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The man swung around so fast to face the monk that Sky grew dizzy and had no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder. It further confirmed what she suspected. He was thick with muscle and that he carried her with no difficulty proved it even more. She was not petite like her sister Elsie nor as tall as her sister Leora. She was somewhere in between their heights. And she was not skinny with slight curves like Elsie or shapely like Leora, she was slim with soft curves as her mum used to say.

“Free them! NOW!”

His commanding shout had her raising her head off his chest as a shiver rushed through her.

His cheek brushed hers as he whispered, confirming once again, “I mean you no harm.”

The faint warmth of his breath and the strength of his tone sent another shiver through her, and she was not surprised to hear the familiar sound of a key turning in a lock. Brother Emanual was wasting no time in obeying the man’s command.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“All you need to know right now is that you are safe with me. On that you have my word.”

Safe. She had not felt safe since arriving here, and as far as the man’s word… many men gave their word when it suited them and honored it when it suited them or so Leora had warned her. She had had little contact with men and only knew what her sisters had to say about them, which was not always complimentary. So, until she could judge for herself how honorable this man was, trusting him would be difficult.

Cool air gently kissed her face once outside, and she yearned to open her eyes.

She was hesitant to speak, but she desperately wanted to know. “Is it day or night?”

“Day, and the sun is bright, so keep your eyes closed,” the man said.

She wished she could bask in the warmth of the sun and cast her eyes on the sunlight after spending so long in the dark. But the man was right about keeping her eyes closed for now, and so she did.

“Ross, make certain everyone is out of the abbey,” the man ordered.

“Aye, my lord.”

He walked a bit of a distance, keeping her tucked tightly in his arms. “You will wait under this tree until I return for you.”

As soon as Sky leaned back against the tree trunk, she sighed softly. She might not be home but being near woods, a place that brought her much comfort, felt as close to home as she had felt in weeks.

“Warriors guard you,” he said before he walked away.

Sky’s fear rumbled through her stomach. Who were these warriors, and why did she need guarding? Not mercenaries she assumed since their leader was referred to as my lord. Unless—she shivered. Elsie had agreed to wed a warrior, Cavell, who had recently left the Gallowglass, an elite group of noble mercenary warriors infamous for their fighting skills and fierceness, choosing death rather than surrender to the enemy. Elsie and Leora had traveled with her to the monastery, where they had been told Cavell would be waiting for her, but that was not what happened. And she wondered who was responsible for the lie.

Had Elsie found Cavell, and had he sent a friend with his troop of warriors to rescue her? If so, she would be on her way home soon. It would also mean that the man had been informed about her affliction and there would be no need for worry.

“Time for penance, monk!” the man shouted.

“Nay! Nay! Stop! Please stop. I beg you,” Brother Emanual pleaded.

Sky smelled it… smoke. She gasped softly. Was he burning the abbey?

“Let it burn like the fires of hell,” the man shouted. “And you’re lucky I don’t burn you along with it.”

“Where will we go?” Brother Emanual sobbed.

Anger spewed from the man’s mouth. “To hell where you belong.”

“You have taken possession of her for only a short time and look at the evil she has you doing,” Brother Emanual warned.

“I have done far more horrible and worse things, monk, than to torch an abbey.”

Sky shuddered and rubbed her arms, the coldness in the man’s voice leaving her with a chill. Whatever worse things he had done had left him with no guilt, no remorse. Did that mean he had no heart, no soul?

“You cannot mean to leave us here without shelter and food,” Brother Emanual begged.

Desperation marked the monk’s plea as his voice began to draw closer to Sky. Was the man returning to her and was the monk hurrying to follow him? Her imagination conjured the scene in her mind’s eye of the monk’s hands steepled in prayer as he followed the man with anxious footfalls while begging for mercy.