Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (58 page)

As they rode hard to Doran Castle, their only thoughts
were that their sister was not dead. She risked her life to save them. Now,
like a sacrificial lamb, the wolves stalked her. 

With ardent purpose driving them to neck breaking
pace, they raced across Fraser land determined to reach the Macleod fortress
before it was too late. They would not fail her. They would not lose their
beloved sister again.

Dawn had come and gone when Gavin and Alex spotted a
large party of Highlanders riding as if the devil himself were chasing them.
When the two lairds recognized the Fraser plaid worn by the approaching riders,
they gave the signal to halt the hundreds of warriors following in their wake.

“They have Keir and Guy,” Gavin hissed.

When Laird Fraser slowed his mount to a stop, Alex
roared, “Explain!”

Neither intimidated nor offended by the gruff
reception, Laird Cormac Fraser faced the man he had once called ally and
friend. It had been many years since Alex allied the Mackenzies with the
Macleods. Due to this disloyal act, Cormac had severed all ties with the
Frasers. That is until now.

Yesterday he had been forced to consider putting the
past behind him when Gavin Macleod’s wife and brother had rescued his daughter,
Kyla. Last eve, he had trouble forgetting the winsome face of the lass who
boldly threatened to cut off his tongue. She had her mother’s green eyes and
her father’s memorable smile. She inherited her sun kissed blond hair from both
her parents as well as her undeniable spirit. She was Alex Mackenzie’s
daughter, and she was very much alive. Realizing the earth-shattering
discovery, he did not hesitate to inform his once closest friend.

“I was on my way to see ye when I happen upon yer sons
and grandson. Yer sons have taken a beating, and nae would have made it without
our help.”

Alex saw that Keir and Guy were on their own horses,
but looked as if they had just returned from battle. Gabriel was sitting in
front of a Fraser soldier, thankfully unharmed.

Before Alex could ask about Hamon, Keir rode forward
and said, “Hamon was drugged and has been unconscious for many hours. Laird
Fraser had him put in a cart and escorted to the Macleod stronghold by his
men.”

Alex was more than grateful that his sons and grandson
were alive, but his daughter was still in danger. He did not mince words when
he stated, “Yer sister is alive.”

Keir, Guy and Laird Fraser said at once, “Ye ken?”

“Aye, and I will have the bastard’s head on a pike
afore the day is out. Greystone has made her life hell for eight years as
revenge against me. My daughter has gone to him in hopes of bartering herself
for yer lives.”

“She dinna go to barter herself, she-” Guy started to
say.

“Explain!” Alex roared since his patience had been
depleted hours ago.

“She rescued us,” Guy’s tone and furor equaled his
father’s.

Simultaneously, Alex and Gavin asked, “What?”

“She appeared in the dungeon after retrieving my son
from his chamber,” Keir began. “She freed us from the shackles-” He was
interrupted by his father’s irate bellow.

“Where is my daughter?”

With haste, Keir explained that she stayed behind,
without their knowledge, to kill the three English soldiers that were chasing
them with flaming arrows.

“The bridge caught fire, trapping her on the other
side of the burn just as the sun broke the horizon. Only then did we see that
it was our baby sister who had saved us and . . .” He broke off, overcome by
emotion and heartache.

Rage filled the air as Gavin and Alex listened to the
events that had occurred only an hour past. A new plan was formulated and
strengthened when Laird Fraser added his warriors to the mix of fighting men.
After all was organized, their fighting force was well over 600 highland
warriors. It was agreed upon to split into four groups, so they could surround
the enemy and cut off any chance of escape.

Before leaving, Alex went to Keir and said, “Ye must
take Gabriel to Doran.” When his son was about to protest, he stated, “I ken ye
want to help get her back, but ye canna fight in yer condition. I can see that
yer feet bleed and suspect ye will nae be able walk. Get yer son and my
grandson to safety.”

Keir knew his father was right, but it did nothing to
ease the pain torturing his heart. He turned to Guy and said, “I thought ye
were whipped as well?”

