A Warrior's Promise

by Donna Fletcher

  It was a harrowing ride, with Duncan taking the lead not long after they started and Reeve cutting back to see if the soldiers had yet to discover that the prison had been penetrated. It wasn’t good news he returned with almost an hour later.

  He rode up alongside Bryce, who had only recently slowed their pace. “One of the surviving guards happened along the soldiers and told them of the escape, that three guards were dead, and the prisoners gone.”

  Bryce shook his head. “How did the other prisoners escape?”

  Reeve grinned. “I don’t know, but I sure would like to hear what Charlotte did.”

  “We need to send warriors to see if they can find those prisoners,” Bryce said. “They no doubt will need help, or they will be captured again.”

  Reeve nodded. “I’ll go ahead and arrange it and meet you where we planned. But you better pick up your pace and keep it quick. The soldiers don’t lag; they’re not far behind.”

  Bryce rode to the front after Reeve had turned and left. He sent Duncan to the back after informing him of what Reeve had told him. And they once again rode like the devil was on their tail.

  They forged ahead, taking no time to rest, and trusted that Reeve and the warriors would be ready when they got there.

  Hours passed, and riders and horses tired, but still they kept going, and, just a short distance before they reached Reeve, the soldiers were spotted not far behind them.

  Duncan called out to Bryce, alerting him.

  Bryce waved for the others to pass him and pointed to the rise up ahead. Then he fell back to join Duncan and take a stance against the soldiers if necessary. He was furious when he saw Charlotte do the same. But he could do nothing about it now, and she was good with a bow. And he should have realized she would not leave him behind. She would never leave him behind just as he wouldn’t leave her.

  The soldiers were gaining ground, and Bryce cursed aloud when Charlotte stopped her mare, turned, and took aim with her bow. She hit one in the shoulder, knocking him off his horse; the second arrow took another man down. She wasted no time with another arrow. She turned and caught up with Bryce, who was riding toward her.

  Bryce shook his head as he turned his horse to join hers and sped to Duncan a few feet ahead. Just as the trio caught up with the two escaped prisoners at the bottom of the rise, MacAlpin warriors crested at the top.

  With battle cries and the waving of swords, they descended the rise and headed straight for the soldiers. The soldiers, seeing that they were outnumbered, turned and rode off, the MacAlpin warriors riding after them.

  Not wanting to take any chances, Bryce kept his group riding though not at the previous speed. He wanted to at least be near MacAlpin land by nightfall. Then it wouldn’t take them long the next day to reach home.

  Again, no one spoke, everyone much too anxious to put as much distance between them and the soldiers, not to mention the prison, to slow down. It was a couple of hours before nightfall when Bryce finally brought them to a stop, and it was with grateful sighs that they all dismounted.

  Charlotte didn’t waste a minute; she ran to her da. He opened his arms wide to welcome his daughter.

  Bryce watched with a smile as father and daughter were finally reunited. She did resemble her da in height and form and had some similar features. He saw the pride on Idris’s face and the joy in the way he hugged her tightly again and again.

  “I knew you’d come for me, Charlotte,” he said through tears. “I knew you’d free me. I knew you would have the courage and tenacity.”

  “I got them from you,” she said, tears spilling down her cheeks.

  They hugged again, then Charlotte reached her hand out to Bryce.

  “I want you to meet my da,” she said, tugging him closer, then turned to her da. “And da, I want you to meet the man I love with all my heart.”

  Idris smiled, and tears filled his eyes once more. He looked up at the tall warrior and nodded. “A good choice, daughter. A good choice indeed.” And offered his hand to Bryce.

  Duncan interrupted any response when he called out, “Bryce you better come over here.”

  Charlotte and her da followed him, Duncan having sounded upset.

  “What—” Bryce stopped dead and stared at the woman who was no longer hidden by the dark cloak.

  “Holy shit,” Reeve said, walking past Bryce.

  Charlotte looked from one brother’s shocked face to the others’, and finally asked, “You know the spy?”

  They all nodded, though only Bryce spoke. “This is Leora, the woman our brother Trey loves and had intended to wed, but whom we all thought dead.”

  Charlotte waited along with the brothers for Leora to speak. But she looked with wide, frightened eyes from one to another and dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

  Bryce saw to it that Leora was made comfortable on a bed of pine boughs and allowed her to rest. They could get no answers from her since she cried every time they tried. Charlotte had been the one to suggest that they allow her to rest. After all, she had been through an awful ordeal.

  He and his brothers agreed that there was no point in looking for answers from her until they returned home, where others would be present to hear her story.

  The three also wondered and worried how Trey would take the news that the woman he loved was still alive and was thought to have spied against King Kenneth. No doubt he would have many questions, as they all did, but for now they would ask nothing of her. They simply wanted to get her home.

  And Leora wanted the same. When she had woken from her faint, she had asked for Trey and begged them to take her home to him and cried if any questions were asked of her. She ate little of the food offered her and fell asleep just as night claimed the land.

  Reeve took first watch, not that they thought any of the soldiers had made it past their warriors, but were more concerned that other soldiers might be lurking about.

