Twenty-Eight
Katie stirred awake just as she heard James approaching. She laughed, thinking her husband was trying to sneak upon her and try her skill at self-protection.
He was doing, oddly, poor work of it.
Standing, Katie quietly left the hut and waited. The steps were light and mayhap if she were untrained, she’d believe them to be from an animal, if she would have even heard them at all.
Katie realized then the breadth of knowledge and awareness James had given her. Her love for him caused her heart to skip at that moment. She waited, smiling, wanting to show him that no matter how quiet he tried to be, he’d taught her so well, she could hear him.
She stepped out from where she hid. “Husband, yer talent is beginning to wane!”
Katie stepped back when it wasn’t her husband, but instead Alpin. Her hand went to her chest in fright, causing his eye to follow and then look further down, where her small belly was peeking through the torn chemise.
“What are ye doing here?”
“Ye’re expecting?”
They’d spoken at the same instance. He saw the moment fear registered in her eyes.
“Where is my husband?” Her gaze began to wander away from him, her heart racing in fear. “What did ye do? Where is he?”
Her breathing was rapid as her worry over her husband rose.
James would never leave her.
Never.
“Hurry, Katherynne. We must leave. Now.”
Alpin was anxious and fearful. She saw it in his skittering eyes.
“Where is he!”
Her fear made her shout.
Impossible.
James could not be bested. Her brothers had told her of his repute- and it had been well earned from what she’d heard. Her husband was a formidable opponent, and no one had his training or skill.
Alpin had to have done something to him.
In a fluid motion that surprised even her, she grabbed a dagger, approached him, and held it against his side.
“Where is my husband?”
“Dear Lord, lass! He’s fighting men as we speak. He asked that I come and return ye to yer family or his father. We must hurry.”
She looked into his eyes as James had taught her, and saw no untruth.
“I will tell ye the full of it, but we must go! He is keeping the men at bay while we escape.”
The thought of her husband sacrificing himself for her made her stomach churn.
Nay.
He will be well. He was one of the best warriors in the Highlands.
“How many?”
Her voice was a whisper as she struggled to get ahold of her emotions.
“Eleven.”
The sound she emitted was like that of a wounded animal.
“Lass! Please!”
Katie gathered the weapons James had left her, furiously wiping at the tears falling down her cheeks. She ran towards her horse when she heard it.
Multiple leaves crunching.
That she heard anything above her racing heart and hushed crying, was remarkable.
“Stop.”
Alpin halted at her whisper, visibly annoyed, until he saw Katie move back away from where she heard footsteps.
“D’ye have his hearing, too?”
Katie stared at him until he grew silent. She had a dagger in each hand, and a few hanging at her sides, and waited. Seven men moved forward.
“Are they the ones who were fighting James when ye left?”
When Alpin didn’t answer, she looked over to him. If they were the same men, then her husband could have been injured, or killed.
Katie swallowed the lump in her throat.
Alpin looked as if he was going to vomit at any given time. Katie groaned, fearful for all of them.
“Alpin!”
“I-I doona know. None of them wore the same plaid. I didna look as closely to their faces.”
“These are wearing Boyd plaid.”
“Alri’, lass. Give up th’ ruse. Come wi’ us an’ ye willna be injured.”
The one who spoke was the tallest and in the middle of the group. He looked like he had not bathed in days.
“Where is my husband?”
“More men joined those who were fightin’ against ‘im. ‘e fights well, bu’ is no match for my warriors whose numbers are large an’ will continue to increase. ‘e will die.” He looked at her carefully. “Unless ye come wi’ me.”
Her mind reeled.
Had they already killed him? Aye, he was the best warrior, but could he singlehandedly defeat the numbers she was being told?
James would want her to fight.
And fight she would.
“Ye so much as move a single step towards me, and I will retaliate.”
The man’s gaze fell to her belly.
“D’ye wish tah ‘arm yer bairn?”
Katie straightened her back. “Ye so much as threaten my bairn, and I will carve yer heart out.”
Alpin’s mouth hung agape and he emitted a strangled sound.
The other man had the gall to laugh.
“Feisty. I can well see why th’ Marbhaiche fought so determinedly tah return tah ye. Ar’ ye as feisty in bed, lass?”
The reference he made and the curiosity in his eyes chilled her blood.
“Come, lass.”
“Never.”
He shrugged. “Then be it so.”
The man began walking towards her, the others remaining behind him. She would make them regret that.
Katie launched her dagger and it made its mark where she wanted it to.
“Bitch!”
The dagger had imbedded itself in his chest, missing her mark to his throat. He raised his hand with two fingers up, and two others came alongside him. Slowly, they moved towards her.
