They stopped what seemed like hours later, though Wintra prayed that it was not as long as it had felt. She and Dawn would then have a better chance of making it home perhaps by morning the latest once they escaped. She felt so foolish for not having thought better of simply running off to investigate a noise. But she had thought she had nothing to fear and the cry sounded so like a child in pain that she had not been able to ignore it. The worst part was that she had involved Dawn. Cree was going to be furious and she could not blame him. She had to make this right. She had to protect Dawn and get her home safely, though she hoped that their absence had been discovered by now and that Torr and Cree were on their way to rescue them.
She sent a silent prayer to the heavens.
Please, God, let it be so.
Once they had dismounted Wintra went straight to Dawn, worried that the hard ride may have been too much for her and the babe. “Are you well?” she asked Dawn anxiously.
Dawn rubbed her back, though nodded.
Wintra lowered her voice. “We cannot let them take us any further. We must escape now before it is too late.”
Dawn nodded and patted her chest.
“You feel the same. Good, I have a plan, but we must be quick about it.” Wintra quickly whispered softly as she fussed with Dawn’s cloak, making it appear as if she saw to her care.
Dawn squeezed Wintra’s hand when she finished, letting her know that she agreed and was ready to do what was necessary.
“You will come with me, Wintra,” Owen ordered.
The two women clung more tightly to each other’s hand when they saw that the small troop had been divided in two. They were about to separate them and they both knew they could not let that happen.
“We need a moment of privacy in the woods,” Wintra said, knowing they would never be sent alone, but hoping no more than two warriors would be sent with them.
“Later,” Owen said impatiently.
Wintra bounced in place. “We cannot wait.”
A sly smile came over Owen. “Fine, I’ll escort the both of you.” He turned to his warriors. “Do not disturb us.”
Dawn saw the warrior who had captured her look with disgust on Owen. He had been kind to her while on the horse with him, asking if she fared well and telling her not to worry that no harm would come to her. He had insisted that she and Wintra would be released once the ransom was paid. The warrior obviously believed what Owen had told him. She, however, did not trust Owen.
The last she saw of the warrior was him slowly backing away from the small troop as the other warriors grinned, watching Owen disappear into the woods with her and Wintra. He was probably taking his leave, not wanting any part of what was to come, or could he possibly be brave enough to be going for help? She could only hope.
They walked a distance into the woods before Owen ordered them to stop.
He pointed to Dawn. “Go do what you must while Wintra pleases me. Then you can take your turn pleasing me.” He grabbed Wintra’s shoulder so hard that she winced and pushed her to her knees. He pulled out a dagger from the sheath at his waist. “And no tricks or I will leave you with a worse scar than your husband’s.”
Wintra had to stop herself from grabbing for his nose and ripping it off. She could not make any move that would bring the other warrior’s to Owen’s rescue. She and Dawn had no choice but to make a silent escape. It would give them time to put some distance between their captors. She purposely fumbled with the ties at his waist, trying to give Dawn time. She had not counted on it being Owen who would bring them into the woods, but at least he was only one man.
“Finished already?” Owen asked as Dawn approached. “Damn, what is wrong now?”
Wintra turned her head to see Dawn doubled over and vomiting. Good Lord, she was sick. She would have to see to this herself and get Dawn help.
Owen pushed Wintra out of his way. “Pregnant women are nothing but trouble.” He walked over to her annoyed. “Get up and go back to the warriors. I will not have your disgusting mouth on me.”
Wintra sprang into action and grabbed for the rock she had spied when she had gone down on her knees. She got to her feet and ran at Owen.
He heard her approach and turned too late. He never saw the blow coming. Dawn hit him in the head with a rock from behind and as he staggered forward, Wintra lashed out at him with the rock, catching him in the forehead before he reeled back and fell to the ground.
Wintra quickly dropped the rock and held her hand out to Dawn. “You are not ill?”
