She wasted no time. Pulling herself into the saddle, she nodded to the others. “James, ye ride ahead. The rest of us will scatter, a few minutes apart. I want every inch of the riverbank searched. Leave nay stone unturned.”
James gave a quick nod and spurred his horse into a gallop, heading down the muddy riverbank.
Helena turned to Michael, who was mounting his horse.
He paused, looking at her. “The river’s too high to see much from one side,” he said. “There’s a crossin’ nae far from here, near the ruin. I’ll ride to the other bank with John. We’ll cover that side.”
Helena hesitated, her gaze flickering to the burly man who had been her cousin’s close friend.
John nodded grimly, already urging his horse to follow Michael.
“Do it,” she said finally, her voice clipped. “Be thorough.”
With that, Michael and John rode off, leaving Helena with the last rider. The man, whose broad shoulders and heavy build made him tower over her even in the saddle, hesitated, his dark eyes filled with guilt.
“I’m sorry, lass,” he said, his voice low. “If I’d kenned… If I’d kenned what yer faither had done to yer cousin and braither, I would’ve stopped him. I’d have protected them. Protected ye.”
Helena met his gaze. “It’s too late for that now. What’s done is done. Ye can only honor them by seein’ the truth and doin’ what’s right.”
The man nodded solemnly.
She gestured for him to go. “Ride ahead. Check the banks thoroughly. I’ll follow after ye.”
He hesitated for a moment before obeying, spurring his horse into a slow trot along the muddy bank.
Helena waited, her hands gripping the reins as the rain continued to pour. She sat in silence, the babbling of the river roaring in her ears. Her stomach twisted, her mind racing with every possible scenario.
She wouldn’t let herself doubt. Not for a moment. Alexander was alive—he had to be. She refused to entertain the thought of losing him, of returning to the castle without him.
After a few minutes, she nudged her horse forward, following the trail left by the others. She scanned every inch of the riverbank, her sharp eyes searching the mud and tall grass for any sign of him. She called out his name occasionally, her voice hoarse and strained.
“Alexander!”
The only answer was the rush of the river and the occasional cry of a bird overhead. Her heart clenched tighter with every passing moment.
The ride stretched on endlessly, the storm letting up into a mist. Helena’s determination never wavered, but her chest grew heavy as the river began to calm, the rapids easing into slower, swirling waters. She knew she must be nearing the next crossing.
As she approached, she spotted James waiting with his horse. The sight of his disheartened expression made her stomach drop. Her mare slowed down as she drew closer, the sound of her hooves muffled by the rain-soaked earth.
James stepped forward, his head shaking slightly. “Me Lady,” he began, his voice strained.
Helena’s breath caught in her throat. She clenched the reins tightly, willing herself not to break. Not yet.
“Dinnae say it,” she said, her voice sharp. “We havenae finished searchin’.”
James’s shoulders slumped. The weight of his silence was suffocating, and Helena’s heart threatened to shatter.
She lifted her chin, her doe eyes blazing.
“We’ll find him,” she insisted, her voice unwavering. “We will.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Michael and John had been searching the banks of the river for the past several minutes.
Helena waited impatiently, her breathing uneven as she watched for any sign of Alexander. When Michael returned to her yet again, she turned to him.
“Did ye find him?” she asked, her voice trembling.
