Highlander’s Broken Love by Fiona Faris

Chapter Eighteen

Ian was in need of distraction. With Elisabeth’s body rocking against his as they rode through the mountains, his mind was in turmoil. The imaginings of them together were still there, but what had grown increasingly desperate was the reluctance to let go of her at all.

That was a feeling he knew he’d have to stop. She would have to go home soon.

“You’ve gone quiet,” Elisabeth murmured in front of him.

“I was deep in thought,” he confessed as he whispered near to her ear.

“About what?” she asked.

“Ye,” he answered, listening as he heard her sigh.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Ye can ask me anythin’,” he felt the honesty of the words as he uttered them. She looked around the two of them, as though wary of anyone else overhearing them, then bent her head to the side, turning to whisper to him.

“Have you felt this kind of thing before?” she asked and gestured between the two of them.

“Nae like this,” he said with a genuine smile. He’d felt lust before, desire—absolutely. Not this. He was even uncertain what this was at the moment. The corners of her lips flickered into a smile before she turned back to face the front again, as though happy with his answer.

He was not so happy. The truth of the matter made it even more ridiculous that sooner, rather than later, they would have to say goodbye to each other.

He tried to focus on his surroundings instead. Now they had crossed the main body of the hill, they were coming down the other side of the mountain pass and, on either side of them, a forest was beginning to sprout up. Nearby, there was the sound of a trickling creek that flowed down from a small spring at the top of the mountain.

Ian heard a sound to the left, somewhere in the woods. It sounded as though something was moving about in the undergrowth. He snapped his gaze toward it, searching the tree trunks warily.

“Is something wrong?” Elisabeth asked from her position in front of him.

“I think it was just a deer or somethin’,” he answered, though still his gaze was fixed on the woods. He could see nothing. If there was an animal out there, it was hidden between the trees.

He tried to believe the sound truly did belong to a deer. Now they were descending a valley between the mountains, the trees had grown thick on either side. Each Scots pine was tall, stretching high enough to block out the sky on either side of them. Ian was struck by the vulnerability of their position.

“Alex?” he called to his friend. Alex appeared at once to ride at his side, flanked by a guard from his own clan.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Tell me, what do ye see when ye look around?” Ian tightened his grasp on the reins of his horse, causing his arms to tighten around Elisabeth, too. He felt her stiffen in response, as though picking up on his fears through their touch alone. Alex followed his instruction and glanced around, his eyes darting from the path they were on up to the trees either side of them on higher ground.

“I see a good place for an ambush,” Alex said tightly.

“Exactly,” Ian said, just as there was another sound somewhere in the trees. He looked back again, but still could see no one there. Yet that noise had been distinctly more metallic.

“Ye’re bein’ paranoid,” Alex warned. “There is nay one out there.”

“I’m nae so sure,” Ian said, shaking his head.

“Then we pick up the pace,” Alex said with feeling. “If ye have reason to suspect someone is watchin’ us, then we go. We get out of here quickly.”

“Agreed,” Ian nodded and turned his head, calling to the train of people behind him. At once, the horses began to canter with him leading the way. Within minutes, they were going to catch up with Bhaltair and Gilroy at the front.

“Ian,” Elisabeth said, her voice panicked in front of him as she gripped the pommel of the horse. “There’s no one there.” With the cantering horse, their bodies were pressed even more together than before, but he couldn’t take much excitement from it at the moment. He was too consumed with fear for Elisabeth’s safety.

When the sound came again from the trees, he was not the only one who looked toward it this time. Alex looked too, as did Kenny and several others.

“It’s a musket!” Kenny cried, pointing between the trees. Ian followed the motioning hand and saw the glint of sunlight off the barrel of a gun.

“Go, now!” Ian ordered everyone forward and drove the horse as fast as possible, just as a musket shot rang out. He wrapped an arm fully around Elisabeth, holding her tightly against him as he pushed the horse on. Around him, others were doing the same, sending the horses into a mad dash.

Up ahead, something else slid into view. Bhaltair and Gilroy had turned around and were riding back toward them, waving wildly in the air.

“Go back!” Bhaltair was calling. “It’s ambush. Get back. There’s nay way through up ahead.”

“Damn,” Ian pulled the horse to a sharp halt, looking to Alex beside him. “I kenned it. Someone was waitin’ for us.”

