A Bridge Through Time: Book 1 of The Thistle & Hive Series (26 page)

“Warning me?” Thomas laughed and eyed her coldly, before the laughter died in his throat. “Now take the gown off, you whore, or I’ll do it for you.”

Ashley’s eyes flickered around her the surroundings, frantically searching for an escape route. It didn’t look promising. She lifted the hem of her gown as though she was preparing to follow his orders and slipped her fingers into her boot, snatching up the Sgian Dubh. She pointed it in Thomas’s direction.

“I said,
no
!”

Thomas’s eyes fell on the Sgian Dubh, but he didn’t seem perturbed by the fact that Ashley had a weapon. In fact, he laughed, but it was all Ashley had to defend herself, and she was determined she wasn’t going to let him touch her, not ever again.

Thomas drew his sword and held it up in front of her, waving the tip menacingly in her direction. Against his weapon, the Sgian Dubh looked pathetically small. “You have a lot to learn if you are to serve me, whore.” He eyed her cruelly. “Now, unless you want me to use that pitiful thing on your body when I take you, I suggest you drop the knife.”

Ashley sobbed with terror. This was the moment she had tried so hard to avoid, but there seemed now to be no escape, nowhere she could seek safety. Thomas stepped towards her slowly, his intentions clearly written in his expression. She held the knife out in front of her body, pointed directly at him.

“Stay away from me,” she whispered harshly. Her hands were shaking so badly, it was difficult to keep the knife steady. “I’ll use this! I swear it!”

Thomas laughed again and opened his mouth to speak, but he fell forward abruptly, a knife protruding from his back when he hit the ground. Ashley watched his fall, in disbelief and shrieked in terror when she was wrapped in a pair of strong arms.

“Ashley, love,” Cailin said in her ear, hugging her against him as she struggled to escape.

“Cailin? Cailin!” Ashley began to shake uncontrollably as she realized she was safe and she sobbed, letting the tears she’d been struggling to hold back flow freely. She nestled against his familiar chest, finally safe.

“Cailin, we must go,” Dougall announced, wrapping his hooded cloak around Ashley’s shoulders. Ashley offered him a weak smile of gratitude as she gripped the cloak around her body, to cover the torn gown.

“Come, love. We still have much to do if we wish to get away from here safely. Stay with me, and do as I say.” His gray eyes were serious as he stared down at her. “Do ye ken? ‘Tis important.”

Ashley nodded, too frightened to speak.

Cailin led the way, gripping Ashley in one hand, and his sword in the other, and Dougall followed closely behind Ashley.

As they approached the encampment, the noise of metal clanging again metal, and men yelling and shouting was deafening. They arrived in the clearing to discover Robert was engaged in a heated battle with Sir Richard. Cormac, who had hold of Irene, was fending off another attacker. It seemed their plan to get the women to safety before the attack had failed.

Cailin and Dougall rushed into the fray, keeping Ashley securely sandwiched between them. They hacked and slashed through man after man as they fought towards the center of the battle. Ashley’s instincts screamed at her to run, to escape from this horror, but Cailin had told her to stick close to him and for once in her life she was going to do what she’d been told.

They reached Cormac and the men formed a ring of protection around the two women and fought off attacker after attacker. No one managed to breach the protective circle they had created around the women.

The nearest Ashley had come to anything like this was watching Dax play video games with his friends - and that was far removed from the horrific sights of blood and gore she was surrounded by now. Ashley desperately wanted to shut her eyes, but she needed to be aware of her surroundings and ensure Cailin was safe. She tried not to look at those who were falling around them, but it was impossible to keep her gaze from straying to their battered and bloodied bodies. It seemed to last for hours, but eventually, the battle began to slow and it grew quiet, with the only exception being the moans of the wounded and those near death.

Ashley watched as Robert ran to Irene, worry filling his eyes. “Are ye alright, me love?” he asked, taking his wife in his arms and cradling her to his chest.

“Aye. They didnae harm me. Ashley was the one they kept hurtin’,” Irene sobbed.

Ashley was crouched on the ground, covering her tear-drenched face with her hands and struggling to regain control over her shattered emotions.

“Ashley, love, I’m so sorry.” Cailin lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. “‘Tis my fault. I should never have let ye out of me sight.”

