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Egon’s face paled.
“You need to tell me what happened. I thought Sven’s men were protecting the village while we were out with Caoimhe?”
“Caoimhe? Oh, where is she?” Kylie asked.
“She’s with Sven. Tell me what happened,” Egon repeated, trying to get Kylie’s erratic mind to focus.
“They…they came sae quickly, from nowhere. I saw them charging through the village, and I knew I haed tae run. I hated tae, but there was no way we could put up a fight. We hid and waited for them tae pass. It was horrible. I thought we were gaeing tae die.”
“What else happened? Did they say anything? Do you remember anything else?” Egon asked. There was a dark suspicion in his heart, but he wanted some other evidence to confirm it before he made any accusations.
Kylie shook her head, but then the movement paused dramatically. “They mentioned a name, but it…it doesnae make sense.”
“A name? What name?” Egon demanded.
Kylie seemed to be fighting with herself, as though she didn’t want to speak the truth because it was too awful to bear. But eventually, she could not deny what was happening.
“Arne Hagen,” she said softly. “But Sven said that was the man who sent him. Why would he hae lied tae us?”
This admission confirmed what Egon had suspected, and his entire body went rigid with tension. There was something about Sven that he hadn’t trusted from the very beginning, and he should have known it was more than simple jealousy.
“Because he’s not the man you thought he was. He’s the one responsible for this. He made sure your village was vulnerable, and now he has Caoimhe.”
Kylie’s face was stricken with grief. “I thought that we could trust him! I thought that we could count on him tae protect us and keep Caoimhe safe. Oh, what a fool I’ve been!” She put her hand to her forehead and seemed to lose all the strength in her body.
Egon knew how she felt. She wasn’t the only one who had been made a fool, and now he had gone and left Caoimhe alone with Sven. It would seem that his homecoming would have to wait. He had to act quickly; otherwise, it would be too late. Only the gods knew what Sven had planned for her, and Egon wasn’t going to let it happen.
He whirled away from Kylie, leaving her and the other villagers alone in their sorrow. The Vikings were getting more aggressive, and it was only a matter of time before they made another attack. It was up to Egon to rescue Caoimhe and protect the fate of the Highlanders. He whistled to Deigh and then practically jumped on the horse. He leaned down and felt the wind whip against his face as he urged Deigh into a gallop, not relenting until he found Caoimhe, praying that he would not be too late.
