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Alaric stared at her, wide-eyed and speechless. She looked like a warrior goddess of the old tales, like a vision rather than a real woman. Had his captors hit his head, he would have feared she was just a figment of his imagination, but now she seemed entirely real, a mythical creature brought to life.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing of all was that she seemed to know who he was.

“Have we met?” he asked rather dumbly, for lack of anything else to say as the woman crouched down before him so they were at eye level.

“Nay,” she said. “But I was there when those men took ye. I was ridin’ by an’ I saw them attack ye, so I came tae see what they were doin’.”

Alaric felt as though he was stumbling over his own thoughts as he tried to take in the situation. It didn’t help that the woman’s eyes were boring right into him, a brilliant blue that left him breathless and distracted him from the mystery of her presence.

“An’ ye… ye killed them?” he asked. “All o’ them?”

There were at least half a dozen men there, the very same ones who had captured him. How had this woman fought them all on her own? How had she bested them?

“I dinnae think I killed all o’ them,” she said. “Perhaps one or two. The rest, I simply stunned, so we must hurry an’ leave afore they wake up an’ find us.”

That was a very convincing argument for the need of a speedy escape, Alaric thought, but he still had so many questions that he didn’t even know with which one to begin. When he heard the distant sound of actual horse hooves, though, signaling the arrival of more men, he realized that none of them was as important as leaving as fast as they could.

“Aye,” he said. “Untie me an’ we shall leave.”

But at his request, the woman hesitated, sitting back on her heels. “I must be honest with ye,” she said. “I didnae come here tae save ye out o’ the goodness o’ me heart.”

Alaric sighed, letting his head fall back to stare at the ceiling. He should have known there was going to be a catch. It all sounded too good to be true.

“What is it that ye want?” he asked. “Gold? Fine. I’d rather give it tae ye than them.”

“Nay, nay… I have nae need fer gold,” the woman said. “Ye see, I heard that ye are from the MacGregor Clan, is that right?”

“Aye, that is so.”

“An’ that ye are the laird’s braither?”

Alaric gritted his teeth. “Aye. What o’ it?”

“I need yer help with somethin’,” she said. “If ye promise tae help me, I will untie ye an’ we can go.”

Alaric didn’t like the sound of that at all. Whatever the woman wanted, he doubted it would be a small favor, especially when she seemed so reluctant to tell him what it was. He couldn’t simply walk into this deal blind. After all, there was a good chance he would be dragging his entire clan into this, not only himself.

“Tell me what ye want an’ I’ll tell ye if I can help ye,” he said.

“I’ll explain everythin’ once we’re nae bein’ chased,” said the woman. “It is a long story an’ ye must hear all o’ it.”

“How can I agree tae somethin’ about which I ken naething?” Alaric asked. “I dinnae ken who ye are. I dinnae ken what ye want. I cannae agree tae yer demands afore I ken what they are.”

“Would ye rather stay here, then?”

The question gave Alaric pause. There was a chance that it was the wiser thing to do, staying there and waiting for Evan. On the other hand, perhaps this woman was not trying to fool him and by rejecting her offer, he would be damning himself.

Though he was under the pressure of time, Alaric found himself unable to make a decision, even if he was rarely indecisive. He liked to have as many facts as he could before he put himself in a dangerous situation, and as he knew nothing about whatever it was he was going to face if he allowed this woman to help him, making up his mind seemed like an impossible task.

“I’ll tell ye this,” said the woman. “It is naething disgraceful.”

“An’ yet ye dinnae wish tae tell me what it is until after I have agreed tae help ye,” Alaric pointed out. “Will it bring trouble tae me clan?”

“Nay.”

The woman seemed sincere, and Alaric figured that if it was nothing that would harm his clan and nothing that would bring him disgrace, then it was probably best to agree to help her and escape that place. Nodding, he scooted his chair a little closer to her, eager to have his hands unbound.

“I’ll help ye,” he promised. “Let us leave.”