Niall staggered to his feet. “Down the trail tae the bottom,” he said, waving an arm. “Cross the stream and they’re off tae the north. Ye canna miss them.”
Cam took off at a dead run.
*
They were gone.
Cam realized that the moment he raced through the trees, calling Isadora’s name, and then circling out and ending up in a clearing where there was evidence that the ground had been recently disturbed. He saw a hoe and a basket that contained some kind of wild vegetable in it. He also saw a large stick lying there. He looked around to see evidence of footprints, mashing the frozen grass.
But no one was there.
Cam stood with his hands on his head, having no idea what to do. He shouted for Isadora again but all he heard in response was the soft swish of the trees as an icy wind blew. Then, he saw it, glistening on the ground—something shiny and copper. Rushing to it, he picked it up and his heart sank.
It was the bracelet he’d given Isadora.
Thu fhèin.
Cam was beside himself with grief but the sounds of hooves came up behind him quickly and he whirled around to see Ewan and Niall making an appearance along with several other men on horseback.
They were armed with clubs and pikes, ready to do battle.
“Where are they?” Niall shouted.
Cam was struggling not to give in to panic. “There is no one,” he said, tucking the bracelet into a tunic pocket. “They were here. Ye can see the footprints. But they’ve gone and the women along with them.”
Ewan and several other men began to circle the area, shouting the names of the women who had been in the group, but there were no answers. Cam was listening carefully for any responses as he made his way over to Niall.
“Ye said this has happened before,” he said, fighting to stay on an even keel and not think about Isadora in the hands of the enemy. “Ye said they have abducted yer women before and taken them back tae Kirkburn Castle.”
Niall was very close to being despondent. He climbed off his pony, his movements slow, as if carrying the weight of an entire clan on his shoulders. Women had been abducted before and it had always affected him, infuriated him, but now… now, it was different.
Isadora was involved.
“Aye,” he said. “They take them back tae Kirkburn and… Sweet Mary, they take them back and molest them.”
Cam felt sick. “What does that mean?”
Niall nodded, now blinking back the tears. “Deflower them and send them back tae us. They did it tae Tyrone’s daughter last year and she still willna leave her cottage. The lass sits alone in her chamber, fearful of everything. It destroyed her.”
Cam closed his eyes to the horror of it.My sweet and brave Isadora…
He wasn’t used to something like this. He’d lived his life peacefully until that fateful day when Netherton burned. Now, he felt like he did when he returned home to the death of his grandfather and all he held dear. He felt fear and grief. He couldn’t do anything for his grandfather; he’d been too late. But this time, he wasn’t going to be too late to prevent the worst from happening to Isadora.
With every last drop of blood in his body, he was going to save her or die trying.
“Tell me,” he said, his fear turning into something rage-driven. “When they take the lasses, have ye ever gone after them?”
Niall shook his head. “How? Ye know we have half the men they have. ’Twould be futile tae attack Kirkburn. ’Twould mean the deaths of the few men we have.”
“Then ye’ve never tried?”
Niall closed his eyes and hung his head. “Nay.”
Cam was trying very hard to think clearly, to concoct a plan. Not only did Isadora’s life depend on it, but so did his.
“Listen tae me,” he said, laying a big hand on Niall’s shoulder. “I willna sit here and wait for them tae return an abused woman tae me. I must go after her. Do ye understand me? I’ve seen what the Lindsay can do with the loss of Netherton. I willna go through it again.”
Niall looked at him with great concern. “What are ye going tae do?”
