Highlander's Promise (3 page)

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Dawn glanced around while she waited, taking in all she could, from the constant stream of sentries on the walk wall, to the double guards at the dungeon’s entrance and the continuous presence of guards wherever one looked. From what she saw, the prison was a stronghold and she wondered how she would ever get inside let alone get Cree out.

The door suddenly swung open and Sloan burst out, Elwin behind him, both men angrier than she had ever seen them.

“You cannot be serious,” Sloan said, turning on Minnoch when he joined them outside.

“Cree stole from me and will pay the price... death. I will lay claim to his lands just as he did with Dowell, and the King will thank me for it.”

“You falsely accuse Cree and plan to behead him before the King can even be made aware of it, and you think the King will be pleased? And you think the King will allow you Cree’s lands? Are you a fool?” Sloan asked as if he could not believe the man’s ignorance.

Minnoch took a brisk step toward Sloan. “Never dare to call me a fool again. Your chieftain will suffer the executioner’s axe in three days’ time. I will seize all his holdings and as for his wife and children? Their fate will be at my discretion. And if you think the King will bother himself with such a trivial matter, then you are the fool. I will pledge my fealty to King Alexander and he will be glad of it.”

Dawn pressed her hand tightly against her stomach, his words roiling her insides until she thought she would lose what little she had eaten this morning. She could not believe his words. Cree condemned to death and she and the twin’s fate left to Minnoch? It could not be allowed to happen.

“And if you think to attack me, think again. I have more than enough warriors to defeat you,” Minnoch said with the confidence of one who had already tasted victory.

Dawn knew that Sloan would not stand by and see Cree beheaded. He had brought more warriors with him when he returned and she had no doubt he had informed clan leaders loyal to Cree of the situation. The problem was time and Minnoch was using it to his advantage. It would take time to amass enough warriors to breach these castle walls. Sloan would not wait. He would attack and attempt to free Cree and no doubt Sloan and Cree’s warriors would be slaughtered along with him. Cree had to be freed before it was too late.

“You will regret this, Minnoch,” Sloan said and he and Elwin hurried off.

Minnoch lingered, talking to his guards and Dawn slowly wandered closer, hoping to hear what they were discussing and hoping it might be of some help in freeing Cree. When she realized one guard had begun to stare at her, she casually moved away... but not soon enough.

“You there!” the guard shouted and that was when Dawn realized it was the guard who had been at the gatehouse and had pushed her neck bandage down with his spear.

Dawn froze, knowing she had no other choice but to obey.

The guard said something to Minnoch and he grinned like a man who was about to do something that would bring him much pleasure.

“What are you doing?” Old Mary said, coming up behind her and slapping her in the back of the head. “Have you not gotten us into enough trouble?”

Two guards followed Minnoch as he approached the women. “She has no voice?” he asked of Old Mary.

“No, sir,” Old Mary said with a bob of her head. “The fool could not keep her mouth shut, so her husband slit her throat and kicked her out of the house.”

“Why not simply cut her tongue out?”

Old Mary shrugged. “I cannot speak for him. I do not know.”

“I have use for her, two days should do, and then I will return her to you,” Minnoch said.

Old Mary was quick to try and dissuade him, knowing he was not a man to trust. Once he had hold of Dawn, she might never see her again. “She is not a clean one, sir. Her skin rots in private places.”

“All the better,” Minnoch said with a laugh.

“Please, sir,” Old Mary begged with tears in her eyes. “She is my granddaughter and she is all I have. Please do not hurt her.”

Minnoch laughed again. “That will be up to the prisoner Cree. He either accepts the generous gift I give him or I give her to the soldiers.”

Old Mary looked to Dawn. “You please the prisoner whatever way he wants.” She hugged Dawn and whispered, “I give you my word, I will come for you and Cree tomorrow night.”

“Take her!” Minnoch ordered.

