Page 22 of Intrigued By A Highlander (Highland Revenge Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER 22

K nox and Dru didn’t move, they listened and heard… the crunch of leaves, staggering footfalls, and groans.

Knox lowered Dru to her feet. “Wait here.”

“Nay. I go with you,” she insisted.

“Then stay behind me,” he ordered sternly, and she nodded.

Dru remained close behind him as he stepped around the boulder, though she peered past him when he halted. A large warrior, covered in blood, stumbled in their direction. He looked familiar.

“Rankin,” Knox whispered.

Dru recalled the name. He was one of Phelan’s men. She remained behind Knox, listening just as he did, trying to determine if there were others in the area. They detected nothing, so they approached him cautiously.

Rankin stretched his hand out to Knox when he spotted him. “Help.”

Knox hurried to him, Dru keeping pace.

Rankin collapsed against a tree sliding down it, not able to stand any longer.

Knox dropped down beside him. “What happened?”

Dru stood to her husband’s side and one look at Rankin was enough to see that he wouldn’t make it. He had far too many stab wounds.

“Tracking. Attacked. Warn Phelan,” Rankin struggled to say.

“You were tracking ahead for Phelan and were attacked?” Knox asked to confirm he understood him correctly.

Rankin barely nodded.

Knox could see that Rankin didn’t have much time left and hurried to ask, “Who?”

Rankin shook his head.

“More than one?”

It took a moment for Rankin to say, “Many.”

“Where’s Phelan?”

“Old place.”

“They’re going after Phelan?” Knox asked.

Rankin didn’t have much breath left to him but managed to say, “Autumn.”

“They want the woman Phelan believes is Autumn?”

Rankin looked as if he’d respond when his head fell to the side, blood running from his mouth.

Knox stood and paced in front of the dead man. He ran his hand through his hair, muttered beneath his breath, then stopped and glared at Dru.

“I need to tuck you someplace safe while I go warn Phelan, if we want that woman to live,” he said.

“The only place I’m safe is with you. And what if you can’t reach Phelan before they do? These are vicious men.”

“So are Phelan’s warriors. They will kill without thought, without mercy, and I need at least one of the enemies left alive so I can question him. And the innocent woman needs protecting. The old place isn’t far from here, though it’s been abandoned for years, and Rankin understood he was dead whether he told them where Phelan was or he didn’t. His attackers probably thought he was dead with as many stab wounds as he suffered or that he soon would be when they left him. His sheer stubbornness kept Rankin going, looking for help. You can’t help me with this, Dru. You must remain behind.”

“This is a death mission,” Dru said, her heart beating wildly with fear.

“Not if I’m careful,” he insisted and hurried to his mare. “You stay hidden in this area. I will come find you when I’m done.”

“You can’t leave me,” she said, chasing after him.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Nay, we’ll leave. Go somewhere far away,” she argued, her fear growing.

Knox swung himself up on his mare, wanting desperately to do as she said, yet knowing they couldn’t go far enough not to eventually be found.

He gripped the reins tightly. “I will not let us spend our life in fear, waiting day after day for someone to find us. I will see this done.”

“Together. You promised we would do this together,” she continued to argue, hoping to stop him.

“Aye, but not battle, wife. Battle is left to the warriors. Now hide and if—” he paused— “if I don’t return within a day get to The Monk. Tell him the truth of who you are. He will protect you. I love you, Dru, always.”

She went to grab his leg to try and stop him, but he rode off without looking back and though fear gripped her, she didn’t let it stop her. If he thought she would sit by and do nothing, he was wrong.

She took off running, tears streaming down her face.

Knox wished he had taken his wife in his arms and kissed her before he left, but he feared if he had, he wouldn’t have let her go. He would ride off with her and hide, forever hide. And he didn’t want that kind of life for them.

It took a while since he needed to be cautious and not run into the band of warriors who had viciously attacked Rankin and left him for dead. Phelan was going to be furious when he found out, Rankin having been one of his most trusted warriors.

