Chapter 26

Bran fought against the darkness that threatened to embrace him once again. His head ached in a way that was sure to split his brain to two. He was tied to a tree and was bleeding profusely as he tried to see through swollen eyes.

The hot sun shone directly on his skin, the leaves of the tree doing nothing to stop their burning rays from hurting his body. Bran did not know how long he had been tied there, neither could he count how many times he had passed out.

After he had been struck on the boat when he questioned his captors, Bran had not woken up again until they had arrived at the camp. When he once again fought to regain his freedom, he had been knocked unconscious once more and had woken up in the very spot he was currently in. And again, and again…

Bran moved backward and groaned when his bare back rubbed against the roughness of the tree. He was in nothing but his loin cloth. His boots and trousers had been discarded until he was almost naked before he was tied. The bruises all over his body hurt more from the sun heating them up than anything else, and Bran's feet felt like they had been set on fire. He had tried on countless occasions to move his legs into the little shade the tree provided, but the sun was as much his enemy as August Raymond was.

Bran had already known even before he was knocked unconscious that he was being taken to August. That much had been clear.

He remembered that August Raymond had mocked him and taunted him, threatening to have a fate worse than the one prepared for Idalia, while Bran remained tied to the tree, unable to do anything about it. August had not killed him like he thought he would the moment that he arrived, and Bran did not know whether to be relieved or not by that. He knew it was only a matter of time before the man grew tired of playing with him and chose to end his life. Bran could only hope that his brother and the others would be able to locate them before August moved camp and rescue his daughter from August's grasp.

Bran knew that Andrew would make sure his daughter was well taken care of. He had nothing to fear in that regard, and he knew his friends would make sure to take care of Idalia as well if she allowed them to.

Thoughts of not being able to see his daughter before he was killed and images of Idalia rushing to his rescue and getting tortured by August caused him more pain than any wound August and his men had been able to inflict so far. He only hoped that Dunn and the others would be able to stop her from coming after him. He knew Idalia was stubborn and willful.

Bran looked at the tent August had disappeared into. That had not meant respite for Bran as he had hoped. Instead, August's men seemed to take pleasure in taking turns in torturing him.

He groaned as a sore spot beneath his ribs sent pain shooting up his body. He had never experienced such pain, and he knew this was August's way of trying to break him and punish him for breaking his trust.

"I have always known I could not trust you. It is why I made sure that I sent these three to follow you and bring you back if you failed to fulfill your duties," August had said, returning to torture him.

"You will never get your hands on Idalia," Bran had coughed out, blood splattering from his lips. It had hurt him to speak, but he had done it anyway, and he hoped his words would prove to be true.

August's menacing laughter had drawn him out of his thoughts, and he had looked at the man who stared at him with deep hatred mixed with amusement.

"You are a fool, Bran. You have always been, but it is clear that you are a bigger fool now. I always get what I want. You should know that but you obviously do not wish to believe it to be true," he had said.

"As for you, for betraying me, you are going to suffer all of the consequences," August told him with relish. Bran had noticed a glint in the man's eyes that filled him with worry, for it had made him wonder what the man was up to. He had braced himself, thinking August was about to torture him once again. Instead, he had disappeared into his tent and not come out again.

Bran did not know how long he spent looking at the tent as he wondered what August could possibly have meant by his threat. He tensed suddenly when he heard a scream. He recognized the voice, and it filled him with agony to see August dragging his daughter, Mahala, out of the tent. She struggled to keep up with the monster's longer legs as he pulled her along.

"Mahala!" Bran screamed and as they got closer to him. He could see the tears in her eyes as her sadistic uncle yanked her along. His Mahala, his darling girl who was innocent in all of this, had finally began to pay for his sins, just as he feared would happen.

She seemed to be more withdrawn since the last time Bran had seen her. She had lost the luster in her shiny black hair, and her blue eyes no longer held the curiosity they once had. Instead, now she looked scared. His little lass was scared and kept staring around with confusion in her eyes. Bran felt his heart hurting more than it ever had before.

"Papa!" she screamed when she saw him, tears brimming in her eyes as she took in the state of him. Mahala tried to run to him, but the soldiers dragged her back so roughly, Bran forgot about the bindings fastening him to the tree as he tried to get to her.

He heard her sobs as she watched him from where they held her, her little body still struggling to be free from their grasping hands.

"Dinnae hurt me daughter, August. Ye can do whatever ye want to me, but she is yer blood. Dinnae hurt her, please," Bran pleaded with August, not caring that the vile man seemed to gain pleasure from watching him beg. If that was what it took to make sure Mahala was unharmed, then that was what he would do.

August laughed as he looked at him, his laughter getting louder and louder until his body shook.

"Are ye going tae hurt yer sister's child?" Bran asked him, and the laughter caught in August's throat long enough for him to look Bran straight in the eyes.

"I do not care at all who she is, Bran. I told you you would suffer the consequences. Whatever happens now is all your fault. You did this to her, not me. It is all on you." August was going mad, Bran was sure of it. He could see the insanity in the man's eyes, promising Bran a future he was afraid to even think about.

"Tie Mahala up next to him," August turned to his men, and although Bran could see the shock evident in some of their gazes, they all rushed to do his bidding. Clearly, they did not want to receive punishment as well. August watched them with great satisfaction, that Bran found sickening, but he already knew that nothing would change August's mind. Instead, he looked at his daughter, who stretched out her hand to him. Able to do nothing, he could not help but feel a failure.

He had sworn to always be there to protect her and give her a better life, yet now, when she needed him most, he was unable to do so. Here he was, tied to tree and watching as his little girl was about to suffer the same fate as him.

"I'm going to deal with more important matters," August said as he fixed his rumpled hair. "I do not have time to deal with you right now, but once I'm done, I'm going to grant you both the ending I should have given you long ago. Enjoy your time with your daughter, Bran. After all, that is what you have always wanted." With that, August disappeared into his tent once more without looking back.

Brian's mind was reeling. What could he do to save his daughter? He was not certain anyone would be coming for him. Did his friends and family even know he had been taken? And even if they did come, he knew they might not make it in time to save them.

Bran looked at his daughter, who was staring at him with wet eyes. He prayed that even if they did not come in time to save him, they would make it in time to save her.

Thoughts of Idalia filled his mind. He worried she might be thinking he had run away because he had once again changed his mind about marrying her, that he could no longer face her after what they had done together the night before.

Bran made up his mind on what to do; it was the only way to be assured his daughter would be safe if his brother and friends had indeed discovered he had been abducted and not run away in a bid to avoid the wedding. He would do his best to cause trouble with August Raymond. The man had always been quick to anger when it concerned Bran, and for once he was glad of it, and he would use it to his advantage.

Bran would irritate August Raymond to the point where the mad man chose to kill him first instead of killing his daughter. That way he would buy enough time to ensure that the rescue party could reach them.

For Mahala, at least.