Lachlann opened his arms to her and she came to him without hesitation. Tight against him, she trembled. He held her close and rubbed her back, watching the man for any sign of life. “I dinna know. I took Finn to the water to play. I dinna mean to leave ye unprotected.”
The attack must have just happened, and that was galling. A moment sooner, and he’d have been able to protect her. And he had no doubt it had been an attack. One with their chieftain’s blessing.
She stiffened against him and pulled away. “Is he dead?”
Lachlann went to the body and squatted beside the man. He searched the body, ignoring the puddle of blood growing steadily beneath it. No breath. Uradech’s eyes stared out. Lifeless. He eased them closed and offered a prayer for the soul of the miserable man, asking forgiveness even as he thought the unkind words, though he knew in his heart they were true.
The injury, and the source of the blood, were easily located. His side, sticky even now, had been pierced through with a shard of wood as big as a man’s arm. Lachlann noticed the stool for the first time, poking out from beneath the large man. It was surprisingly easy to piece together what had happened, but his experience with the group told him how the man’s sister would react. That it had involved Ethne would make it so much worse.
She had no color. Her fear was undeniable, just like the fear of the quaking little boy who came to stand beside him as soon as Lachlann stood. The rhythmic sucking of his thumb was the only sound. This was too much.
Lachlann hefted the lad up into his arms and crossed to Ethne. She held Lachlann’s gaze, her eyes a depth of confusion and terror. Panic. When the boy reached out to her, she finally saw him, and her expression softened. She accepted the bundle without hesitation.
“Finn,” she said, her face crumbling into tears.
The boy ducked his face into the crook of her neck, crying as well.
Lachlann had an unexpected tightening in his throat. He wrapped one arm around Ethne, who trembled against him, and rubbed Finn’s back with large strokes intended to comfort.
“Do not be afraid.” He said the words in a gentle voice, but her eyes had glazed over. “I will see to this.”
Guiding her to the entrance, he blocked her view of Uradech. Getting her safely outside and away from this scene took priority right now.
Smelling of horses and covered with dust, Aldred filled the entrance. Lachlann’s relief at the unexpected arrival of his friend was quickly overshadowed by the events. His jaw tightened. It looked bad. Itwasbad. When Aldred took in the scene, his expression quickly changed from confusion to anger.
“What…?” Aldred asked, including all of them, but when his piercing gaze settled on Lachlann, no words were required. He shook his head in answer to the unspoken accusation. It was not his doing. Aldred’s deep sigh filled the small space, his shoulders rounding in relief.
“I realized the sly fox had sauntered off.” Hands on his hips, Aldred indicated Uradech with a tip of his chin. “When I asked Aidan about it, he only smiled, and then I knew where he’d gone. If I’d been able to catch up with him, this—whatever this is—might have been avoided.”
That didn’t surprise Lachlann and his hands fisted. Aidan might be considered their holy man, but it never occurred to him to protect Ethne.
“It couldn’t have been avoided.” Lachlann spat out the words in his fury. “He was bent on this.”
Finn trembled and Lachlann immediately regretted his outburst. He blew out a hefty breath, but it was useless. His greatest desire was to find Aidan and take a fist to the man.
“Can ye see to them? Mayhap get them some water from the spring?”
The blond gave a stiff nod of his head. His reluctance to abandon Lachlann to handle all this on his own was there in his taut mouth and the way he glanced over his shoulder more than once as he led Finn and Ethne into the night air.
Alone in the cave, Lachlann questioned what he needed to do next. The man was dead. The church believed seeing the man buried in hallowed ground was of the utmost importance, but Lachlann was having a hard time sorting out the purpose for such insistence, especially when he was fairly certain Uradech did not agree with those teachings. Nothing could be done for the dead, but the living he could still help. Ethne deserved to be seen to first.
He grabbed the woolen blanket then joined the others. They sat in the clearing amid the high grass and under an open sky. A crisp night with only a few clouds and a smattering of stars just starting to twinkle.
With a gentle touch, he wrapped the material around Ethne’s shoulders, being sure to include Finn, who had nestled close to her, nose to nose with the resting babe. Her appreciative glance lightened the heavy weight on Lachlann’s shoulders, and he smiled back. He cleared his throat and went to stand beside Aldred, who squatted quite a distance from them, his expression one of intense concentration.
“Did she say anything to ye?” Lachlann kept his voice too low to carry to her.
“Finnsaidthe two of ye went off to play and came back to the dead man.” Aldred didn’t hide his disgust. “Is that what happened?”
“Uradech came while we were gone. Aidan had sent him back to do his husbandly duty.” Lachlann ground his teeth in disgust, his nostrils flaring before he continued. “Willing or not.”
Aldred scowled before turning his face away again.
“I need ye to go to the others,” Lachlann said. “Tell them there has been an accident. Daylight will be soon enough for them to return safely.”
Aldred showed no sign of having heard him, no indication he would do as asked. He just…squatted there.
It was difficult to think clearly. All Lachlann knew was that Ethne needed someone to look out for her, someone she could trust. “I will remain here with the three of them. See to them.”
