They were hopelessly outnumbered, and he had no idea how far away they were from the servant stairs that Ciara and Odran had spoken of. He grunted when the hilt of a soldier’s sword connected with his stomach, but Eleri’s blade stopped the man before he could do more damage. The warrior rushed to Niall’s side, grabbing Ciara by the arm and dragging her along as well, pushing the two of them out of the worst of the fighting.
“Take him and go,” Eleri told Ciara.
“What?” Niall vehemently shook his head. “No, I won’t—”
“There isn’t time! You are Ri; you are the one the people of Blaidd need.” Eleri said, shoving him and Ciara forward.
Ciara swallowed hard, her gaze locking with the other woman as Eleri gave her a solemn nod. Latching onto Niall’s arm, Ciara pushed him down the hall. Rhew bolted along beside them, the wolf following her master without question. Niall’s throat was tight as they pushed past the last of their attackers and tears pricked at his eyes. He wanted to demand that they go back, that they couldn’t leave his warriors to be picked off and slaughtered, but deep down, he also knew that to do so would dishonor their sacrifice.
Finally, Ciara came to an abrupt stop in front of a small door. She shoved it open, Niall hearing shouts echoing down the hallway behind them. Ciara took off through the door and he stumbled along behind her, shutting and latching it closed as soon as Rhew slipped in behind him. They fumbled their way through the darkness, Niall half-tripping down the narrow flight of stairs, unlike Rhew, who had little trouble navigating in the darkness.
The treacherous steps eventually came to a merciful end and Ciara led them through another door into a dank cellar. Faint noise could be heard both above them and through the walls as he followed her across the dimly lit space. His stomach clenched and he fervently hoped that the noises weren’t more of Regulus’ mysterious soldiers. Ciara stopped in a far corner, struggling to reach an old, fraying rope hanging from the ceiling.
“Here,” Niall said, coming up behind her.
“Thank you.” She glanced back behind them, her face lined with worry. “I’ve never actually used this before, but Odran swears it leads out into the courtyard.”
Niall pulled down a crudely put together flight of wooden steps. He felt a cold rush of air, then heard Odran’s faint voice calling Ciara’s name.
“We’re here,” she called back, motioning for Niall to climb up first.
He was half-tempted to refuse, more worried about getting her to safety and not having anyone else sacrifice themselves on his behalf, but the stubborn set of her jaw told him that would lead to an argument they didn’t have time for. The steps creaked under his weight but they held as he climbed to the top. Odran greeted him when he stepped out into the stone courtyard.
Maura stood a few feet away with saddled horses. Niall turned, looking back down in the cellar to see Ciara trying to coax Rhew up the steps next, the white wolf letting out a whine as she realized Niall was no longer with her. He bent back down over the trap door, coaxing Rhew up to him, the wolf’s tail tucked between her legs as she climbed. Ciara was next and once Niall was certain she too had safely escaped the cellar, he left her with Odran and hurried over to Maura, Rhew staying at his side.
“The others?” Maura asked, looking behind him with a bewildered expression once he reached her.
He shook his head, his lips pressed together into a thin line and his chest aching. “We were ambushed by Regulus and his men… There wasn’t time. I’m sorry.”
She blinked rapidly and he looked away, walking over to untie Gealach. Grief and guilt fought for the dominant place in his emotions, the faces of those he would never see again flitting through his thoughts and leaving him with a painful lump in his throat.
“That’s all of us?” Odran asked as he and Ciara hurried over to the horses.
Niall gave him a stiff nod, unable to meet his gaze.
“What of the horses?” Maura’s lips were pinched and her jaw tight as she gestured to the extra mounts.
“Leave them,” Niall said, swinging onto Gealach. “There isn’t time.”
The others mounted, Odran and his chestnut mare leading the way through the courtyard. Rhew fell in next to Gealach and Niall was thankful for the training that his father had insisted upon with the wolves. Rhew wouldn’t stray far from the horse when Niall was mounted unless he sent her off.
