Chapter 28

Idalia climbed up to a hill she had noticed the last time they were at August's camp. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and threatening to fail her at any moment as they spied the camp. She had watched as Bran, who was tied to a tree, was punched over and over again, too many times for her to count. Dunn had attempted to pull her away when he realized what she was looking at, but she had held on with her nails, so he had finally relented and let her watch.

What Idalia saw next was too much for her, and she suddenly wished she had let go when Dunn had tried to shield her eyes. Idalia had watched as August Raymond dragged his niece out of a tent and towards Bran, who raged at seeing her and struggled against his bindings. She had watched the lass reach for her father, only to be dragged back by her uncle's men. Idalia's heart had broken for the bairn, who had committed no crime save to be born into the family of a madman. Because that was what August Raymond was: a madman that would soon meet his end.

Idalia had turned away just in time to see Andrew's jaw clench as he watched the niece he had never met being tied to a tree. She screamed continually for her father, and Idalia prayed that he would not break free and run to her, thereby throwing their plans to the wind.

It was not long before they saw August retreat back to his tent, some of his men going with him. Others remained to watch their abductees, occasionally taunting Bran or abusing him.

The rescuers looked around, taking note of August's men. They appeared to be scattered all over the place. However, they were all very leisurely, with only a few actually standing guard. The ones who had been guarding the tent had retreated for breakfast, leaving only a few behind.

Idalia could not help but feel pity for Mahala. The poor, darling girl must be so scared and confused, wondering what was happening and what she had done wrong to deserve the punishment she was currently receiving.

Bran, on the other hand, must have been blaming himself for the punishment his daughter was currently facing. She doubted the man would ever forgive himself for the rest of his life if something happened to Mahala.

They had enough men to put up a decent battle, though they were still outnumbered. However, Dunn had sent a message to his brother asking for his help. Idalia was happy to have these fiercely loyal brothers who would do anything for the people they loved. Tor's men added to theirs gave them enough in terms of manpower to fight the battle and be assured victory.

Tor arrived, wanting to provide more safety since Idalia was going with them. Her sisters were worried at the idea of her being on the road, especially since she was stepping into the camp of a man who clearly wanted her and was willing to do anything to make sure he claimed her for himself.

Idalia understood the concerns of her sisters. She knew she would have been just as worried if they had been the ones embarking on this mission that should have been left for the men to handle.

The plan had been for a surprise attack, as that was their best shot at winning the battle. She had promised Andrew to stay by his side, and that was all the protection she needed from August Raymond and his men.

"I cannot believe how horrible a human being August Raymond is for him tae be able tae stomach the idea of ever hurting his own niece like that," Dunn muttered angrily after they had climbed down from the hill, after watching her being brought back into her tent. He seemed to be the one most affected by August's behavior towards his own family.

"We need to save Mahala first," Idalia said. "Even if we try to save Bran, as long as he knows Mahala is still in danger, he is a liability. He is ready to place himself in danger to ensure her safety, especially when he knows the man in question is August. Also, August knows Bran would do anything to ensure her safety, and he will make sure to use that to his advantage. So, Mahala should be our priority."

"That is a good idea," Tor said. "I believe it will work."

Idalia looked around and noticed that everyone appeared to approve of her suggestion. She was glad they saw it for what it was. After deliberating for a moment longer, they started to head back down the hill as they prepared to go into battle.

"I need ye tae stay here where it is safe, Idalia. Ye have done yer part and have brought us here as quickly as possible. Now it is up tae us. Andrew, will ye make sure that nae one who runs off in this direction brings ye any harm," Dunn asked, and Idalia turned to Andrew, dismayed when she found him nodding his consent.

"What?! No! You can't ask that of me. I can't very well stay here while you all go off into battle," she declared, and Andrew stepped forward.

"We talked about this, and ye promised ye will let me protect ye, Idalia."

"Yes, I did, but I never said it would be away from the battle. You can be with me as we fight. Besides, you cannot all just go down to rescue Mahala. If you try to take her away from her father and she sees all our men there, she will fear that you are either August's men or just like him. What if she tries to run off on her own, which could lead to her being hurt, or worse?" She tried to reason with them. "You need me down there. She is more likely to go with me than she is to go with any of you blazing in with your weapons, don't you see? All the big, large men around her all her life, save for her father, have always been her enemy. You need me to go with you."

