Highlander The Dark Dragon Page 24

  Rhys nodded.

  “Does my father know she spies for you?”

  Rhys nodded again. “Maura came to me when she learned that your father felt the same for her as she did for him. She asked permission to leave, not wanting to see your father hurt. I told her to tell him the truth and if he wanted her to leave then she had my permission to do so.”

  “My father did not want her to leave,” Heather said, thinking how long it had been since her father had loved.

  “Not at all,” Rhys confirmed. “Your father is a wise man. He understood that Maura was not there to harm your clan, nor did she harbor any ill-will against it. She was more an emissary than a spy. Maura is a good woman and will make your father a good wife.”

  “He wants to wed her?” Heather shook her head and answered her own question. “Of course he does. It has been so long since he has loved, he would not want to lose her. You know this woman well? You can vouch for her good nature?”

  “Aye, I can,” Rhys said, “Maura is my aunt, my mother’s sister.”

  A smile spread wide across Heather’s face.

  Rhys laughed. “I know what you are thinking. You think to ask her many questions about me, but she will answer none of them, unless I give her permission to do so. I would concern myself more of what Patience will think when she finds out. Emma, I think, will be sympathetic.”

  “You are right. Patience will grow angry whereas Emma will be happy for our da. You are getting to know my family well,” she said, though wondered if it was because he already knew them well and cared for them. “My father would have wanted to know more about the man who would wed me. Does he know more about the Dragon than I do?”

  “That was not part of the marriage agreement and your father had little negotiating power.”

  “Did you ever meet with my father personally?”

  “He insisted on it and I respected him for it, so I met a couple of times with him.”

  “But he never saw your face?” she asked, curious to know if perhaps her father saw in Rhys what she did...that he was Quinn.

  “He asked, but it was another thing that was not negotiable.”

  Heather eased out of his arms and he reluctantly let her go.

  Silence settled between them for a few moments before Heather said, “Why did you let me escape? Why not just return me home?”

  “I thought it best that you have a few days of freedom before you learned your fate.”

  “So when you let me go, I was already your wife.”

  “Aye, you were and I was impatient to claim you as such,” Rhys said.

  “I would have never thought that I would be glad that you did. And while the Dragon can breathe fire at times, he also can be a loving creature.”

  Rhys walked slowly over to her. “A creature you say, not a beast?”

  “A beast strikes without cause or thought and cares naught for the consequence,” she said, stretching her hand out to him.

  He wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her up against him. “I have done just that often.”

  “When you were a slave warrior and it was forced upon you,” she said her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck. “You are a slave no more. You are free to do as you wish. To love who you wish and to make love to whom you wish.”

  Rhys gave her a gentle kiss. “There is one woman that I want to make love to all the time.”

  Heather smiled. “She pleases you that much?”

  Rhys kissed her gently again. “She pleases me in more ways than she will ever know.”

  “She must be very special to you.” Heather pressed herself more tightly against him.

  “Aye, that she is. She has done what no one else has been able to.”

  Heather tilted her head, curious. “And what is that?”

  He brushed his lips across hers and whispered, “She has worked her way into my heart.”

  Heather brushed her lips across his and whispered, “And she intends to remain there forever.”

  “That is good, for I intend to keep her there forever.”

  He kissed her then, different from ever before since his words were the closest thing he had come to telling her that he loved her, and it pleased her beyond reason.

  The kiss naturally aroused them both and it was some time before the Dragon and his wife left his solar.

  ~~~

  Heather woke suddenly. She sat up and looked around the bedchamber. She was alone. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She hurried and dressed, wondering what took her husband from their bed. She was barely out the door when she heard the bell toll.

  She hurried through the keep and out the door, halting for a moment at the top of the keep’s stairs to stare in horror at the flames shooting into the air.

  The barn was on fire.

  Men, women, and children rushed out of their cottages, snatching up buckets as they went. Rhys’ warriors came running, some from their posts, knowing if the fire was not contained quickly the whole village could be lost. Warriors raced into the barn to get out whatever animals were in there.

  The fire was spreading rapidly, a night wind carrying some of the flames in the air and dangerously close to a few cottages. If they did not douse the fire soon, cottages would catch the flames.

  Heather looked around for Rhys, but he was nowhere to be seen and neither was Pitt. The warriors needed no one to tell them what to do. They were quick in getting a brigade formed to the well and buckets filled and passed on to be dumped on a fire that would soon be raging out of control.

  “Lady Heather, go to the keep and stay there,” Henry ordered, rushing up beside her.

  “I can help.”

  “No,” Henry insisted. “All the warriors are needed here or we will lose the whole village. Go to the keep now and stay where you will be safe or the Dragon will have all our heads.” He rushed off, calling out for another line to be formed.

  Heather’s first thought was to ignore Henry and join one of the brigades, but when two more warriors begged her to hurry to the keep, she realized her presence created more of a hindrance for them. She turned to leave, stopping abruptly when she spotted a dog barking at the side of the barn the flames had yet to reach. When she saw two little pups barking along with their mother, she realized the problem. The third pup was stuck in the burning barn.

  She hurried over to the dog and as she got closer, she could hear the frantic yaps of the pup trapped inside. If she could somehow get in from this side...Heather did not hesitate. She ran to the side of the barn and near the corner found a loose plank. She squeezed behind it and slipped inside.

  Flames were greedily consuming one wall of the barn and would soon be spreading to the other walls. Smoke filled the air and would shortly consume the whole area. Heather wasted no time in looking for the pup. Once she spotted him, she rushed over to him, crouching down as the smoke grew thicker and picked him up.

  His small legs were tied together and as she quickly freed him, she realized what she had done. She had walked into a trap. She recalled her husband’s warning.

  He will find your weaknesses and use them.

  Someone had purposely tied up the pup and left him there to lure her in. She had to get out and fast.

  With the smoke growing heavier, she kept low and when she reached the loose plank she shoved the pup through first. She stood and went to squeeze between the planks when she was suddenly grabbed by the arm and yanked back in. A hand was quickly pressed to her mouth and in seconds she found herself shoved out the back of the barn where a plank had been removed, and carried off into the woods.

