Page 29 of Awakened By Time

“Ye ken how he got here as well as I. The question is why is he nae at Breaghacraig and instead laying here injured on the road.”

“Zeke?” Dougall gently lifted his head. Zeke opened his eyes and shock registered on his face as he recognized the two men.

“Why did you hit me? Where’s Brenna?”

“Brenna was with you?” Dougall glanced around, as did Logan.

“We didnae hit ye,” Logan said. “It seems there were a group on horseback.” He pointed to several sets of hoof prints on the road.

“Do ye remember what happened?” Dougall asked.

“Brenna and I were riding to Breaghacraig. She was angry with me, so she trotted off ahead. Before I could catch up with her, someone hit me from behind. That’s all I remember.” He touched his head, wincing in pain.

“Why was me sister with ye?”

“I was bringing her to see you.”

“And how did ye end up at Castle Treun?” Dougall asked.

“Edna. She gave me this horse.” He gazed at Olwydd, who stood passively by, occasionally poking Logan with his nose. “I was told it would take me where I needed to go, which was Breaghacraig. I wanted to find Sara.”

“She’s fine. She’s me wife now,” Logan assured him.

“I know. I miss her. I want her to come home with me.” Zeke tried to sit up, but seemed to think better of it.

Logan was about to argue the point, but Dougall interrupted him. “Logan, we must find Brenna,” he said. “We can discuss Sara later.”

“Do ye ken who it might have been who took her?” Logan asked.

“The only one I can think of is Nevil Munro,” Zeke replied.

“And why would he do that?” Dougall wasn’t sure what was going on or why Brenna had been with Zeke, but he didn’t like hearing that Nevil Munro may have taken his sister.

“He had an agreement with your father to marry her. Paddraig withdrew from the agreement. Something about land that Munro wanted, but your father wasn’t willing to give him. I handfasted with your sister to get her away from there. I was going to take her to you and then return home… with Sara.”

The two men eyed him with some suspicion. Dougall’s only concern was Brenna, but Logan was concerned about Sara.

“Can ye ride?” Dougall asked.

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.” Zeke tried to hoist himself up with little luck.

Dougall and Logan helped him to his feet and then examined his head. “Yer bleeding,” Logan noted. He went to his saddlebag and retrieved a cloth, which he gave to Zeke. “Ye may need some stitches to close the wound. Hold this in place and we’ll see if the bleeding stops.”

Zeke didas he was told and although he was feeling a little wobbly on his feet and his head was pounding, he managed, with some help, to mount Olwydd. “We’ve got to follow them. We have to find Brenna.”

“Aye,” Dougall said. “Munro is likely holding her for ransom. He’s nay the kind of man ye want to cross. Me Da was an idjit to do so. He should never have offered Brenna to him in the first place.”

“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Zeke asked.

“Not if me father gives him what he wants. If he doesnae, he’s capable of things I dinnae wish to think about.”

Despite the pounding in his head that resulted with every hoofbeat and the fact that he had no idea where he was going, Zeke moved Olwydd up into a gallop and took off down the road with Dougall and Logan hot on his heels. They had to find Brenna before it was too late.

* * *

Paddraig MacRae ragedat the lad who stood before him. “Ye tell Munro that I’ll nae be bullied into giving up me land. If he wants a war, a war he’ll get.”

The young lad, eyes wide in fright, turned and ran from the great hall and Paddraig MacRae assumed straight back to Nevil Munro.