"What is it? Lennox asked.
"The barefoot man has returned." He was shivering as he spoke. "I pray I am right. Go south once more. You will find the key to dealing with him lies beyond the battlefield.
"Lennox," a voice called out from the courtyard, the sound reaching them through the window. "Where are you?"
Lennox leaned down. "On our way down." He turned to Quinn who was still shivering. "Are you all right?"
"I will be fine. You go. I…I’ll speak to you when you return."
When they got back down to the courtyard the horses were ready as were the men. It seemed to Rose as if every man of fighting age was mounting a horse. They all looked across at Lennox as he stood in front of them.
"This is the battle we have wanted for some time," he began. "We need to show the rat that if he strays into MacGregor territory with no good cause, he will pay the price. Blood will be spilled, and some of us may die. Those that do not return here are assured of a place in heaven and the eternal gratitude of the clan. We will make them pay for what they've done, and if they won't listen, we will wipe them all out."
A cheer went up. "For the MacGregors."
"For all of Scotland."
"Ride!"
The noise of them setting forth was thunderous. It was some time before Rose was able to hear herself think. Had he forgotten her? Or was she supposed to stay behind?
"Has he gone without you?" Quinn asked, appearing behind her. "That is not good."
"He’s gone with his men," she replied. "Why? What’s wrong?"
"You must catch him. It is the only chance we have. Can you ride?"
He whistled and a groom appeared with a horse. She looked up at it. "I’m not sure about this."
"Find Lennox. Hurry, before it’s too late!"
He helped her onto the horse. It seemed to know what was required, moving out of the open gate and onto the path straight away.
She followed the cloud of dust that was heading south, hoping to catch up with Lennox before the horse realized she had no idea what she was doing.
After an hour, she still hadn't managed to catch them. Ahead of her were signs of their passing, countless hoofprints in the dust. Also ahead of her was a thick wood. She could hear men’s voices in there. She was almost there.
What had Quinn been talking about? Could it be the barefoot man like in her stories?
The horse moved fast into the wood but it was speed that was their undoing. Rose didn't see the rope stretched between two trees until it was too late.
The rope caught her on the neck, sending her flying backward as the horse rode on, leaving her to thump into the ground, winded and unsure what had just happened, her vision fading.
She had time to see a shadowy figure looming over her and then a sack being shoved over her head, and then she saw nothing at all.
14
Lennox caught up with the retreating army that afternoon. Burning down villages and killing the occupants was not something any MacGregor could ignore.
Innocent people murdered for the spite of one nasty little man.
Lennox stopped his men when they caught sight of tents in the distance. The rat was settling for the evening in the valley in front of them. There were no guards on duty from what he could see.
Perhaps the rat thought the MacGregors wouldn’t dare confront him in the open. He would soon learn how wrong that belief was.
Lennox turned to face his men, calling out loudly so they could all hear. "I will lead the first group into his midst. David, you take thirty men and approach him from the south. If we rout them, I want none escaping that way to tell the king we have broken the truce. We deal with the rat now."
He turned to face the camp. Behind him horses took their positions. He didn't look back. He didn't need to. Down in the valley, the knights had already spotted the Highlanders and were frantically forming up into rows. Lennox gave them no time to better prepare defenses.
