An Oath Sworn

by Diana Cosby

  “Why?”

  “Because,” Colyne snarled, “the men want me dead.”

  Chapter 3

  Colyne hadna thought her face could whiten further but it did. “My lady?”

  Panic streaked through her eyes as she stared up at him. “They want you dead?”

  A sword’s wrath! “Hide behind the boulder.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Now!”

  With a start, Alesia ran to the large rock near the back of the cave, and he followed.

  The thrum of hoofbeats halted near the entrance.

  Sword readied, Colyne tensed.

  “She is not out here,” a rough English voice grumbled.

  “Our orders are to find her,” another man snapped.

  “We have searched for three bloody days now,” a man farther away stated. “She is long gone.”

  A man close to the entry grunted. “If you want to keep your head, you best pray that we find her.”

  A horse squealed, another snorted, and leather and mail clanked as the men rode off.

  The rumble of horses faded.

  Colyne exhaled a relieved sigh as he stepped from behind the boulder. Whoever the men were, they were nae searching for him. With the threat over, weariness swept him. He needed to rest. He sheathed his blade and turned toward Alesia.

  And stopped.

  Eyes widened with guilt watched him.

  And he understood. “The men are after you.”

  She stepped back.

  Irritated that he’d nae suspected they sought Alesia at their mention of a woman, he stepped closer. When she made to move farther away, he caught her shoulder. “Tell me!” Sweat trickled down his face at the effort, but anger gave him strength.

  “Ou—oui.”

  He cursed beneath his breath. “Before you end up getting us both killed, tell me what in blazes is going on!”

  At the Scot’s furious glare, Marie trembled. Though she believed he was a man of honor, what did she truly know about him? His Christian name? His belief that men were after him? However tempted to admit the truth, Scotland’s freedom was too big a risk for her to offer him her trust.

  Colyne’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

  She winced. “Please, you are hurting me.”

  His hold gentled, but he didn’t release her. “Why do the men want you?”

  The lie of gold or some other viable reason as to why the men pursued her came to mind. No, she couldn’t tell him another untruth.

  She shook her head. “I cannot.”

  “Canna or willna?”

  She’d not believed it possible for him to appear more dangerous, but with his eyes darkening like an incoming storm and his body tensed as if prepared for battle and towering over her, he appeared every inch the warrior. “The reasons are mine alone.”

  Blue eyes narrowed. “ ’Tis nae only your life that is at risk.”

  “I know,” she quietly replied.

  “Do you?” A muscle worked in his jaw as he studied her, and with an exasperated sigh, he let her go.

  Marie didn’t move back but stood before him humbled. He was wounded. How could she have been so selfish as to have asked him to jeopardize his life further by escorting her to the coast? “Monsieur—”

  “Colyne,” he said between gritted teeth. “I think we can agree to bypass the formalities.”

  She nodded. “Colyne, I have decided to take my chances.”

  His nostrils flared with annoyance. “Pray tell, lass, what does that mean?”

  Marie shifted, uncomfortable beneath his all-too-seeing glare. “It means I will continue my journey alone. You need rest, time to heal. You are in no condition to travel, much less further endanger your life by escorting me to your friend’s home.”

  “Is it a man?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked with caution, barely controlling her rising panic.

  He glanced toward the cave’s entry. “Is it a man who sent his knights in search of you?”

  The tension in her body ebbed. “Oui.” Let him believe her reasons for running were personal. It would simplify everything. Neither was it a lie.

  “Who is he?”

  He far from understood the importance of the question he asked. “What does it matter who it is or the reason his men are searching for me?”

  Colyne shot her a wry grin. “If I am going to risk my life escorting you, I need to know what I dangers I face.”

  Hope stumbled through her. “You will escort me? But—”

  The Scot held up his hand, any trace of humor gone. “To my friend’s home, as I offered before. Nay more. Once you are in safe hands, I must go. I have my own business to attend to.”

  Colyne’s reaction to the knights who’d ridden by flickered through her mind. Uneasy, she cleared her throat. “You believed the men were after you?”

  His expression grew shuttered.

  Marie tensed. Was this Scot a threat? She didn’t want to believe she’d miscalculated to such a degree. But if she was wrong . . .

  Long seconds passed as he stared at her, his deep gaze assessing. “Aye, they are.”

  “Why?”

  A grim smile touched his mouth. “Well now, lass, I have my own reasons. Ones I will nae be sharing. And,” he paused, “you will have to trust me as well.”

  Marie disliked this turn of events. “It seems I will.”

  Humor softened the stern angles of his face. “A fair trade, would you nae agree?”

  At his teasing, she looked away, unable to find anything light-hearted about the situation. Though men pursued him with deadly intent, he didn’t hold a country’s fate in his hands.

  If he was in better health, she would accept his offer. As a woman who enjoyed quick wit, ’twould be interesting to remain with Colyne for a while longer, for their discussions if naught else. Except his pallor betrayed his weakened state. Neither could she forget how the sword had trembled in his hands as the knights had ridden by. He was in no condition to protect her, much less travel.

  “My thanks for your offer of escort, but I must decline.”