Dawn shook her head and patted her stomach, then pointed to what snow still remained on the ground.
“You used the snow to pretend you were sick,” Wintra said with relief.
Dawn nodded and took Wintra’s hand. Wintra grabbed the dagger from the ground where it had fallen and they both hurried off, knowing there was no time to waste.
They kept a brisk pace, Wintra silently berating herself for not killing Owen when she had the chance, then he would never be able to hurt another woman again. She hoped that they had done enough damage to him that he would be unable to chase after them when he came to, or better yet, it would be hours before he regained consciousness.
Wintra worried that Dawn would grow tired at the fast pace they were keeping, but then she was as determined as Wintra to return home. Wintra kept a watch on her anyway, ready to do whatever was necessary to make sure Dawn got home safely to Cree. And to make certain she got back to Torr.
~~~
“The troop divided,” Cree’s tracker said after examining the ground.
Cree looked to Torr. “We will have to separate.”
“You think they separated the women?” Torr asked, his worry for his wife mounting by the minute.
“If you can wait a moment, I may be able to determine from the tracks if the women were separated,” the tracker Henry said.
“A moment is all you get,” Cree ordered, knowing the more time lost in following Owen, the longer it would take to find his wife and sister. And find his wife and sister he would. They had traveled hard. The tracker had confirmed that the tracks were fresh, which meant that they were not that far behind them.
Cree felt the ground rumble and heard the faint pounding of hooves before the tracker glanced up at him with wide eyes.
Torr looked to Cree. “I hear it?”
“A rider approaches,” Cree said.
“Only one?” Torr asked.
“A single rider,” the tracker confirmed. “Could be a scout that has been sent ahead.”
Cree signaled his warriors, and they circled with weapons ready.
The lone rider slowed his fast gait when he caught sight of the mighty warriors prepared for battle, and he knew at that moment that he had made a wise decision. He approached the group at a quick pace and called out to Cree as he got close enough, “I have word of the women.”
Cree ordered him forward with the snap of his hand and the circle of men parted to allow the man entrance.
“Speak and be quick about it,” Cree ordered.
“First, please know that I wanted no part of this. Many of us didn’t, but we had little choice.”
“You are from the McBride clan,” Cree said.
“Aye, my lord, I am Neville of the Clan McBride,” he confirmed, “and there is no time to waste. I do not believe that once Owen gets what he wants that he will spare the women or the warriors’ lives. He will take for himself and be gone. I will take you to where I last left the troop.”
“Are the two women well?” Torr asked.
“We rode hard and the pregnant one seems tired. As for the petite one, Owen underestimates her, and I hope the two make an escape before he…” Neville let the words drift away. He could not speak aloud what Owen would do to the women.
“What?” Cree and Torr shouted in unison.
“Owen was taking the two women into the woods when I left and ordered that he not be disturbed. I am a farmer with little fighting skills, and there are a few of Owen’s men that are just as ruthless and uncaring as he is, so I knew the only thing I could do to help the women was to leave and get help.”
“We ride,” Cree shouted and his warriors fell into formation and followed their leader.
Torr worried what Wintra must be going through and that he wasn’t there to save her, but then she would know that he would come for her. And he knew that she would fight heaven and hell to get back to him. They would be reunited. He would have it no other way.
Cree kept pace behind Neville, though it could be a trap he was leading them into, he doubted it was. It did not actually matter since nothing would stop him from getting to his wife. He did not want to think of what Dawn might be suffering right now. If he did, the whole woods would tremble from the rage he would roar if he let loose his anger.
He wished his wife had gone for help instead of following after Wintra, but she would have never done that. And he could not fault her action. She was, after all, looking out for his sister. What concerned him more was that neither his wife nor his sister would simply submit to Owen without a fight. Knowing his wife and sister’s tenacity, there was a chance they could very well escape. He prayed if they attempted such a feat that they would be successful, for if they were not the consequences could be deadly.
