Chapter 19

I zzy was used to hiking but she’d never hiked this fast in her life. As if sensing her urgency, Snaffles was moving like the wind. Instead of ranging all over the place like he normally did, stopping to roll in things and eat grass, he had his nose to the ground and was following the scent at a lope that had Izzy, Emeric, and the others struggling to keep up.

They’d left the horses behind and were now traveling on foot up into the Dragon’s Back. It was slightly unsettling how familiar the landscape was. It had barely changed at all in the hundreds of years between this time and her own and if she didn’t know it, she could almost believe she was on one of her usual hikes in the twenty-first century.

Until she looked behind and saw the line of burly Highland warriors that were following her, that is. Emeric was right behind, with the rest of his band strung out along the narrow trail, except for the scout he’d sent riding to the settlement Izzy had pointed out.

Izzy had no idea if her plan would work. She had no idea if the people she’d sent the scout to find would answer her call, but it was a risk she would take a hundred times over if it meant saving Magnus. So she stumbled along in Snaffles’ wake, choosing the trails she knew would offer the least trouble and give them the greatest chance of catching up with Magnus.

If anything happened to Magnus, she would be lost. Utterly lost. That he’d come to mean so much to her in so short a space of time still shocked her, but she no longer questioned it.

A choice is coming, my dear, and it will lead ye to a path ye’d never thought to tread. Will ye be the woman who let fear hold her back, or will ye be the woman who saw through the fog and dared to journey to her destiny? Well, here she was, making that choice. Making the choice to be somebody she’d never been before, making the choice to risk everything for a chance at something she’d never dreamed she could have. She hoped Irene MacAskill would be proud of her.

Suddenly, Snaffles halted. His black nose twitched in the air, his body tense. Izzy’s heartbeat ramped up a notch as she knelt next to him, putting her hand on his soft fur in an attempt to calm him. She looked back at Emeric and the others, signaling for them to stop.

“Snaffles,” she murmured under her breath, stroking the dog’s head. “What is it? Can you smell something?”

The dog whined softly, his eyes darting around restlessly. Had he lost the trail? The ground had been turning gradually rockier and now, just ahead, the sparse covering of grass ended all together and gave way to bare rock, with only a few clumps of moss giving any color to the monochrome gray.

“What is it?” Emeric asked, coming to kneel next to her. His eyes scanned the landscape, his expression alert and wary.

“I think he’s lost the trail,” Izzy replied. “It’s next to impossible to track over bare rock.”

Emeric swore under his breath. “Then it seems our prey has eluded us. They could be anywhere in this maze. ”

Izzy’s stomach knotted with despair. She bit her lip to keep tears of frustration from leaking from her eyes. No. She would not give up.

She rose to her feet and looked around. There had to be a way to find them. How many times had she been hiking in the Dragon’s Back? She knew this place. True, she’d always relied on way markers and a map, but this time she would have to rely on her skills and knowledge. She could do this. If it meant saving Magnus, she could do anything.

Taking a deep breath, she scanned the landscape, looking for anything that looked familiar. Her eyes roved over the contours of the rocks and gullies, of the ridges and valleys. Then she closed her eyes and called up everything she could remember of the routes she’d walked in the Dragon’s Back, overlaying what she’d seen today with the mental map she remembered.

She saw a route she’d taken many times winding between the craggy rocks, her mind tracing the path of dried streams, patches of green moss, and the peculiar rock formations that looked like dragon scales. She envisioned the valleys filled with heather purple as twilight, and caves echoing secrets of ancient times. Her breath hitched as she remembered the treacherous cliff that dropped into a ravine, a deep and hidden cleft in the wild landscape.

Yes! That was it! The ravine was only a few miles from here. It would be an excellent hiding place. It was secluded, hard to find unless you knew exactly where to look. If Magnus’s captors wanted to keep him hidden, that’s where they would go .

Her eyes flew open and she turned to Emeric, her heart flaring with adrenaline and hope. “I know where they’re going.”