  Colyne’s mouth tilted into a half smile that sent her pulse racing.

  Flustered by her reaction, she dropped her gaze. At his soft chuckle, she looked up. “What?”

  “Only you would debate this.”

  “I am not—”

  His smile widened. “You are.”

  “I was,” she amended, finding herself hopelessly charmed. ’Twas foolish to entertain agreeing to his offer. He was too weak to travel. But if she didn’t agree, then she’d be alone, a stranger in a war-torn land. Though she far from trusted him, despite his cautious manner, he treated her with courtesy and respect without the knowledge of her royal ties. “Thank you. If you insist, I will accept your offer. But we must remain here another day to allow you time to heal before you travel.”

  He nodded, but Colyne’s eyes scoured hers, his wariness easy to read. With his intelligence, she’d expected nothing less.

  “They say when you share your worries, the choices you need to make become so much more clear.”

  Sadness filled her at the sincerity in his voice. “I cannot.” And sadly, never could.

  Canna? She could, but the lass was afraid of whoever sought her. Colyne took in the bruise on her cheek, disgusted by men who found strength in battering women. If the scoundrel who’d struck her stood before him, he would serve the bastard his own brand of justice. “You are exhausted and need to try to sleep.”

  Alesia glanced toward the cave’s entry. “The men—”

  “I will keep watch.”

  She scraped her teeth across her lower lip. “Only for a short while.”

  “Go to sleep,” he said, evading any agreement to her request. Unless absolutely necessary, he would allow her to rest until she awoke on her own.

  With a yawn, she walked toward the back of the cave, lost in shadows.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Behind thi
s ledge is a small chamber. While you slept, I crafted a bed from dry grass and leaves.” Pink crept up her cheeks in a flattering hue. “For you to use once I had left. If the men did a quick search of the cave while you were asleep, you had the chance of being overlooked.”

  “And why have you nae slept there?” he asked, impressed by her tactical measure. “It would have offered you more comfort than on the cold, hard ground.”

  “While you were asleep, you developed a fever, one that thankfully went away before you awoke. I could not risk leaving you alone.”

  Moved by her sacrifice, he stepped toward her. “So you slept by my side until the fever broke?”

  Her blush deepened. “Oui.”

  Caught off guard by her sudden shyness, he halted, too easily picturing her moss-colored eyes dark with passion. “Go to sleep,” he whispered. Before he did something foolish like kiss her.

  With a blush on her cheeks, she slipped from view. Dried grass and leaves rustled as she settled behind the wall of uneven rock.

  Colyne blew out a rough breath and walked outside. Alesia’s genuine nature bespoke a nurturer, a woman given to helping others. How had he wondered if she was King Philip’s bastard daughter? Nae that she couldn’t be as giving, but raised beneath a royal hand and without ever having a need, he had his doubts.

  After a quick survey of the surroundings, he leaned against a boulder at an angle, where he could spot riders in the distance, but close enough to the entry so he could hear her if she called.

  He rubbed his temple and tried to ignore the throbbing in his left shoulder and the dizziness he couldna shake. He needed to deliver the missive to King Philip, nae ponder the thoughts Alesia inspired. A sword’s wrath! The only reason he’d agreed to escort her to his friend was that ’twas too dangerous for her to be in the Highlands alone.

  Disgusted with that lie, he shot a cool look to where he knew she lay. Aye, and so what if she intrigued him? ’Twas nae the same feelings he had had for Elizabet. Pain lanced his heart at the thought of the woman he loved. With a grimace, he scanned the surroundings. She was happy now. He should be happy for her. And he would be. When was another matter.

  Two days later, Colyne strode through the forest with Alesia at his side. Though his body hadna fully recovered and against her objections, he’d announced it was time for them to leave.

  A grim smile touched his lips. For his sanity, he couldna remain trapped within the cave with her another day. It had taken every ounce of his willpower nae to satisfy his question of how her mouth would feel beneath his.

  “How is your shoulder?” she asked, her tone crisp.

  “Am I slowing you?”

  Impatience simmered in her eyes. “Not at the moment.”

  Colyne laughed. He should have found disapproval in her outspoken manner. Instead, he was fascinated by her intelligence, impressed by her ability to debate him on the most insignificant of issues and, on occasion, to reason a point to where he conceded to her view.

  He didna have the heart to inform the lass that he’d kept his pace slow more out of concern for her than his injury. He’d dealt with worse discomfort in his life, but traveling afoot through the Highlands proved an arduous trek for a knight familiar with such demands, much less a gentlewoman. And the slippers she wore offered her little protection against the sticks and rocks strewn about the forest floor.

  At the break in the trees, a glen lay before them, thick with rich blades of grass scattered with heather. He scanned the familiar, narrowed tract of land. Soon they would arrive at Stephano’s home. His friend would secure her safe passage to France. With a fresh mount and Alesia in trusted hands, he would be on his way.

  And he would miss her.

  Greatly.

  “You said you had three sisters and a brother?” She glanced over, her eyes bright with interest. “Are you close?”

  “Aye. And what of your family? Are you close as well?”

  She looked away and kept walking. “Are you the eldest?”

