Chapter 6

Bran awoke to find all three guards standing over him. "Where is the lass?" the eldest among them demanded to know. His eyes were as cold as stone as he looked down upon Bran without sympathy. "What happened?" he gestured toward Bran's bleeding head wound.

"We were attacked. Men took her. They accused us o' poaching." Bran prayed his face did not give away the lie.

"Why did they not take you?"

"I managed tae fight them off, but the lass hit me over the head with a stone from behind and ran in tae the arms o' our attackers."

The eldest guard nodded his head. He had already seen the stone with blood on it. "Can you ride?" he asked, helping Bran to sit upright.

"I dinnae ken."

The guard nodded again. "We will go and search for her. Remain here and recover."

Bran refused. "I must be a part o' the search. I lost her. August will nae be forgiving."

The guards snorted. "He will not," they all agreed.

"I must find her for Mahala's sake."

The eldest among them studied Bran's face for a moment. "August would not harm his own niece. She is of his blood and is all he has left of his sister."

"He threatened to kill her if I did not bring the lass with the red crescent moon mark back to him."

The guards shuffled their feet uneasily. This was the first time that any of them had heard of the threat against one of their own and a small child on top of that. "We will speak to August on your behalf. Mahala should not suffer."

Bran breathed deeply in relief. "I thank ye for it."

The guards nodded. "We will find the lass." Each man parted ways, taking a different direction.

I hope ye will nae.

Bran sat getting his bearings for a moment. Idalia had done exactly as he had said and hit him hard enough to knock him out. His head hurt and he was dizzy, but if she had run in the direction he had pointed out to her, he would be able to find her. He was alone for the first time since being taken by August Raymond. This was his only chance of escape, and yet he could not leave his daughter behind. Perhaps this small window of freedom would allow him to get a message to his brother Andrew. If Andrew could command enough men to come down and help him retrieve Mahala, then maybe they could put an end to August Raymond's heinous activities for good.

* * *

Bran followed Idalia's trail as quickly as his injured head would allow. Though he could not yet ride, he led his horse along with him, unwilling to leave the creature behind. He prayed that none of the other men had enough tracking experience to figure out where she had gone. Darkness was falling quickly, and the other men would soon be forced to give up the search until morning light. Bran need not do so. He had been trained from a young age to track whether by the light of the sun or the moon. While the others slept, he would find her and see that she reached safety, then he would turn back and do all in his power to retrieve his daughter.

Bran followed her trail for hours until he lost it in a patch of undergrowth. He searched the area, attempting to figure out which way she had gone, but did not find a trail leading one way or another. Standing still, he listened to the sounds of the forest. A rustling in the bushes near his feet caused him to lean down and look within. The moon's light filtered down through the trees, illuminating the landscape in an almost ethereal way. There, curled up in a ball, her eyes wide with terror, was Idalia. "Dinnae fash, lass. It is only me."

"Do you intend to take me back?" she asked, uncertainty in her eyes.

Bran shook his head, but immediately regretted it. His head pounded in time to his heartbeats. "Nae, lass. I did nae have ye hit me over the head with a rock just tae take ye back."

Nodding, the fear began to leave her eyes. "What about yer daughter?"

"I am going back for her. I want ye tae take a message tae me brother Andrew."

"You cannot go alone. You already said that she is well guarded."

"I cannae leave her behind."

"Come with me to Orkney. We can get help and come back for her."

"I dinnae have time for that. The guards agreed tae tell August that yer escape was nae o' me doing, but if I dinnae return, he will ken the truth."

"Then we must go and see if we can help her to escape together."

Bran's brows lifted in surprise. "Ye would risk capture for me daughter? Ye said 'afore that ye could nae do such a thing for the sake o' yer own family."

"I do not intend to get caught. Do you?"

Bran shook his head slowly. "Nae, I dinnae."

"Well then, let us see what can be done. We can send a letter to Andrew at the next house or village. Last I knew, he was at Strathnaver with Dunn and Tor. We can have the messenger deliver a letter there and another to Orkney."

"That is a sound plan if we dinnae get caught 'afore then."

"Then you had better make certain we do not get caught." The determination in her eyes was contagious.

"Why do ye care? Ye made it clear that ye have other priorities when ye attempted tae escape before."

"I do have other priorities, important priorities of my own flesh and blood family, but you risked your life to save my sister, then you risked it again to save mine. If you are bent upon this hazardous course, then I cannot let you go alone. What I am not willing to do is give over my life to August Raymond. We will do this, but only if we have a fighting chance to escape. If it is too dangerous, then we must wait for help."

"I still think ye should head north and nae stop until ye reach Tor at the very least."

"Would you go with me?"

"I cannae."

"Then let us find a householder or villager to send your message, and we will further discuss a plan to save your daughter."

Rising, they walked together through the night in the direction of the nearest village. Bran held onto Idalia's hand so she would not stumble and fall in the darkness. She jumped at every sound along the way. In spite of her brave talk about helping him, it was clear she was absolutely terrified of being caught. Bran felt a moment of guilt for taking her from her family with the intent of handing her over to the likes of August Raymond. He had done it for the love of his only daughter. Any father would have done the same, and yet he felt the burden of his sins heavy upon his soul.

"I am sorry," he whispered to her in the night.

"I know," she breathed back, giving his hand a squeeze.

They continued on in silence until they saw the dark outlines of a house up ahead. "We will nae be received well, banging on the door in the night. They may refuse tae help us."

"Perhaps I should go alone. They are less likely to refuse to help a woman. You remain here and stand guard. If I sense any danger, I will cry out for you."

Bran hesitated. He was loath to put such a burden on her shoulders alone, but he knew she spoke the truth. A woman seeking aid in the middle of the night was far more likely to get it than a man. "I will be here. Dinnae hesitate tae call out tae me."

Idalia nodded. "I will return, but it may take some time. They are unlikely to let me leave easily once I have told them my tale of woe."

"Perhaps we should wait for the light."

"Do we have the time?"

Bran sighed. "Nae, we dinnae. Come the light we will lose any element o' surprise that we might have."

"Then we must do what we must do." Squaring her shoulders, Idalia stepped out into the clearing and walked up to the door of the house.

"God be with ye, lass," Bran breathed, as he faded back into the darkness.