“I was, but nae to the extent ye were, and nae on my
feet.”

“Then go and get our sister back.”

Guy stated with fierce determination, “Aye, she will
be with us once again.”

The early morning hours brought a clear blue sky,
leaving Ella more visible and vulnerable than ever. She had been successful in
escaping the Englishmen chasing her, but Righ was now too fatigued to continue.

She pulled up on his reins and vaulted from his back,
then removed his saddle and bit. After pulling the saddle blanket from his
back, she said, “You have served me well, my friend, but I can take you no
further without putting you in danger. You have the choice to return to the
Macleods or claim your freedom. Thank you, Righ, for all you have done.” She
slapped his backside, and then watched him take off into the woods.

After hiding the saddle and reins under a bush, she
ran to a group of towering pine trees that would serve as a temporary refuge.
Before scrambling up to wait for the inevitable, she quickly hid her bow and
empty quiver in the base of an old yew tree. As tears ran down her face, she
ran her fingers down the beautiful weapon that was gifted to her only last eve,
then concealed the weapon as best she could.

Ella had ridden hard for over an hour trying to
outmaneuver the English, but they were everywhere. Her defeat was but a
heartbeat away, she realized, and was powerless against it.

Although she ached for Gavin, she was convinced that
he and his clan would be better off without her. It was only a matter of time
before Greystone’s men discovered her whereabouts, and then forced her back to
England. At least she was given a reprieve from having to face Gavin when he
learned the truth about his wife, for the pain would be too great to see his
loving eyes fill with hatred.

The sounds of horses interrupted her thoughts, and
within moments she was looking down from her perch in the tree at a handful of
Montgomery soldiers. She tried to climb further up, but one man leaped into the
tree from his horse and yanked her down. Branches scratched her face and neck
just before she hit the ground with a mighty blow that expelled all the air
from her lungs. She gasped for breath even as the vile man grabbed her by the
hair and dragged her to her feet.

“You give me any trouble, I’ll teach you a lesson
you’ll not soon forget.”

Another man came forward with rope in his hands and
laughed, “I’ll tie the wench so she’ll be giving us nae trouble on the way to
the ship.”

With her hands tied behind her back and a rope around
her neck, Ella was dragged by the English soldiers on horseback. She was
thankful that the rope around her throat did not tighten when pulled upon. It
was merely to humiliate her and give the soldiers amusement.

“A wench on a leash is a fine sight indeed. Montgomery
will be well pleased, I’m thinking.”

Ella asked, “Where are you taking me?”

“Shut your mouth, whore. If you open it again. . .” He
trailed off as soon as she lowered her eyes.

She stayed quiet the rest of the journey, but listened
and soon learned they were taking her to a ship where Montgomery waited. She
had wondered how Montgomery and Greystone thought to leave the Highlands alive.
The only way would be by water, and once she boarded that ship, all hope would
be lost.

An hour later, Ella and her captors reached the east
side of Mackenzie land, and with it the ocean. A ship was anchored further out
in the water, while rowboats glided to the shore. And, her nightmare became a
reality when she saw Montgomery in the first boat.

The men around her dismounted and pulled her the short
distance through the woody terrain that outlined the beach. A short jump, two
ell in length, was all that separated them from the beach. One by one, each man
jumped down to the beach, until only Ella and the man holding the rope tied to
her neck were left.

One of the foul men on the beach called out, “Might as
well untie her hands, but throw down her leash first.” His comment ended with
an evil laugh.

Ella stood looking down at the four men on the beach
as her hands were roughly untied. The man holding the other end of the rope was
at the bottom of the small cliff, eagerly waiting to yank her over the edge. As
soon as her hands were untied, the man behind her let out a short gasp. She
turned quickly to the sight of the man falling to his knees, then face down on
the ground with two arrows sticking out of his back.