  “You have nae answered my question,” he said, remembering her avoidance of speaking about herself before.

  “I have many relatives,” she finally replied, “many of whom disagreed with my decision to live on my own or to aid those who are less fortunate.” She shrugged. “I should not pry into your private life.”

  A smile touched his mouth. “I wish to pry into yours.”

  Alesia stared straight ahead, nae allowing Colyne the luxury of discerning her reaction. “I have led a very boring life.”

  “I doubt that,” she said.

  When she didna respond further, his smile grew. “Your silence will only make me more curious.”

  She halted and turned with a scowl. “This is not a game we play. There are men out there who, for various reasons, want both of us dead. What difference does it make if you know of my family, or if I have chosen to live a simpler life without the false pageantry of nobility?”

  “Is that what you have chosen?” Colyne caught her hand as she started to turn away. “I did nae mean to upset you.”

  “The fault is mine. I was the one who asked about your family. I will not do so again.” She shot a cool look at his hand. “Now release me.”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “We both have secrets neither of us are willing to share. In a day, two at most, we will never see each other again.” Her voice began to break.

  Colyne stepped closer, but she shook her head.

  As if erecting an impenetrable wall between them, she moved back. “You are a stranger to me,” she whispered. “A fact I have no wish to change.”

  “Is it so wrong to offer friendship?”

  “Monsieur, can we not go?”

  “Answer me. Please.”

  Sadness shadowed her face. “And if I did, will you answer any questions I have about you as well?”

  “A sword’s wrath!”

  Alesia’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you expect answers when you will give me none!”

  At her regal tone, Colyne started to laugh, helpless to do otherwise.

  Red slashed her cheeks. “ ’Tis good one of us finds humor in this situation.”

  “Och, lass.” He caught her hand and pressed a tender kiss upon her knuckles, pleased when she didna try to pull away. “I was only seeking friendship, naught more. ’Tis the request too much to ask?”

  Except when her gaze moved to where his lips had touched her skin, he knew he lied.

  As if reading his mind, she trembled. “Do not.”

  He released her hand, shaken. By the desire darkening her gaze, she wasna as immune to him as she would like, which helped naught. “Come.” The tall grass brushed against his legs as Colyne strode forward. At his side, her soft steps matched his, but he didna turn. If she hadna stopped him moments before, he would have kissed her.

  A mistake. What did he know about the lass? Little, a fact she ensured. Though born within the ranks of the gentry, for whatever her reasons, she had discarded the status her nobility offered and worked to help those less fortunate.

  Her choice.

  One that changed nothing.

  He should be pleased by her withdrawal. At least she didna have the brain of an ass. That honor belonged to him.

  “Mon Dieu!”

  Colyne turned, startled by the fear in her gaze. “What is wrong?”

  Her hand shook as she pointed in the direction in which they were heading. “Look!”

  Beyond the next hill, a thick, black column of smoke billowed into the sky.

  Dread ripped through Colyne. Stephano! Please, God, nae them. “Wait here!”

  She caught his arm. “I am coming with you.”

  Furious she’d defy him, he tore her hand free. “You will stay!”

  Alesia’s face paled. “What is it?”

  He refused to admit his suspicions. If he was right, she didna need to witness the carnage spewed upon the other side of the glen.

  She stared at him, her troubled
expression breaking down his resistance.

  “I will be back.” Before she could offer further objections, he bolted toward the black churning cloud at a dead run.

  And prayed he was wrong.

  Chapter 4

  Marie raced after Colyne, the stench of smoke growing with each step. As she crested a mound, she broke through the trees. Stopped. The horror before her stealing her breath.

  Near the base of the angled slope, Colyne knelt amidst the blackened rubble. Bodies lay scattered around him, some butchered, others with arrows protruding from their backs. The cloying stench of charred flesh almost drove her to her knees.

  A sob tore free.

  Colyne’s gaze riveted on her. His face a mask of outrage and grief, he shoved to his feet.

  But his eyes.

  Merciful Lord. His eyes held the horrors of a man who’d witnessed too much death.

  She wrapped her arms across her chest as her body began to shake.

  He stormed toward her, his mail smeared by blood. “I told you to stay!”

  “I . . .” The crofter’s hut was engulfed in flames. Livestock lay mutilated in a twisted mass of hides and horror. Not even a lamb was left unscathed. And the people. Her chest tightened with pain. “Who could have—”

  “The English.” Condemnation carved through his words like an angry blade. He caught her shoulders.

  Instead of shaking her as she’d expected, Colyne drew her against his chest and turned her away from the barbaric slaughter. His body trembled against hers.

  “The bastards think they can quell us into subservience,” he rasped, “but they are wrong. Their butchery fuels our hatred.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as Marie cried, grieving for those slaughtered, for his country under merciless assault, but mostly for him. However much her own despair, Colyne’s must be doubly so.

  This travesty underscored her urgent need to reach France. Until she explained that the Duke of Renard was behind her abduction, her father would believe rebel Scots were guilty of the inflammatory act. And Scotland’s future would be in grave danger. Without France’s monetary support, Scotland’s forces would wither.