  ~~~

  Rhys and Pitt saw the smoke as they approached the village and rushed forward. Rhys was off his horse in an instant, one of his warriors taking hold of the agitated animal and directing him away from the heat and flames of the fire.

  Pitt hurried alongside Rhys as they made their way to the brigade of villagers passing bucket after bucket of water. Rhys could see that the barn could n
ot be saved but the bucket brigade had managed to stop the flames from reaching other structures.

  Henry hurried over to him.

  “Where is my wife?” Rhys asked before Henry could say a word.

  “I sent her to stay in the keep. We needed all hands to fight this thing or we would have lost the entire village and possibly the keep.”

  Rhys turned to Pitt. “Go make sure she is there.”

  Pitt hurried off.

  “We need to keep on the flames until there is nothing left for them to claim,” Henry said. “We got the animals out safely, so it is just the barn we lost.”

  “What happened?”

  “I do not know,” Henry said, shaking his head. “Most everyone was asleep. I have yet to find out who rang the bell and to alert us.”

  The little black pup with the one white paw ran toward Rhys at the same time Pitt did, but the pup reached him first and yapped repeatedly, too young yet for a full bark, while he jumped against his leg.

  “She is not in the keep,” Pitt yelled as he approached.

  Rhys looked down at the pup that was now backing away from him as he continued to yap as loud as he could. “Where is she?”

  The pup ran, then stopped to see if Rhys followed and when he saw that Rhys was right behind him, he kept running. The pup kept his distance from the burning barn as he led Rhys, Pitt, and Henry to the woods behind the back of the barn. He ran to a spot and grabbed something with his tiny teeth, though he could not keep hold of it as he tried to bring it to Rhys.

  Rhys stopped as soon as he saw what the pup was trying to show him—his wife’s boots.

  He stared at them and fear like he had not felt in years rose up to nearly choke him. Then he did what he did years ago...he let the Dragon loose.

  He snatched up her boots and shouted an order to Pitt, “Get my warriors; we ride into battle.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Show no fear. Rhys will come for you. Show no fear. Rhys will come for you. Show no fear. Rhys will come for you.

  Heather kept repeating the words in her head, though the thought of what would happen to her before Rhys could reach her scared her to death. Haidar wanted revenge and she was the weapon he would use against Rhys to get it.

  She cringed and stumbled as her one foot stepped on a rock hidden beneath leaves and she went down hard? How many times had she fallen? She had lost count after seven times. She had wanted to cry out when they yanked her boots off, knowing what lay ahead, just as she did now. She hurried to stand, not an easy chore with her feet paining her so badly and her wrists tied together. She had learned quickly that if she lay there she would get kicked until she stood.

  She made it to her knees when the warrior that held her wrist rope kicked her in the thigh and she could not help but wince.

  “Up! Up!” he ordered and kicked her again.

  She got to her feet, though she did not know how and once again followed behind the warrior. He kept a fast pace and Heather feared she would not be able to keep up with him much longer. Besides, the further away from the keep they got; the longer it would take Rhys to get to her.

  Rhys had suffered far worse than what she was suffering and for far too many years. If he could do it for as long as he did, then she could survive until he came for her. And she had no doubt he would come.

  She refused to linger on what she would have to endure until he found her. She would do whatever it took to survive, whatever it took to be with Rhys again, and whatever it took to see her family again.

  She bit her tongue against the pain in her feet. They had to be cut and bleeding by now. If only it was morning. She could at least see where she stepped and could avoid the forest debris that stabbed at her feet with every step.

  It seemed like they walked for hours. Any minute Heather expected, more so hoped, to see the sun rise, but it did not happen and she wondered if sunrise was further off than she thought. They walked until Heather could barely feel her feet and her legs felt as if they were on fire, her muscles burned so badly. Then suddenly the pace slowed and Heather noticed a flicker of light just up ahead.

  They had reached a camp and she wanted to cry with relief.