“Fight, lass!”
The remaining men began engaging Alpin to keep him from aiding her. Alpin moved into the group fighting them, attempting to gain the upper hand to come to Katie’s aid.
“Ye doona have to be hurt, especially wi’ a bairn in yer belly.”
Katie had a dagger gripped in each hand. Her fists shook from stress of her grip. She made eye contact with each of the three men, bit her lips, and swallowed. Slowly, she nodded her head, lowering her hands to her sides.
The leader laughed. “Aye, lass. Good decision ye made.” He nodded to the men beside him and the walked towards Katie slowly.
“Keep those hands down, lass, an’ slowly give ‘em the daggers.”
Katie carefully watched them as they neared.
“Easy, lass. We willna ‘arm ye. Just gi’ us the daggers.”
Tears in her eyes, she bit her lip again, nodding. Lowering her head in feigned acquiescence, she waited as the men stepped closer yet. Katie looked up slowly, meekly. They were not too much taller than she was.
It would be just right.
Katie slowly brought her daggered hands up, softening her features as she looked back at them. She noticed the men smiling at one another.
“Lovely little lass. I can well see why ‘e chose ye.”
Their gazes slid down her body appreciatively.
It made her feel ill but the feeling gave way to fury.
“Spirit, ye ‘ave.”
Katie tilted her head to the side, smiling at them with wide eyes.
“‘Tis kind of ye to say,” she whispered demurely.
In the next instance, she hardened her grip and yelled, sinking the daggers into their necks. The men gurgled as blood poured out, bringing their hands to their necks. They dropped to the ground, dead.
The leader’s eyes widened as he stared at her.
“Beautiful. An’ a fighter, too. ‘Tis no surprise the Marbhaiche chose ye, and well he chose.”
“I willna go willingly with ye.”
He laughed, still holding a hand to his chest. “Nay, I imagine ye willna.”
Her eyes shifted slightly to Alpin, who was fighting, and losing, against two men.
Her gaze returned to the leader as she gripped the remaining two daggers that had hung by her side on a strap James had fashioned for her. She saw the leader nod again, and heard the grass rustle behind her. She stepped to the side, so as to not give her back to the leader, and raised her hands. Two more men approached her.
“Easy, lass. Ye will be ‘arming yer bairn because we will use all of our strength.”
Her head was beginning to swim. Her racing thoughts about her next actions, and the heat in the air from the unyielding sun, made things harder for her.
“Ye harm me or the bairn, and my husband will make ye eat yer organs.”
The two men approaching her stopped mid-step hearing her words.
“Who is yer husband, lass?” one of them asked.
She stepped further back to keep the leader and the two new arrivals in her sight.
“The Marbhaiche.”
The two new arrivals looked at one another and turned their angry and anxious eyes to the leader.
“Ye didna tell us that.”
“He’s fockin’ dead by now!” The leader was now angry, making Katie step back. “Find yer bollocks an’ get her before I fight ye. Trust that ye willna fear him any longer because I will be the one to kill ye both.”
Katie looked at the men, hardness settling into her features. “He will kill ye.”
The two men began moving backwards. Katie’s eyes moved to where Alpin had bested one man, and was fighting the remaining one.
“He’s dead! Eleven of my finest were battling him when we came here.”
The two men looked at one another, and began advancing to Katie.
“Stay back!”
They didn’t heed her warnings, and as she brought her hands up, she prayed her aim was better. Katie launched the first dagger catching one in his neck, and quickly threw the other. It embedded itself into his right arm.
One dead.
One angry.
Katie was too slow and took her eyes off the leader. His arms banded around her rendering her immobile.
And the leader was furious.
She felt his arms shake around her from his rage. Leaning down to her ear, his whispered voice was worse than what she would imagine a demon’s to be.
“For that, ye will suffer greatly. So will yer bairn.”
“My husband- AHH!”
When she’d begun speaking, he tightened his hold around her so much so, it caused her excruciating pain.
“He’s dead.”
Katie’s tears fell silently down her face.
“Ye will feel tenfold the pain for every drop of blood ye caused me.”
The leader wound his fist backwards and hit her across the head. If it hadn’t been for his arms, she would have fallen to the ground.
“Katherynne!”
Alpin saw helplessly from where he was fast losing against his opponent. The precious seconds he used to look upon Katie had been a miscalculated move.
A sword now pierced his side as he dropped to his knees. His opponent kicked him back as Alpin sputtered for breath.
“Let us go! NOW!” the enraged leader yelled.
Swinging Katie into his arms, the leader and Alpin’s opponent left the opposite way they came.