Elizabeth nodded frantically, clamping her hands against the side of her head and hiding her face in Flora’s side once more. With her non-dominant arm, Flora tucked Elizabeth against her as tightly as she could. Then, she held the knife in front of her exactly as Lucas had taught her.
Despite the fear rushing through her, she reminded herself that she had to be strong. Just like the time she’d spent in the dungeons before the hunt, it was more than her in this situation. Someone had to be the anchor, the one to provide comfort, the strong one. Right now, that was her, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
For Elizabeth’s sake.
The carriage rocked violently as the struggle approached them once more. There was the sickening sound of what she could only imagine was a skull being slammed into the wood. Then, the door was ripped open.
A man with the most sinister face Flora had ever seen stood there, grinning as his eyes drifted from her to Elizabeth. Without thinking, acting only on instinct and the muscle memory from the drills that Lucas made her run, Flora threw her knife with all the force she could muster. And as it left her hand, she knew that it would find its target.
The blade buried itself in the center of the man’s chest, a gurgle leaving his lips as he lost his grip on the carriage. As he fell back, blood bloomed around the place that he’d been pierced. Then, his body landed in the dirt with a finality that she felt deep in her bones. She didn’t have to look to know he’d never get up again.
For a moment, it seemed as if the entire forest went quiet. The fighting halted, and even the horses stopped their whinnying. All Flora could hear was Elizabeth’s muffled sobs and her own ragged breathing.
Then, it was as if the entire world burst into flames.
The men who’d surrounded them began cursing, scrambling forward to move their incapacitated comrade. A few were struck by the guards, and from her vantage point, Flora saw another of the invaders go down. Blood gushed from a wound in his side, and his eyes were vacant as the guard stepped over him.
“He’s dead!” an equally despicable-looking man cried. He turned toward Flora, dropping the corpse. “And that wench did it!”
Before Flora could make sense of what was happening, another man boarded the carriage. His open palm struck her cheek sohard that her mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood. As she tried to reorient herself, he grabbed hold of her, dragging her from the carriage and throwing her onto the ground.
“Ye’ll be punished for what ye did,” he growled, kneeling beside her and gathering her hair in his fist. “And we’ll make sure the girl kens exactly what happens when ye pick fights ye cannae win.”
Lucas was stepping out of his office when he heard a strained, panicked voice demanding, “Where is Laird McGowan? I need to speak with Laird McGowan immediately.”
“Aye, what is it?” Lucas asked, the words booming down the corridor as he turned to meet the guard. “Give me yer report. Now. Be precise.”
It was James, one of the men whom Lucas trusted to keep Elizabeth safe when he wasn’t available. The man was battered, covered in blood and bruises. It looked as if he was barely keeping himself upright, though he forced himself even straighter when his eyes landed on Lucas.
“The carriage was attacked,” James said, exhausted but determined. “We were overtaken by ten men. We managed to take out four of them, but we lost most of our own. I dinnae stop to see who had been hurt. As soon as I came to, I rushed back.”
“Elizabeth, and Flora.” Rage coiled in Lucas’s chest, his fists tightening so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Where are they?”
“I daenae ken, Me Laird,” James said, bowing his head, seeming ashamed that he didn’t have more to report. “But their bodies werenae there. I’m inclined to believe they’re alive but that they’ve been taken prisoner. The carriage is still on the road, three quarters of the way back from the village. We took the standard route.”
Lucas gave a tight, controlled nod. “Get yerself to the healer immediately.”
Without waiting for a response, Lucas took off down the corridor. His steps were measured, hurried. The thing he swore he wouldn’t let happen to his niece and Flora, a woman who had quickly become precious to him, had happened. There wasn’t a minute to waste.
“Matthew,” Lucas said, relieved to find the man alone though that small concession did nothing to assuage his anger and worry. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Aye,” his brother said, already rising from his seat. The tone of Lucas’s command brokered no room for questioning the command. “What happened?”
“It’s Flora and Elizabeth,” he said, heading straight for the stables for their horses. “They’ve been captured.”
Chapter Twenty
When the abandoned carriage came into view, Lucas’ rage reached new levels. It was covered in blood, and the horses that had been pulling it were set free. Scattered around the area were bodies. Lucas recognized most of them as his men; four of them were strangers.
And one, the closest corpse to the carriage, had a knife lodged in his chest that Lucas knew to belong to Flora. The one he’d taught her to throw.
“I daenae think any of our men would have used their blades,” Matthew said, dismounting his horse as he assessed the scene. He looked over the body, almost as if he thought there might be a third party involved.
“Nay, that wasnae one of the guards,” Lucas agreed, already examining the treeline in search of their escape route. “It was Flora. That’s one of the knives I gave her.”
“Then she’s givin’ them hell,” Matthew muttered, reaching down to touch the dead man’s neck. “They cannae have gone far. The body’s still warm. James must have woken up just after the girls were taken.”
“I pray ye’re right,” Lucas said, trudging forward when he spotted a trampled-down patch of earth. “It looks as though they’ve left on foot. I daenae ken where their steeds went.”