The smell of woodsmoke alerted him that he was near and hearing no signs of battle left him feeling hopeful that he had reached Phelan in time to warn him, see the woman kept safe, and more importantly in time to capture one of the attackers.

When he got close, he dismounted and whispered to Star, “Hide until I call out for you.”

Star snorted, bobbed her head, and took off.

Knox approached the camp with confidence, knowing one of the sentinels Phelan posted would see him and alert the camp, but no one did. He slowed his pace worried at what he might find.

Phelan sat around the campfire with a few of his men, fewer than Knox expected. The woman was tied to a tree and looked to be exhausted as well as covered in dust and grime.

Phelan flew to his feet when he spotted Knox. “How did you get past my sentinels?”

“Get your men armed. You’re about to be attacked?—”

“Why should I?—”

“Bloody hell, Phelan, do as I say. Rankin is dead and his killers are after the woman,” Knox called out and drew his weapon.

Phelan wisely listened and he and his men had their weapons in hand as a roar was heard and warriors poured into the camp.

Steel clashed with steel in a deafening symphony. Knox didn’t hesitate. He was already in motion, meeting the first attacker with a downward slice of his blade that sent the man sprawling. Phelan’s men rallied, fighting like the fierce mercenaries they were, their shouts mixing with the shrieks of the assaulting warriors.

The attackers came fast and furious, with no intention of taking prisoners. Their fury seemed unmatched, more like banshees raining down death. Knox and Phelan made sure the enemy didn’t get anywhere near the woman tied to the tree, but it wasn’t easy. They were intent on seeing her dead.

The fighting continued, men falling to their deaths or heavily wounded on both sides.

“We’re outnumbered,” Phelan barked, striking a man down with one swing and turned to Knox fighting close by. “My men are being slaughtered. Who are these ruthless warriors?”

“They’ve come for the woman,” Knox said grimly, slicing clean through an attacker’s leg and spinning to meet the next.

“They can take her. I’ll lose no more men,” Phelan said and heard her scream.

A warrior lunged toward her and Knox dove forward, knocking the man aside and driving his blade into the enemy’s chest. She was trembling, barely able to hold her head up, but she met Knox’s eyes with a fierce, silent plea— don’t let them take me .

Knox turned, chest heaving. The campsite was chaos. Bodies lay strewn about, the wounded groaned while some screamed in agony. Knox barely avoided losing his arm from a swinging blade, turning just in time to run his sword through the warrior. More of Phelan’s men lay dead and wounded than the attackers. He had hoped to capture at least one of them alive to find out who sent them but from the looks of it they might be the victors here today.

The thought of never seeing his wife again drove him to fight more fiercely.

Then came the sound—faint at first but rising above the din like a promise.

A vicious roar as if an army was about to descend on them. It cut through the sounds of battle like a blade through silk.

And then Star came thundering through the trees, Dru in her saddle her red hair whipping like flames around her head and slinging rocks at the warriors, hitting her mark every time.

Behind her rode four raging Highland warriors, broad-shouldered and grim-faced… the MacTavish brothers in full battle fury.

Dru went straight for the woman tied to the tree.

The MacTavish brothers fell upon the attackers like wolves let loose. One brought down two men with the same stroke. Another barreled through the enemy ranks like a battering ram, scattering them like leaves. The tide turned.

Phelan caught Knox’s eye. “Your wife is bloody crazy.”

Knox grinned through the blood. “That’s why I love her.”

By the time the sun dipped behind the hills, the attackers lay broken. The camp was quiet but for the harsh breathing of the living and the soft whinny of Star, nudging Knox’s shoulder.

He looked for Dru.

She stood a few paces away, breathing hard, and blood on her chin that wasn’t her own. She caught his gaze and started toward him.

He didn’t hesitate this time. He rushed to her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her, grateful to feel her snug against him and know she was safe.

He gripped her face. “You don’t obey me and now you have my horse not obeying me.”

