“A secret way in?” Fin asked.
She nodded. “Quite. It is an old passage that runs beneath the keep,” she said. “I do not believe anybody has used it in quite some time.”
Fin and Hollis exchanged a look. “I like secret ways in,” Hollis said.
“Aye,” Fin replied as a grin stretched across his lips. “As dae I. Show us.”
Mira took them on a long, circuitous route through the forest, approaching the castle from the rear. Mira stood in the center of a small clearing, looking around frantically. She looked as if she had lost something.
“It was here,” she muttered to herself. “It was here somewhere. There was a trap door that led to the tunnel. I just cannot remember where exactly.”
Fin and Hollis fanned out and started to search for the trap door. They all brushed aside leaves and fallen branches. It took several minutes of doing, but Hollis called to them.
“Tis here,” he said as he brushed the last of the debris off a solid wooden door.
Hollis grabbed the handle and pulled it open. The door creaked sharply enough to wake the dead, and Fin grimaced, looking around the woods, worried it would give them away. He waited for several long moments but heard nothing in the forest, though, no voices raised in alarm or the shuffle of boots in the undergrowth. He let out a silent breath and exchanged looks with both Fin and Mira.
“And where does this tunnel lead?” he asked.
“It will let you out into a storeroom,” Mira answered. “The storeroom is actually not too far from the staircase that will lead you down to the dark cells. That is where Castor is keeping her.”
Mira thought for a moment and then gave him the directions from the storeroom to the staircase. Fin listened and committed it all to memory. And when she was finished, he nodded.
“All right then,” he said. “I’ll go and fetch her. I need ye….”
“Bollocks,” Hollis spat. “I’m goin’ with ye.”
“Nae this time, mate,” he replied. “I need ye tae stay here with Mira. Keep her safe.”
“And who’s goin’ tae be watchin’ yer back in there, eh?”
“I’m goin’ tae be fine. Tis better if I go alone,” he explained. “One man might nae draw as many eyes-”
“Dressed like that, yer sure nae goin’ tae blend in.”
Fin laughed ruefully. “Aye. Ye may be right. But I daenae want tae risk Mira’s life in there,” he said. “And this is me only way out. If Castor’s men realize I’m usin’ this tunnel, they’ll be sure tae try and cut it off. I need ye tae keep it open and clear. When I grab Ivy, we’ll be comin’ out fast. I need ye here tae make sure we’re not runnin’ intae a trap.”
Hollis gritted his teeth and blew out a frustrated breath. Fin knew his friend wanted to be there to have his back. Knew if there was a fight to be had, he was there to help keep him alive. But as Hollis turned his eyes back to Fin, he could see the man saw the logic in his words. He finally gave Fin a small nod.
“All right,” he said. “I daenae like it, but it makes sense.”
Fin clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank ye,” he said, then turned to Mira. “And thank ye for riskin’ what ye have tae get us here.”
“I would give my life for Ivy. Happily,” she said. “Please get her away from that monster and bring her out safely.”
“I will.”
“Watch yer back, mate,” Hollis said. “I’ll keep the way clear out here.”
Fin nodded and descended the small staircase and into the shadows and darkness of the tunnel. The air was musty and smelled of disuse and animal droppings. Apparently, the tunnel hadn’t been entirely vacant this whole time. The path itself was wide enough for two men to walk abreast and tall enough that he was able to pull the sword from the sheath on his back. But just barely.
The darkness in the tunnel was absolute, and once he was outside the square of light that filtered down from the open trapdoor, Fin had to make his way slowly and cautiously. He swept his sword out in front of him as he walked, ensuring he was not about to walk into a wall and shuffled his feet along the soft dirt on the ground. The walk through the tunnel was long and seemed to take forever. He was impatient and wanted to get to Ivy quickly. He did not want her to have to sit in that dank cell a moment longer than necessary.