“No! This is not your fault. Richard and Thomas are to blame for all of this! Not you, Cailin, not any of you,” Ashley yelled hysterically.

“Thomas cannae hurt ye again, lass,” Dougall said quietly. “He’s dead and hopefully he’ll be rotting in hell, as he deserves no less for what he’s done.”

“What of Sir Richard?” Irene wondered aloud.

“I’m sorry to say he got away, but nae without being wounded. I’ll send some of the men after him. He shouldnae be able to get far in his condition,” Robert announced grimly.

“Come, let’s go home to Breaghacraig,” Cailin said. “Ashley, can ye ride, love?”

“I’m okay. I want to get away from here,” she agreed shakily.

They joined up with the rest of the men, and Ashley was happy to learn that there had been no loss of life on their part and only a few of the men had suffered minor cuts and bruises. It was truly amazing, considering the intensity of the fighting. Robert ordered some of their men to remain behind and bury the dead.

Cailin mounted his horse and Dougall carefully lifted Ashley up behind him, being as gentle as he could to avoid hurting Ashley any more. She settled behind Cailin and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Ashley rested her face against Cailin’s back and felt more secure.

They were about to head off, when a loud war cry erupted from nearby and Ashley turned in the direction it came from, her eyes wide.

A group of Sir Richard’s men galloped towards them, sitting atop their warhorses. They were led by Roger, barreling directly towards Cailin’s horse, with their swords drawn and ready for battle.

With a frustrated roar, Cailin engaged them and Ashley clung to his back, utterly terrified. From the corner of her eyes, Ashley watched Cormac and Dougall enter the fray, while Robert, who had been further away, deposited Irene with one of his men before joining them.

Ashley drew her knife from her boot and held it tightly in one fist. She would use it, if she had to, to protect Cailin. The muscles in Cailin’s back and stomach worked furiously beneath her fingers as he wielded his sword in a high arc above his head and brought it down, hitting Roger’s thigh. Blood sprayed over them and what should have been a mortal wound, seemed only to serve in making Roger even angrier and more determined in his efforts to kill them.

Sir Richard’s other men were being picked off one by one, by Cormac, Dougall and Robert. There had been about a dozen to begin with, and that number had dwindled to half already.

Roger, despite his weight and girth, was an extremely strong man and he used his horse to crowd them, the horse baring its teeth and pinning its ears back, its nostrils flared with the scent of blood in the air.

Ashley did her best to hold on, but every time Roger swung his sword, she had to jerk out of the way. It seemed Roger was deliberately aiming his blows at Ashley and although Cailin was doing his utmost to keep her from harm’s way, she was losing her grip on his sweat-soaked shirt.

Roger brought his sword down in another hacking blow and Ashley found she had nowhere to go. She lost her grip on Cailin and was sliding backwards off his horse, when Roger’s sword sliced into her arm and she fell to the ground, slamming the back of her head on the dirt.

*****

Cailin was incensed when he felt Ashley fall and he spurred his horse forward into Roger’s, to avoid trampling Ashley. A quick glance confirmed she was lying prone on the ground, motionless and Cailin’s heart lurched in his chest. He was relieved when he saw Dougall leap from his horse and drag her out of the way to safety.

The big man was surrounded by the MacKenzies and still he continued to fight. Metal clanged against metal, sparks flying in the early morning light. Cailin’s arms were tiring, but he needed to finish this and check on Ashley. Finding the strength he required, he focused his energy and waited for the moment when Roger raised his sword above his head obviously intending to slice Cailin in two. This left Cailin a split second of opportunity to drive his sword into his opponent’s chest, killing him instantly. Roger toppled from his horse and was dead before he hit the ground.

Cailin vaulted to the ground and sprinted to Ashley’s side. “Ashley,” he cried. He assessed her wounds quickly, trying to ascertain which were the most threatening. She had a nasty slice in her right arm, which was bleeding heavily and the bone appeared to be broken as well. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, barely aware of his presence and moaning through the pain. Irene hurried to Cailin’s side and tore some cloth from the hem of her gown, which she tied around Ashley’s arm to reduce the flow of blood.

“Cailin, this is nae good. She needs help and quickly,” Irene said urgently.