Cree also silently berated himself for not letting Dawn get more sleep last night, then she would not be so tired today. But he had come upon her just after she had finished a bath in preparation of their wedding today. Her body had been so shiny and soft, and her scent so enticing that he had not been able to keep his hands off her. They had spent time making love and when he woke in the middle of the night hard from a dream, he had made love to her again. Then she woke early this morning to prepare for the special day, so it was no wonder she was tired. And it was his fault—damn him to hell.
~~~
Owen held his head when he was finally able to sit up and shouted out to his men, then cringed from the pain reverberating through his skull. He would kill the two women for this and be done with them, though not before he got what he deserved. It had taken endless months to court Wintra and to convince her father that they were in love. He had been so close to succeeding in becoming the new Earl of Kellmara, having plans to do away with Kellmara soon after he wed Wintra, and now that was no more. His dreams had vanished in an instant when Cree had announced that Torr was Wintra’s husband, though he had held out hope that had been dashed much too soon.
He would, however, have his revenge. They would all pay for what they had done to him, even the mighty Cree.
Owen wiped the blood from his head, though there wasn’t much. It was the two bumps on his head that caused the most discomfort, especially when he mounted his horse and began to ride. The throb in his head escalated, and he silently swore that the two women would suffer much more pain than he by the time he got done with them. He would make them suffer until they begged to die.
~~~
Wintra saw that Dawn’s steps had turned sluggish, as if it was a burden for her to lift her feet. She needed to rest and though it was unwise for them to stop, Wintra felt they had no choice. She did not want to take the chance of Dawn losing the babe. Cree would never forgive her and she would never forgive herself.
“We will stop and rest,” Wintra said.
Dawn looked ready to disagree, then her shoulders slumped and she nodded, as if she too realized that she could not go on. She silently cursed herself for not having gotten more sleep last night, but then she did not regret her time with Cree. She never did. Making love with him always left her feeling safe and cherished, and it made her all the more determined to return home to him.
Wintra searched the area for a secluded spot to rest. With it being winter, the trees were mostly bare, except for the pines, leaving the forest naked with few places to hide. The only spot that would afford them any cover was an old pine with a thick trunk and low branches.
“Over there behind the pine tree will be a good place to rest,” Wintra said and once there she helped Dawn to sit. As soon as her head rested back against the tree trunk, she fell asleep.
Wintra stood beside the tree to keep watch. She would give Dawn a little time, and then wake her and they would go. She kept the dagger clutched tight in her hand as she kept her eyes and ears alert. However, her thoughts wandered to Torr and the joy they had shared these last few weeks. She had been so very happy, and the more intimate she and Torr had become, the more deeply she had fallen in love with him. He was a kind and generous lover and an attentive husband. He was not one to anger fast, at least not with her. He was patient with her, and she loved that about him. She actually loved everything about him and, at the moment, she missed him terribly. She feared she would never see him again, and she could not let that horrible thought take hold, or all would be lost.
Dawn stirred awake and when she took in her surroundings, she bolted up away from the tree and winced, though it could not be heard. Her legs and back ached, and she feared she would not be able to stand.
Wintra was at her side as soon as she had seen her move. “You are in pain?”
Dawn didn’t want to admit it, but she would be foolish if she did not. So she gestured to Wintra that she ached and could not go much further.
“I thought that might happen. You look exhausted. I am going to find a place to hide you, and then I will keep watch. If Owen manages to find us, I will divert him and you wait here for Cree and Torr. I am sure they are on their way to rescue us. They will find you.”
Dawn shook her head adamantly.
“It is the only way,” Wintra insisted. “You haven’t the strength to help me.”
Dawn shook her head more strenuously, insisting Wintra was wrong.
Wintra knew there was only one thing that would change her mind. “What of the babe? Would you endanger his life?”
Dawn’s hand went to her stomach. She would do anything to keep her babe safe. But could she sacrifice Wintra’s life to do that?