Fin forced himself to take a deep breath to ease the tension that gripped his body. He needed to be calm and focused. His mind needed to be clear, or this would be a very short rescue mission. It was simply that the thought of something happening to Ivy filled his veins with boiling acid and made him want to destroy everything - and everybody - in his path.
As he thought about the feelings she inspired in him, Fin thought again about the question Hollis had posed before Mira had shown up. Did he love her? Did he love Ivy? It was something he had never asked himself about anybody before in his life, and he supposed the fact that he was asking that question now was significant. And as he marched onward down the tunnel, risking everything, and being willing to die for her, Fin realized he had the answer to that question.
It terrified him to think of, but he could not deny it any longer, especially to himself. He loved Ivy with everything in him. And he would happily give his life if it meant saving hers. He would rather die a thousand deaths than see Ivy suffer one moment of discomfort or pain.
His boot thumped into something solid, and Fin lowered his blade, poking at it. The soft ring of his steel against stone told him that he’d found the staircase that led up into the storeroom Mira had told him about.
“About bleedin’ time,” he muttered darkly.
Fin mounted the steps slowly and bit back a curse when he thumped his head against the hard, wooden trap door. He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. His nerves steady, he put his hand on the wood and pushed upward. It cracked and groaned as he pushed the door up just enough that he could see the room before him.
It was dim and gloomy, the ambient light, no doubt, filtering in from a window. But he saw nobody around him, nor did he hear anything. Fin pushed the trapdoor up and climbed out, using the rope handle to set it back down quietly, and leaving the tunnel open. It was a risk. Somebody could stumble into the room and find it open, which would complicate everything. But he needed to grab Ivy and needed to make a fast exit from the castle.
He pulled the door to the storeroom open a crack and pressed his eye to it, searching the corridor for soldiers or staff and saw none immediately near him. Fin strained his ears, listening to the corridor beyond but heard nothing either. Relatively confident he was alone and would be unseen as he left the storeroom, he quickly stepped out and closed the door behind him. Recalling Mira’s directions, he started off, and it was not long before he found the staircase down.
Cutting one last look around, he remained alone, so Fin descended the stairs quickly and found himself in a large antechamber. There was a doorway just beyond the long, wide table that was cluttered with items that no doubt belonged to the jailer. But the jailer was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Fin heard nothing, so he quickly darted through the doorway and found himself in a long corridor. Barred doors ran the length of the corridor to both the right and left of him, so he made his way, carefully looking for Ivy through the bars.
It was at the end of the corridor that he found her. She was sitting on the bed, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. But when she saw him, her eyes widened, and a wide smile and expression of profound relief crossed her face. She leaped off the bed and rushed to the door, gripping the bars and staring at him like she was not sure he was real.
“Fin,” she gasped as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You came. You came for me.”
He smiled. “Of course, I did. Did ye truly think I wouldnae?”
The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as Fin slid the bolt and opened the door. She rushed out to him, crashing against his body, and threw her arms around him. She squeezed him tight, and Fin held her, feeling the tension in her body begin to loosen. He did
not wish to frighten her, but he did not want her to completely relax either. Getting in was one thing. They still had to get out again.
“How did you get in here?” she asked as she finally let go of him and took a step back.
“Yer braither has everybody lookin’ out thae front gates,” Fin said with a grin. “So Mira showed us a back way in.”
Ivy’s smile was warm and grateful. “I am so glad she got to you. I was worried for her.”
“Aye. She’s worried for ye tae,” he replied. “But we need tae go. We need tae get out of here before yer braither figures out we’re nae comin’ down the main road.”
Taking her by the hand, Fin pulled her back out to the antechamber but had just passed through the door and stopped in his tracks when he heard heavy bootsteps on the stairs.
“Stay put,” he whispered.
Moving quickly and quietly, Fin positioned himself against the wall to the side of the doorway; the guards were coming down. He could tell there were two. His stomach tightened as he looked at Ivy, standing in the doorway that led back to the cells. She looked so delicate and fragile. But with her jaw set and her eyes narrowed, she also looked fierce - and angry.
