Chapter 23

An Ambush

Ragnall was face to face with his enemy. Fraser didn’t shy away this time like he had done last time and stood in line with three other men. When they had attacked the coaches, he had held back on his horse while watching his men face certain death. Now that it was only Ragnall, he stood alongside his men.

Ragnall immediately drew his sword. He could not turn his back on them, but he pushed Holly back with his body, trying to put himself between the men and the bridge to give Holly a chance to cross it alone and head for the castle while he held them off. He was not sure he could fight all four, but he could give Holly a chance to escape.

“So, we meet again,” he called, buying himself some time as he thought of a way out.

“Aye, and the last time we met, ye ran away from me. Are ye goin’ to do the same today?” Fraser asked.

One-on-one, Ragnall was sure he could take him down with ease, but not with three men by his side.

Fraser was athletic and well-built, but he was not as tall or broad as Ragnall. They had similar eyes, but Fraser’s hair was brown, while Ragnall’s was jet black.

“Ye mean back at me castle twelve years ago?” Ragnall scoffed. “Aye, I ran from ye, but only when ye brought an army to me castle and tried to burn it down. I would say ye are man enough to face me this time, but ye have come with three men. How about the two of us end this right now?”

“I’m nay fool, Ragnall. I ken I dinnae stand a chance against ye, but the best warrior kens his enemy. Do ye have any last words?” Fraser asked.

“Nae for ye,” Ragnall hissed, stepping slowly to the side and backing up a little.

“Get him!” Fraser shouted.

There had been a warm feeling building within Ragnall that entire day, but his insides quickly turned to ice as he readied to fight.

“Run!” he shouted. He pushed Holly backward and advanced on the three men, parrying the first blow and ducking under the other. “Run and dinnae look back!” he screamed.

He couldn’t see where she was and kept his eyes on Fraser. It would be just like him going after Holly and leaving his men to fight his battle. So far, Fraser waited with his sword drawn, ready to join the fight.

I should have been more careful! I’m an eejit!

Ragnall had put certain protocols in place, and one was not supposed to leave the castle without an escort. He had become too relaxed, and now it had cost him.

He didn’t have time to think about that as a sword swung toward him. He wanted to look around to ensure Holly was running back to the castle, to ensure he was fighting for something. Perhaps she would make it and Eric would send men out to help him.

Nay, it willnae last long enough for anyone to come to me aid.

Ragnall ducked under another swing and came up, thinking about putting some distance between himself and the men, but he diverted to make sure he blocked access to the bridge.

The three men came at him again. They had obviously been practicing to fight one man, and they didn’t take turns attacking. They all came at him, making it impossible to block and parry their blows at once. Ragnall blocked one slash and kicked the man back, but another sword swung toward him too quickly, and he felt the blade piercehis shoulder, almost in the same place he was previously wounded.

The third man used Ragnall’s tactic, swinging his blade and then kicking. Ragnall dodged the sword but not the boot, and he was knocked back, tumbling to the ground and losing his sword.

There was no hesitation from the three men as they advanced on him. The sword was too far from his grasp, but a rock was not. He picked it up and threw it. It sailed past one of the men’s heads as he ducked. Ragnall found a second rock as he scrambled to get up and managed to throw it, but it only hit one of the men on the chest. It rocked the man but didn’t deter him.

Ragnall thought about running and might have if a third rock had not come sailing through the air and hit one of the three men on the back of the head. He was both pleased and annoyed. He knew where the rock had come from, and it meant Holly had not done as she was told.

One of the men turned, rubbing his head, and it gave Ragnall the opportunity to dive to the side and retrieve his sword, coming up just in time to block another swing. The distracted man turned back to Ragnall, advancing with his two friends, but the rocks still came, and it was enough of a distraction.

Ragnall could see Fraser look toward Holly, and he feared the worst. He was not standing between the three men and his wife, and Fraser looked like he would go after her.

Ragnall kicked one of the men in the leg, sending him down to his knee, and then slammed the hilt of his sword into the man’s head, knocking him out.

“Run, goddammit!” he shouted to Holly. “Go, now!”

“Go after her!” Fraser shouted.

Ragnall noticed two other men for the first time. They had held back until now.

Holly saw them too, and it was the thing that finally made her bolt across the bridge. She was fast and had a headstart, but the two men would catch her.

