“Be ready to run.”
“Five of them; six of us. No running.”
Glancing behind him, Artan saw the others crouched there, their swords at the ready. “It must be done quietly.”
Although he regretted the killing, Artan had to admire how swiftly and quietly his men had done their gruesome work. However, the girls screamed like banshees. It did not surprise Artan to hear more men running their way. For just a moment, he thought they would escape, but their lead on their pursuers was lost when one of the girls stumbled and fell. The cries escaping her before Ian the Fair told her rather bluntly and crudely to be quiet led their pursuers right to them.
Seeing how many men were running toward them, Artan knew he and his men had no chance of escaping unless the pursuit was delayed. Even a few minutes’ delay would be enough. With a sharp jerk of his head, he silently ordered his men to grab the girls and keep running, pleased by how quickly they obeyed him. Unsheathing his broadsword, Artan faced his enemies. There were at least two dozen of them, and Artan decided that Sir Fergus might finally have discovered how many of his men were needed to bring down Sir Artan Murray.
With a roar, he charged them, swinging his broadsword wildly and causing a brief panic amongst the men. A few men actually stumbled to a halt, gaped at him, and then turned and fled. Artan held to the attack, his huge sword and furious fighting causing a few more men to back off. For one brief, glorious moment, Artan thought he might actually win or at the very least be able to escape. Then something slammed into the back of his head. He had the wild thought that he really should have told Cecily what he had planned to do; then he sank into blackness.
Chapter 16
“He did what?” Cecily stared at Angus and then at the five men standing behind her uncle. “He wentoutsidethe walls right into the camp of the enemy?” All six men nodded as they watched her warily. “I cannae believe it! If he gets out of this alive, I will kill him myself.”
She knew she was yelling if only because she could see that Angus could actually hear what she was saying over the piercing wails of the two girls Artan had sacrificed so much to save. She was just about to scream at the two girls to be quiet when there was the sound of an open hand striking flesh, twice, followed by a blessed silence. Cecily looked over her shoulder to see Crooked Cat standing watch over the girls.
“Thank ye,” she said to the woman.
“My pleasure. They were making my head ache.”
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Cecily turned back to face Angus and the other men. “He has been captured?” She could not even think of the other possibility, let alone speak of it.
The man Angus had called Ian the Fair nodded his bald head. “I held back to see what happened, kenning that the laird would want to hear it all. Sir Artan had them all shaking in their boots. I think he might have e’en beat them and made an escape, but ere I could act, some coward crept up behind him and hit him with verra big stick. Then the cry came up about the supply carts burning and they dragged Sir Artan away.”
Some of the fear inside of her eased just a little. “What do ye think they will do with him?”
“Try to make a trade,” replied Angus. “Ye for him.”
Although the mere thought of returning to Sir Fergus and Dunburn made her feel ill, Cecily nodded, “All right.”
“Wheesht, lass, dinnae stand there looking as if ye are about to be hanged. We willnae give ye to the fool.”
“If that is what they ask for to spare Artan’s life, then I shall pay the price.”
“Nay, Sir Chinless wants to marry ye to get whate’er wealth might be left after the hellish pair ye call your guardians have been spending it for so long. He cannae let your husband live. If he hasnae reasoned that out yet, he soon will. Nay, ye willactas if ye mean to pay the price.” He slung his arm around her shoulders and began to lead her out of the great hall. “I suspicion that fool will soon strut up to the wall to make his bargain. Ye will listen, mayhap plead and insult him a wee bit, and then ye will tell him that ye will accept it. The trade has to be Artan’s life for your return, nay just a retreat.” When she nodded, he continued, “That is all ye have to do. Just play along as if ye are going to do exactly as he says. Me and the lads will do the rest.”
“The rest being that ye will rescue Artan?”
“That is the plan. And, nay, I willnae tell ye what the plan is, only your part of it. Here is how ye will do it so that it will have the best chance of all going as we want it to.”
As they made their way to the top of the walls surrounding the keep, Angus told her what she had to do. She was to do all she could to keep Sir Fergus’s attention fixed solely on her, and that would give Angus and his men the time to get to Artan and free him. Angus made it all sound so easy, but Cecily knew there were all kinds of things that could go wrong. She pushed those thoughts aside and promised herself that she would believe wholeheartedly in her uncle and his skills. It was the only way she could cling to her sanity.
“Cecily Donaldson, I have your lover!”
For a moment Cecily almost swooned, but Angus’s grip on her arm kept her upright and gave her strength. She stepped nearer to the wall and looked down at Sir Fergus. His horse did not look so white now and his fine clothes were not so clean either. She suspected that annoyed him.
“’Tis Cecily Murray now, Sir Fergus,” she called back. “The mon is my husband nay my lover, so I am Lady Cecily Murray, wife to the future laird of Glascreag.”
“Aha, that has set Old MacIvor to thinking just as I had hoped it would,” murmured Angus.
“Why should that trouble him?” Cecily asked Angus.
“Old MacIvor is a cautious fellow. He is always aware that he hasnae won against us yet. He willnae be wanting to kill my heir until he is sitting in my chair in my great hall drinking my ale.” He frowned at her. “Dinnae ye faint, lass.”
“Then cease talking about people killing Artan.”
“Fair enough. Here, pay attention. Lord Chinless is ignoring Old MacIvor and wants to say something to ye.”