“We weren’t about to desert you when we knew you needed us.”

He shook his head. “I should be angry at you, but you feel too good in my arms to be anything but relieved and grateful.” He scrunched his brow. “How did you get the MacTavish brothers to help you?”

“They enjoy fighting others more than fighting each other.” She smiled, “But I sealed the deal when I promised I’d get them four barrels of ale from the monks, one for each of them.”

“Dru, we found one alive,” Quim said, hurrying over to her. “You don’t need us anymore, so what about that ale?”

Knox turned to Star, his mare remaining close to him, and ran a gentle hand along her neck. “Good work, Star.”

He continued to soothe her with a soft touch while he slipped his hand into his rolled bedding and extracted a pouch. He pulled a few coins out of it and tucked the pouch into his plaid.

“You gave your word Dru, and you never renege on your word,” Fyre reminded, joining Quim, Atley and Olin hurrying over to join them.

“Here you go,” Knox said, holding the coins out to the four brothers. “This should buy you six barrels of ale.”

Quim scooped the coins out of Knox’s hand before his brothers could reach for them. “You’ve got a good man there, Dru. Anytime you need help we’re there for you, with payment of ale, of course.”

“How come you get the coin? Why can’t I hold on to them?” Atley asked.

“Or me?” Olin chimed in.

“It should be me,” Fyfe said. “I’m the least drunk of us all.”

“The ride and fight sobered us. We need more ale,” Quim said and grinned. “And with these many coins I wager the monks would be glad to tend our wounds, feed us, and shelter us for the night.”

The four were about to rush off when Knox said, “Show us the enemy warrior who survived.”

The air hung thick with smoke and blood, the fire crackling low as if weary from witnessing so much death. The MacTavish brothers showed them to the warrior while Phelan and his men moved among the fallen, checking for life, offering swift mercy where needed.

Phelan looked up from where he knelt next to one of his fallen warriors. “We need to talk.”

“Aye, that we do,” Knox agreed cautiously, not trusting the man.

Atley walked alongside Dru and nodded to the woman who had been tied to the tree now seated near the fire, wrapped in a cloak, her eyes hollow. “I cut her free and tended to her wounds as best I could. But she may need a healer. We could take her to the monks if you want. They would look after her.”

Dru saw how she clutched a flask with both hands, as if warmth alone could drive the memory of what she’d witnessed from her bones.

“And we’ll make sure everyone knows she’s not Autumn,” Atley said.

“Aye, that would be good. Let me speak with her and let her know she’ll be safe with you and your brothers.”

Atley nodded and they continued to the captive in silence.

The warrior would not survive the night and Knox took advantage of that. “I can end your suffering quickly or I can worsen it. Tell me who wants Autumn dead.”

The warrior moaned, blood seeping through his fingers from where his hand lay over the wound to his stomach. “I would if I knew.”

“I don’t believe you,” Knox said, looking down where he lay on the ground. “You and the others fought with fiery rage, which is often seen in those who fight to revenge something or someone. Who do you revenge?”

“Is she dead?” the warrior asked.

“Nay,” Knox said. “She lives, but she is not Autumn.”

“Aye, he’s right about that,” Quim said and reiterated the truth about Sax starting the rumor.

The warrior shut his eyes against the pain or the news, Knox wasn’t certain, though when he opened them the anger swirling in them betrayed the truth.

“When you find her—” A pain stole his words from him, and it took a moment for him to continue. “Don’t trust her.” He took a needed breath. “She is no different than her mother, a coward.”

Knox turned a quick look at his wife and wasn’t surprised to see anger smoldering in her eyes or that her hands were fisted tightly. She wanted to pummel the warrior, but she wisely fought the urge. He was trying to do the same.

“You condemn her without knowing her,” Knox said, attempting to do as his wife so successfully did.

“Knowing her mother is enough,” the warrior said and turned his head to the side to spit out the blood pooling in his mouth. “Leave me in peace. I will not have my last breath wasted on her.”

