The man who’d dealt Alex a blow was preparing to strike him again, but Jamie rode hard toward them and took the man out. His war whoop came next, followed by the words they’d always dreaded to hear, “Protect your laird!”
Immediately men on horseback surrounded his sire, who still lay on the ground, blood darkening his plaid. His eyes wereopen, but he appeared dazed. He’d never thought to see the time his sire would be beaten on the battlefield, the man had appeared invincible to all. Yet here he was flat on the ground, unable to protect himself. He prayed his eyes deceived him and his sire would get up soon.
There was no sign of Jake either. Magnus, Connor, Braden, and Roddy had all joined him in the circle around his sire, but where the hell was Jake? When he finally set eyes on his brother, he saw he was far ahead of them, still fighting like a fierce warrior. He had no idea their sire was down.
Jamie yelled again, “Protect your laird!” Two more rode in hard to join them, and the weight on Jamie’s shoulders eased a slight bit. He could protect his sire from further damage until the conflict ended. The number of green plaids were dwindling, so the battle would end sooner rather than later. Then he saw something that took his breath away and stole what was left of his composure.
Gracie on horseback. Gracie was riding hard off into the forest, far away from the battle. But why? What had possessed her to leave the safety of the keep?
Jamie’s composure left him. Did he chase after Gracie and leave his sire undefended? There was no one around to take his place in the circle. He swung his sword again and took two more bastards down. From his position, he could see a sea of red plaids streaming toward the baron’s men from behind—Uncle Logan’s warriors.
They would help end this.
“Gracie! What are you doing?” Frantic, he called out to Finlay, “Finlay, cover my sire. I must go after Gracie.”
Finlay answered his call immediately.
The worst of all happened. The baron had also seen Gracie leave and charged after her. Jamie tried again to get his brother back, but he was too far away to see or hear what was happening.Two Grant warriors came up from the back of the field, so he bellowed. “Here. Protect your laird.” Three had filled the spaces, so he galloped after Gracie as fast as he could.
Gracie was still ahead of both of them, but the melee slowed her. She stopped once to cover her head with her arms, screaming for them to end the battle. Jamie knew the precise moment when the baron realized he would catch her because an evil grin crossed the man’s face. He moved toward Gracie at about the same pace Jamie was moving—slow but persistent. There were too many warriors between him and Gracie and the baron.
Jamie yelled again. “Kill him. Take the baron out.” No one could hear him over all the screams. He glanced back at his sire again. The blood stain at his midsection continued to grow and his eyes were now squeezed shut. “Da, fight, do you hear me? Fight, stay alert.”
What the hell was he to do? All of a sudden, all the faces around him seemed to blend together. Dirt and sweat and spit and blood flew everywhere. He was losing the ability to distinguish between the enemy and his brethren. A shock of bright hair popped out against the others, and he saw the baron was now only a short distance from his bride.
Jamie lost all control. He kneed his horse and headed straight for the baron, swinging his sword arm over his head. The strike did not land, which threw Jamie’s balance off and gave the baron a chance to flee toward Gracie. Horror overtook Jamie as he watched the baron ride hard in her direction.
His sire’s words rang out in his mind.Take your emotions out of it, Jamie. You’ll not best your enemy if you allow your emotions to overtake your reason.
Then, a miracle happened. A horse appeared out of the dust, cutting the baron off from behind, forcing him to slow enoughfor Jamie to catch him. Tormod. His friend had given him the chance he needed.
Forcing Gracie out of his mind, Jamie slashed his sword at the baron again. The bastard locked gazes with him, smiling that hideous grin.
Jamie swung at him, but the baron easily blocked his blow. They parried a few more times before the baron struck at his lowest point with words.
“She’s a whore, Grant. You married a whore, and I liked her.”
Jamie ignored him, knowing the feint for what it was. He would not be distracted. He faked a swing at the man, who immediately raised his sword to block it, then changed his direction at the last instant and buried his sword in the baron’s belly, a death blow for sure. Tormod struck him with another blow from behind.
The baron dropped his sword and grabbed his belly, and Jamie pulled his sword out, wiping his blade across the man’s legs just before he fell to the ground. Jamie took a moment to gather his strength, searching his immediate area for any more warriors in green. Mayhap they’d leave now that their baron was dead.
But it wasn’t to be. The man who’d rode in with the baron, probably Simon de La Porte, barked orders at the remaining guards. Four warriors came toward Jamie and Tormod, but they managed to fight them off together. Tormod did battle from one side while Jamie attacked from the other, slicing bellies and flesh everywhere they could. Men fell to their right and to their left.
A voice came from atop of one of the towers. “Kill them all, Tormod! That’s my brother.”
Lyall. His brother was standing watch on the parapets, and he’d seen Tormod fighting like a man set on fire.
Uncle Logan and four more Grant warriors joined them, and together they fought off the last few green-clad warriors around them. When Jamie glanced at his brother in the front lines, he saw that Jake was still holding strong, fighting two of the green-clad men at once.
Moments later, the few remaining enemy warriors fled the scene, Simon de La Porte with them.
Jamie immediately searched the area for any sign of Gracie. There was none. He’d lost sight of her when he’d met with the baron, but she could not have gone far. Perhaps she was hiding in the trees.
His breathing still ragged, Jamie rode back to the circle of protectors surrounding his sire.
“Where’s Gracie?” he asked.
No one answered.