  After entering the campsite and being brought closer to the fire, the man holding her rope gave it a hard yank. Heather stumbled and fought to stay on her feet and as soon as she regained her balance, the man kicked her legs out from under her. She raised her arms to cushion her face from the fall, her body smacking the ground hard. This time the breath was knocked out of her.

  Fear gripped her as she tried to remain calm and breathe, and she silently prayed for Rhys to hurry and come for her. She could not wait to feel his strong arms around her and the thought helped her finally breathe easy.

  “Knees,” the man ordered sharply.

  She struggled to get to them, her legs ached so badly. When she finally did, the man slapped a strong hand on her shoulder, anchoring her to the spot and fear fluttered in her stomach.

  “She is tired. This is good, she will not have the strength to do anything, but obey me.”

  Heather raised her head to look at Haidar, but he had stepped behind her.

  He stepped in front of her again after only a few moments, smiling and nodding. “Good, she will not be able to walk with how badly her feet suffered.” His smile grew as he stood staring at her. “Dirt does not even mar your beauty. I may keep you longer than I thought,” —he sneered—“and make your husband suffer even longer.”

  Heather would have preferred to remain silent, worried if she said a word her fear would show. But if she could keep him talking, then it gave Rhys more time to reach her before Haidar could do anything to her.

  She tossed her chin up. “My husband will come for me.”

  “Of course he will.”

  “He will kill you.”

  Haidar laughed. “He will never defeat me. I taught him what he knows. I made him bow to my will just as I will do to you. And it will be ever so enjoyable for me, but so terribly painful for your husband and not so pleasant for you, unless you learn to accept your fate and obey my every command, something it took your husband a while to learn.”

  “But he did, and won his freedom.”

  “So he told you about that,” Haidar said, nodding. “It was, what I believed, an impossible task. I never expected him to succeed. I expected his tortured body to be returned to me, but instead I was quite surprised when he returned with my enemy’s intended bride, the task complete.”

  Heather was shocked by the news. Rhys had enslaved another to free himself.

  I promise I will return to you, nothing will stop me from coming back to you.

  Quinn’s departing words came back to her. His promise had come at a great cost.

  “I took her as my bride that day. He left three months later with a great deal of wealth I bestowed on him for accomplishing the task, though he took something far greater with him than wealth...he took my wife, Anala, the woman he had captured for me.”

  Heather kept silent not able to speak if she wanted to, shocked by what she had just learned. But then having grown to know Rhys and knowing Quinn as she did, neither man would let a woman suffer if he could help it.

  “It was not so much that he took Anala, but that he took my unborn child...a son who died before he could live. I stood at the shoreline and watched as everything I so generously gave him was loaded onto the vessel, never knowing Anala was among them, never thinking he would betray me in such a way.” His eyes narrowed. “Now I will see him suffer greatly for his betrayal.”

  Heather could not help but think that at least Anala and her son were forever free of such an evil man.

  Haidar began to unwrap the black sash around his waist. “We will leave a little something for your husband to see how much I enjoyed his wife, though I will make sure not to disturb the seed he has no doubt planted inside you. I have plans for his child. He nodded to the man who held her rope. “Strip her bare and leave the torn gar
ments where they fall. That should be a clear enough message for him.”

  ~~~

  The Dark Dragon rode his stallion through the woods. He wore his leather armor but no helmet. His warriors rode along on both sides of him, lighting the way with torches.

  He cursed himself a hundred times over for leaving the keep, leaving Heather. He should have known something was about to happen when his contingent of warriors arrived from the west and told him that Haidar’s warriors had not been spotted. He had moved them in preparation for this trap. The one good thing about that was that Haidar would not expect the size of the troop Rhys brought with him.

  Many of his warriors at the McComb village insisted on joining with the warriors that had just arrived. They were eager to find Lady Heather and bring her home safely and once and for all be rid of the enemy that had continued to plague them. Other warriors remained behind to finish extinguishing the fire.

  Rhys also had received a message from Innis. He had set a plan in motion after discovering important information and if all went as planned, Rhys would have Haidar exactly where he wanted him.

  A halt was called from the lead warrior and Rhys did not question it. His men were superior warriors and knew well what they were doing.

  Pitt rode up beside him. “A moment, they think they found something and want to be sure.”

  Rhys nodded and his stallion snorted, wanting to keep moving as anxiously as his master did.

  “Patience Macinnes will ride as soon as she gets that message,” Pitt said, waiting beside him on his horse.

  “I expect her to; they need to be ready for what is to come.”

  “My lord,” a voice called out.

  Rhys dismounted as did Pitt and they followed a warrior who waited a few feet ahead. His warriors circled a small area and they parted when Rhys approached. The best tracker Rhys had was hunched down close to the ground in the middle of the circle. He looked up at Rhys and he could see the tracker did not want to tell him what he had found.

  “Tell me,” Rhys ordered.

  “Lady Heather’s feet were bleeding by the time she reached here and she took a hard fall here as well. You can still see where her body hit the ground.”