Page 72 of Wolf Pack

“Oh? And what is that?” She rushed into the chamber and sheathed her sword. Hersgian dubhwas already tucked in her boot, which she always wore for emergencies.

“To give yourself up to them so they would free your family.” He slid his sword into its sheath and rushed out of the chamber.

“They would no’ honor their pledge. I know them well enough to know that.”

“Aye, my thoughts exactly.”

They hurried down the stairs.

“What do you propose we do besides have a big show of force?” She was trying to wrap her mind around what they could do.

“They’ve lost a few men and they dinna have any ships to carry them home unless they have stolen some. If that’s the case, they’ll have men guarding them, probably more this time, thereby reducing the number of men they’ll have to fight us.”

They reached the door to the keep and hurried outside, where everyone who was going with them was mounting their horses, ready for battle.

“They will kill my family and Dawy then, using them as shields.”

“You are no’ going with Vigge. I dinna understand though. Why would they make a stand against a larger force if they only want to kill you?” Alasdair asked.

“Vigge wanted to marry me. My parents wouldna allow him to. And once they were gone, my uncle wouldna.”

“Because you’re a wolf.”

“Aye, but he didna know that.” She twisted a braid of hair between her fingers. “We canna hit them head-on.”

“But we have the superior forces.”

“We have to use their tactics.” She paced across the inner bailey. “They must have found a ship, and it would be nearby. It’s the only way they would hope to pull this off and take me home.”

“This is your home,” Alasdair reminded her. “One of our ships couldna be pulled up onto the beach like yours can. They would have to leave it in deeper water.”

“Aye. What if it’s out there?” She motioned in the direction of the ocean beyond the cliffs.

“Or, what if another Viking longship is on the shore?” Alasdair said. “Mayhap another had been with the convoy but was delayed by storms or some other reason.”

Hans said, “We could send a couple of men to check the cliffs to see if a ship is anchored out there.”

“We stay together. I dinna want our men picked off,” Alasdair said.

“We could see the sterns of the longships from the cave where our longship is anchored,” Isobel said. “Just like they didna expect us to approach them from swimming in the ocean, they wouldna this time, either.”

Alasdair was still listening to her, which she appreciated. Back home, no one in the clan, nor her uncle, ever listened to her.

“We could destroy them if they have more longships beached there. Most likely, when they returned and found the hostages gone and ships in ashes the last time, they believed you had reached them from the cliffs—which you did. They wouldna expect you to come from the ocean.”

“All right. We’ll go to the cliff and see if there is a ship anchored. If no’, a dozen men will climb down the cliff face and head to the cave to see if they can observe any sign of the sterns of longships on the beach where they were before. Let’s go.”

Isobel couldn’t believe Alasdair would follow her plan, but she was glad he had. She just hoped they found longships on the shore that they could destroy.

The force of sixty men and one woman headed for the cliffs, but when they reached them, they saw no sign of any ships on the horizon or beyond the breakers. Isobel leaped off her horse and headed over the cliff before Alasdair could assign men to accompany him.

He quickly dismounted. Hans and Erik joined him with eight other men and began the descent. As soon as they were at the bottom, Isobel shot off for the cave. Alasdair and the men raced after her.

But when she approached the cave, she was much more cautious. She listened to make sure no one was in there now, hiding, waiting for her and her family to return for their longship.

Alasdair went in front of her with Hans and Erik to check the cave out. “Clear,” Alasdair said.

Then they moved along the wet, slippery rocks where the surf was striking the surface and peered around the cliffs. Isobel carefully made her way to where they were standing, not saying a word, just staring.

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