Page 36

Simone

Simone crept down the coastline from the spot where she and Artan had moored the boat. Artan’s knowledge of the area around Kilchoan was definitely an advantage. He pointed to the spot he’d picked for her on a previous trip.

“Through there. They’ll never see your approach. The wall crumbled a bit, and I found a hole large enough for you to climb through. I’m going inside to distract Glenna. See if I can calm her down or learn exactly where Kyla is. It will be a quick visit. I’ll be waiting for you. In and out.”

Simone arched a brow at her husband once they approached the opening. “Found a hole?”

Artan grinned. “I may have helped it along a wee bit.”

“Well done. It’s plenty large enough, and clearly, they haven’t noticed it yet. If I have any luck, I’ll be sending two bairns through. Keep your ears open.” She arranged her bow and quiver the way she wished, checked for her dagger, then kissed Artan quickly before moving ahead.

Simone climbed inside the stone wall, tugging her accessories close, shocked at how narrow the curtain wall was.

The walls at Duart were nearly twice as thick and protected the people she loved.

This was another time in her life when she reveled in her good fortune to be adopted by Logan and Gwyneth Ramsay.

She’d been young when Maggie Ramsay had come along and saved her from the constant beatings she’d received at Wingate Castle as a kitchen servant.

The woman she hated the most had ordered two men to drag her into the common courtyard to beat her in front of everyone.

She’d dropped a bowl, an accident. One of the men had bumped into her in the hall and down it had gone, smashing into tiny pieces.

And she’d been dragged out quickly, a smile on the face of the sinister housekeeper who most enjoyed inflicting punishments.

The evil woman had grabbed her favorite switch from the assortment on display and had the man bind Simone’s hands on a tree, forcing her to bend over a big boulder. And the beating had begun.

Will loved to tell the story of how quickly Maggie had reacted.

He said that the first sound of the switch on Simone’s backside had set her face into a fury he’d never seen.

Maggie had said, “I’m not leaving without that lass.

” Then she’d found her spot, fired one arrow into the monster’s shoulder, aimed a second and hit one of the men in the side, then threw her dagger into a third man’s leg.

They didn’t know what or who had hit them for several moments.

Plenty of time for Maggie to run over and grab Simone’s hand to rescue her from her horrible life. Although Simone had been hesitant, not wishing to leave her sister Beatris inside, Maggie had promised to return for her, and she’d held true to her promise.

Maggie’s adopted mother, Gwyneth Ramsay, had saved Maggie and Molly from the same cruelty many years ago when Sorcha had been a bairn tied to her father’s chest. Molly had been tethered to a tree when Logan had found her.

She was bruised from a beating she’d received from the lady of the manor for dropping a trencher on the floor.

Her sister Maggie was inside so Logan and Gwyneth had taken Molly from the tree and gone back inside later to find Maggie.

They’d promised never to beat them, and they never had.

Their eldest daughter Sorcha had been a wee bairn at the time, but they still welcomed the two sisters into their family.

And when Simone and Beatris had come along, they’d welcomed them too. Her father had a gruff exterior to everyone else, but she knew him as the tender-hearted father that he was. She owed so much to the couple that she would see this through. And she did not approve of anyone mistreating wee ones.

It was time for Simone to save these two bairns inside. She’d wait no longer. And if she had to, she’d come back for the abusers later.

She held her breath as she climbed through the stone, not wishing to jar anything in the tunnel. When she finally emerged from the wall, she peered out to check for guards in the area. Only one visible man appeared on the curtain wall, and he had his head propped on the parapets, dozing.

She made her way to a staircase that descended to a door a few steps below. It had to lead to the cellars and the dungeon.

That’s where she headed. The wind blew enough to cover any slight sound her soft boots made on the dirt. Creeping down the steps, she jiggled the door handle, pleased to see it wasn’t locked.

Not a soul to be seen down the stairs either.

The passageway held three doors on each side. If she had to wager, the captives would be at the far end. Several doors had windows above her line of sight, though she was able to hop up and peek inside each one.

No one in the first two, but as soon as she opened the third door, she heard movement. Peeking around the corner, her fingers tightly gripping the handle of her dagger, she shoved the door open and jumped to the side, just in case someone was waiting to attack her.

