“Crimes? What crimes have we committed, sir?” Taran asked in a thick Scottish brogue.
Enraged at the Highlander’s impudence, he nearly screamed his reply, “You fools! You have crossed into English soil for the purpose of plundering the crown. Your allegiance to the Scottish king is treason! For that, you will likely face the executioner!”
Droplets of spittle sprayed out of the Lieutenant’s mouth as he snapped his orders. “Bind their hands. Bind them well, I say. These Highlanders are slippery as vipers and as treacherous as the winds.”
The soldiers hastily did as they were instructed. Rowena saw one of them pick the weapons up from the ground. She still had Taran’s sword. She was glad the soldiers did not look for it. They must have forgotten all about it.
The Lieutenant then announced, “We will take cover over there in the woods and rest until morning. We cannot risk going any further with these prisoners until daylight. You will take turns guarding these brutes in two hour shifts. Do not let them out of your sight. Now get some rest, men!”
To Rowena’s relief, the soldiers had obviously not seen her. They took their two prisoners and moved off the path into the woods. They did not linger or take the time to look around for any other bandits. Now she could gather her wits and decide what to do next.
She could pretend she saw nothing and move quickly in the direction she was going. However, there may be other travelers on the path following these bands or looking for victims to rob. Clearly, Rowena had been mistaken about her chances of meeting other travelers in the night in Kielder Forest. It was quite possible that there were many more lurking out there. On the other hand, she needed to travel under cover in the darkness if she was going to reach St. James before daylight. By dawn, everyone at St. Martha’s, including her father’s knights, would know she had fled. They would be searching for her everywhere.
Still, she was angry with the British soldiers for their treatment of the two Scotsmen who had likely saved their lives. Now the very men who saved them would likely be rewarded with their own deaths once they were turned over to King Richard’s court at Jarrow. She looked over to where the soldiers had made camp. They were just inside the edge of the woods, nearly invisible to any passerby. Their captive Highlanders were propped against two trees, their backs to her.
It would take but a moment for her to sneak over to them and cut their ropes. She still had the Highlander’s sword, but she would leave that there. She needed something easier to manage. She fished for the knife that Sister Prudence had placed in her sack. Dear Sister Prudence, you do think of everything, she thought with a wry grin.
Like a cat, Rowena ducked low and moved silently towards the trees about twenty yards away. Years of late night visits to the abbey library when she was supposed to be in bed sleeping, along with late night visits to the kitchen and other rebellious acts that required covert skills, had trained her on how to be as stealthy as any of the king’s finest soldiers. She had never once been caught, and she was not about to be caught now.
She closed in on the small camp and heard the soldiers’ snores. The hour is late and they are likely exhausted from performing their duties. Good, they will sleep all the more soundly for it. She clutched the knife in her hand and crept forward. She could not see the Highlanders’ faces from her vantage point, but she could see their guard. He, too, was propped against a tree. His head was back, mouth open, snoring as loud as any of them. The rest of the soldiers dotted the ground several yards away. Judging from the snoring sounds, Rowena presumed they were all asleep already.
Rowena crept forward and whispered over the shoulder of one of the Highlanders, saying ever so softly, “Shh. Do not be afraid. I will help you.”
The Highlander gave a slight flinch, but she was not sure he had heard her or even understood her. She crouched behind the tree he was tied to and whispered next to his ear, “If you can hear me, nod your head a bit.”
He gave a single slow nod of his head. If any English soldier was watching him, he would look as if he had just drifted off to sleep or maybe something in his lap had caught his eye.
Rowena moved closer and murmured, “I have a knife. I am going to cut you loose. Do not move.”
Silently, Rowena sliced at the rope binding his hands in place. It took her a few minutes. Her hands were sweaty and clammy for fear the captives’ guard or one of the soldiers would wake up and spot her. But no one stirred.
When she finished freeing the first man, she did the same for his comrade. Once both men’s hands were free, they all slunk silently through the brush and beyond the edge of the woods. Rowena led the two men through the tall grass back to the rock where she had hidden during their skirmish.
As they approached her hiding spot, Rowena pointed to the sword that she had rescued and then left waiting for them against the rock wall. It gave off a diminutive gleam barely visible in the moonlight.
“My sword!” whispered the Highlander who had dropped it. He snatched the heavy sword with one hand and looked it over, confirming that it was undamaged and ready for another spar. He looked at her with twinkling, admiring eyes, and softly said, “Thank ye, lass. I am in yer debt.”
