Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

A t dawn, two days after the fire at the barracks, Raven and Arne left Castle MacLeod on foot, by a seldom-used side gate that led onto a sheltered back lane. Arne had arranged to have their horses made ready and left in a nearby wood, so they could collect them before starting their journey to MacNeil lands.

"That way, we have the best chance of avoidin' meetin' MacDonald's men on the road," he had explained.

"In that case, would it nae be a good idea for me tae dress as a lad? It would improve our chances of nae bein' recognized even more," she had suggested.

Arne had smiled at her and nodded. "Aye, that's a good idea, me clever wee lass," he had replied and kissed her.

The hardest part for Raven when preparing to leave had been staying composed while saying goodbye to Thorsten.

"When are ye comin' back?" he had asked, his little face downcast when they had told him, making her heart clench painfully in her chest.

"As soon as we can, lad, dinnae fret," Arne had replied matter-of-factly. Raven had been thankful for his calm approach. She had felt so overwhelmed by emotion; she had feared alarming their son by breaking down in his presence. But she knew it was just as hard for Arne, so she took strength from his example and managed to hold herself together.

"Bye bye fer now, me sweet lad," she had told Thorsten, hugging his warm small body against her when they had had to part. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Aye, all right," he had replied, and then whispered in her ear, "Ye can bring me a present back if ye like."

She had to chuckle, though she felt like crying, not knowing what was going to happen to her or if she would even see him again. "I'll see what I can dae," she promised, pressing kisses to his little round dimples before they finally left him.

She had managed to get out of the door and to Arne's chambers without breaking down, but as soon as he shut the door, she crumbled,

"There, there, it'll be all right, I promise. I'll look after ye, dinnae worry," Arne had crooned soothingly to her, holding her tightly as she sobbed against his chest. Their rediscovered love and Arne's new-found trust in her was a great comfort to her, and she certainly trusted him to defend her life with his own.

But secretly, she judged that too high a price to pay, and she had already resolved that she would rather die than let him get hurt or worse, killed to save her. His bravery and determination to end Struan frightened her almost as much as the monster himself.

"I ken ye will, but I still cannae help bein' fearful of what might happen," she had murmured through her tears. "I love ye both so much, I couldnae bear bein' parted from ye and Thorsten again, fer any reason."

"As long as I'm alive, ye never have tae worry about that," he promised her. "Once all this mess is solved, it'll be just the three of us, our own little family, and ye'll nae have tae worry about that eejit again."

So, when they collected their horses and set off in the dry, chilly spring dawn to see her brothers, a nugget of dread settled heavily in her belly. The plan was to make the journey as short as possible, which meant going by water. They headed west, via the back lanes and rough country, intending to get to Oban and catch a birlinn that would take them down the coast to MacNeil lands.

They were fortunate not to meet too many people on the way, and those they did cross paths with took little notice of the two riders. However, every time they spied someone, Raven's fear peaked until she was sure they were not MacDonald's men and posed no threat.

They made camp overnight in a remote spot, cuddling up together under blankets and making love beneath the stars. The following afternoon, they reached the busy town of Oban. They booked into an inn, left the horses in the stables, and then walked down to the shore line.

They stood side by side on a stone quay bustling with people and looked out at the busy waterway before them. A stiff breeze was blowing in from the open sea, and the sky was the color of beaten pewter. Boats and ships of all kinds and sizes were being tossed from side to side on the choppy waters.

"It looks a bit rough," Raven observed nervously. "I dinnae much like goin' on boats at the best of times, but after the shipwreck, I'm even more scared, Arne," she confessed. She badly wanted to hold his hand, but the sight of two men doing that in public would certainly draw unwanted attention.

"That's understandable," he told her, "but 'tis unlikely that ye'll be caught up in somethin' like that again. The sea's a bit rough, I'll grant ye, but there's nay sign of a storm, and I'll be here tae protect ye this time. Besides, the voyage is only a few hours."

"Aye, I'll be a lot less fearful with ye by me side, but folks'll start wonderin' about us if I jump in yer lap and start huggin' ye because I'm scared," she pointed out, making him chuckle.