Shouts carried down from the castle walls and they urged their horses into a quicker pace. Odran led the way out of a smaller side gate that Niall was surprised to see unguarded, not that there was any time to ask his cousin or Ciara any questions as to how that had come about. They pushed into the forest that surrounded the castle, the yelling behind them growing louder. Noticing Ciara had glanced over her shoulder, Niall did the same. Gealach jumped, almost unseating Niall. As he reined the horse in, he saw an arrow dug into the dirt mere inches away from the stallion’s back hooves. Niall’s heart was in his throat as he searched for Rhew, relieved when he saw his wolf unharmed, and he struggled to calm his snorting stallion.
“Odran!” Ciara yelled.
“I see them,” Odran called back. “This way!”
Gealach was mostly settled by the time Odran veered off to the left and took off down a narrow trail. Niall’s stallion fell in line behind Ciara’s mare, the path growing rockier as they picked their way down the mountainside. He could still hear the call of Kelnorian soldiers—or warriors of Seabhac, for all he knew—as the path became increasingly more difficult to traverse. Odran finally halted his mount behind a large grouping of rocks, the rest of them following suit.
“We’re going to be hard-pressed to outrun them,” Odran said, pulling out his longbow, “but we’re above them. We should be able to pick them off easily enough.”
Niall nodded, uncomfortably aware that he was at the mercy of his cousin’s knowledge of the wilderness they now found themselves in. Ciara handed him back his sword after Odran passed her a longbow and quiver. Niall hastily attached the blade to his saddle, commanding Rhew to stay with the horses. He and Maura joined Odran and Ciara behind the rocks, bows in hand.
“If they want to make it up here, they have no choice but to come below us first,” Odran said quietly.
Niall grabbed an arrow from his quiver. With any luck, their pursuers would be Regulus’ men, and he doubted they would know the mountainside of Seabhac well. Voices drifted through the trees, torches illuminating the figures that marched toward them. There were twelve men from what he could see, all wearing the same dark clothing of the soldiers who had been at Regulus’ side. Maura loosed first, her arrow taking down the man in the lead. Odran and Ciara were next to loose, almost at the same time. Even as chaos began to break out down below and Niall nocked his own arrow, he had to admire Ciara’s aim. She had lost none of her skill. He loosed and one by one, they began to pick off the men below as quickly as they could. A few arrows from the soldiers made it up to the rocks where they hid, but Niall saw no sign of injury in their small party when the last man fell.
“Let’s get out of here,” Odran said as he straightened.
They left the boulders and returned to their horses. Niall made a quick check of Rhew to make certain no harm had come to her before he swung back up onto Gealach. He brought up the rear as they rode deeper into the forest, the adrenaline that had been sustaining him starting to fade. Focusing his gaze between Gealach’s black-tipped ears, he clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. He would get home to his people, help reunite Ciara with her family, and then he would deal with his backstabbing brother.
Chapter 16
Foiled Plans
Bleddyn woke up with a throbbing headache and a painfully parched throat. Squinting at the late afternoon light coming in through the window, he brought a hand to his forehead and let out a groan. He was in his chambers, not that he had any memory of getting there. Letting out a low curse, he stiffly sat up in bed, averting his gaze away from the excruciating sunlight.
&nbs
p; “So, you’ve finally decided to join the living.”
He started at Fiadh’s voice, his brow furrowing when he turned his head and saw her sitting in a chair a few feet away. One of her birds was with her, perched on her shoulder, and she lounged lazily in her seat. His gaze darted around the room as he tried to piece together the previous night’s events. He could recall the feast, Ciara tempting him back to their chambers… but the rest was muddled. Growling under his breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought for the memories that weren’t there. He looked over at Fiadh, swallowing hard.
“What in the blazes are you doing in here?” he asked, his voice coming out rough and harsh.
“I told you that you couldn’t trust Blodwen’s niece,” she answered, “and that you had a traitor in your midst. But it appears that you chose not to heed Cigfran’s warnings.”