The soldier poked Dawn with the opposite end of his spear and Dawn trembled as she made her way to the door in the stone wall, though it was not out of fear. She was going to be exactly where she wanted to be... with her husband. And tomorrow night, she and Cree would be free, for when Old Mary gave her word, she kept it.

Dawn stepped through the door and made sure to take in everything she could, though with the guard continuing to prod her in the back, hurrying her along, did not give her much time to see as much as she would have liked to. Besides, the place was dank and dark with barely enough torches to light the passageway. They passed the guards’ quarters and from what she could see there were many. How Old Mary would get them out, she did not know? But Dawn trusted her word.

With a guard in front of her and the one with the spear behind her and Minnoch following them, they made their way down a flight of stairs and into a narrow passageway with two cells on the left and two on the right, and Dawn’s stomach roiled from the foul odor. She was grateful they did not stop. The thought that Cree would have to endure such a horrid stench turned her stomach even more. They continued on, taking another set of stone stairs down. The deeper they went the more worried Dawn grew. How would they ever get out of this place?

They entered another passageway, two torches barely casting sufficient light on the area. The guard in front of her stopped and the guard with the spear took tight hold of her arm.

Minnoch stepped to her side and Dawn was surprised to see two more guards enter the narrow passage and flank the door of the lone cell with a narrow slit at the top that could barely be seen.

“I have a very special gift for you, Cree... a woman to entertain you for a couple of days. And since I am aware that you like a woman who has no voice, I found you one. Have a look.”

Minnoch did not wait for Cree to respond, he gave a nod to the guard who held her, and he and the other guard yanked and tore at her garments until she stood naked before them.

Dawn shut her eyes, no man but Cree had ever seen her naked and the only solace she took in suffering such an indignity was that it would possibly save her husband’s life. Nothing was more important than that.

“You are lucky, Cree, she has a fine body, one I would not mind plowing, but I like to hear a women scream when I take her.” Minnoch nodded to the one guard.

He quickly drew a dagger from the sheath at his waist and sliced the bandage at her neck, letting it fall to the ground.

Minnoch laughed. “Her husband grew tired of her endless chatter and slit her throat then threw her out. She is all yours now, though if you do not want her she can service the guards for the night.” He nodded to a guard by the door.

The guard inserted a key in the lock and swung the door open.

One of the guards shoved her toward the door, though it looked more like a yawning black hole she stumbled toward it.

“Your choice, Cree,” Minnoch said with a laugh.

Silence hung heavy, not even a breath was heard as all eyes looked upon the black hole and waited.

A hand suddenly shot out of the darkness, grabbed her arm, and yanked her in. The door slammed shut, the key clicking in the lock.

Chapter Four

Dawn was never so glad to feel her husband’s arms close tightly around her and she pressed her cheek against his naked chest. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She would not cry. She would not let Minnoch bring her to tears.

“I do not hear you plowing her, Cree. Do I need to send one of my warriors in there to show you how it is done?” Minnoch said and laughter echoed in the passageway.

Cree lifted her and she barely had time to get her legs around his waist before he slammed her back against the door so that it creaked in protest, then he pretended to take her, pounding his hand viciously against the door as he held her firm against him with his other hand. He grunted repeatedly, and then let out one last, long grunt.

“I will be sure to let your wife know how you spent your last few days and do my best to console her,” Minnoch said and loud laughter soon drifted off as the passage emptied.

“I am going to take great pleasure in killing that bastard,” Cree whispered angrily near his wife’s ear. His voice softened, though the anger did not leave it when he asked, “Have you been harmed?”

Dawn tapped his arm twice, answering no.

Cree quickly shifted her in his arms and carried her deeper into the dark cell, walking without the slightest hesitation, as if he could see the small space clearly. He lowered them both to a spot on the ground, settling her on his lap, tucking her close and keeping firm hold of her. He turned silent, saying nothing.

Dawn knew her husband well. She could see, sense, and feel when things troubled or angered him. Then there were those times when his wrath surfaced and no one—absolutely no one—would dare go near him, except Dawn.

