive.
Enguerrand remained hiddenin the forest until the sound of Stewart’s departure had faded.He did not like leaving the defense of the keep in the old laird’s care, but his primary obligation was to the Temple and thus to its treasures.
He no longer could guess whether Leila truly knew the location of the reliquary, but he was charged to defend it.He would follow, at a distance, and intervene to possess it, if possible.
He would also leave a trail that Yvan and Fergus would know how to follow.
And if Stewart strove to kill the lady Leila, Enguerrand would intervene to ensure the secret of the reliquary’s location was not lost forever.
Their horses were gone.
Fergus swore with a savagery that clearly astonished his fellows, but he did not care for their opinion.They had kicked out the back of the chapel after starting the fire, and their sudden appearance had startled those few who remained.Several villagers were trying to put out the fire at the chapel, but Fergus did not care if all of Dunnisbrae burned.There was not a steed in Dunnisbrae’s village.Indeed, there was not a man in the village or the keep.Stewart had assembled an army of peasants and laborers, but if they were sufficiently intent upon their prize, Fergus knew they might win.
Killairic, after all, was thinly defended in his absence.
The few women remaining there retreated into their huts with haste.Fergus seized the sleeve of one woman who was evidently terrified of his intent.
“What of the horses?”he demanded.“Did the laird take them all?”
She nodded and he released her with a curse, then strode to the gates.The sole sign of Stewart’s raiding party was a cloud of dust in the distance.
“We shall never reach Killairic in time to be of aid to anyone,” Yvan said grimly from beside him.
Clearly, this had been Stewart’s plan.
In frustration, Fergus whistled for Tempest.
“Silence,” Hamish said, despondent beside him.
Fergus heaved a sigh and began to walk.His long strides took him ahead of the others and the miller’s son trailed behind them all.He whistled again, with less expectation of success.
He straightened when there was an answering nicker.
To Fergus’ astonishment, Tempest cantered into view, his reins trailing and his step high.The stallion was agitated and fighting the bit, but he came to Fergus.
“I wager he threw whoever was fool enough to try to ride him,” Hamish said, his tone much brighter.
“I wager he did,” Fergus said.It took him a few moments to settle the stallion sufficiently that he could swing into the saddle, and by then, Yvan’s stallion had appeared as well.That horse was just as skittish and had the bleeding mark of a lash upon his rump.Yvan’s lips thinned and Fergus guessed that if he ever knew who had struck his horse with such savage fury, he might well return the favor.
The palfreys did not appear and Fergus could only conclude that they had been taken by Stewart’s party.He was torn between defending the others and riding to Leila’s aid, but Murdoch scoffed at him.“Go, lad!”he cried.“We can walk back in time to hear of your triumph.”
“They can defend themselves better than your lady wife,” Yvan muttered, and Fergus was not so certain the Templar was right.
“Leila is more resourceful than you believe,” he said, but gave Tempest his heels and raced toward Killairic.
If Leila had been harmed, he would ensure that Stewart rued this day forevermore.