“Where is she?” He narrowed his eyes. Fiadh’s expression was far too smug for his liking.
“She ran off with your brother.” Fiadh got to her feet, walking over to a window while her raven took up a new perch on one of the bedposts. “Or so it seems. Regulus is out hunting for them, though I find it prudent to note that he and his illustrious mercenaries are the ones who let them get away in the first place.”
Bleddyn clenched the silken sheets, his blood boiling.
Fiadh looked back at him, her eyes cold and her lips curled into a sneer. “Had your Kelnorian pet acted when I told him to, he would have had a far better chance of stopping them.”
Bleddyn threw back the sheets, letting out a string of curses. He tried to stand, only to find himself immediately lightheaded. Slumping back down on the bed, he gritted his teeth.
“How long has it been since they escaped?” he asked, trying to avoid looking at the bizarre bird that sat near him. “And that still doesn’t answer what in the blazes happened to me.”
Fiadh turned back to the window, her raven flying back to her shoulder. “It appears that your precious Ciara drugged you. Oh, and I suppose I should also note that your healer has also gone missing. If you’d told me that you had been foolish enough to hire your worthless cousin for such a job, I could have prevented you from making that mistake.”
“And what do you know of Odran?” he scoffed.
“That is neither your concern nor your business,” she said, her spine rigid. “What is your concern is that your brother still lives and your betrothed is a traitor.”
Slamming a fist down onto the bed, Bleddyn let out a guttural roar. How dare she? And Odran as well? He never should have given in to his aunt and granted his cousin work at the castle. He clawed at the sheets, throwing them onto the floor, his pulse pounding. Fiadh, unphased by his outburst, kept her back to him and drummed her fingers on the windowsill.
“I assume you will not let such blatant treachery go unpunished when they are found?” she asked.
“Odran and anyone who aided them will be killed, along with my brother,” he answered, pain radiating down his jaw from his clenched teeth.
“And Ciara?”
He hesitated, his chest tightening. He’d worked hard to make her his. She was meant to be his. He would not be betrayed yet again by a woman. Niall was at fault; Ciara had always acted a fool for him.
“Will be returned to me,” he finally said. “Even if I have to lock her in the castle for the remainder of her days.”
Fiadh finally faced him, frowning. “You would be wiser to rid yourself of her. Cigfran sees very little chance of her remaining at your side if success is what you seek.”
“But there is a chance?”
She pursed her lips, wrinkling her brow. “A slight one. But you cannot delay your assault on Blaidd if any of this is to come to pass.”
He ran a hand through his hair. Niall should have been dead by now and he should have been on his way south to claim the clan for himself. Instead, he would have to divert precious time and resources to hunting him down, not to mention working to strengthen his claim as the rightful Ri of Blaidd. At least with the mercenaries that Regulus had brought up from the mainland, his forces were more robust than they had been.
“You will still travel with me as we’d planned?” he asked Fiadh, rubbing his brow.
“Of course,” she replied. “So long as you continue to keep that Kelnorian cousin of yours in check.”
Bleddyn snorted. There was no lost love between Fiadh and Regulus. Slowly, he got to his feet, pleased that the movement didn’t leave him collapsing back onto the bed this time. He needed to ready for his journey, speak with Gwilym—who he would be leaving in charge of Ciall in his absence—and get a full report from Regulus. If nothing else, Regulus might be able to keep Niall on the run long enough to make certain that his brother didn’t reach Castle Clogwyn before he did. And Ciara… His heart rate elevated again at the thought of what she had done. He wouldn’t have his plans foiled by yet another woman. She would yield to him. Spirits be damned.
Chapter 17
Matters of the Heart
Ciara was soaking wet and a dull ache had settled in both her side and finger when dawn finally broke over the Seanathair mountains, the sky overcast and grey. She had caught the end of a soldier’s blade during their fight in the hallway and the pain had increased the longer they’d ridden. Heavy rain had started in the night, but it let up shortly before the first signs of dawn. Her chest hurt and over the past few miles, her breathing had grown more labored, but she had kept her complaints to herself. She was well aware they needed to keep moving; Bleddyn wouldn’t let them go without a fight. But, she thought as Rhosyn plodded along behind Maura’s bay mare, Flodyn, I’m finally free of him.