“Who?” Elisabeth asked in front of him.

Ian didn’t have time to answer before the musket and pistol shots rang out. Everyone cowered, bowing their heads as soldiers appeared between the trees, sprinting down the banks of the hills from the forest toward them.

Ian turned his horse, using his own body to shield Elisabeth from the fire. One glance back proved his suspicion. Grier was amongst the group, as was Jockie and Hal. A dozen other men were there who had also crept away from the camp the night before.

“English!” Alex roared, moving his horse away from Ian’s.

He was right. Amongst the Scotsmen’s plaids there were the red and white uniforms of English soldiers.

“Nae possible,” Ian murmured.

“We cannae continue forward,” Gilroy called as he reached them. “We have to go back.”

“Retreat!” Ian shouted. All the horses turned and tried to ride back the way they had come, but the route was blocked off by English soldiers that were marching their way. Each soldier lifted a pistol or a musket at his clan, threatening to shoot. The knowledge he’d walked his own people into such danger infuriated him. He had to find a way to keep them safe.

“No one move,” an English soldier roared as he walked along the line of people. Some stopped trying to escape at this statement, but others drove forward on their horses.

Another English soldier took the arm of one such man on a horse and pulled him off the animal, down to the ground where he threatened once again to shoot.

“Start shootin’,” Ian ordered the men around him. “Shoot to survive.” He lifted the crossbow that had been on his own back and quickly put the bolt in place. “Time ye took control, Elisabeth,” he said and passed the reins into her grasp with his other hand before lifting the crossbow and firing at the English soldier marching toward them.

Elisabeth yelped in surprise as the man fell down to the ground, clutching his shoulder in agony.

“Where is he?” a soldier’s voice called.

“Find him!”

Other shouts went up from the soldiers as a scuffle ensued. Around him, Ian could see his soldiers engaging in battle, trying to drive both the Englishmen and the clan traitors back. One such Englishman drove through the lines of battle that had formed, pushing between horses when his eyes found Ian and Elisabeth through the crowd.

“Is this him?” he shouted. Grier’s face appeared beside him.

“It’s him,” Grier confirmed with a devilish smile.

They have come for me.

“Ian, get back,” Bhaltair bellowed and jumped in front of him, placing his horse in the way. Yet it only stalled the attack for a short time. Within seconds, the attention of their attackers had switched, and it seemed everyone was trying to reach Ian.

He took out a second bolt and quickly shot one of the Englishmen coming toward him, just as Elisabeth turned the horse around, trying to use its rump to offer them some protection.

Ahead of them, two more men came toward them; they pushed Gilroy aside, knocking him to the ground and then reaching for their horse. Ian hung the crossbow on his belt and snatched up his blade. He struck out, hitting another sword that was carried by one of the men and shoving him away. Then the world slid sideways as Elisabeth screamed and was dragged off the other side of the horse. Ian couldn’t hold onto her.

“Elisabeth!” he shouted and leaped down as quickly as he could. Imbued with fury that anyone would manhandle her so, he made quick work of his current opponent. One strike of his blade sent the sword in his opponent’s grasp flying, before a swipe across the man’s back as he turned to run knocked him to the ground, screaming in pain.

Ian rounded the horse, pulling on the animal’s reins to get him out of the way.

“Stop there,” the Englishman cried. He still held Elisabeth in his arm, but now he had a short, narrow blade pressed against her neck. One wrong move and her throat would be slit. She was breathing heavily, her neck and chest pulsing with each breath as her eyes went wide and fixed upon Ian.

“Release her,” Ian demanded. “If ye have come for me, ye can let her go.”

“Get him,” the man ordered. The yelled instruction alerted Ian to the two men that were approaching behind him. He lifted his claymore and struck out at them both. With one well-aimed strike, he knocked one from his feet and sent the other one headbutting a horse nearby before falling to the ground.

Ian turned back to the man who was holding Elisabeth.

“Stay where you are,” the man called again, he moved the blade and nicked Elisabeth’s neck. She let out a whimper as she closed her eyes.

Ian wasn’t going to let the man have another chance to do such a thing again. He snapped up the crossbow on his belt, and quickly reloaded, pressing the bolt in place before he released it, confident of his aim.

