“Because I need the reward. I need healers for my sister. I cannae afford them, and all of the Romani healers are hiding.”
“Then why nae side with Hamish? Drive the Laird out.”
“I cannae wait that long. I need the medicine now,” Samuel’s eyes burned like two coals, and it was clear he had convinced himself that this was the only way to help his sister. Elvira looked at him, stunned. The shock of having such a staunch ally turn on her had sapped all of her strength. Her knees went weak. She fell into his arms without any resistance at all.
“I hae tae dae this, Elvira. I hae tae dae it,” Samuel repeated over and over again, as if by reputation his decision would have been justified. Elvira wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her, or himself. Either way, she felt sickened that Rory and the others had been right to suspect a trap. She had placed too much faith in Samuel, and now it was costing Elvira her freedom. She looked back, hoping that Rory would have more sense than to come chasing after her. There were four of them and only one of him. The odds were insurmountable. The most sensible thing todo was return to the tavern, tell the others what had happened, and find some other way to get in contact with Hamish.
But Rory was not always a sensible man. If the situation hadn’t been so fraught with tension, then Elvira might have appreciated the irony of Rory throwing caution to the wind for her, when she wanted him to be reticent and avoid trouble, as had been his intention when he turned her away from the forge. Instead, he broke through the bushes with his sword held high in the air, charging like a demon ready to wage war. Elvira looked at him with passion rising in her heart. What a sweet, sweet fool he was. He had damned himself for her. It was utterly romantic, and utterly foolish, and she couldn’t help but love him for it. She only wished that she had been able to tell him how he felt, because now they weren’t going to get a chance.
Rory cursedhimself for not walking down with her. He chastised himself for not dragging her away as soon as they had seen that Samuel was accompanied by three other men. Every instinct in his body told him that this was a trap, but no, he had to trust her, he had to give Samuel the benefit of the doubt, he had to turn against his own judgment because he trusted Elvira. Anger burned inside him, but it was not anger directed at her. This man, Samuel, had betrayed Elvira, betrayed them all. As soon as Samuel stepped towards Elvira, Rory knew that something dreadful was happening. He unsheathed his sword and wished that Tarbuck and Rab were beside him to even the odds.
But they weren’t.
It was just him. He would have to be enough. He had been enough with the bandits, although these were hardenedwarriors, and there were two extra men. Still, Rory wasn’t about to turn back and allow Elvira to be hauled off by them. A red mist descended over his eyes and, like a beast whose pride was threatened, there was nothing in his heart other than a need to protect what he loved.
“Get yer hands off her!” he yelled, charging towards the guards. They immediately went on the defensive, with Samuel hauling Elvira away. The other three came to meet Rory. His fury and passion charged the sword with a crackling energy. He swung it with such force that if he struck truly, he would have cleaved them in half. Unfortunately, his skill did not match his ferocity. It had been enough to disarm the bandits, but three guards were too much, although Rory did put up a better fight than they might have anticipated.
He barreled through the first man, cutting a chunk out of his arm. A plume of blood sprayed in the air, splashing the ground with crimson drops. But the second guard was ready for him. He caught Rory’s sword and pushed him back. Rory was forced to go on the defensive, holding his sword tightly to absorb the blows. As it was, he managed to defend himself, and then shifted his weight to fight back. He got some good blows in himself, although his opponent seemed to be able to predict where he was going to strike. He didn’t seem to be in any danger of breaking through the guard’s defenses. Then, the third guard joined. Rory was faced with two skilled, trained warriors. One sword was difficult enough to manage, but two were impossible. Sweat poured down his forehead, stinging his eyes and tasting bitter on his tongue. He strained as he angled his sword to guard against both weapons crashing down upon him. He felt proud of being able to do so, and was summoning his reserves of strength to push them away. However, one of the guards kicked at his knee, putting so much force into the kick that Rory’s leg buckled and he sank down.
The other guard ran forward, the point of the sword stopping short of running Rory through.
“Yield,” the guard snarled. Rory’s nostrils flared as he looked up to see his strained face reflected in the man’s blade. The battle was over. He had failed. He hung his head as his sword was wrenched from his hands. The guard who took it looked at it approvingly. Rory’s stomach turned at the thought that a weapon he created might be used by this monster. His hands were bound, and he was hauled over to sit by Elvira.
“How could ye dae this? How could ye betray her like this?” Rory spat as he met Samuel face to face for the first time. Samuel averted his gaze.