“We’re close to the bridge where I first found her,” Cailin said, glancing around the surrounding area. “I should try to take her back to her own time. She’s told me of their medicine and their ability to treat people’s injuries. It’s better than what we have tae offer her here.”

“Let’s go then,” Robert announced, overhearing the conversation. “Cailin, mount yer horse and we’ll hand Ashley up to ye.”

Cailin did as Robert instructed and then with a nudge of his knees, he signaled his horse to bow down, making it easier for Cormac and Robert to settle Ashley gently into his arms. He did all he could to refrain from jostling her as he headed towards the bridge, which suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere. The rest of the men and Irene followed him in a silent procession. As they approached the bridge, they noticed the thick fog hanging before it, like a heavy curtain. They came to a stop and the fog parted just enough, for Cailin to see a little, blue haired woman who standing on the bridge. She looked a great deal like Lena.

“My name is Edna Campbell. I’m Arlena’s mother,” she called.

The members of the MacKenzie clan were stunned into silence and watched as the strange woman walked a bit closer, being careful not to cross into the fog.

“Ashley has told us of ye, m’lady,” Cailin yelled back.

“Listen carefully! Young man, you must bring Ashley across the bridge to my side. The rest of you, must wait there for him to return. This is extremely important; the fog only works if there is someone waiting for you on the other side.”

Cailin glanced back at his family and friends.

“Go,” Robert urged him. “We’ll be waitin’ here for ye. We’ll stay for as long as we possibly can.”

Cailin let his gaze rest on each of them in turn, and hoped he wasn’t seeing them for the last time.

“I will see ye again,” he announced, with a lot more confidence than he felt. He rode slowly across the bridge.

*****

Cailin and his horse, Ashley, Edna Campbell; even the mist itself vanished, leaving the MacKenzie clan staring after them in disbelief.

THIRTY-FOUR

Mrs. Campbell led the way to The Thistle and Hive and Cailin followed along beside her, keeping his horse at a slow, steady walk. Both he and Cadeyrn were being spooked by the sights and sounds that assaulted them from every direction as they left the path and made their way down the main road of Glendaloch. Edna spoke soothingly to Cadeyrn when they were passed by an occasional car and she noticed how Cailin tried to keep his own eyes from falling out of his head.

“What is yer name, lad?” she asked, after a few minutes of their slow-paced walk.

“Cailin MacBayne, m’lady.”

“Cailin, please call me Edna. There’ll be no m’ladies here.”

He nodded in acknowledgment. “Aye, Edna.”

Those people who happened to be outside in Glendaloch didn’t seem to think it odd for a highland warrior, to be riding down the middle of the street on horseback. Edna was pleased to see they didn’t even seem to notice them.

“This is us, right here,” Edna announced, motioning towards the door of the inn.

Cailin guided Cadeyrn into another low bow, just as Angus rushed outside and made his way to Cailin’s side, taking Ashley gently into his arms from a suspicious Cailin who frowned at Angus and seemed unwilling to release his grip.

“Angus Campbell,” Angus said, by way of introducing himself. Edna saw him offer Cailin a reassuring smile. “Edna’s husband.”

“Cailin MacBayne. Thank ye for yer help.” Cailin dismounted and took Ashley back from Angus as soon as he could.

“Cailin please go inside with Angus,” Edna suggested. “I’ll ensure your horse is well taken care of.”

Edna watched as they entered the inn, and saw Teddy nervously peeking around the corner.

“He’s gone, Teddy. Never fear, we’ll explain it all to Cailin later. Dinnae worry.” She motioned towards the huge horse, holding the reins towards Teddy. “Take the horse along to Mrs. MacDougall. She has room for him in her barn, and then you should stay away from the inn for a wee while, until I get this all straightened out. Perhaps you could bathe the horse, and see to it he gets a bucket of warm mash. He’s had a trying day.”

Teddy nodded anxiously and started down the street with the massive warhorse in tow.

*****

Edna bustled through the door just as Cailin and Angus were headed upstairs.

“Angus, show Cailin to Ashley’s room and try to make her comfortable. I’ll call Dr. Donaldson and ask him to come right away.”

Angus led Cailin to the end of the hall where he opened the door to a chamber. Cailin watched him curiously, as he pulled the coverings down and motioned for Cailin to set her down.