At once, there was uproar.
Ava was pushed to the side, thrown out of harm’s way by Laird Domhnall as they all jumped into the fray.
Finley and two other soldiers approached Peters as a third moved straight to Kai, cutting his hands free and giving him a sword.
Laird Domhnall and his men moved to the others, battling with the guards as they tried to reach Laird Grant. The priest backed away, falling over the altar in his haste to escape.
“Ye think ye could get away with this!” Finley roared, stepping around the battling guards and where Kai was now bearing down over Peters, winning their fight. “Ye think ye could take me daughter, bind her tae ye with force, without any comeuppance?”
He ran forward, heading straight for Laird Grant.
Ava sprinted forward away from the wall. She had to help. She waved a hand at Laird Domhnall, insisting her give her a weapon.
“Step back,” he insisted, pushing her out of harm’s way.
“Ye are nae the only ones who can fight in this church. Now give me a weapon!” she demanded.
He kept his sword but passed her a basilard, just in time. One of the guards struck out at Laird Domhnall and she blocked it from hitting him.
“Yer pretty looks were nearly lost,” she murmured.
He laughed then pushed her under his arm and behind his back.
“Kai will kill me if anything happens tae ye now,” he urged, making her back up as she strained to look around him, keeping her father and Laird Grant in sight.
Laird Grant approached her father fast. He was younger, stronger and taller. Surely there would be little contest in a fight between them?
Terrified, Ava could only watch, her body frozen in fear as they lunged toward one another.
It would have been easy to think they weren’t fighting with heavy broadswords but light foils from how quickly they moved them, cutting the air fast. Repeatedly, they came within a hair’s breadth of cutting one another. Laird Grant blocked a blow to his chest, as Finley avoided a strike to his face.
Across the church, Kai now had Peters in a strangle hold, the sword blade in front of Peters eyes. Peters dropped his ownweapon, surrendering, allowing Kai to shove him down so two other soldiers could run forward to tie Peters’ hands together.
“Nay,” Laird Domhnall whispered hoarsely, just as he failed to see a blow coming from the opponent in front of them. Seeing his attention was elsewhere, Ava blocked the strike with the basilard, protecting them both and kicking the man in the stomach, winding him.
She flicked her head around, wondering what had distracted Laird Domhnall, when she heard her father cry out.
Laird Grant had knocked the sword from her father’s grasp. It rolled away, landing somewhere between the pews, just as Laird Grant advanced forward, his blade outstretched. Frantically, Finley reached behind him. He dragged a pew between them, making Laird Grant stumble, giving him just a few seconds’ advantage.
“MacKinnon!” Kai barked, throwing something through the air. It was a sword. It landed on the ground by her father’s feet. He raced to pick it up and whirled around, just as Laird Grant raised his own blade with gritted teeth, about to deliver a fatal strike.
Finley acted first. He drove the sword into the middle of Laird Grant’s chest.
A horrid gasp escaped Ava’s mouth, one full of relief as she saw Laird Grant quaver.
His own sword shook, then fell, dropping from over his head onto the floor. Finley withdrew his blade, watching as blood poured from the wound.
Ava looked away, unable to bear the sight. Battle was one thing to bear with, but she never took pleasure in bloodshed or death.
It’s a necessity though,she told herself.Fer us tae survive.
She heard Laird Grant’s final cries of pain, though she did not look at him. She heard the thud as he landed on his knees.
“It’s over, Ava,” Laird Domhnall said assuredly nearby. “It’s over.” He took the shoulder of their opponent who had given up, having seen his master defeated. The guards who hadn’t yet given out in battle now did, the man they were fighting for gone.
Ava walked across the church where both her father and Kai stood at the far end.
She ran to her father first, who staggered away from the lanky body that was now on the floor between the pews. He dropped his weapon and embraced Ava as she flung herself at him.