“I dinnae need tae explain myself tae ye. I will leave ye for yer men tae find. A warning. If they continue with this treachery, then their blood will be spilled as well,” Samuel said, drawing his sword. Rory jutted his chin out, ready to meet his destiny without fear. He looked towards Elvira, wanting her face to be the last thing he ever saw.
“Wait!” Elvira shrieked, grabbing Samuel’s attention.
He hung his head. “This is already hard enough. Dae ye think I like daeing this?”
“I think ye hae twisted yer mind beyond all reason,” Elvira spat, “but that is beside the point. Ye dinnae want tae kill him. That man there is the finest blacksmith in the land. If ye keep him alive he can be of use tae ye. I’m sure Laird McKovac would want him tae make weapons.”
Rory grit his teeth. He would rather die than arm the enemy, but he knew that Elvira was trying anything she could to save his life.
“If he made this sword, then she’s telling the truth. I hae rarely seen finer craftsmanship,” the guard who had taken Rory’s sword said, offering the weapon to the others. They examined it and seemed to come to the same conclusion.
“Very well, perhaps there will be a better reward for a blacksmith and a witch,” Samuel muttered. Rory felt strong hands being placed upon him as he was dragged away. He fell into step with Elvira, trying not to look at her because he was ashamed of his failure. He had come along on this mission specifically to help her, to protect her, but they had both been captured. He wished he could reach out and hold her hand, but his hands were bound. Well, no matter what happened, he wasn’t about to forge weapons for the enemy. He would rather die. However, as long as he was alive, then there was a chance. At least he and Elvira were together, and he had a sense that while this remained true, they could accomplish anything.
And, once Tarbuck, Rab, and Michael did not hear from them, they would know that something had gone wrong. This wasn’t over by any means, the only thing that was uncertain was whether Rory would be around for long enough to see the outcome of all of this. He shook his head, thinking that none of this would have happened if he had stayed firm in his reluctance to help Torrin. Then again, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. This was where he belonged, by Elvira’s side, even though they were being led to a dark fate. Since he was with her, though, there was nowhere he would rather be.
18
The journey back to the keep had been long and arduous. Elvira and Rory had been marched back at an intense pace, leaving them gasping for breath with their muscles aching. The keep ascended in the distance, a huge blot against the beauty of the natural landscape. The stone that had been used to build the keep was a dark shade of gray, as though it had always been designed to be ominous. The sense of dread that pervaded the keep was palpable, as though a perennial storm lingered above. Elvira felt sick to her stomach. This was the place she had sought to avoid for so long, yet now she was in the heart of darkness. Her skin prickled just knowing that the Laird was nearby. Everyone she passed looked at her with disdain. They spat at the ground and flung curses towards her. They tried to make her feel ashamed for her culture and her heritage, but they would not succeed.
Samuel and the other guards led them down to the dungeons, throwing them in the same cell.
“Ye can suffer and wait for yer fate taegether,” Samuel said. It was perhaps the last mercy he would provide. The dungeon was dark and dank. A lantern hung outside the cell,offering dim amber light. The ground was hard and cold. Elvira expressed dismay at her surroundings as she rubbed her wrists. Their hands had been freed when they had been placed in the dungeon.
“Let me look at ye. Did ye get hurt in the battle?” Elvira asked, reaching out towards Rory to examine him in case he had any lingering wounds. He wasn’t dripping blood, but that didn’t mean a bone couldn’t have been cracked, and it was likely that bruises adorned his flesh. However, Rory pulled away and moved towards the bars.
“I’m fine,” he snapped, testing the strength of the bars. He moved from one to the next in a straight line, curling his fingers around each bar and heaving it with all his might, bending back to try and pry the bars loose. However, they were sunk deep into the stone, and there was no hope of moving them. Rory still tried them all, though.
Elvira narrowed her eyes after he stepped away from her, annoyed that he refused her kindness. “Why did ye come for me? Ye should hae gone tae the tavern and told the others what happened. Ye should hae saved yeself.”
“I went with ye tae protect ye. What kind of man would I be if I hae left ye tae fend for yeself? If ye hae listened tae me in the first place, then we would nae be in this situation. I knew that Samuel could nae be trusted. It was tae suspicious that he wanted tae meet ye alone,” Rory scowled.
Elvira tilted her head back and folded her arms across her chest. “Aye, well, I thought I could trust him. He hae lost all sense.”
