Page 73 of Wolf Pack

Gods,two longships were sitting on the shore just beyond the cave, not on the beach beyond this one. Half a dozen Vikingwarriors were sitting and talking at various positions around the beach, guarding the three ships.

She had been right. The clan she’d been with could be as predictable as they were unpredictable.

Isobel,Alasdair, and the others ducked back into the cave and returned to the shore.

“Six men guard two longships on the beach beyond the cave.” Alasdair signaled to the men on the cliff to tell them what they had found—six men, two longships, beach next to this one. He held up one hand, indicating five, and motioned for the extra men to join them.

That would give them sixteen men, enough to manage the Viking guards. Five men began the climb down the cliff.

Isobel pushed her wind-driven hair out of her eyes. “We would have to swim around the cliffs to reach the shore. Another thing we could do is use my longship to reach the shore. It’s smaller, and we could row there faster with the sail down, so it wouldn’t be noticed as easily.”

“Aye.” Alasdair pondered both possibilities.

“If any men move toward that section of the beach, they’ll see it, but your archers can shoot some of the guards. Still, swimming would be stealthier.”

Either could be difficult to do. But if one lass—shieldmaiden and a lad could do it, able-bodied Scots warriors could.

The five extra men landed on the beach and ran to join them.

“Once we reach the rocks near the beach, they afford us a hiding place until we see the way is clear to take out a guard who is looking in our direction,” she said, ready to do this.

“Aye, let’s swim. But I want you to stay here.”

She shook her head. “Nay. I will show you the way.” She quickly returned to where she jumped into the water before and began swimming.

Alasdair was right behind her like Conall had been before. Except this time, they had another fifteen men with them.

She was at the place she had viewed the beach before to make sure it was clear when no one had been there the last time. The waves tugging at them, Alasdair hugged the rock next to her and observed the man closest to them, sitting on a smooth-topped rock near the first of the longships. He was sharpening his ax.

A man standing closer to the cliff was in the direct line of sight of the sitting man. If they ran up to kill the man on the rock, the other would see them and shout a warning to the rest of the watchmen.

“I’m swimming to the other side of the ship to see what I can see,” she said quietly, though for the waves and wind, no one on the beach could hear them. “If I can take out a man between the ships, then that will be one less to fight.”

Alasdair shook his head,not wanting Isobel to fight anyone on the beach.

She kissed his cheek and before he knew what she would do, she dove under the water.God’s wounds, the woman would be the death of them both.

He told Hans, “You’re in charge of the men here. If you see an opening, take out the guard sitting next to the longship. If we see it’s better to swim in the direction Isobel is headed, I’ll motion for you to send some more men.”

“Aye.”

Then Alasdair swam underneath the water to reach the stern of the ship, creating shadows over the water, and joined Isobel. She was waiting for him and whispered, “No one is here. We can sneak up on the beach and see where everyone is positioned.”

Alasdair signaled to Hans to send five men in his direction.

Erik and four of his men swam toward Alasdair and Isobel.

Suddenly, Hans swam to shore, two others following him. Alasdair prayed they would be victorious and not sound the alarm.

They next saw Hans and the other two men tossing a body and an ax into the water. Both sank to the bottom of the ocean. Hans and the men quickly swam back to the rocks and hid themselves behind them again. The guard near the cliff must have moved out of the sitting guard’s line of sight.

Once the five men reached Alasdair and Isobel, they all crept up on the shore and moved between two of the longships, hiding them from the guards’ view.

When a redheaded and bearded guard started to walk by, he saw them in his peripheral vision and turned, his jaw dropping. Immediately, Isobel threw hersgian dubhat his forehead before he could shout a warning to the other watchmen. He began to topple as if a giant had shoved a mountain back.

Before the dead guard could fall beyond the longships and into any of the other guards’ sights, Erik and Alasdair dashed forth, grabbed him, and yanked him between the ships. Alasdair retrieved Isobel’ssgian dubh, cleaned if off the dead man’s sleeve, then handed it to her.

She quickly took hold of her knife. “Thanks.”

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