“Never!” Myrna shrieked, her panicked acting going so well that it made Eithne’s defensive instincts flare. She hated hearing her sister like this, even when she knew it was part of their plan. “I’ll never let him touch me! I’ll die first!”
Rory regarded her coldly then said, “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll give him the joy of killing ye himself.” He glanced at Jonah again and said, “Ye’ll find yer sister upstairs on the fourth floor. Feel free to fetch her and that bairn once ye’re done with that one.
“Aye, Me Laird,” Jonah said. He made a salute, then dragged Myrna away, not looking back.
Ivor pulled at Eithne’s rope, and she stumbled after him. He started down one corridor, but Rory called after him.
“The other way, Walter,” he said pleasantly.
Ivor grunted and turned Eithne around. Eithne’s nerve nearly broke then as she realized where he’d been told to take her. This new insult by Rory, this new way to hurt her. She was being led directly to Killian’s rooms. She bit her lip so hard that it almost bled, determined that Ivor would not know.
I can save him this pain, at least.
Ivor opened the door, and she walked inside. It looked exactly the same as it had when she escaped. Her blood, dried and crusted rather than red now, decorated the bottom of the leg that had hidden the trapdoor key. He hadn’t cleaned it at all. Rory had left this room untouched deliberately, his only aim – his only interest – in punishing her.
Ivor untied her wrists and led her to the bed. She could see the trapdoor, bolted shut once more. Rory must have the key. Ivor briefly moved his disguise from in front of his face and then leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Good luck,” he whispered, slipping something into her hand. It was his dagger – the very same dagger that MacDuff had used to turn Jonah against Ivor in the first place. It seemed poetic that this would be how she ended that monster’s life.
“I dinnae need luck,” she whispered back, hiding the dagger in her skirts.
Ivor nodded, then fixed his disguise. He made an angry grunting noise for the benefit of anyone who might be listening, then turned and left the room. He slammed the heavy door shut behind him, and the door lock clicked shut.
Eithne settled on the bed, back where she started. This time though, she was ready. And so, she allowed herself to relax and to wait because soon Rory would be here once more.
And soon, by her hand, his blood would color the ground.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Flight
Jonah untied Myrna’s hands as soon as they were out of sight of everyone else. He told her that he needed her help to get Betty and the bairn out of here as quickly as possible. Myrna thanked him but loosely looped the robe back around her wrists anyway – better that he had some deniability if they were caught.
Myrna still didn’t know what to think of Jonah, but she knew that he was her best option for getting out of here alive right now. He kept trying to talk to her, but she kept hushing him. Right now, all that mattered was finding his sister and nephew and making sure all four of them got out of here as quickly as possible. Everything else could come after.
They found the corridor that Rory had indicated. She had expected it to be entirely crawling with guards, but it was empty. Did Rory not care about his prisoners anymore?
Jonah took point. His sword was drawn as he led her down the corridor. He was brave. She had to admit that. She knew that everything he had done, he’d done because he thought it was right. And wasn’t Myrna doing the same thing here that he had erroneously done when betraying Eithne and Ivor? Wasn’t this, in a way, finally getting revenge for the family that had been taken from her?
Is it his fault that he was manipulated?
“Myrna,” Jonah said, “Will ye open the door?”
She looked at him in surprise and saw that his hands were shaking. What had happened to the bravado of just a few moments before? “What? Why?” she asked.
“I…I cannae,” he admitted. He was staring at the doorknob as though he was scared it might bite. All of the bravery and confidence of just a moment before seemed to have fled him entirely. “Me sister…what if I open the door and she’s gone as well? What if MacDuff hurt the bairn?”
Myna blinked. She remembered those nights when she had heard of the loss of her family. She remembered the uncertainty that came with the hope that Eithne might be alive – the horror she felt, knowing she might be cursed to lose her sister all over again.
What wouldnae I have done if it meant keeping me remaining family still alive?
“Jonah?” she said, stepping forward and holding the doorknob.
He glanced at her with a wary smile.
“I forgive ye,” she said.
He stared, but she didn’t give him a moment to think. Instead, she opened the door and pushed it open, ready to face what was inside together.