She kept her fingers crossed as she waited for them to make up their mind. She did not come all this way just to sit back and watch while they did all the fighting. She had to be there. Someone had to be there to help Mahala and Bran get to safety. That was all she wanted. It had been all she wanted since finding out he had been abducted.

"All right then, you can go. However, you must promise tae stay close tae Andrew and make sure ye dinnae do anything stupid," Dunn said, sighing, and Idalia wished she could hug him in her excitement. She knew that he probably found her exhausting, but she was glad that he seemed to be helping with what she needed in any way he could.

"Of course, I promise to adhere to all the rules," she said, unable to hide her excitement as Dunn frowned at her. He nodded and motioned for their men to follow behind him, some breaking off with Tor, while the others maintained their positions by his side.

They all walked from where they had been on the overlooking hill, down into the forest. As they did so, they fanned out, each going in separate directions until they were all in strategic positions as planned. Idalia followed quietly behind Andrew, careful to not make a sound or do anything to give her away. She knew doing this put her at risk, especially with August being so close, and she was not ready to have another experience with him. It was why she made sure to stay with Andrew despite her rebellious spirit.

Andrew crouched low, with his knife out and ready in front of him. Idalia had never seen such look of concentration on him before. She supposed the past few days she had spent with him had been an eye opener for her. She had come to know the man he kept hidden from everyone else, and now, she saw who he was when those he loved were in danger.

With him so low in front of her, Idalia had dropped down to the ground, her sleeves pulled down in a bid to avoid any scrapes as she crawled all the way over the ground. She watched as Andrew snapped up with speed and dragged the closest guard backwards into the bush, nearly slitting his throat without a second thought.

She watched in horror as the next guard turned to look behind him at the sound of his companion hitting the floor with a thud. She tried to get Andrew's attention to warn him, and she was relieved when an arrow whizzed past her, piercing the man in the neck, his eyes dimming as his life force drained away. This time, Andrew quickly caught the fellow before he could make a noise and dropped him silently on the floor.

They inched closer to the tent Idalia knew was Mahala's, with Andrew leading the way and Idalia following him. She kept a lookout as he poked his knife into the back of the tent and quickly tore a hole into it. The hole was wide enough for them to slip through in to.

The walked into the large, canvas room, and stopped dead in their tracks when Mahala gasped in shock, staring at them with wide eyes. Motioning her not to make a sound, they made their way silently towards her.

Idalia looked closely at Mahala, who remained still tied and sitting quietly, her eyes puffy from all tears she had shed earlier. Idalia raised her hand, still crouching, as she moved closer to the girl. She remained silent, watching them curiously without saying anything. Idalia turned to see that Andrew had returned his knife into its sheath and was standing behind her, careful to not startle the little girl or cause her to worry any more than she already was.

"Hello, Mahala," Idalia said in a soft voice she had not known she possessed until that moment. She took in the beautiful young girl, her big eyes robbed of the brightness and curiosity that every child should have. Idalia almost wept for her, who had not known what it was to be a child, to be allowed to make mistakes, and to have fun.

"My name is Idalia. I am your father's friend," she introduced herself, taking small steps toward the girl in the way she would approach a tiny, wounded animal. "And this is your uncle. We are here to save you."

"Are you going to save my papa too?" Mahala asked in an innocent, trusting voice only a child could possess, her eyes tracking all of Idalia's movements.

"Yes, of course. However, we are going to save you first because that is what your papa would want."

Idalia noticed that the young girl's gaze had moved on from her. Her eyes were currently fixated on Andrew, who was standing quietly, not moving an inch, as though he was afraid that any movement would scare her off and send her running for the hills.

"He looks a bit like papa," she said suddenly.

"He does look like your papa, and that is because he is his brother and your uncle," Idalia said, patiently explaining to the child despite knowing they must hurry. Still, she did not want to have to force her, especially not after all the child had experienced in the hands of forceful and abusive men.

"All right," she replied, jumping down from her seat. She walked towards Andrew, allowing him to pick her up and untie her hands. When he was done, she trustingly wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulders.

Together, they quietly made their way out of the tent in the same way they had come—making sure that no one saw them and alerted August to their presence.

Andrew handed Mahala over to Idalia, who welcomed her with open arms. Then, he slid his blade out of its sheath as they made their way back to the hill. Idalia did not know if Mahala had seen murders, considering who she had been with all this time, but she was glad he did not have to do any killing on their way back up.

Andrew sighed suddenly, jarring her out of her thought. He patted Mahala on the head gently and stood straight up.

"Well, now it is time tae save me brother."