Chapter Two

Isabel jumped to her feet when the cell door slammed open. Duncan leaped, too and pushed her behind him.

“Time for some entertainment,” a scratchy voice announced.

Men swarmed into the tiny, dark cell. A fist struck her face causing flickers of light to spark behind her eyes. Further blows knocked her to the ground. Before she could struggle to her feet, rough arms grabbed her, dragged her out of the cell and through the castle. She pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep silent. Not that it mattered. They only cared about Duncan. It took four men to drag him and every now and then he managed to land a punch, striking his captors to the ground.

Once outside, she squinted, trying desperately to adjust to the bright morning light. She wanted to shield her eyes with her hands, but the men held her arms in a bruising grip.

Glancing through slits, she saw people on the walls of the castle, shouting obscenities and throwing rotten food as they passed by. It seemed the whole clan had come to see her die.

Finally, the procession stopped at a large boulder just outside the castle walls. They pushed her right hand onto the rock. She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming in protest, scared that they were going to chop her fingers off. Then they forced Duncan’s left hand into place alongside hers and tied their arms together.

“Let’s see how the great Duncan Campbell does when he’s tied to a skinny lad,” a short man with long, white hair announced. The clan cheered. The warrior strutted toward Duncan. His swagger spoke of self-importance, and she wondered if he was the MacDougall chief.

“We are going to hunt you down and kill you like the animal you are,” he jeered.

“Let the boy go, he’s done nothing to you,” Duncan roared.

“No, the Campbells have killed our children—”

“On the battlefield. You put them on the—”

“Shut up. The lad stays.”

White-hair strutted back to join the jeering crowd.

“Follow my lead,” Duncan whispered, bending his head so he could reach her ear. For the first time since their meeting, she got a good look at him. The man was a giant. She was taller than most men and still had to strain her neck to look at him. Oh my, he was handsome. His skin was weathered to a light tan, with crinkles around his grey-blue eyes. Tawny brown hair framed his face, giving him the appearance of a ferocious lion.

Looking at the screaming crowd, she realized the MacDougalls didn’t just want him dead, they wanted to use her to humiliate him. Anger boiled to the surface. How dare they? The thought of him dead, his beautiful body broken, made her chest hurt. Why should he matter? They had only spent a short time together and had argued for most of that time. But he did matter.

Without warning their captors released their grip and walked toward the castle. She stared at Duncan as he hesitated for a moment, and then they both started to run. She had no idea where they were going. Duncan had instructed her to follow, and she trusted his judgment.

Her heart pounded. Duncan matched her pace, and she was surprised at how natural it was for them to keep step with each other.

A roar echoed from behind as a horde of MacDougall warriors gave chase. Blinding fear destroyed her ability to think. An icy trickle of perspiration rolled down her spine, beads of cold sweat dampened her upper lip and forehead, and the muscles in her legs weakened.

“Are we safe as long as we outrun them?” she panted.

“No, there’ll be some on the ledge,”—he nodded toward the rocky escarpment in front of them—“and more in the woods beyond.”

She tried to concentrate, once again, on matching his step. They reached the rocky ledge, and she struggled to find purchase, slipping on the wet rock. Every time she slipped, the rope that held them together burnt her wrist. Duncan slowed, and she suspected it was for her benefit. Irritated by her own ineptitude, she forced herself to move faster.

He cleared the ledge first, dragging her with him. As she scrambled to her feet, she came face to face with two MacDougall warriors. Duncan rushed at one of them, pulling her with him. Using his spare hand, he grabbed his adversary’s sword arm and head-butted his opponent who swayed and then sank to the ground, stunned.

Isabel tried to stay out of Duncan’s way, but he jerked his arm, and their attached wrists threw her forward. She collided with the hard body of the other soldier. Duncan pulled on her arm causing her to stumble back. At the same time, he kicked the man in the groin. The MacDougall immediately curled in a ball, clutching himself.

The first soldier staggered to his knees. Before Isabel could react, Duncan kicked him in the head. There was a loud snap, and he slumped to the ground. The Campbell giant then bent over the body, and grabbed a dagger from the fallen man’s belt. He turned the blade toward her and cut the bonds that held them together.

“Run,” he yelled

“Without you?”

“I’ll catch up. Go.”

She obeyed and ran toward the forest. Terror and fear rose like bile in her throat. Catcalls and jeers encircled her as the MacDougall horde honed in. She glanced behind her in time to see Duncan stuffing a sword and dagger into his belt. He turned in her direction and started to run.

Content he would soon catch up, Isabel sprinted faster. An enemy clansman sprang from behind a tree, blocking her path. She rushed at him, and then, at the last minute, dropped to the ground. Leaning back on her arms, she kicked him in his knees. His legs give way, and he crumbled to the ground, landing hard on his back. She rolled to her feet and started running again.

Duncan ran past and she followed, keeping pace with him, relieved he was once again by her side. They reached the forest and the dense undergrowth engulfed them, making running harder. Isabel divided her attention between spotting hunters and finding safe footfalls. She ignored the scratches from stray branches that whipped her face. Ignored, too, the catcalls from the hunting party and concentrated on following the giant man in front of her.

Duncan swerved to the left and she followed. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her lungs ached, and her calf and thigh muscles throbbed. Even her throat hurt from trying to suck in enough air.

She flinched at the sound of twigs breaking and the jeers from the MacDougall pack hiding in the forest. Fear gnawed at her belly, her heart raced, and her mind went blank. Follow Duncan, just follow Duncan. They ran up another incline, and she scratched her way to the top using her hands and knees to gain purchase.

He made a sharp turn and disappeared into the undergrowth. Isabel tried to follow, but as soon as she entered the thicket, she lost sight of him. She stopped. Where could he be? How could he have vanished? She tried to peer around the vegetation, but the bushes covering the ground were so thick she couldn’t walk through them. He must have gone another way. She wanted to be with Duncan, needed the strength and comfort he gave her. She bit back a sob as panic and exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. Which way should she go? Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer, asking for a sign. When she opened them, sunlight shone in the distance. That must be a good omen.

She sucked in a deep breath and ran. Once again, her lungs felt they would burst. Her muscles throbbed, but she couldn’t stop. Where was Duncan? Had he abandoned her? She left the cover of the trees and skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff. Below her raged a wide river. She turned, hoping to find another way to escape but stopped dead when another MacDougall emerged from the woods, about ten paces from her. This one smiled, revealing a set of perfect teeth that seemed out of place on a man with matted hair and a filthy face.

“You’re a girl aren’t you? I’ll have a little fun before I kill you.”

Isabel took several steps back until her heels teetered on the edge of the cliff. Her opponent stepped forward. He was now only eight paces from her. She saw a movement in the trees, then her heart lifted as Duncan ran toward her. He sprinted past the MacDougall, ignoring him.

“What the hell happened to you?” he shouted.

She thought he would slow down, but he picked up speed. Before she could answer, he tackled her. His momentum pushed them off the ledge. She screamed. Her arms and legs flailed. For a moment she hovered, and then her body buckled as it slammed into the water. Shocking pain invaded every pore. Ice-cold liquid rushed up her nose and into her mouth. She struggled to clear the surface, but the strong current dragged her down, and swept her away.