She felt that wrath smoldering in him now and she did the only thing she could think of... she took his hand and pressed it firm against her chest, then she pressed it to his chest, and she repeated the gesture over and over and over.
I love you. I love you. I love you.

His fury tempered, but did not fade.

“And my love for you runs as strongly as yours does for me, wife, which is why I am both overjoyed and furious to hold you in my arms. You have much to explain, but first...” He took hold of her chin, tilting it up and brought his lips down on hers.

His demanding kiss stole her breath, her heart, and her soul, and she got lost in it. Time and place did not exist, only the two of them and their hearts that once again beat together as one.

When it ended, he rested his brow to hers and whispered, “Good God, Dawn, what are you doing here?”

It was not easy gesturing in the dark and his frequent interruptions did not help.

“You came to rescue me? You endangered yourself over a fool’s errand?”

She continued.

“Old Mary is with you? Are you two daft?”

After several more interruptions, Dawn pressed her finger to his lips, ordering him silent.

He let her finish, then pressed his finger to her lips.

She smiled. She loved that he treated her as if she truly had a voice, but then she did. It was just heard differently than others.

“If we were home the keep’s rafters would tremble with how loudly I would chastise you. Do you not have faith in me? Do you think me weak?”

Dawn tapped his arm twice and twice again as she shook her head. A tear trickled from her eye as she took her hand and pretended to chop at the side of his head, reminding him of the beheading.

“I have lost my head to only one person... you.”

Her body shook with laughter, though a shiver from a sudden chill quickly stole it from her.

“Damn,” Cree muttered and ran his hand up and down her back, trying to rub warmth into her. “They gave me no bedding, no blankets. I have nothing to wrap you in.”

Dawn patted his arm.

“My arms are not enough to keep you warm and if you catch a chill and die on me, do not think it will stop me from coming after you and punishing you for not obeying me.”

Dawn laughed again, then sighed and snuggled her body comfortably against him.

“How can you be content here in this wretched place?” he asked, feeling her body ease in his arms.

She tapped his chest, then hers, and shrugged.

“As long as we are together, it does not matter to you?”

She tapped his arm once.

With it being dark, it took a few hand gestures for him to understand what she asked next. “You want to know how I planned to escape?” One tap to his arm had him continuing, though not answering her question. “And what of your plan? How do you expect to get both of us out of here?”

Dawn gestured slowly.

“Old Mary will rescue us tomorrow? You cannot be serious.”

Dawn nodded and tapped his arm once.

“An old woman bent and gnarled with age will free us from the bowels of this place?” he asked incredulously.

Dawn nodded again.

He was about to argue with her when they both heard footfalls approach.

Dawn’s arms went around her husband, holding him tight.

Cree felt her fear of being taken from him and his anger soared. He quickly shifted her body so that she straddled him, keeping his back to the door and tucking her head against his chest. His hands went to her backside and he lifted her up and down in a motion that made it seem she was riding him. And he snapped, “Harder women! Harder!”

Light suddenly filtered through the narrow slit in the door.

“Minnoch will be pleased to know you are enjoying your gift.” A snorting laugh faded along with his footfalls.

Cree waited a moment to make certain the guard was gone, only then did he lift his wife and rest her in his lap again. His arms hurried around her and feeling that her back had chilled again began rubbing warmth back into it.

He pressed his warm cheek to her cool one and whispered in her ear. “You feel how hard I am, how much I want you. But then you are well aware that my desire runs strong for you all the time, and you make no secret of your desire for me. But as badly as I want you, never would I make love to you in such a horrid place and for others to see.” He felt her cheek rise against his in a smile and he felt her nod. She eased away from him and it took him a moment to understand her gestures, then he smiled. “You are right. This is the second time you were locked away with me and expected to please me. I recall how much you feared me when first meeting you.”

She gestured again.

“What do you mean you still fear me?” he demanded. “If you feared me you would obey me and your presence here in this cell proves you do not obey me.”