Katie gave her an enthusiastic smile, and Leah almost rolled her eyes at her friend as she nodded at him.
The man led them a little way down the path and behind the castle.
The area they reached looked out over the water, but Leah was confused as to why he had suggested this spot. It would be entirely devoid of sunlight throughout much of the day and inappropriate for her needs.
She turned to ask him a question, and that was when Katie screamed.
CHAPTER 23
Leah criedout as she watched the workman’s fist connect with Katie’s cheek and her friend was knocked off her feet, falling to the ground.
Incensed, Leah shoved him hard in the back, but he was a large fellow, and he merely spun around on the spot, showing her very clearly why Katie had screamed.
He held a dirk in his hands and brandished it at her threateningly as he advanced on her.
“Who are you?” she asked, glancing behind her for any escape route.
There was a narrow path at the back of the castle that she could possibly take, but he looked as though he would be much faster than her.
“Ye’ll be silent if ye ken what’s good for ye,” he growled, pointing the knife at her, the blade glinting menacingly.
Behind him, Katie had scrambled to her feet. There was a cut on her cheek and fear in her eyes, but as she saw what he was doing, she lunged at him like a banshee.
Leah gasped as he turned, obviously expecting the attack.
In a swift move that Leah had not anticipated, he ducked behind her, pressing the knife against her throat, and Katie stopped in her tracks, standing still as they stared at one another.
“If ye dinnae want yer friend to end up like MacWatt’s first wife, ye’ll stay exactly where ye are until we are out of sight, lass. I dinnae wish to hurt ye, but I will.”
“Leah,” Katie whispered.
“It’s alright,” Leah said as she was dragged backward down the path.
With a cold realization, she became aware that they were entirely out of sight of any servants who might still be in the courtyard, and no one knew where they were.
“Stay where ye are, or I’ll slit her throat!” the man hissed, and Katie did just as she was told.
Leah watched her friend disappear from view as they rounded the corner of the castle. She could tell that the blade against her throat was sharp enough to kill her in an instant.
She was shoved forward, a brutal hand in her hair keeping her bent double and pulling her with some force in a new direction.
She clawed at the hand that held her hair, and her assailant swore violently as she dug her nails in as deep as she could. She was released only to be knocked to the ground by the back of his hand, a stinging blow across her face that knocked the wind out of her.
Leah fell to the floor, but as he bent over her to grab her hair again, she kicked and screamed as loudly as she could. He fought her, lifting her off the ground despite her violent kicking at his legs.
“Hold still if ye dinnae wish me to chop off one of yer bonnie fingers,” he snarled, and she felt a rope bind her hands behind her back. He tied it so tightly that she winced in pain.
In one swift move, she was lifted over the saddle of a horse and pushed against the sweaty animal’s neck as he mounted behind her. He grabbed her hair again, pulling violently on the strands so that she would look up at him.
“I’ll kill ye if ye make another sound, lassie. Ye stay quiet, and all will be well.”
With that, they cantered away, the castle and any hope of rescue disappearing from view.
Magnus and Kenneth had been poring over maps for hours, and Magnus stood up, stretching his aching back.
“There is a large tract of land between here and Gibson Castle. If we can station some men on the border just for a short time, it might mean that we have more chance of deterring any attack.”
“Do ye think it likely?” Magnus asked, looking at the myriad of lakes and rivers that he shared with the Gibson estate.