Magni ran straight at her. “It’s Simmy! She’ll save us. Is Artan with you?”

Simone smiled when she hugged Magni. She’d met the lad the last few times she’d visited MacQuarie Castle with her husband. The poor lad had such a difficult past that it was easy to love him. “Aye, he’s outside, Magni. We must be quiet. Can you do that?”

“Aye, just take us away, please, Simmy. I don’t like it here.” He hugged her so tight that it brought tears to her eyes. She recalled feeling the exact same way when Maggie had cut her bindings and rescued her from her torture.

She knelt and set him a step away, keeping her hands on his arms so he wouldn’t panic. “We’ll leave in a few moments, Magni. Fear not, I’ll not leave you behind, but where is Kyla?”

He shook his head and burst into tears. “They took her.”

Lia approached, her hands demurely at her sides.

“They have moved her to a place hidden in the forests on Morvern. They wished to be sure no one would get her. Glenna is better, but she struggles. The fever got her so she has been taken to a healer who will watch over her at a place on Ardnamurchan, though I don’t know exactly where.

I do not believe that it is a castle but a smaller manor home.

We are ready to go home now, Simone. We are grateful you have come for us.

Magni is quite hungry and misses his grandsire. ”

Magni threw his arms around her again and squeezed. “I want to go home. Back to Mull and I don’t care where. Duart or Sloan’s or Lennox’s or Thane’s. Somewhere where people love me.”

Simone had to squeeze her eyes tight to stop the tears. “Listen to me, lad. We’re going out the door and down the passageway. You are to stay behind me. There is one archer up on the wall, so we have to be as quiet as possible. Understand?”

“But how will we get out that way? I can’t climb the curtain wall.” His tear-stained cheeks set against her own before he pulled back to stare at her.

“There’s a hole in the wall big enough for each of us.

I’ll show you. You will go first, and I promise you that Artan is waiting for you on the other side, so fear no more, Magni.

You trust Artan, aye? We have a boat, and I vow you’ll be home in no time.

Or at least to Clan Rankin. Can you keep quiet for me? ”

He nodded, so she opened the door and crept back down the passageway, making no sound at all, Magni and Lia behind her.

When they opened the door to the outside, they made their way to the bottom of the steps, but Simone cursed.

The man on the wall was now awake, but she knew better than to go back.

She whispered, “We’re going up the stairs. The hole is over there. Run that way and you’ll see it. If the guard sees us, I’ll have to stay behind and shoot him. You keep going until you get to Artan. Lia will be directly behind you.”

Magni nodded, squeezing Lia’s hand. “I’ll protect you, Lia. You must go ahead of me in the wall.”

Lia smiled and nodded.

Simone took his hand and led him up to the top step and pointed to the crumbling spot in the wall. “See where the gravel is lying in a pile on the ground? It’s just past there.”

“Halt!” The bastard had seen them.

“Run, Magni. I’ll take care of him.”

Magni took off, hanging on to Lia’s hand. Simone took out her bow, nocked her arrow, and fired. The quick wail told her she’d hit her target, but he wasn’t dead yet.

He bellowed, and the door opened from another spot down the back of the castle, guards racing out from the main floor.

“Go, Magni!” Then she whistled for Artan, hoping he would hear her.

The lad made it inside the wall, pushing Lia ahead of him. The man on the wall continued to fire but shot wide. Simone nocked again and hit him in the neck this time, ending his assault.

That didn’t stop the two men behind her, their swords at the ready.

Simone raced to the wall, backing into the opening and as soon as the one man tried to enter, she threw her dagger and struck his knee.

He fell back, blocking the opening for the next man, so she turned around and climbed out of the hole.

“Go, Artan. They’re coming.”

They made it to the boat, Artan shoving off with the two bairns inside, and Simone jumping in at the last moment.

“Hurry, Artan. I’ve got them. Magni, help him row.

” She got the lad situated with the two oars, knowing they would be heavy for him, but prayed his fear and instinct would help him push along.

She whipped back around and fired from the boat, catching the next assailant in the chest, but another slew of armed men came behind him.

The idiots made a sad attempt to use their bows, but Simone couldn’t help but laugh.

She hollered to them. “Too bad, fools! You should have been taught by the master, a woman.”