“How’d you get out of your bloody cell?”
The first guard passed through the archway from the staircase, his gaze fixed on Ivy. It was only when the second man appeared that Fin moved. Leading with the point of his sword, he stepped forward and drove it through the second man’s side. He felt the blade scrape along bone and watched the man’s eyes widen as a fount of blood spilled from his mouth.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye, but the first man was fast. He was already spinning around with his hand going to the sword on his belt. As quick as the man was, though, it was too late. Fin was already in motion. As the second guard fell, he released the hilt of his sword and drew the dagger from his belt in one fluid motion. He drove the point of the blade into the man’s throat. The soldier opened his mouth to sound the alarm, but all that came out was a large, red bubble and a wet, gurgling noise. He staggered backward and fell, his body twitching a couple of times before it was still.
Fin moved to reclaim his weapons, cleaning the blades off on the tunics of the fallen men. Ivy stared at them with wide eyes and a stricken look on her face. It was clear to Fin that she had never seen a body before, let alone somebody being killed in her presence; and she was shaken. After sliding his sword back into its sheath, he crossed to her and took her gently by the hand.
“I’m sorry ye had tae see that,” he said. “I wish to hell ye hadn’t.”
Ivy finally tore her gaze away from the dead men and gave herself a small shake. She looked up into Fin’s eyes, and he saw the sorrow and fear in them. He truly wished she hadn’t witnessed such brutality, but there had been no way around it. Not if they had any hope of getting out of the castle alive.
“I - this is war,” Ivy said. “There are always casualties in war. Castor said that to me recently.”
“Unfortunately, he’s right,” Fin said. “I’m sorry ye had tae see it all the same.”
“There was nothing you could have done,” she said, almost as if she was trying to make herself believe it. “They would have brought down all of Castor’s men on us.”
He nodded. “Aye. They would’ve,” he said. “And speaking of it, we should go.”
He was as anxious to get out of the cells and away from the keep as much for their safety as for getting Ivy away from the sight of such carnage. Holding onto her hand with his dagger in the other, he led her up the stairs slowly and quietly.
When they reached the landing, he carefully peered out into the corridor and finding it empty, he pulled her along and toward the storeroom. They were halfway there when a voice rang out that turned his blood to ice.
“Intruders! To arms! We have intruders in the castle!”
Fin risked a quick glance behind them and saw half a dozen men in Welton livery rushing toward them, swords bared, their faces dark with anger. Fin tightened his grip on Ivy’s hand and pulled her along as he started to run.
“Stop them! Stop them now! And kill the Scotsman!”
Fin recognized Castor’s voice and glanced behind them, seeing the man running behind his soldiers - which was about where he would have expected him to be. Men like Castor did not lead from the front. They barked orders from the rear while other men put their lives in jeopardy in his stead.
They made it to the door to the storeroom ahead of the soldiers, and Fin pushed Ivy inside. He followed her in and slammed the door behind them, hooking a long-handled broom through the handle to keep it from being opened. He pointed to the trapdoor he’d come through.
“Down there. Hurry,” he said. “That broom will nae hold them long.”
Ivy was quick to obey his order and descended the staircase into the darkness of the tunnel beyond. Fin quickly followed her down, pulling the trapdoor down behind him. There was nothing he could do to secure the door, so he descended the stairs and groped through the darkness until he found her. He closed his hand around Ivy’s and pulled her along the corridor.
Behind them, the trap door crashed open, and the sound of boots on the stairs chased them along.
“Hurry,” he said.
Ivy’s breathing was labored as she ran along with him. Just up ahead, Fin saw the light slanting down into the tunnel from the trapdoor. The voices of the soldiers chasing them grew louder, commanding them to stop. It was such a foolish request, all Fin could do was smirk to himself.
