Page 75 of Wolf Alliance

Another one of Erik’s men moved to the opposite side of the door.

Baldur removed his belt and great kilt. Dressed in his long shirt as if he had gone to bed and then realized he was thirsty, he would use the ruse that he had gotten up and went to the door to ask for something to drink. He took a deep breath, then walked to the door and carefully opened it, so as not to startle the guard or reveal that Erik and his man were waiting to take the man out.

“What do you want?” The guard was still seated on a chair outside the door as if he couldn’t be bothered to stand in the lord’s presence.

“Some ale, my good man. If you please.”

“Drink your own piss. Now close the door and be off with you or you’ll wish you hadna bothered me.” The guard had turned to look away as if he expected Baldur to do what he told him to do. Immediately, Erik moved past Accalia’s da, grabbed the guard, and pulled him into the bedchamber. He quickly broke the man’s neck and dragged him behind the bed.

“We’ll take your aunt and your nephew into the tunnels,” Erik said. “But we also need to carry the guard there so that no one knows what happened to him.”

“Aye,” Baldur agreed.

“How many men does Freigard have?” Erik asked.

“Mayhap forty. He didna need that many because Dunbar helped him. But he could have as many as fifty. I dinna know for certain.”

“All right.” That would be a force to reckon with. “We have twenty-six, counting you and Accalia,” Erik said. Though he didn’t intend for Accalia to be in the middle of a battle.

“My nephew will want to fight,” Baldur assured them.

“Good.” Her cousin was practically a grown man.

Baldur pulled off his shirt and shifted into his wolf.

Erik hadn’t expected that. He glanced at Accalia. “Will you go with your aunt and cousin to protect them?”

“Aye,” she said.

He was relieved she wouldn’t run through the castle, trying to take down Freigard and his men.

Then they went out into the hallway and headed toward the other chambers. First, they went into Davina’s room. Some of Erik’s men were in the room, waiting to do battle with the new arrivals. But as soon as Erik opened the door, Davina looked terrified like she expected a fight between Erik’s men and Freigard’s.

But when she saw Baldur and Accalia, she gave them both hugs. She was a pretty dark-haired woman, her eyes as dark as brown, and slightly built. Baldur wagged his tail at her and licked her tear-laden cheeks.

“I’m taking you to the tunnels,” Accalia said to her aunt. “I’m sure the men here with you have already told you we are here to free our people.”

“Aye, and I’m grateful for it.”

Accalia began pulling clothes off hooks on the wall and helped her dress in something warm for their journey.

Then they moved to Accalia’s cousin’s bedchamber, everyone’s hearts beating hard. When they opened the door, Cameron looked as stricken, while Erik’s men with him were ready for a fight, but everyone was glad to see Baldur, his aunt, and Accalia with Erik and the others. Cameron had the same dark hair as Accalia and his aunt, gangly, not fully muscled yet, his eyes blue and wide with expression.

“If you wish to fight, you can do so, either as a wolf or a man,” Accalia said. “I’m hiding our aunt from harm.”

Her cousin nodded. “I will fight.” Cameron began to strip out of his clothes and shifted into his wolf. Which was the best thing he could do because he didn’t have any weapons. Neither did Accalia’s aunt.

Erik assumed Freigard’s men had confiscated them. “We are going to Dunbar’s chamber next. Alasdair and his men should have taken Dunbar into custody already. Accalia will escort Davina to the tunnels after that.”

Once they reached Dunbar’s chamber, Baldur shifted and knocked on the door. “’Tis me, Baldur.” Then he shifted back into his wolf.

Even though Erik knew they should have Dunbar in custody, they had to pretend they didn’t, in case something had gone wrong.

A bearded, graying-haired man opened the door. Alasdair had a sword at his throat, keeping him silent. The man had glacial blue eyes and Erik assumed he was Dunbar.

All of them entered his chamber and shut the door. “I was only trying to buy you time until Erik arrived with Accalia, Brother,” Dunbar sputtered, trying to spin a tale that would get him out of trouble.

Baldur didn’t shift. He didn’t bother to waste any words on his brother. A traitor was always a traitor.

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