Just then, they heard rustling and a man shouting behind them. “Hey! Stop right where you are!” They looked back in the direction of the camp. They saw a soldier standing at the edge of the woods where they had just been. The soldier was waving his arms, shouting, and trying to rouse his comrades.
“Run, quick!” the Highlander shouted, sheathing his sword quickly. His companion took off up the face of the rock and disappeared. Rowena was looking back over her shoulder at the soldiers when the Highlander grabbed Rowena’s hand and pulled her around in front of him.
“Go!” He began to push her forward, urging her to climb the rocks as he followed immediately behind her, one hand nudging her up when she faltered and the other hand steadying himself. Several of the soldiers were running towards them. They would catch up in no time.
Rowena moved as quickly as she could, but they were getting high up and it was difficult to find good footing in the darkness. Behind her the Highlander propelled her forward by using his own body against hers. They found a level place wide enough to stand on. There were several larger rocks scattered around. Obviously they had fallen from higher up and lay where they had landed.
“Help me move these rocks!” The Highlander shouted to Rowena as he pushed some of the rocks over the edge. She saw what he was doing. The soldiers below cried out as the rocks began to rain down on them. Brilliant! She sat down on the ledge and used her feet to push as many boulders and rocks as she could over the edge. All but one of the soldiers had scampered back to the bottom of the outcrop.
The Highlander was struggling to roll one very large and heavy boulder. Rowena rushed to his side and together they pushed with all of their strength. Finally, the boulder began to rock back and forth. They let it build momentum and with one great heave, the boulder rolled slowly over the edge and came thundering down the side of outcrop, dislodging several other rocks in its path. The soldier below slipped and tumbled down the side in a torrent.
The Highlander said, “Let’s go!”
They clambered up the rock face and looked down at the soldiers. They were shouting now as they resumed their pursuit.
Rowena followed the Highlander down the other side of the outcrop. The path going downhill was much easier than the way they had come up. At the bottom, Rowena was grateful to feel level ground beneath her feet. She looked back up the rock face and saw three soldiers appear at the top. One of the soldiers looked right at her and yelled, “My Lord! That is a woman! There!” He pointed right at her.
She saw two more soldiers peer over the ridge. They called to her. “You there, madam! Do you need assistance? Stop! Stop, in the name of King Richard!”
For a moment, she stood there frozen, like an icicle in January. Defying her father and the abbey by running away was bad enough. But freeing the two Highl
anders tonight was nothing short of a betrayal of her country. Setting off a rock to fall on top of them had surely caused an injury to one of them. She could be charged with treason. There was no going back now. She felt the Highlander’s hand grab her arm as he yelled, “RUN!”
The three of them turned their backs to the soldiers and bolted north.
The King’s men started down the rocky hillside in pursuit.
“Enough! Let them go!” shouted the soldier in charge, a lieutenant who clearly had quite enough trouble for the night.
Perplexed, the men looked back at their leader. He said, “Let them go. I will remind you all that our orders are only to deliver the tithes and tax revenues to the crown court at Carlisle. Chasing down these ruffians is not in our orders. Let us not be distracted by troublesome Highlanders. They are like cockroaches in this countryside. Kill one and two more will pop up behind them. They are a waste of our time and precious resources. Let’s get back to camp and get some rest.”
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Thank you very much!
Also by Maddie MacKenna
Thank you for reading Under a Highlander's Spell!
I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review HERE? It would mean the world to me. Reviews are very important and allow me to keep writing the books that you love to read!
Some other best sellers of mine:
Highlander's Sinful Desire
Highlander's Hidden Destiny
Highlander’s Untamed Bride
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I am so grateful that you are part of my journey as a published author! God bless you!
Maddie MacKenna
About the Author
Maddie McKenna had always been passionate about Scotland. It all started with an old picture of her grandfather wearing a kilt and a sporran. She used to look at that picture and imagine stories taking place in the mysterious Highlands...
When she visited Scotland for the very first time, it was love at first sight. Both the country’s breathtaking landscape, and the warmth and livelihood of the locals made her realize why her distinctive red hair was not the only thing that made her blend with them. She took her motherland’s memories back home to Minnesota, holding them forever in her heart while using them as an inspiration for her novels.
Maddie McKenna has a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She started writing articles for travel magazines but soon the romance world won her over. When she isn’t writing, Maddie loves painting and taking long walks with her hubby.
Join Maddie in the unforgettable world of brave Highlanders and their bonnie lasses—a world full of passion, intrigues and steamy lovemaking, that will make you feel like you are part of the story yourself!
Under a Highlander's Spell: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 29
