Return Of The Highlanders: The Guardian Part 28

She did as he said and then stoked the fire to a roaring blaze to keep the injured men warm.

"His whistle saved him," Alex said, holding it up. The whistle, which hung about Duncan's neck from a leather cord, was bent in the middle where it had been struck by a sword.

Duncan's body bucked as Alex and Beitris cleaned his wounds with whiskey-soaked cloths. Though his pain made her cringe, the fight in Duncan rea.s.sured her.

Connor only s.h.i.+vered as Ian cleaned his wounds. Sileas prayed hard while she handed Ian clean cloths.

"Do ye think he'll live?" she asked Ian in a choked whisper.

"I will no let him die," Ian said.

She helped him bind the bandages around Connor's head and chest, and then his arms. Ach, Connor's skin had a gray cast to it. He'd lost far too much blood.

Lord Jesus, have mercy. Connor is a good man, and the hope of our clan. Do not take him from us.

Ian tried to make a plan as he worked to stem the flow of Connor's blood. He had to get the injured men to safety. Connor was most likely the target, but whoever had done this had meant to kill them all.

"We'll need to hide the three of ye while ye recover," he said over his shoulder to Alex. "It is best that the men who did this believe they succeeded in their treachery."

"It was the MacKinnons, with a few of the MacLeods," Alex said. "But I suspect Hugh made a devil's agreement with them to do it, or they wouldn't risk attacking us so far into MacDonald territory."

"I have the same suspicion," Ian said, as he pulled tight the last knot of the bandage around Connor's arm. "Proving it will be another matter."

"It would be even harder to prove if we were dead," Alex said.

Alex caught his eye and tilted his head to the side, signaling he wanted a word outside of the others' hearing. When Ian crouched beside him, Alex said, "Did ye notice the MacKinnons and MacLeods didn't take time to gather their dead? Something scared them off."

"Aye. All the more reason to get the three of ye away from here." Ian wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "I'll take ye by boat to Tearlag's cottage. She is the best healer, and ye can hide there, same as before.

"Niall, get the wagon so we can get them down to the water," he called out to his brother, as he returned to where Connor lay.

He looked down at Connor's battered face, and rage swept through him. Earlier, he had been so focused on staunching the blood to save Connor's life that he had not truly seen how badly beaten he was.

"I should have killed Hugh Dubh outside the church that day," Ian said, clenching his fists. "I swear to G.o.d, I will have his blood for this."

His mother came to kneel beside Sileas on the other side of Connor. Her mouth tightened as she laid her fingers against Connor's cheek.

"Ye must get the priest before ye take him away," she said.

"There's no time for that," Ian said.

"This is my dead sister's only son," his mother said, looking up at him, "and I'll not have him meet his Maker with his sins upon him."

"Connor is not dying."

"I fear he might, son," she said in a soft voice. "What's more, ye will hurt what chance he has by moving him."

Ian looked at Connor as he weighed the risks. "No, I'm taking him. I'll not have him dragged from this house and slaughtered in the yard like an animal."

Alex nodded his agreement. In the chaos, Ian hadn't noticed that his father had come into the room until now.

"Ian's right," Payton said, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder. "If those men hear Connor survived and is here, they'll come for him."

A rush of cold air sent the flames of the hearth dancing as Niall came through the door. "I've got the cart just outside."

Ian rubbed his forehead. His parents and Niall should be safe enough at home, so long as they weren't hiding Connor here. But he didn't like leaving Sileas here with Murdoc in the area.

But what was he to do with her? With Hugh and the MacKinnons set on murdering Connor, taking her with them could put her in greater danger than leaving her. Besides, there was barely room for the injured men in the tiny fis.h.i.+ng boat.

There was only one choice. "Niall, I need ye to take Sileas up to Grdan's."

Ian looked down at Sileas, where she knelt on the floor holding Connor's hand like some angel. G.o.d in Heaven, he loved this woman. He went down on one knee and touched her cheek.

"It's not safe for ye here at the house, with MacKinnons about," he said. "They'll not think to look for ye at Grdan's, and I know he'd protect ye with his life."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"After ye take her," he said to Niall, "find the priest and ask him to come to Tearlag's cottage after nightfall-tell him he must not be seen."

That would comfort his mother, and it couldn't hurt to have the priest praying over the men either way.

"I'll help ye get them down to the boat before Sil and I go," Niall said.

"I can help with the others," Alex said.

Ian saw the sheen of sweat on Alex's forehead as he struggled to his feet. Alex was hurt worse than he wanted them to know.

As they rolled the cart down to the beach, the cold wind snapped the ends of the blankets that were wrapped around the injured men. Sileas followed the cart down to the water. While he and Niall carried first Duncan and then Connor from the cart to the boat, she found a stick for Alex to lean on and helped him into the boat.

Ian looked at the three injured men, Alex slumped over and the two others lying across the small boat at the edge of the sh.o.r.e. G.o.d only knew how he would get them up the steep steps from the beach to Tearlag's cottage, but he would.

He squeezed his brother's shoulder and turned to say good-bye to Sileas.

"Ye are the best of men, Ian MacDonald," she said, her voice firm and her eyes dry and clear. "If anyone can save them, ye will do it."

She had always had such faith in him-and he needed it now.

"I'll return as soon as I can." He took her face in his hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Be safe, mo chroi."

CHAPTER 32.

"Take this dirk," Niall said, handing it to her as they left the beach. "Put it up your sleeve, just in case."

