“I ken it. Your men are ready?”
“Aye, they but await my signal.”
Recalling that Sigimor’s signal was a battle cry that could shake the walls of any keep, Brian almost smiled. He crouched beside Sigimor watching Arianna struggle and trying to will her to her feet facing his way. If she did not see him when he stood up, he would not hesitate to yell at her to run. His heart broke when she finally got to her feet and lifted her head. Her pretty face was battered and bleeding.
He stood up, Sigimor rising to his feet at his side. Arianna’s eyes looked swollen and he feared she could not see him. Brian glanced at Sigimor and his cousin nodded.
“Run, Arianna!” he yelled, and a heartbeat later Sigimor bellowed out his war cry.
To Brian’s relief Arianna lurched away from Lucette. Lucette started to go after her but then jerked to a halt when Sigimor’s cry tore through the air. The man stared at Brian and Sigimor in horror and then bolted for the horses his men were already scrambling to mount. Brian started after Lucette but knew he would never catch the man. He drew his knife and hurled it. A scream erupted from Lucette as the blade buried itself deep into the man’s shoulder, but fear gave the man the strength to still mount his horse and gallop away.
Brian turned away from the confusing melee and hurried toward Arianna. She had not gone far before collapsing on the ground. She was just struggling to get up again when he reached her side.
Arianna cursed her weakness as she fought to get back on her feet. All around her she could hear the sound of running feet and then the pounding of horses galloping away. There were only a few cries of pain and a brief moment of the ringing of steel upon steel. The sound of Brian’s voice telling her to run had been the sweetest sound she had ever heard, but that had not been enough to give her the strength to go very far. She could only hope that she had gotten herself far enough not to hinder what sounded like the rescue she had been praying for.
Out of the corner of her swollen eyes she saw hands reaching for her and tried to crawl away.
“Arianna, ’tis I. Brian.”
She stopped and clumsily sat down. “Brian?”
“Aye, love.”
“Are they gone? Did ye kill him?”
“Nay, I fear Lucette escaped but he rode away with my dagger buried deep in his shoulder. Unless he suffers a putrefaction of the wound, however, it wasnae a mortal blow.”
“Ah, weel, at least it will hurt him.”
Brian blinked away the tears that stung his eyes as he looked her over. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, her lips also swollen and cut, and blood dripped slowly from a wound on her forehead. The way she swayed and trembled told him that she was very close to unconsciousness. He did not know where or how to touch her, afraid to add to the pain she was in.
“What was that terrifying bellow that came right after ye told me to run?” she asked, reaching out to him in the need to know that he was truly there. Since she could see very little, she needed to touch him.
“Sigimor.” He gently took her hand in his, careful not to touch the cuts and scrapes on her palm. “Ah, lass, he beat ye sorely. I should ne’er have left ye alone.”
“Ye needed to be certain the path to Scarglas was clear and safe. I should have hidden myself better and nay closed my eyes. Took a wee nap. Foolish.” She licked her lips and tasted blood. “Do ye have anything to drink? Cider? Water?”
Brian carefully put his arm around her shoulder and, seeing Fergus, signaled to the youth to bring him something to drink. There were two bodies before the little cottage, both of them Lucette’s men, and none of Sigimor’s men looked to be hurt. A quick count told Brian that Sigimor had sent a few of his men to follow Lucette even though they were all certain of where the man was going. Brian was not too furious over Lucette’s escape. Unless Lucette and his allies had the sense to see that there was no way to get the boys out of Scarglas, there would still be a battle to be fought, so there would be another chance to kill the man.
Sigimor crouched beside them. “I think we may need to wrap those ribs of hers tightly before we ride back to Dubheidland.”
The way Arianna had her arms wrapped around her ribs told Brian that Sigimor was probably right about that. “Do ye think anything is broken, lass?” he asked her.
“Nay, just verra badly bruised,” she replied, and attempted a smile although she was certain it was a ghastly sight. “Mayhap a wee bit rattled. He kicked me, hard, several times, but I kicked him, too. Once.”
“Good lass. I hoped ye kicked him hard.”
“I did. I am surprised he could ride a horse. I kicked him right between the legs. Suspicion he was a wee bit sore.”
Brian exchanged a grin with Sigimor and then began to unlace Arianna’s gown. Sigimor moved quickly to find something to use to wrap her ribs. It was hard to ignore her soft gasps of pain as he tugged her gown down to her waist and pulled her shift up to just under her breasts. Brian was pleased to see that all of Sigimor’s men kept their gazes averted, but it was all he could be pleased about. The massive bruises on Arianna’s rib cage made him wish he could get his hands on Lucette. Brian would make very certain that the man suffered in agony before he killed him.
Sigimor returned with several long strips of blanket. Brian clenched his teeth to hold back a demand that Sigimor get his hands off Arianna when his cousin gently explored all along her ribs, searching for signs of a break. Her hiss of pain only added to that urge.
“Naught is broken, but, as ye said, lass, they are a wee bit rattled,” said Sigimor as he began to wrap the strips of blanket around her ribs. “This will help and give them some protection from the ride back to Dubheidland.”
“But we were going to Scarglas,” Arianna said, her voice a hoarse whisper rife with pain.
“Nay, not until ye heal,” said Brian. “Ye cannae ride that far as battered and bruised as ye are.”
