Shewas not sure which was worse, losing or Ruari’s gloating. She seriouslyconsidered drawing her sword or dagger and inflicting enough pain on the man tolessen his arrogance. As he yanked her to her feet, Sorcha decided that,although she was unable to hurt him, she simply could not accept defeat someekly. She balled up one fist and, as he set her on her feet, she punched himsquare on the jaw so hard she felt the force of it ripple back to her shoulder.
Toher utter surprise, Ruari howled and released her. She grabbed Margaret by thehand even as the girl rose to her feet and raced out of the shed. Rosse made noattempt to stop them as he struggled to stop laughing and help a loudly cursingRuari.
“Icannae believe ye hit him,” cried Margaret, casting a terrified glance over hershoulder at a shouting Ruari who stumbled out of the shed to resume the chase.
“Betterthat than wiping that accursed grin off his face with my sword.”
Sorchawas not terribly surprised when a moment later she rounded a corner anddiscovered she had not really escaped. They had managed to run right throughtown to the far edge, as far from Dougal as possible. Standing in front of herwere several of Ruari’s men with the horses saddled and ready. She could hearRuari running up behind her. A glance to her right revealed Beatham and twomore men closing in on her. To her left was a fast running river. She spat outa curse when Ruari grabbed her from behind, one of his men moving quickly totake away her sword and dagger. An instant later Beatham wrapped his armsaround an unresisting Margaret, although Sorcha noticed that the youth ratherquickly eased his hold on her as soon as she, too, was disarmed.
“Yestink, woman,” Ruari said, setting Sorcha down, but keeping an almost painfullytight grip on her arm.
“Weel,if ye release me, I will rush to bathe as I shouldnae wish to offend yourdelicate sensibilities,” she retorted and kicked at him, but he neatly eludedher foot.
“Wehad to hide in a muck heap,” Margaret explained to Beatham.
“Howhorrible for you, dearling,” murmured Beatham.
Justas Sorcha opened her mouth to make a scathing remark, a fierce war cry rent theair. She laughed and looked in the direction it came from. Racing toward them,her skirts hiked up above her knees and her sword upraised, was Neil. AlthoughSorcha suspected her aunt was still too far away to help, and singlehandedlynot powerful enough even if she reached them in time, she was an inspiringsight.
“Getthe women on the horses,” Ruari ordered even as he scooped Sorcha up under onearm.
“Whyrun? ‘Tis just one woman,” complained one man as he swung himself up into thesaddle.
“Aye,but she willnae let us take the lasses without a fight, and that woman canfight as weel as any mon. I have no wish to hurt her.”
Sorchacursed Ruari’s foresight in picking her up so that she faced backward. Herfists could not cause him as much pain in such a position, but she pummeledaway at him anyway. A vicious curse escaped her, as well as most of the breathin her body, when he tossed her over his saddle, quickly mounting and holdingher in place. He was going to carry her to Gartmhor like a sack of grain.Sorcha swore that, if she survived, she was going to do her best to make hislife miserable.
AsRuari turned his mount and prepared to kick it into a gallop, he noticed thatMalcolm was not moving. The man stood agape, reins in hand, staring at Neil whowas closing in fast. For one brief moment, he thought his cleric was frozen infear, then realized the look on Malcolm’s long thin face was of a man smitten.He cursed.
“Rosse,grab that fool Malcolm. He has lost his wits,” he ordered.
Rossebent down, grabbed the thin Malcolm under one arm and flung him over the saddlein front of him. He slapped Malcolm’s horse on the rump, prompting it to runafter the others, then spurred his own horse into a gallop. Confident that all ofhis men were racing safely toward Gartmhor, Ruari kicked his mount to a gallopjust as Neil reached him. He cursed as she swung her sword, cutting through hishose and lightly scoring his thigh.
“Comeback here and fight like a mon, ye thieving bastard,” Neil screamed after theretreating horsemen.
“Goand tell Dougal,” yelled Sorcha and yelped when Ruari smacked her on thebackside.
“Wewill be halfway to Gartmhor ere your halfwit of a brother can saddle his horse,”Ruari taunted her.
“Dougalwill kill you.”
“Dougalwillnae have the time for such bravado. He will be too busy trying to get thecoin to pay me for you. I believe ye can guess how much ransom I intend to askfor.”
Sorchaused what little breath she had to curse him, his manhood, and his ancestors.Ruari surprised himself by laughing. For the first time in months he felt fullyalive. He attributed the feeling to a thrilling chase and a satisfying victory,obstinately ignoring the voice in his head that mocked him for denying thetruth—that it was the tiny, cursing woman flung over his saddle who made himfeel so good. He would get his money back, he had salved his bruised pride, andmayhap he could enjoy the passion he had once shared with Sorcha. That wasenough to make any man’s spirits soar.
Neilcursed and raced back through town toward the inn where she had last seenDougal. She was furious that she had failed to help Sorcha, but even morefurious that Dougal had been too busy swilling ale and ogling barmaids tonotice that his sister was being kidnapped. When she reached the inn, she sawhim seated on a bench, a buxom maid settled on his lap. Cursing her nephew asthe greatest fool in all of Scotland, she strode over to him and yanked thewoman off his lap.
“Aunt,what ails you?” protested Dougal, his complaint ending abruptly as he noticedthe disheveled state she was in. “Is something wrong?”
“So,the lad finally sees something besides the ample breasts of a whore.” WhenDougal’s men started to laugh and the tavern maid began to protest, Neil glaredthem all into silence.
“Thereis no need to start hurling insults.”
“Nay?Tell me, when did ye last see your sister or Margaret?” The way he lookedaround almost frantically then paled only softened Neil’s fury a little.
“Whathas happened to them?”
“RuariKerr has them and is right now riding hard and fast for the safety of Gartmhor.”
