Keir gave a low chuckle. He flicked up his sword, the point angled only inches from Una’s throat. She backed away, clenching her fist, and her heel landed on empty air.
The wall,she realized with a sickening lurch, stumbling forward to save herself from falling. This brought her neck even closer to Keir’s sword. She saw a smear of blood on the blade and realized that it was her own.
“Nicely done,” Keir remarked. “I don’t often offer praise, lassie, but that was decent. Generally, I would expect to dispatch somebody as inexperienced as ye within a second. But no, ye did well. And with a knife, too! What a waste to kill ye. Shame. Still, never mind. Talented swordsmen are easy to find.”
Una gritted her teeth. “I’m not a man.”
“Nay,” Keir answered thoughtfully. “Ye are not. It makes no difference, though, does it? We all end the same way. In death.” He paused, tilting his head, and glanced over at the chaos to the side of them. “Ah, Struan, here ye are. Took yer time to join us, eh?”
Una hadn’t seen him, but Keir was right. Struan came staggering out of the shadows, breathing heavily. Blood streaked one side of his face, and she couldn’t tell whether it was his or not. He clutched his sword in one rigid fist, and blood dripped from the tip.
“Let her go, Keir,” Struan hissed, his eyes wide and wild in his bloodied face. “Let her go, or I’ll make ye wish ye were never born.”
“Oh, I doubt it.” Keir laughed. Then, quite slowly, the smile slid off his face.
At first, Una couldn’t hear anything beyond the roar of her blood in her ears. Then, gradually, she heard it too.
Horses. Hooves thudded against the ground. And not just horses. Una could hear the drum of boots on the ground. Then, quite clearly, the low scream of a trumpet echoed through the air.
They’re here,she thought dizzily.Brendan and Thomas and the others. The army is here.
They must have run all night.
A sort of ripple was spreading through the soldiers. Down below in the courtyard, the Grahame soldiers were trying to pull back and regroup, while the Dicksons were slowly realizing that they were going to be trapped in an enemy stronghold. Una couldn’t see it, but she could imagine that chaos was spreading through the soldiers still outside, suddenly realizing that they were going to be attacked from the rear. She imagined them turning in a panic, ready to face the new threat, while the soldiers inside the Keep fought against the rush of people to getout.
Slowly, her gaze returned to Struan. He stood a little straighter, shoulders squared, his head cocked as if he was listening to something only he could hear. Their eyes met, and he gave a short nod.
“Huh,” Keir remarked, sounding thoughtful. “Inconvenient.”
“Ye should pull back now,” Struan said, lifting his chin. “Ye will be trapped between the Keep and the armies of two clans. A rock and a hard place, for sure. Retreat is yer only option.”
Keir glanced at him, his eyes narrowing. “Not our only option. But before we go, I’ll take care of business, shall I?”
He turned back to Una, lifting the sword a little higher. She swallowed thickly, weighing her options.
There weren’t many choices. She could jump and take control of how she died for herself. She could fight with her barehands and risk losing limbs before he killed her. Her knife was just a few feet away, resting near the wall.
If I can get away from him, I can grab it.
Then Keir glanced over at Struan. With a flourish, he lifted his own sword and stepped back.
“Ye carry one of their swords, lad,” he said softly. “There is still time. Prove to yer father that ye are still loyal. He wanted ye to have one more chance, ye know. Kill her now with that dirty Grahame steel, and we’ll all see whose side ye are really on. Then come away with us. It’s not too late.”
Struan stiffened, eyes widening.
“My father…”
“Still loves ye,” Keir replied, eyes glinting with eagerness. “Come on, lad. This is a last, last chance.”
A lump formed in Una’s throat. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a familiar face in the knot of fighting. Turning her head a fraction, she caught sight of him.
Kai. There he was, fighting hard. He kept glancing upwards, face pale and grim, and she knew that he’d seen her.
I’m glad I found him at last.
Breathing in, Una met Struan’s eye squarely. There was a sort of wildness there, and his knuckles stood out white around his sword hilt.
“I imagine ye have already decided what ye will do,” Una stated, offering a faint smile. “So I won’t say anything beyond what I already have, Struan. I know who ye are, and it’s not an animal in a cage. Ye are a man, and I see no cage around ye.”