"Just try tae think of seein' yer braithers again. That'll help keep ye goin', eh?" he suggested.

"Aye, I will." She smiled up at him from beneath her woolen cap, wishing she could kiss him.

"We should go now and book passage on a birlinn fer as early as possible tomorrow," Arne said. "Then we can have some dinner and a good rest at the inn before we leave."

"A good rest?" she said teasingly, feeling suddenly mischievous as she looked up into his eyes. "I dinnae seem tae have had much of that the past few days. Nae that I'm complainin," she added with a laugh.

If ice could smolder, then Arne's gaze would have seared her skin. "I hope nae. I may see me way tae letting ye have an hour or two of rest tonight," he replied, waggling his eyebrows at her lasciviously. "We'll have tae see how things go."

"Aye, we'll have tae see," she said softly, running the tip of her tongue around her lips provocatively as she stared up at him.

Arne grinned and said, "I think we'd best go and book our passage before we get hauled away by the townsfolk fer committin' public indecency. Come on." He led the way along the quay to where a large, sturdy-looking birlinn was berthed a few hundred yards away.

When they got there and stood observing the vessel being tossed up and down and side to side by the choppy waters.

They went on board, met with the captain, and quickly settled the terms of their passage, paying him what he asked before leaving.

"Ugh, eight hours of hell tae look forward tae," Raven said with a grimace, unhappy with the prospect of spending so much time on the water.

"Ach, we'll be there before ye ken it. Think of yer braithers," Arne reminded her as they made their way back to the inn, which was on the waterfront, only a stone's throw away.

When they got to the entrance, Arnie said, "I'll go and make the arrangements with the innkeeper fer the horses tae stay here while we're away."

"All right, ye could order our dinner as well, fer later on," Raven replied. "I'll go on up tae our room and wait fer ye there."

"Aye, I'll dae that on me way up," he agreed, and they went their separate ways. But Raven had only been in the room for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it must be one of the maids, she opened the door. But when she looked into the hallway, she found a small, grubby-faced lad of about ten, dressed in ragged clothing, standing there looking up at her.

"Hello, what can I dae fer ye?" she asked him with smile.

"I have a message fer ye, from Arne," the lad said in a reedy voice. "He says 'tis urgent."

"Oh?" She was puzzled. They had only parted for less than ten minutes. What could be so urgent. "What's the message?"

"He said he's found a boat that's leavin' in a short while fer where ye're goin'. He says if he's nay there when ye get there, ye're tae wait fer him on board. But ye're tae hurry because 'tis leavin' soon."

"When did he tell ye that?" she asked, frowning.

"Just now."

"And ye're sure about it? Ye've nae got the message mixed up?" she asked, confused.

"Nay, he gave me this shillin' tae come up here and tell ye. I'm tae show ye the way tae the boat as well."

"Well, all right. Wait there. I need a few minutes tae fetch our things," she replied, closing the door. She had no things to fetch, for all their belongings were in the saddle bags, which she had expected Arne to bring up with him when he had concluded the matter of the horses with the innkeeper. However, she wanted a few moments to think about it.

After turning it over in her mind, she could only suppose that Arne had found an opportunity to leave for Tarbert a lot sooner than planned and decided to take it. Since she was keen to see her brothers and time was of essence, it seemed like a good idea. So, she opened the door and stepped out to join the boy.

"All right. Ye can show me the way tae the boat."

She followed him when he scampered off down the stairs and led her out on to the bustling water front. Raven saw several birlinns docked close by, rocking in the water, no more than a hundred yards away from where they were standing.

"Which one is it?" she asked.

"'Tis that one there, the Mistress Anne ," he told her, pointing at the vessel. She was thankful that it was quite large and looked seaworthy. "He says ye're tae go aboard and wait fer him. He'll be there soon."

"Alright. Thank ye."

The boy slipped away in to the crowd, and Raven headed for the Mistress Anne . She could already see that the crew were preparing to leave, with many of them seated and ready to row. Others were working at various tasks, and there were a couple of passengers already waiting to sail. She noticed that two of them appeared to be monks wearing hooded cassocks.