They finally made it to the stairs and Fin all but pushed her up and out of the tunnel. He climbed the stairs and slammed the trap door behind them. Hollis was grinning at him as he tied the handle to a nearby tree.
“This should keep thae bastards cooped up for a while,” he said.
A moment later, there was a heavy thump on the trapdoor, and it begin to rise. With a loud laugh, Hollis stomped on the door, slamming it back down onto the heads of the soldiers on the stairs. The way he had tied it to the tree allowed it to only open a crack, and it was going to take them a while to break through it. The soldiers would be stuck down there in the dark for a while.
“Ye’re a bleedin’ genius,” Fin said.
“Aye. I ken that.”
He laughed and punched his friend in the shoulder playfully. Mira was to the side of the clearing, holding onto their horses. Fin watched as Ivy ran to her handmaiden and pulled her into an embrace.
“We should get out of here,” Fin said. “They’ll have raised the alarm in the castle by now.”
“Aye,” Hollis nodded in agreement. “Then let’s be away already.”
They walked over to the horses, and before he could climb onto his mount, Ivy threw herself against him once more. And for a moment, he stood still, just holding her. He could feel her trembling, and when he looked down, he found himself looking into her eyes.
“I love you, Fin,” she said. “I do not know what will become of us now, but I did not want to let another moment pass without telling you how I feel. I love you.”
His smile was soft and warm. “Aye. And I love ye tae.”
“And I’d love tae not get run through by Castor’s men, so…”
Fin laughed and made an obscene gesture to Hollis, who laughed in return. Fin climbed up onto his horse, then reached down and pulled Ivy up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his back.
“Hold on tight,” Fin said.
They rode out of the clearing and followed the path through the forest. And with Ivy holding onto him tightly and Castor’s castle dwindling in the distance behind them, Fin started to allow himself the thought that everything would work out. It would be all right.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ivy
Ivy sat with her back up against the log, the soft earth, and beneath her backside somehow feeling more luxurious than the padded bed in the cell she had been forced to sleep in. They had taken a long and circuit
ous route, staying well away from the main roads, and had gotten back to Therline. To their safe haven in a world that seemed to be descending into chaos around them.
The night was dark and moonless. Though the rain had stopped, the sky remained crowded with dark, ominous clouds. Thunder continued to roll in the distance, and the air just felt heavy. They sat in a small clearing under the thick canopy of branches above. The fire between them all roared, cutting some of the chill in the air, and Ivy closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in the warmth.
Ivy melted against Fin, who sat next to her, also reveling in the warmth of his hard, toned body. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tightly to him. She looked across the fire at Mira, who seemed sullen and subdued since their flight from the castle. Hollis spoke with her quietly, jesting with her. He was trying to make her laugh, but aside from the occasional flicker of a smile upon her lips, she did not seem in the mood for levity.
“Are you all right, Mira?” she finally asked.
As if coming awake from a dream, Mira looked up, meeting her eyes with a dazed expression on her face. She swallowed and gave Ivy a weak smile and a nod.
“Yes, I am quite all right,” she said.
“I can tell you are not,” she said. “What is bothering you?”
Ivy sat up, and Fin pulled his arm away, allowing her to lean forward. He, too, looked concerned for Mira, but he remained silent.
“I just - I do not know what is to become of us now,” she said. “We obviously cannot return to Elix. Your brother would have our heads off in the blink of an eye. It is… it is the only home I have ever known.”
Ivy nodded. She could understand Mira’s feelings because she, too, had them as well. Cherrythorn Manor, her ancestral home, named after Elix’s main crop, was all she knew. Like Mira, she had grown up there. And knowing she could not return to it - perhaps ever - sent a lance of pain through her heart. The only way she would ever see Cherrythorn Manor again was if her brother was removed from power - something she was not sure would ever come to pass.
Siren of the Highlands: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance (Highlanders of Cherrythorn) Page 20
