Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

“ W hat are we goin’ tae dae?” Kai asked.

“I dinnae ken,” Magnus admitted.

“How can she be immune tae our bleedin’ gifts?”

Magnus shook his head. “I dinnae ken that either.”

“Well, what dae ye ken? Ye’re supposed tae be the strategist.”

Magnus gave his brother an impatient glare then turned and felt his stomach drop into his boots when he spotted the ropes, they’d used to bind Ciara in a heap on the ground—and no Ciara.

“Bleedin’ hell,” Magnus growled.

“That’s nae good,” Kai said.

Magnus turned to his brother. “Ye go east. I’ll go west. Circle around and we’ll meet in the middle. She couldnae have gone far,” he said. “Find her trail, Kai. Find her or Domhnall will have our bleedin’ hides.”

“Aye. I’m on it. We’ll find her, braither.”

Magnus turned and bolted off, keeping his eyes on the ground, searching for any obvious sign of Ciara’s passing. He wasn’t nearly the tracker Kai was, but he’d done his fair share of hunting and knew how to find a trail. This woman was more trouble than he’d anticipated. Perhaps that had been an oversight on his part, and he should have expected it, given that she was a spy and all. He had simply not believed she would be half as feisty, troublesome, and resourceful as she was turning out to be. Magnus grunted to himself. He would not make that same mistake of underestimating her again.

He was loath to admit it, and he would certainly never do so out loud, but there was something about the woman he admired. She was tenacious. Fearless. He had seen larger men quiver and fold when they’d faced Magnus with a sword in his hand. Not Ciara though. She was bold, defiant, and made it clear that she did not fear him. It was actually impressive. It was also clear to Magnus that the woman was smart. She seemed to have a keen mind and didn’t simply rely on her bonny looks to accomplish her goals. She thought things through. That too, had left an impression on him.

As Magnus stalked through the forest, looking for her trail, he pondered the idea of Ciara being a spy. Mostly, he wondered why she had turned on her own countrymen. Certainly, history was replete with traitors and those who sought out personal gain by any means necessary. He had heard the stories of some Scottish nobles who’d attained title and wealth by selling out their clans. It wasn’t unheard of. What wasn’t as common, though, at least to his knowledge, were women who had turned into traitors of their country.

Magnus liked to believe he was educated and knowledgeable about his country and its history and he could not, off the top of his head, recall a single story about a woman who’d sold Scotland out. Perhaps there were some, but if so, their stories had never made history for some reason. That would make Ciara almost unique in that regard. So, why had she given aid and comfort to their English enemies? What had driven her into the arms of those murderous bastards? It was a question he was determined to ask once he’d found her. And he would find her.

Magnus paused and knelt down, gently touching the leaves on the forest floor in front of him. There, in the soft earth, he found a small boot print. And then another. Magnus searched the ground around him and found the trail Ciara had left as she’d fled from them. As he studied the trail closer, it appeared as if she had been dragging a branch behind her to stir the undergrowth, cover her tracks, and obscure her passing.

“Clever lass,” he murmured.

As he knelt there scrutinizing her tracks, the hair on the back of Magnus’ neck stood on end as his skin broke out in gooseflesh. He felt a sudden lurch in his belly and knew he was in danger. Moving on instinct, Magnus rolled to his right a split second before Ciara landed where he’d been kneeling, a long dagger in her hand.

“Where’d ye get that then?” he asked as he leaped to his feet.

“’Twas in me boot,” she said. “’Tis nae me fault ye didnae check.”

“Fair,” he replied and pulled the dagger from the sheath on his belt.

They circled around one another, blades gripped tightly in their fists, searching for an opening in the other’s defense that would allow them to strike.

“I dinnae want tae hurt ye,” Magnus said.

“That’s funny because I’m fixin’ tae hurt ye,” she replied.

“Why would ye want tae dae that?”

“Other than ye tryin’ to drag me back to me faither’s keep and forcin’ me intae bondage fer the rest of me bleedin’ life?”

“Like I told ye before, I dinnae ken who yer faither is. How am I goin’ tae take ye back tae his keep if I dinnae ken who he is?”

“Aye, so ye keep sayin’. But I call ye a liar.”

“Ye callin’ me a liar daesnae make it so.”

“Aside from that, there’s the fact that ye and that braither of yers are some kind of dark sorcerers or somethin’ tryin’ tae bewitch me.”

Magnus stopped moving and stood statue-still with a look of surprise on his face. “What are ye bleatin’ on about then?”

“Ye and yer braither are tryin’ tae bewitch me. Dinnae bother tryin’ tae deny it,” she hissed.

Magnus shook his head. “We ain’t tryin’ tae bewitch ye, lass.”

“Then what are ye tryin’ tae dae, huh? And it doesnae matter anyway, I suppose, because ye’re goin’ tae let me go now.”

“And why would I dae that?”

She waved her blade at Magnus. “Because if ye dinnae, ye’re goin’ tae get hurt.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation and not wanting to inflame her further, Magnus had to physically suppress his smile. She was dangerous and a spy, but she was adorable, nonetheless. She had gotten the drop on him last time and she’d obviously had some training, but he was a skilled warrior. He doubted she had ever seen an actual battle and there was a marked difference between training and sparring in a controlled environment and fighting for your life when the world around you was utter chaos and one wrong move could get you killed.

“Put the blade down, lass.”

“Come try tae take it from me and see what happens,” she hissed. “The best thing ye can dae fer yerself is tae let me go on me way.”

“I cannae dae that.”

“Then ye’re goin’ tae bleed.”