It drove Ragnall into a rage, and he pushed forward, confusing the men, who, until now, had been driving him back. They swung, but he ducked and came back up within inches of them. He drove a sword through the first man’s stomach and held him as a shield so the second man could not attack. He hurled the injured soldier at his friend and took a moment to assess the situation.

The third man dropped his wounded friend to the ground. He had no time to help him while there was still danger.

It left one soldier and Fraser himself.

Fraser looked worried, but he didn’t back down this time. It was still two against one, but Ragnall had to finish it quickly, or Holly would be caught, and he didn’t know what Fraser’s men would do to her.

“Give it up, Fraser!” he demanded. “Surrender to me now, and I willnae kill ye. That goes the same for ye.”

The third man looked at Ragnall and glanced from the corner of his eye at Fraser—it was an attractive proposition, but it was still two against one, and the man had some courage.

“It’s time to die,” Fraser growled.

Ragnall still saw red—there was no time to worry about tactics. He didn’t worry about defense anymore. All he had to do was kill Fraser, and Holly would survive. He lunged at the soldier, and he parried lightly but still felt a pain in his stomach. He slammed into the man, knocking him over, and as he tramped over the soldier, he felt another pain as the blade slid out of his stomach.

Ragnall swung his sword with as much might as possible, knowing Fraser would bring up his sword to block. Steel clashed against steel, and the sword was not knocked out of Fraser’s hand, but he was knocked off balance and brought down to one knee. Ragnall slashed, cutting into the man’s arm, and when he heard a noise behind him, he slammed the sole of his boot into Fraser’s face.

He whirled around and brought his blade up to block the soldier’s swing. He was beginning to feel weak from the blood loss, but he would continue on until he had no blood left in his body if it meant Holly was safe.

He swung furiously again, slamming his blade into the other, and the man was pushed back. The courage he held in his gaze earlier suddenly disappeared when he looked past Ragnall.

The Laird stepped off to the side, needing to see both enemies at once. Fraser was backing away, blood staining his sleeve and dripping from his nose. He turned tail and ran into the trees. Ragnall turned to the soldier quickly, expecting a last-ditch attack, but the fight was knocked out of him, and he dropped his sword.

Ragnall did not have time to deal with the man, nor did he have time to go after the man he had spent ten years plotting to kill. He only had one target now: Holly.

The Laird gripped his sword tightly and ran for the bridge. He ran down the bank of the river and toward the castle, hoping without hope that she had made it back there before the two men had caught her.

There had been no such luck. Ragnall came to a quick halt upon finding the two men with their swords drawn and Holly standing between them. They looked at each other as if asking which one of them would deal with the Laird. They could not kill their hostage, or else they would lose all leverage.

Ragnall felt like throwing up. He only had to keep it together a while longer as he dealt with them.

“Are ye hurt?” he asked.

“Nay,” Holly replied.

He looked at both men in turn. “That is to yer benefit. Yer leader has turned tail and run, and I suggest ye both do the same. I dinnae want to hurt ye, but I will. Two of yer friends are lyin’ on the ground, but the third was smart enough to ken when he was beaten. Let her go, and I will let ye leave alive. Touch a hair on her head, and ye will both die in the forest today. The choice is yers.”

Ragnall stood still, fearing he might fall if he stepped forward.

The two men looked at each other again. They both wanted to run, but neither wanted to appear weak in front of the other.

“If Fraser’s gone, we dinnae get our money for catchin’ her,” one of them said.

“Aye, forget this. I dinnae want any part of it.”

The two men kept hold of Holly, but they sheathed their swords.

“We were just actin’ on orders,” one of them said.

“Bad orders,” Ragnall said. “When he’s finally dead, come and talk to me, and I’ll put ye to work.”

The two men nodded meekly before they took off into the forest, not looking back.

Holly gasped and breathed again, almost stumbling forward. Ragnall would have run and caught her if he had the energy. Thankfully, she remained on her feet.

“Ye need to help me,” he groaned. “I’m injured pretty bad.” He didn’t dare look down at his stomach for fear of what he might find there. “I’m sorry I couldnae protect ye,” he muttered.

He didn’t hear what she said, feeling her take his arm and throw it over her shoulder. The world was starting to swim around him, but he needed to stay awake and on his feet to protect her until they got to the castle.

“Ye saved me,” he mumbled, his tongue heavy. “Ye were foolish to stay, but ye saved me.”

Holly said something else, but it was lost in the wind. He moved with her, focused on keeping his eyes open. He put one foot in front of the other for as long as possible, and when he finally caught sight of the castle, he collapsed into the dirt.