She hailed one of the crew, a tall, lanky fellow in an oilskin coat, with light-colored eyes, a scrubby, red-gold beard, and pale red hair poking out from beneath a filthy canvas cap. She disliked the look of him on sight. He seemed vaguely familiar, but Raven could not place him and put it down to her imagination.

"Aye?" he asked, his voice a nasal whine.

Raven hid a shiver of revulsion. "I understand I'm supposed tae meet Arne MacLeod aboard before ye set sail, is that right?" Raven replied, putting on her best impersonation of a youth.

"Aye, that's right. Come aboard. He said he'll be here shortly tae meet ye," he told her, as he moved aside to let her board.

She nodded to avoid speaking again and stepped into the unsteady vessel unassisted to keep up the fa?ade of youthful masculinity.

"Ye can sit over there tae wait if ye like," the giant said, pointing at the usual wooden benches amidships. Raven gingerly stepped across and sat down as far away from the other passengers as she could to wait for Arne, her mind instantly filling with troubling memories of the last time she was on a birlinn.

That distracted her from noticing when the one of the crew untied the painter from the dock, and the rowers picked up their oars and began pulling the boat with powerful stokes away from the quay.

"Hey, wait!" she exclaimed, jerking out of her reverie and suddenly realizing what was happening. She jumped up and ran to the back of the boat, nearest the quay, which was now a good fifteen to twenty feet away. "Ye're nae supposed tae leave until me partner gets here, Mr. MacLeod," she yelled at the crewman who had let her aboard.

But he ignored her shouts, and so did everybody else. A horrible feeling of dread came over her. Something's very wrong with all of this , she thought in a panic. She ran to the edge and prepared to dive into the water, to swim back to the quay. But a pair of strong arms caught her from behind.

She looked over her shoulder to see it was one of the monks. "Let go of me!" she shouted, kicking out backwards at his legs, struggling to free herself, but the man's grip was like iron, biting into her arms.

"Get yer hands of me, ye bastard!" she shouted, about to bite him when his hood fell back a little. When she saw who it was, the blood froze in her veins. She began fighting harder, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Arne! Arne! Anyone, help, I'm bein' kidnapped!" over and over.

Her desperate shrieks sliced through the air as the birlinn rapidly traveled farther out to sea, but she spied people on the quay turning to look towards the boat. Hope sparking in her breast, she redoubled her efforts to shake off her captor.

She heaved in another breath, ready to scream for help again, when a large hand covered her mouth and cut her off. She bit down on it as hard as she could and stamped down on the man's toes.

"Ach, ye wee bitch!" he hissed in pain, dropping his hand and stumbling backwards. She shrieked, "Arne! Help!"

"Shut yer noise!" came a rumbling voice she recognized all too well. It sent terror ripping through her. A hard blow hit her temple, knocking her to the deck, sending her cap flying. Her head spun for a moment while she rested on all fours, the taste of iron on her tongue. But then she scrambled towards the side of the vessel, intending to jump overboard, still screaming for Arne to come and save her.

But someone seized her by her hair and yanked her head back violently. Raven screamed in pain and fear as she was pulled to her feet by her hair.

"Ye're nae goin' anywhere, except back tae Barra." The familiar deep voice rumbled harshly in her ear. Hot, foul breath filled her nostrils, making her gag. She found herself being swung around as if she were a marionette on strings. The pain was so excruciating, it felt as though hair was going to be torn out by the roots.

"Yer husband's missed ye, lassie. Ye've put him tae a lot of trouble, but he's very eager tae see ye and have a proper reunion. He has quite a celebration planned."

With the bravado of one who now believed she had nothing to lose, Raven spat dead center into the lifeless eyes and ugly, mutilated face of Jethro Maddox. He let out a growl and backhanded her across the face, knocking her out cold. Then he dropped her to the deck as though she were a sack of turnips.

"Tie the bitch!" he roared, striding away, "And row faster, ye lazy bastards, or ye'll feel the weight of me hand as well."

Thus encouraged, the oarsmen redoubled their efforts. The quay at Oban receded as their oars sliced the through the choppy waters, speeding their unconscious captive back into her husband's vengeful arms.