  “Do you think Trey will be home when we arrive?” Bryce asked, joining Reeve for a moment.

  “We were expecting him home around this time, so he could very well be there.”

  “I wonder how he will feel about Leora’s returning.”

  “I don’t know, but she certainly has a lot of explaining to do.” Reeve shook his head. “And if she were my woman, I don’t know if I would trust anything she said. I mean, why let the man who loves you think you’re dead?”

  “She’s going to have to be watched carefully,” Bryce said.

  “You don’t trust her either.”

  “I can’t help but wonder what she was doing in the king’s court. Why she led us all to believe she was dead? And why spy on the king? If she even is a spy.” Bryce shook his head too. “None of it makes any sense.”

  “Let’s hope sense can be made of it,” Reeve said. “And that Trey seeks answers before he gives his heart to her again.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” Bryce said. “He’s already given her his heart, and, broken or not, I fear it still belongs to her.”

  Bryce bid Reeve good-night and told him to wake him in a few hours and he’d take the next shift. He hoped to talk some with Idris, become acquainted with him.

  Idris wished the same, but exhaustion had already claimed his weary body. He was sound asleep. Bryce would have to wait until they got home to talk with the man.

  He made his way to where Charlotte lay beneath a blanket by the fire and joined her. It was soon obvious that sleep eluded them. Not wanting to disturb anyone, they went to Reeve, and Bryce offered to take first watch.

  Reeve didn’t argue, though he turned to Charlotte before taking his leave, and asked, “How did the other prisoners get free? You didn’t have time to free them all.”

  “But they had time to free themselves,” Charlotte said. “One key fit all the locks, so after I freed my da and Leora, I freed the man in the next cell. I told him to free the others and make sure the cell doors were closed so no one would suspect them gone. I also explained that one gua
rd or more would follow us out and once they did, they should make their escape. I left a dirk with the strongest one in case it was needed.”

  “I told you,” Reeve said with a laugh as he walked away. “She’s a true warrior woman.”

  “That she is,” Bryce said, slipping his arm around her.

  They sat braced against a large rock, holding hands. Silence lingered for a while between them until Bryce finally broke it.

  “There is something I need to tell you,” he said.

  “I’m listening.” She snuggled against his side.

  He was reluctant to discuss the matter with her but knew it was the only fair thing to do. She had a right to know. He wanted her to know in case it made a difference.

  “You hesitate to share a secret with me?” she asked, once again having the uncanny ability to know what he thought.

  “It is a heavy secret that could place a burden on you.”

  “I advised someone recently that a burden can be less burdensome when shared,” she said. “And you offered to lighten my burden once, so let me help lighten yours.”

  “You stubbornly refused my help,” he reminded.

  “But I grew wiser, and, in the end, I accepted.”

  He leaned down and brushed a light kiss across her lips. “And glad I am that you did.”

  “Besides, there should be no secrets between us . . . ever.”

  Bryce shook his head. “There is a secret and one that I must keep from you.”

  “Does it have to do with the true king?”

  Bryce grew alarmed. “What do you know?”

  “Only what I’ve surmised, which was rather easy,” she admitted with a smile.

  “Tell me what you have surmised.”

  “Part of the myth says ‘four men ride together and then divide’ and I’m assuming that you and your brothers are those four men. And in a sense you are dividing as one by one you fall in love and pledge yourselves to others.”

  “I never thought of it like that.”

  “The four of you thought that it meant you would literally separate?” she asked.

  “That is what it says.”

  “Myth language is veiled. You must get past the veils to see the truths.”

  “There is nothing veiled about the part that says ‘among them the true king hides.’ ”

  She shook her head. “He cannot hide amongst those who know him, so what it means is that he waits among those who protect him.”

  “Since you are aware of this, then you must know my secret.”

  She nodded. “I determined it not long ago though I waited to see if you would tell me yourself.”

  “Then hear it from my lips,” Bryce said. “One of the four MacAlpin brothers is the true king of Scotland.”

  “I will guard your secret well and will help you with all your missions to see that the true king claims the throne.”

  Bryce yanked her up and into his lap and gave her a quick kiss. “Missions or not, king or not, without you, nothing matters to me. I love you, Charlotte, more than I ever thought possible. And we will wed soon.”

  “You have not asked me if I wish to wed you,” she said with a teasing smile.

  He laughed quietly. “There is no need. I know you wish to wed me. I see it in your eyes as you see my love for you so strong in my eyes.”

  “Truly? You see how much I wish to be your wife in my eyes?”

  “That among other things,” he teased.

  She pressed her lips near his ear. “My desire for you lingers just as potently in my eyes.”

  He turned and took her face in his hands, kissing her with a hungry need before tearing his mouth away. “You need to leave me now and go to sleep.”

  She sighed. “I distract you from your watch.”

  “Much too much.”

  “I cannot wait until we’re home.”

  “Believe me, neither can I,” he said, and lifted her off him.

  She didn’t move. “If I promise to be good and simply sit beside you, can I stay?”

