Page 11 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
He drew his sword and cut down two more bandits with a single swing while another turned away.
At first, Leana thought the man was fleeing, but she soon realized that he was moving out of the way of an archer.
“Look out!” she shouted.
For a moment, she thought Kenneth had not heard her, but he moved out of the way as he hurled his dagger at the archer.
Two things happened at once: the archer fell to the ground, knocked down by the dagger, while Kenneth staggered backward as the arrow hit him in the shoulder.
For a moment, Leana held her breath. She thought that this time, the impact would knock him out of the fight, for no warrior—no matter how prodigious—could recover so quickly from a bad fallandan arrow.
But it was obvious that Kenneth was no mere mortal. No. He must be a god in human flesh, for he lunged at the rest of the bandits, sword in hand, taking out two more on the way before rejoining his men to finish off the rest.
In the end, the skirmish was over in about ten minutes.
Leana watched the whole scene with bated breath. She felt strange, as if she were seeing the battlefield not through her eyes, but outside her body. Her lips were parted in astonishment as she walked slowly, hesitantly among the lifeless bodies.
She watched in disbelief because, in all her years as a healer, she had never been on a battlefield. Even though it was there that her services were needed the most.
Fortunately, Kenneth’s men seemed to be safe. It might have been different if their Laird had not intervened, but he seemedas good as his reputation. The arrowhead protruded from his left shoulder, and he was kneeling on the ground, one leg buried in the mud, the other supporting his entire body weight.
His breathing was ragged, and his brow was slick with sweat, but that did not stop him from dictating orders to his men in a loud, authoritative voice.
“Niall, make haste for the nearest village. Bring the constable and as many strong, healthy men as ye can find. Have them search the forest, and make sure there are nay more bandits in the area. Tell them that their Laird has commanded them and that he will pay them well for their services.”
“Aye, me Laird!” Niall replied immediately. He was tanned, blue-eyed, and partially bald, but he had a thick reddish beard.
The blond-haired man, who seemed to be called Taran, was immediately addressed.
“Taran, ye will stay here. Gather the bandits’ weapons and pile them up. We must make sure they daenae fall into the wrong hands. If ye meet any travelers, tell them that ye are in me service and that I have entrusted ye with this task. If there are able-bodied men among the travelers, command them in me name to help ye stack the bodies.”
“Aye, me Laird!” Taran replied at once.
At that moment, Leana realized that he was the one she had pushed into the mud in her attempt to escape.
Though she was the least of their problems now, she still felt a little—just a little—guilty about it.
“Ye both have me permission to take the necessary steps in me absence. This is the Royal Pass and the main trade route to me lands, and I wouldnae have it compromised by a bunch of thieves.”
“Nay, me Laird!” the men barked.
Kenneth nodded, seemingly satisfied with their response, but Leana was too worried about him to care.
She took a step toward him, and he looked at her with a slightly pained expression. They might not notice it, but she did.
Just as he was a warrior, she was a healer, so it was her duty to recognize signs of pain.
Especially because, as they walked on, Leana's anxiety grew. She could see the blood spilling from Kenneth's body; crimson drops that, one by one, made a path into the thicket, following the Laird's footsteps.
“Kenneth…” Leana tried to call him, to warn him that they had to stop the bleeding, soon. The Laird's clothes were beginning to turn red, but the Laird didn't seem interested in hearing her.On the contrary, he was joking, almost as if there was nothing to worry about.
“Ah, ye’re already callin’ me by me name, lass?” he drawled, as he stood up. “Come on. We’ll walk to the castle. It’s nae far, and we can cross the forest to get there faster.”
“But ye’re hurt.” Leana emphasized. She needed Kenneth to stop so she could check his wound and make sure everything was in order.
“I’m fine,” he assured. “I’ve had much worse, lass.”
Leana’s lips pressed together just enough to form a thin line, but she didn’t want to fight him any further. She understood that he would not show weakness in front of his men.