Despite taking a strong posture, looking ready to attack, and putting as much heat into her voice as she could muster, Magnus heard the slight quiver of fear that faintly dusted her words. He wanted to believe she knew she was outmatched and was simply trying to bluster and bluff her way into escaping. But Magnus had her in his sights and wasn’t about to let that happen. Too much was at stake. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he would if it meant protecting his family and his clan.

“Last chance, lass,” Magnus said, his voice steely. “Drop the blade and come with me peacefully or?—”

She didn’t even wait for him to finish before charging at him with a strangled cry bursting from her lips. Magnus wasn’t ready and had to spin to the side quickly, the edge of her blade slicing through the air he had occupied only a moment before.

“Easy now, lass,” he said. “Let’s nae dae somethin’ either of us is goin’ tae regret.”

“Then make sure we dinnae and let me go.”

“I cannae dae that.”

“Then fight.”

She lunged forward, the tip of her dagger leading the way. Magnus was able to parry the thrust easily but wasn’t prepared for the foot that followed it. Ciara’s boot connected with his groin, making Magnus’ eyes bulge and a hard “woof” burst from his mouth. Despite the pain that gripped him, Magnus somehow managed to keep himself upright and got his blade up in time to deflect the wild swipe of Ciara’s dagger, which would have likely sliced straight through his throat.

Magnus hobbled backward, his groin aching and his head spinning. She improvised and adapted well. And even though she was much smaller than him, the woman was fearless and, he had to reluctantly admit, was far more skilled at fighting than he’d believed she could be, based on her lack of experience in a combat situation. Before he could catch his breath, Ciara charged back in, forcing him to dance backward and get out of range of that dagger. She was better with it than she was with her sword.

“Wait, wait,” he gasped. “Just hold up, lass. Take it easy. Let’s just talk this out.”

“Are ye goin’ tae let me go?”

“I cannae.”

“Then we’ve got nothin’ tae talk about.”

The brief respite gave Magnus a chance to catch his breath and prepare himself, which was good, because Ciara came charging in once more. Magnus was ready though. As she slashed with her blade, looking to disembowel him, he caught her by the wrist. Although she had the momentum, he was bigger and stronger than her and arrested her slash. He twisted her arm viciously, drawing a shrill scream of pain from her.

The dagger hit the soft earth beneath their feet with a hard thud but with her free hand, she threw a wild punch that cracked off Magnus’ jaw. His face exploded in pain, but Magnus barely flinched. He growled but managed to maintain his grip on her wrist. Despite the life and death struggle they were in, being so close to her, feeling the warmth and firmness of her body pressed against his, Magnus found himself strangely aroused. There was just something about her he found powerfully compelling and it sent lightning crackling across his skin.

“Ye pack quite a punch, lass,” he said.

Kai burst out of the bushes and gaped at them for a moment as he took in the scene before him. He quickly straightened up and grinned.

“Looks like ye found her then, eh?” he asked.

“Get the bleedin’ ropes,” Magnus ordered.

“Aye.”

Kai dashed ahead of them as Magnus half-carried a writhing, struggling Ciara back to the clearing she’d escaped from before. After he checked her more thoroughly for additional weapons and finding none, he sat her down on the log and Kai handed him the ropes. Using a more intricate knot, he wrapped both her hands tight, pulling hard on them to make sure there was no give no matter how hard she struggled.

“Why are ye doin’ this?” she hissed. “If ye’re bein’ true and ye dinnae ken me faither, why and where are ye takin’ me?”

Magnus turned away, ignoring her as best he could. She was attractive to him in ways that other women were not, and he found it difficult to keep his gaze off of her. While still keeping an eye on her so she didn’t slip her bonds again, Magnus led Kai far enough away so she couldn’t overhear him. He was determined to avoid giving her information he didn’t want her to have.

“We need tae get her back tae Dunvegan,” Magnus said. “Ye ride ahead?—”

“I’m nae leavin’ ye here alone with her, braither.”

“I need ye tae tell Domhnall that we found her and tae send more riders tae make sure I can get her back,” he said. “There may be several men out there lookin’ fer her. Bring me things from the inn and take me horse with ye. We’ll be goin’ on foot.”

“That’s madness.”

“I can’t take the horses on the path we’re takin’. I will stick tae the back trails and little used roads tae get back tae our lands, but I’d feel a lot better if some of our men were out here tae help us if needed,” he said. “But that’s only goin’ tae happen if ye go on ahead of us and rally the men.”

Kai sighed, a frown crossing his lips, clearly not liking the plan. Truth be told, Magnus wasn’t thrilled with it either, but there was nothing to be done for it. If Ciara did, in fact, have people who would come looking for her, he was going to need help to get her back to Dunvegan. A cold breeze swept through the forest, drawing Magnus’ eyes skyward.

“Ride quickly, Kai,” he said. “Those clouds comin’ in are likely bringin’ snow with ‘em.”

“Aye. Looks that way. All the more reason fer me tae stay with ye?—”

“I’ll be takin’ the lass along the Graystone Trail,” Magnus cut him off.

Kai stared into his brother’s eyes for a long moment then finally nodded.

“That’s where we’ll be comin’ from then,” Magnus said. “Rally the men and make haste comin’ tae get us.”

“Ye be careful out there, braither,” Kai said.

“I will. Make all haste, Kai.”

“Aye. I’ll see ye soon.”

Magnus watched his brother dash away, heading back for the village to where their horses were stabled. When he disappeared among the trees, he turned back to Ciara. She sat on the log struggling with the ropes, her face red and lined with frustration at not being able to break her bonds. Magnus was once again struck by her beauty but he stuffed it all down deep inside of him knowing those thoughts had no place in his mind given the current situation.

He walked over and helped Ciara to her feet. She glowered at him and struggled to shrug his hand off her. Once she was standing, he complied and let her be.

“Come on, lass,” he said gruffly. “We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”