Emeric studied her for a moment before nodding curtly. He didn’t question her judgment or her familiarity with the terrain. He simply pointed to a couple of his men, issuing swift but quiet orders in Gaelic. Izzy couldn’t understand the language, but she could see the immediate response in the men’s stance and determination as they prepared to follow her lead.

She took off at a brisk pace, Snaffles at her heels. She led them onwards, on a trail only she could see, through a series of narrow gaps between towering rocks until, finally, they stood at the edge of a steep descent where the ground fell away into a shadowy ravine.

“Isabelle,” Emeric whispered, coming up next to her. “If Magnus is down there...”

His voice trailed into silence. Izzy nodded. If Magnus was down there, it was going to be difficult to get him out.

Izzy peered down into the shadows, her eyes straining to make out any signs of life. The ravine was deep and narrow, the edges lined with jagged rocks that made it treacherous to climb down. The bottom was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see what lay beneath.

Emeric frowned, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. He spoke softly to two of his men, his voice barely carrying over the wind that whistled through the rocky defile. The men nodded, unslung all their gear except for daggers strapped to their side, and disappeared over the edge of the ravine .

The band waited for what felt an age, each second seeming to last a lifetime as Izzy buried her face in Snaffles’ fur, trying to take comfort in his great strength. But at last, Emeric’s men returned.

“Two guards at the bottom of the trail,” one of them reported. “We took them out and hid the bodies. There’s a small camp in the middle of the ravine that looks like a guard post. Perhaps half of McRae’s men are there, along with Magnus. There’s no sign of McRae himself but the ravine curls around at that point and we couldn’t see around the corner. I’m guessing McRae is camped beyond with the rest of his men.”

Emeric nodded. He and his men gathered behind Izzy. “Ye know this ravine better than any of us, lass. Ye go first but I’ll be right behind ye.”

Izzy swallowed thickly and nodded.

With Emeric and his band of warriors behind, she led the way down into the ravine. The descent was treacherous with loose rocks and steep drops, but Izzy moved with surefooted determination, her eyes focused on the trail.

The air grew colder as they descended, the sun’s warmth barely reaching the bottom of the ravine. The path was lined with sharp rocks and the occasional thorny bush, making it difficult to move quickly.

As they neared the bottom, she could see the smoky tendrils of the campfire Emeric’s men had reported. With a wave of her hand, she signaled for Emeric and his men to stop. They crouched behind a cluster of boulders, their breaths shallow and quiet in the still air .

Part of her could not believe she was doing this. It was beyond insanity. Here she was, leading a band of ruthless Highland warriors to attack another band of ruthless Highland warriors. What had happened to risk-averse, safety-loving Izzy? She would never have believed she was capable of such things. Until she met Magnus. For him, she would do anything.

Through a gap in the rocks, Izzy spied on the camp. A large group of men huddled around the fire, eating and drinking, their laughter echoing off the walls of the ravine. McRae’s outlaws. And there, tied to a thick tree trunk on the edge of the camp, was Magnus.

Izzy grabbed Snaffles’ collar and gave him a quick command to stay quiet so that he didn’t go rushing in there, barking like a lunatic at seeing Magnus, and giving them all away. For a wonder, he did as he was told, as if he too understood the nature of the situation.

“Stay here and keep out of sight,” Emeric whispered close to Izzy’s ear. “We’ll handle things from here.”

“But—”

“I mean it, Isabelle. No heroics. Dinna do anything stupid. We’re here to get Magnus out and ye would only be a distraction.” He turned to look at her, his green eyes intense and focused. He’d already unslung the bow from his back and had an arrow nocked. “The best way ye can help Magnus now is to stay here out of sight and stay safe.”

Isabelle swallowed then nodded.

Emeric gave a curt nod in return, then turned to his men. With a swift motion of his hand, he signaled them to spread out. Their movements were silent and swift, each man disappearing into the shadows like a ghost.

