“Walk away, lass,” the man said, his voice low and angry. “There is no need for ye to witness this.”
“Ye are beating a prisoner,” Una hissed. “I want him dead as much as ye, but he’s unarmed and exhausted from a long trip. Nobody touches him while I am in charge.”
“Like hell ye are, lass,” the man snapped. “Walk away. I’ll not tell ye again.”
She clenched her jaw. “Listen to me, man. I want him hurt too. Truly, I do. Nobody has more reason to want a Dickson man dead than I. But this is wrong. It’s wrong, man. Step away.”
“He’s a monster!” the man shouted, lowering his foot with a bang. “We are not going to beat him. We are going to kill him.”
“The world will be a better place without him,” the man at Struan’s feet chimed in. “He is a true monster.”
“Then he should face justice,” Una responded. “Ye think this is justice?”
The balding man breathed in sharply through his nose. “Our captain, Arthur, is dead because of this man. He must pay. Step aside, woman.”
At that moment, Struan bucked, clearly trying to free himself, and the balding man delivered a kick to his face. It made an awfulcrackingnoise, and Struan’s head shot back, banging on the ground. His eyes unfocused, and Una guessed that he was as good as unconscious.
No man could survive too many blows to the head like that. The balding man drew back his foot for another kick, and Una acted.
She didn’t remember planning to act or even thinking about what she would do next. She was simply standing in the doorway in one instant and hurling herself across the room in the next.
Crack. Her fist connected with the balding man’s jaw, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He slumped bonelessly to the ground. The other three cried out, dropping Struan’s limp limbs and diving forward to attack her.
Una fought back. She punched the second man in the face and followed it up with a hooked ankle around his leg, hauling his leg out from under him. He lurched forward and fell.
Unfortunately, the next man dodged her blow and punched her square in the stomach instead, driving the breath out of her body.
The fourth man grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her upright. The other two stood in front of her, gasping for breath, teeth bared. One of them glanced over at their captain, the balding man who still lay unconscious on the floor beside Struan.
“Ye should have walked away, lass,” the man snarled.
Una was not sure what would have happened next if Kai hadn’t appeared.
“What are ye doing?” Kai thundered, and the men jerked in panic, eyes widening. They released Una at once and backed away.
“We never… I didn’t…” the man stammered, but Kai silenced him with a look.
“Away with ye. I’ll think up a fitting punishment later. No Kenneth man will lay violent hands on any woman while I’m around. Go!”
The men scurried away, heads down. That left Kai and Una alone.
On the floor, Struan groaned, turning over onto his side. He didn’t stir.
“Ye hurt my men,” Kai said, after a moment of silence. “Ye hurt my men to savehim.”
Una clenched her jaw, lifting her chin. “Aye, I did. And I don’t regret it. I want justice as much as anybody else, but we are fighting for peace right now, aren’t we? And this man here is an asset.”
“He’s a monster.”
“The Abbess says that he’s to be treated well,” Una shot back. “TheAbbess. If ye disagree, take it up with her.”
Kai sniffed, pursing his lips. “I’d not care to argue with her, sure enough. Come away from that man, Una.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond and simply grabbed her by the wrist and towed her out of the room. She wanted to struggle but forced herself to stay calm. It wasn’t as if he’d meant anything by it.
“He needs water and a proper chamber pot,” Una said quietly. “And some light, for heaven’s sake.”
Kai wavered as if he wanted to argue, then glanced into the miserable little cell. He sighed.