  “I’ll have your word on that.”

  She laughed. “You don’t trust me?”

  “I don’t trust me, so I’m holding you responsible for our safety this night.”

  “You have my word,” she said, and sat beside him though their bodies didn’t touch.

  After a few moments of silence, Charlotte said, “Whether king or warrior, I love you with all my heart and will stand beside you always.”

  Bryce wrapped his arm around her, pulled her close, kissed her, and whispered in her ear, “Let’s wake Reeve to take the watch, then find a secluded spot in the woods.”

  Lovers eager to be off on a tryst, they went and woke Reeve.

  Read on for an excerpt from

  the fourth and final book in

  The Warrior King Series,

  WED TO A HIGHLAND WARRIOR,

  coming November 2012

  from Donna Fletcher

  and Avon Books

  Highlands of Scotland, 1005

  Bliss waited, not sure of her fate.

  She often wondered why she could see the providence of others, yet, when it came to her destiny, she was blind. At times it made sense to her. After all, it was a burdensome lot to unwillingly peer into the future and see not just happiness, but pain and sorrow. Certainly, if she saw that for herself, life could possibly become unbearable. Even knowing the destiny of others brought a burden—one that, at times, Bliss would much rather not carry though she had no choice.

  This gift, as her people, the Picts, called it, or curse as others often referred to it in whispers, had been part of her as long as she could remember. There had never been a time she had been without her knowing, and while she could see small, incidental moments in her future, she could not see the whole of it, the important moments in life that had others seeking her knowledge.

  If her knowing wasn’t enough, there was also her ability to help heal. Her touch held power; not that she understood it, but she did not question it. Like her knowing, it had always been a part of her, and she had always willingly shared it with those in need.

  At the moment, though, her instincts warned her that this was where she must stop and wait. Why, she did not know. She truly had no time to dally. There was an ill woman in need of healing, and she was still a day’s journey away. But to ignore fate’s warning could prove unwise.

  Bliss hugged her dark blue wool cloak more closely around her. Winter’s bite was sharp in the air, leaving no doubt it would be a bitter one. She wished, however, this year she need not spend the cold days and dark shivering nights alone. Being one-and-twenty years, she had thought for certain, though she had never foreseen it, that she would have a husband and children by now. She didn’t, and she worried that she never would.

  Respected for her abilities by her people, she also found it a deterrent to finding a mate. Most men feared her knowing, one fellow being adamant about it, saying, “There would be nothing I could keep from you—nothing.”

  Bliss realized then that she wanted no husband who would hide things from her. She wanted honesty and trust from the man who would be her husband, or she would remain alone.

  The crunch of leaves alerted her to heavy footfalls, and it was easy to tell that more than one person approached. In an instant, she knew that soldiers headed her way. Normally, she would detect their presence much sooner, giving her time to flee to safety.

  Why had she been cautioned to wait for those who could very well do her harm? Could they possibly be in need of healing? Or had she been mistaken? She dismissed the foolish thought as soon as it entered her head, reminding herself that fate knew well life’s course, and she need not fear.

  Three king’s soldiers broke past the trees and into the clearing where she stood. Apprehension fluttered her stomach, but she remained confident that all would be well.

  “We’ve found ourselves an angel,” one young soldier said with a grin.

  “She is a beauty,” remarked a
nother with a sneer that warned that his thoughts bordered on carnal.

  All too often, men remarked on her beauty so much so that the words no longer meant anything to her and certainly not from this lot. Someday, she hoped to find a man who would look past her features and see her true worth. But at the moment she needed to wait, for she sensed that these soldiers were not why fate had her linger.

  A sudden ill wind blew around them, scooping up leaves and twigs and swirling them in the air before carrying them off on a rush of wind. A fast-moving mist followed, sweeping in along the ground. It would not be easy to take a step or find one’s way if it grew any thicker.

  Gray clouds rushed in overhead, warning of an impending storm, or was it a portent of someone’s arrival?

  Bliss shivered, sensing someone’s approach, someone of great power and strength, someone who would stand before these soldiers with courage and someone she was destined to meet.

  “What is a beautiful lassie doing out in the woods all alone?” the youngest soldier asked, inching closer.

  “I wait.” Bliss let her cloak casually fall away from her arms to reveal the drawings on her wrists.

  Another soldier gasped. “She’s a Pict.”

  “We don’t mix with pagans,” said the older soldier, who had remained a distance from the other two.

  “Why?” the young soldier asked boldly.

  The older soldier slowly shook his head. “They are strange ones.”

  Bliss sensed that the younger soldier would not pay heed to the wisdom of the older one. He was brash in his bravado and intent on proving his courage. Warnings from the older soldier, to him, were nothing more than fear and old superstitious nonsense.

  “Because they paint symbols on themselves?” the young soldier asked with a shake of his head and a laugh. “There will be no more Picts soon enough.”

  Bliss’s fair cheeks flared red, and her pale blue eyes darkened ever so slightly. “Mark your words wisely, young lad, for Picts have walked these lands far longer than you know and will continue to claim these lands long after you’re gone.”