Emeric moved too, melting into the shadows with an ease that spoke of his experience. Izzy was alone, crouched behind the boulders with Snaffles. She could hear the outlaws’ laughter and muffled voices carrying through the ravine, oblivious to the danger that stalked them.

She felt a cold knot of fear in her stomach, but she forced herself to stay where she was. She kept her eyes on Magnus, who sat slumped against the tree trunk, his head bowed. She wished she could see his face, assure herself that he was alright. But all she could see was his bound figure, and it twisted her heart.

She glanced at Snaffles. The large dog was crouched next to her, his eyes fixed on Magnus in the distance. He seemed to understand that he needed to stay quiet but she could see the tension in his muscles, the way his ears were perked up.

Minutes passed like hours.

Suddenly the wind picked up, gusting down the canyon and sending sparks billowing up from the fire, momentarily blinding the outlaws. It was the moment Emeric had been waiting for.

An arrow came flying out of the shadows and found its mark with deadly accuracy. A man fell, an arrow lodged in his throat, choking off his laughter mid-chuckle and plunging the camp into stunned silence. Before anyone could react, two more arrows followed in quick succession, taking down two more unsuspecting outlaws.

Chaos erupted .

The outlaws scrambled, their shouts echoing off the surrounding stone walls. Some drew swords, others flung themselves to the ground for cover. Emeric’s men rose from their hiding places like wraiths, their swords gleaming in the firelight.

From her hideout, Izzy watched as Emeric skewered an outlaw rushing at him, his movements fluid and deadly. His men followed suit, their unified movements a testament to years of fighting together.

Izzy’s heart hammered against her ribs as she watched the fight unfold. She wanted desperately to help, but she knew Emeric was right—she would only be a distraction. So she stayed where she was, clutching Snaffles’ collar tightly to keep the dog from rushing into the fray.

Yet even amidst the chaos, Izzy could not tear her gaze away from Magnus. He had straightened at the onset of the attack, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. Seeing him alert brought a rush of relief to Izzy, but her heart clenched when she saw one of the outlaws moving towards him. It was the red-haired man with the plait she’d seen before.

“No,” she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

She looked around frantically for Emeric, but he was engaged in a deadly duel with two of the outlaws. His men were similarly occupied, none of them noticing the danger Magnus was in.

The redhead drew a wicked-looking knife from his belt, his eyes focused on Magnus. He was yelling something that she couldn’t hear over the sounds of battle. But whatever it was, it made Magnus laugh—a harsh, bitter sound that cut through the noise .

The red-haired man reached Magnus and roughly cut the bonds that tied him to the tree, yanking him to his feet. He shoved the knife against Magnus’s throat, the glinting edge a stark contrast to the dirt and blood smeared across Magnus’s skin.

The redhead began dragging Magnus away from the camp. They disappeared around the bend out of sight.

“Magnus!” Izzy cried, but her voice was lost amongst the clashing of swords and shouts of fighting men.

Snaffles growled low in his throat and tensed as if ready to spring. Emeric’s words echoed in Izzy’s mind: No heroics. Dinna do anything stupid . But she couldn’t sit here and do nothing while Magnus was in danger.

“Let’s go, Snaffles.”

Releasing his collar, she rose from her hiding place and slipped closer to the camp.

The scene was a blur of battling bodies, smoke and flying embers, steel clashing against steel. Izzy breathed slowly, trying to steady her racing heart. She darted from shadow to shadow, Snaffles by her side.

More than once she had to dive out of the way of clashing swords and grappling bodies. If she had thought the abattoir district in Hodwell was a nightmare, this was a whole new level. The firelight cast lurid shadows on the combatants, turning them into flickering monsters with gaping mouths and shining claws. The stink of blood and the moans of the injured filled the air and Izzy felt terror clawing at the edges of her mind, threatening to paralyze her.

But she was not the frightened, weak-willed woman she’d been when she’d first come here. Not anymore. With her hands knotted into the fur of Snaffles’ shoulder, she made her way resolutely in the direction Magnus had gone.