They took the fork in the path toward Grdan's house and walked at a brisk pace without speaking again, their thoughts on the loved ones they had just left. Relying on Grdan to protect her must have been bitter medicine for Ian to swallow, but he hadn't hesitated to put her safety before his pride.

Sileas looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse through the trees of Ian on the beach pus.h.i.+ng the boat out into the water. A s.h.i.+ver went through her.

Please, G.o.d, watch over Ian and keep him safe for me. Do not let these young men perish.

It was only a half mile to Grdan's, but the path rose and turned so that one could not see from one house to the other. As they rounded a bend, a dozen men on horses appeared in the distance, coming in their direction.

Sileas sucked in her breath. Was that her stepfather and Angus at the front of the riders? Even from this distance, they would know her by her hair. She could feel their eyes on her. What she had feared for years was coming true.

They were coming for her.

"Run," she said to Niall. "They are going to take me, and there is nothing ye can do to prevent it."

"We can make it back to the house," Niall said, tugging at her arm.

"No! If they come to the house, they'll see the others leaving in the boat," she shouted. "They'll kill them all."

The MacKinnons had tried to murder Connor once. When they saw that they had failed, they would kill every man in the boat. Ian was the best of fighters, but there were too many of them. He would die trying to save the others. Likely, Payton and Beitris would run out to help and be killed as well. She couldn't let that happen.

"Please, Niall," she said. "I'm begging ye to go. It's me they want."

"Not without ye." She heard the familiar whisper of a steel blade as Niall drew his claymore from his back.

"Ye must go so ye can tell Ian they've taken me," she said, holding his arm.

The hooves of the approaching horses vibrated through her feet and echoed in her head.

"It's too late. Get behind me," Niall said, shoving her back.

In another moment, a dozen MacKinnon men surrounded them.

"He's a brave one," one of the men said with a laugh, as they dismounted. He jumped back, though, when Niall swung his claymore within an inch of his chest.

"Come, laddie, there's no need for ye to die today," another man said, "but the la.s.s belongs to us."

The men moved aside as Murdoc pushed through them on his horse.

"Ye have a lot to answer for, Sileas," he said in a hard voice, as he looked down at her. Glancing at Niall, he said, "Who's the foolish lad ready to die for ye?"

Before she could think of a lie, Niall said in a defiant voice, "I am Niall MacDonald, son of Payton and brother to Ian."

"Take him," Murdoc said.

Sileas screamed as the men closed in on Niall from all sides. Niall sliced one man's arm and nicked another, but there were too many of them. It wasn't long before they held him.

"He's yours," Murdoc said, turning to Angus.

Panic pounded through Sileas's veins as Angus dismounted from his horse. It was no use pleading with him, for Angus enjoyed hurting people and wasn't one to think about the consequences. Murdoc was the calculating one. Killing Niall was not important to him; she needed to give him a reason not to do it.

"Ye will regret it if ye hurt him," she shouted.

Murdoc raised his hand, signaling Angus to halt. "And why would I regret one less MacDonald in this world?"

"Ian MacDonald is a stubborn man," she said. "Ye must have heard he stayed away for five years just because he was forced to wed me."

"I've heard he's even refused to bed ye." Murdoc laughed and the others joined in. "Luckily, Angus here is no so particular."

Sileas could not let herself look at Angus for fear she would lose her nerve.

" 'Tis true Ian doesn't want me." She stretched out her arm, pointing at Niall. "But this lad is Ian's only brother. If ye harm a hair on his head, I can promise ye Ian will come after ye. No matter how long it takes, one day he will catch ye unawares. He's that stubborn."

"Enough talk," Angus said, pulling his sword.

Fear seized her heart as Angus started toward Niall. "Murdoc, ye gain nothing by harming him."

"If Ian has treated ye so poorly," Murdoc asked, narrowing his eyes at her, "why do ye care what happens to his brother?"

"Because he's like a brother to me as well," she said, letting the truth of it show in her eyes.

"If your mother had not been so useless," Murdoc said, his anger flas.h.i.+ng, "ye would have a true brother."

Sileas felt for the dirk up her sleeve. If Murdoc didn't stop Angus she would have to stab the brute as he walked by her. She'd have only one chance, but she didn't know where best to stick him. Her heart raced as she tried to think. Angus had too much belly-if she stuck him there, it might not stop him. No, it had to be in his thick neck.

"Angus, we've got what we came for," Murdoc said, then turned to the other men. "Tie the lad to a tree. If he rots before he's found, so be it."

Sileas's limbs felt weak from the relief surging through her. Praise G.o.d! She watched as the men bound and gagged Niall, despite his kicking.

"Come, Sileas. We've no more time to waste," Murdoc said. "Ye will ride with Angus."

It wasn't easy to keep her courage up when Angus smiled, showing his brown and broken teeth, and crooked his finger at her.

"Let me say good-bye," she blurted out. Before anyone moved to stop her, she ran to the tree where Niall was tied and threw her arms around his neck.

"Tell Ian I'll be waiting for him," she said in Niall's ear, as she dropped the dirk behind his back.

An instant later, Angus's rough hands jerked her to her feet.

CHAPTER 33.

Connor lay so still that Ian watched for the shallow rise and fall of his chest as he guided the boat in to sh.o.r.e. Connor was still alive, but not much more.

He and Alex exchanged a worried look, but there was nothing to say. As soon as he hauled the boat onto the beach, he lifted his cousin's limp body in his arms. His stomach tightened; it was hard to see Connor like this.