“So, you want her dead as badly as the person who hired you or do you fight willingly for your noble?” Knox asked.

“I die for him,” the warrior said proudly.

“A failure,” Dru said softly, not intending for her remark to be heard.

“You lie,” the warrior shouted with surprising strength. “She’s here. I h?—”

“You wish she was,” Knox hurried to say, realizing the warrior had heard a soft spoken Dru who must have sounded like her mum to him. And that was something he couldn’t allow anyone to find out. It also meant he knew Dru’s mum well.

“She deserves to die, and she will.”

A roar pierced the air. “AND SO WILL YOU!”

Phelan rushed past them and rammed a sword into the warrior’s chest before anyone could stop him, not that anyone tried.

“They killed half of my men,” Phelan snarled, his darting eyes daring anyone to challenge his action.

Knox sent Dru a look she easily understood and nodded to the MacTavish brothers as she walked away, and they followed her.

“You need to join me, Knox, in revenging their deaths,” Phelan demanded. “You knew them. They were your friends, fellow warriors.”

“Friendship? You never encouraged friendship, Phelan. It was obedience you demanded and most of the men had no choice but to give it to you since they had no place to go. They were the unwanted, the discarded, and instead of creating a family, loyalty, you created servitude they could never escape.”

Fury raged in Phelan’s eyes. “I treat my men good.”

“Do you? Tell me what you will do with the wounded. Will you get them to a healer? See they are tended to as they recover? And the ones left unable to fight ever again, what becomes of them.”

“I’m not a charity,” Phelan snapped angrily.

“Never could anyone ever accuse you of being charitable,” Knox said.

“You’re a coward for not seeking revenge,” Phelan accused.

Knox’s hand was around Phelan’s throat so fast that he had no time to react. And Phelan’s hand went quickly to claw at Knox’s hand that choked him when he lifted him high enough for his feet to dangle just above the ground.

“I should kill you here and now, but there have been enough lives lost today,” Knox said, having his fill of death and tossed him to land on top of the pile of dead warriors that would soon be burned. “Soon, though, soon I will see you dead.”

Knox turned and seeing his wife leaning against a tree, just beyond the edge of the clearing, looking exhausted, and Star grazing nearby, content despite the stench of death, he hurried to them both.

Knox reached out, brushing a streak of dried blood from Dru’s chin. “You took too much of a chance, wife.”

“Is that the thanks I get for saving your life? You’d be dead if I hadn’t,” she said, her voice trembled slightly. “I followed my heart. It led me to you.”

His hand lingered on her cheek. “I nearly didn’t leave you earlier. I thought if I kissed you, held you, I’d never let go.”

“You should have kissed me,” she admonished.

“Aye, I should have, but I still would have had to leave.”

“Aye, and I still would have followed, your trail clear and Star taking me the rest of the way.”

“Stubborn,” he whispered lowering his head slowly.

She tilted her head and corrected, “Stubbornly in love.”

He kissed her, slow and fierce, no longer holding back, no longer caring about anything but her. Her arms wrapped tight around him as if she feared he might vanish into the chilled air.

When they parted, she rested her brow to his. “You will never ride into danger without me again.”

“That’s not a promise I can make.”

“And I can never promise you that I won’t follow you into danger.” Her smile teased. “We’re doomed to always be together.”

“I wouldn’t want to be doomed with anyone else,” he said, his smile just as playful.

They stayed there a moment longer, hearts beating in rhythm, before Knox finally said, “Let’s finish here and find a place where we can be alone.”

Dru grinned. “That’s right. You have a duty you failed to see to.”

“I failed?” he asked with a poke to her side.

“Aye, you should have been quicker,” she admonished mischievously.

“You want me quicker?”

She didn’t need to think long about that one. “Not all the time.”

“DRU!”

Dru and Knox cringed, hearing Quim yell out for her.

“You need to come with us to the abbey.”

She didn’t want to ask why, worried it would leave her no choice, and she didn’t have to. Quim volunteered it.