She was bone weary and her eyes felt heavy, but it was a small price to pay not only for their lives but to get away from Bleddyn’s grasp. She would never return to him or to Castle Ciall. Niall rode behind her, his white wolf keeping pace with his stallion. Rhew was unbothered by neither the length of their journey nor the uncomfortable weather. Niall and Maura had been quiet, no doubt their thoughts on those they had left behind. Ciara’s throat tightened at the thought of the sacrifice the warriors of Blaidd had made for their Ri and she could only imagine the grief that they both carried.
A particularly rocky section of trail caused her to rein in her wandering thoughts and focus on Rhosyn. She wasn’t certain where they were. Odran had been leading the way, having spent the better part of his life in Seabhac, but the deep wilderness was entirely unfamiliar to Ciara. As the horses pressed on through the mixture of rock formations and trees, she began growing more lightheaded and Rhosyn’s slower pace showed the mare’s own fatigue. Just as Ciara was about to call for a rest, Odran pulled his mare, Degwch, to a halt and glanced over his shoulder.
“I think we’re far enough away from the castle,” he said. “May be wise to rest the horses for a bit.”
“Where exactly are we?” Maura asked, her brow furrowed as she fixed Odran with a stony expression.
“Still in Seabhac,” he replied. “Just outside the village of Caoirigh.”
Ciara was familiar with the small village. It was to the north, fairly close to the border of Arth, from what she could remember. Which would certainly bode well for my intentions of getting home, she thought. Maura looked beyond Ciara to Niall, watching him intently until he gave a slight nod.
“We need to look for shelter,” he said.
His words settled the matter and the four of them dismounted. When Ciara slid off Rhosyn, her knees almost buckled and she let out a low hiss. In the light of day, she could see the blood on her right hand; Odran’s stitches were long gone. With her uninjured hand, she pushed aside her cloak to check the severity of the injury. She grimaced when she saw the size of the red stain that marred the right side of her shirt, near the top of her rib cage. Leaning against Rhosyn, she tried to catch her breath. The pain was far worse now that she wasn’t solely focused on trying to keep herself from ending up with an arrow in her chest or a sword in her gut.
“It’s nothing,” she replied, trying to hide her bloody hand from view and pulling her cloak tighter around herself.
She wasn’t as successful as she hoped. Niall took her hand in his with a frown, calling for Odran. In moments, the healer was at their side, his bag of healing supplies in hand. Ciara winced as Niall released his hold on her and Odran took hold of her hand.
His mouth downturned at the sight of her injuries and he applied a quick bandage to her finger to help staunch the bleeding.
“That should help for now,” Odran said.
“I’ll stay with her while you and Maura look for shelter,” Niall said.
Odran’s gaze flitted between the two of them before he nodded. They led the horses off the path, Niall tying Rhosyn to a tree after he saw to Gealach. Odran and Maura ventured off while Ciara took a seat on a fallen log, gritting her teeth as she sank down onto the rotting trunk. Niall was quick to join her and Rhew curled up at his feet.
She stared at the ground, hoping he wouldn’t notice how fast her breathing had become. There was the sensation of a vise-like grip around her rib cage, one that she could only hope would go away soon. In the past few hours, they had ridden harder than she had in weeks and her body was proving insistent on reminding her what she had lost upon leaving Arth. A cold, steady rain began to fall again and she shivered, the tree canopy above not offering much shelter.
“Here,” Niall murmured, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
She knew she shouldn’t, but she leaned against him anyway, blaming the poor decision on the pain in her hand, chest, and side. She needed to get home, needed to put him out of her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to push away the comfort he offered. Even though the rain continued, she had started to doze by the time Maura and Odran returned with news that they’d found a cave not far away.
The Betrayer: Tales of Pern Coen (Legacy Book 1) Page 13