Elisabeth gasped as she opened her eyes again, just as the blade fell away from her chin.

The bolt had landed perfectly in her attacker’s shoulder. He stumbled back, clutching his wound, releasing her entirely.

“Are ye all right?” Ian said and ran toward her, cupping her chin with his free hand. There was a small amount of blood on her neck, but her attacker had not cut a vein. It was just a small wound.

“I – Ian!” she screamed, pointing behind him.

He used his body to shield her and brought up his crossbow to block a blow from a sword. It was a scrappy fight, with Ian barely having the time to take his sword out of its scabbard to meet each strike.

“Ian?” Alex’s voice called from the crowd.

“What?” Ian called back after striking his opponent’s head with the hilt of his sword, stunning him for just a minute; it gave Ian just enough time to look around. Alex was a short distance away, trying to block two men from passing him.

“They’re here for ye. All of them,” he called. Ian realized with horror that he was right. Around him, his soldiers had formed a perfect circle and were doing their best to block anyone from breaking through their defenses to reach Ian. “Ye want to protect yer people?”

“Of course, I do!” Ian shouted back.

“Then ye have to run,” Alex explained, cutting the man he was attacking across the cheek before looking back to Ian. Their eyes connected across the battlefield. There was strength there, and they both knew there was little time to discuss the matter. “Ye run, we’ll meet ye later. The only way to drive them away from yer people is for ye to go. We’ll chase them down then.”

He turned back and struck another man.

“I cannae leave them,” Ian said, looking back to Bhaltair and Gilroy who were fighting together, working off one another.

“Ye can. Go, me Laird,” Bhaltair said firmly, just as he took down another Englishman. “We have this; ye must go.”

A bolt flew through the air. Ian could hear the whistle and see the blur through the corner of his eye. He took hold of Elisabeth’s waist and spun her round, shielding her completely with his body.

Yet the bolt didn’t hit Ian’s back as he had expected it to. Instead, there was a dull thud. He looked back over his shoulder to find someone standing in front of him.

“Kenny?” he called to his friend. The man turned back and smiled, revealing the wooden shield he’d been carrying in front of him with the bolt firmly planted in the center.

“Not bad, eh?”

“I think ye’ve fulfilled yer vow to me now,” Ian said in amazement.

“Not yet. Not until you’re free and alive,” Kenny grabbed his arm and pushed him on. “Your friends are right. You ride away to safety. It will draw them away from your people, then we can chase them down and stop them from catching you.”

“Go, Ian,” Alex’s voice roared. “I willnae argue with ye on this.” Ian looked back just once to see Alex in the midst of battle, easily defeating his opponent.

“Aye, very well,” Ian surrendered to the plan, seeing there was little hope any other way. “Elisabeth, we’re goin’. Now.” She stepped away from him, running toward the horse and grabbing the reins.

Someone broke through the circle of men. To Ian’s horror, he could see it was Jockie. As his eyes alighted on Elisabeth reaching for the horse, a nasty smile spread over his face.

Ian brought the crossbow back up and set another bolt. Before Jockie could touch Elisabeth, he fired. The bolt landed firmly in Jockie’s ankle. He cried out, screaming and falling back from the pain.

Elisabeth whipped her head round, her frantic gaze going between the two of them in amazement.

“You…” she trailed off as Ian reached her side. “You saved me again.”

“It seems to be a habit, doesnae it?” he said with a small smile. “Up. Now.” He took her waist and tossed her up onto the saddle. She didn’t hesitate and scrambled to sit straight, just as he pulled himself up behind her. “Where will we find ye?”

“We’ll find ye,” Alex called to him.

Ian had an idea. He knew exactly where they were and there was a place nearby that could offer him and Elisabeth the sanctuary they needed.

“Alex? Where ye can see the stars, ye understand me?” he offered a brief clue, knowing he couldn’t give any more information about where he intended to go, just in case someone else overheard.

“I ken,” Alex nodded as he lifted the blade to his opponent again. “Now, go!” He forced the man backward to the ground, revealing an opening in the circle.

Ian took the opportunity. He pulled on the reins and dug his feet into the sides of his horse, spurring the animal forward through the gap as quickly as he could.

Within seconds, he and Elisabeth were riding away from the struggle, but men were already in pursuit and arrows were whistling past them. They weren’t out of danger yet.