With haste, she grabbed the dagger in his hand and
sliced through the rope that was tied to her neck. The man below jerked hard on
the rope and fell backwards since she was no longer at the other end. Just as
she was about to run, one of the men below jumped up and grabbed her ankle.
When her foot was pulled from beneath her, she hit the ground hard, and the
dagger flew from her hands.

She frantically clawed the ground as the men on the
beach yanked her from the small cliff. She looked up just before going over the
edge, and was shocked to see Arth baring his teeth, racing towards her.

Once Ella made contact with the sandy ground, her
captor spun her around then raised his fist. As she turned her head to divert
the blow, the savage sound of a snarling beast rippled through the air. Her
eyes darted upwards at the precise moment Arth lunged from the cliff and onto
her attacker. The massive weight of the large animal tumbled both her and the
soldier to the ground. She then witnessed how truly ferocious and supremely
wolf Arth could be within a blink of an eye.

His deadly teeth sank into the flesh of her attacker’s
neck, quickly cutting off the man’s pain-filled cries. With his jaws locked on
the soldier’s throat, the faithful animal then shook his blood-covered muzzle
from side to side, finishing the kill.

Scrambling to her knees, Ella was oblivious to the
droplets of blood hitting her face as she watched the brutal death. She then
swung her head towards the sudden sound of a sword being unsheathed and saw
another soldier running in her direction with his weapon raised high in the
air. His intent was clear, he was going to strike down the vicious animal she
loved.

“NO,” Ella screamed, springing to her feet. She lunged
towards the threat and when her body slammed into his, she grabbed his forearms
to prevent the downward plunge of the sword. When the man toppled over, she
momentarily thought it was her strength that felled him; that is until she
realized that Arth had unintentionally slammed into her back while trying to
attack the soldier. The powerful impact sent them all to the ground, and within
an instant the animal’s jaws were embedded in the man’s exposed throat while
Ella continued to hold the man’s arms over his head. Aiding the beast in his
kill without fear for herself sent exhilaration coursing through her body. And
the joy of it made her feel safe and wanted.
At least there is one who loves
me.

Her thoughts drastically changed, remembering that
just before she was pulled over the cliff there had been arrows protruding from
her captor’s back. While frantically struggling to her knees, Ella’s eyes
darted over the long stretch of beach, and then the shock of discovery hit her
full force.

Macleod warriors were leaping the short distance off
the cliff, pouring onto the beach below and brutally attacking Montgomery’s
men. She first spotted Nicholas and Osgood, slaying the English one right after
the other. As Ella’s gaze searched for Gavin, she glimpsed a large Macleod
warrior that was unknown to her. Recognition came swiftly thereafter when she
noted the man’s slight limp.
My God, it’s Ualan. He’s here, fighting
alongside the Macleods.

Ella was soon surrounded by the blackguard, who
surveyed with absolute faith and utter satisfaction Gavin battling Montgomery a
short distance away. She, in contrast, was a heartbeat away from true
hysterics, watching her greatest love take on the deadly adversary.

With immeasurable trepidation, Ella was riveted by her
husband’s confident, deft movements. Instead of parrying, Gavin evaded
Montgomery’s attack with a quick diagonal or side steps, allowing him time to
study his opponent’s aggressive moves. Hearing Roger’s heavy breathing scant
moments later, she realized that Gavin’s patient method of combat would soon
give him the advantage. Yet, despite the fact the he was panting from his
excursion, Montgomery continued to attack with ruthless determination.

The sound of metal on metal soon rang out each time
Gavin or Montgomery parried the other’s blade, signifying the change in battle
tactics. Ella discovered the truth to why her husband was so widely feared. The
savage glint in his eye coupled with the speed, dexterity and strength of each
rigorous move would inspire terror in any man. After parrying, Gavin countered
with a series of quick, but powerful horizontal cuts, effectively sending
Montgomery into a defensive retreat. Yet, just as Ella predicted, when the vile
English baron realized he was in danger of losing, he resorted to using
treachery to gain the upper hand.