Page 52 of Taken By her Highland Enemy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

All of Cutler’s men looked disheveled, and some of them were even partially burned. That gave Eamon a little satisfaction even though he felt like his side was still burning. Bloody lass. Lukas tried to free himself from the grasp, but one of the soldiers held a dagger to his side, saying, “Now, which one of you started the fire, and which one of you deserve to die for it?”

He didn’t wait for an answer when he said, “Hmm… I think we shall slay all of ye for what ye have done. The fort is in ruins, and many of the men are injured or dead, having perished in the flames.”

Eamon felt bold. “Ah, I see. Well then, we were successful. I suppose ye’re a bit upset about what has happened, but believe me, we have done ye a favor.” He dared just so far, but he could see the soldier push the dagger a little further into Lukas’ neck, and he saw his friend tense. He was lucky that none of them were carrying any muskets or at least any loaded ones.

Eamon could tell the soldier was interested in taunting. Just like Cutler, he probably enjoyed playing with his prey before eating it. Eamon glanced at Isabelle, looking stern, and for some reason, it strengthened him. If Isabelle had enough strength and courage to fight the way she had and to kill her own father, so that he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore, he could too. He was still the leader of this band of men who had gone to fight for his brother’s release. He still had a point to prove to Sean.

“Favor? What favor?” One of the other soldiers asked.

“Well, it appears that yer fearless yet ruthless leader is dead. Ye may want tae pick up his body in the woods by the fort, in order tae return it tae the King.”

The soldier holding onto Lukas gripped him tighter and stepped a little closer to Eamon. He could spy Sean and the others, slowly moving their hands to their swords. Eamon was glad for the fact that Highlanders were ever wary, but he hoped they would have enough sense not to strike until they could handle the situation.

“Dead. You killed him, I bet? And he gave you that wound?” Eamon felt strong enough to stand, and he heaved slightly but was able to get to his feet to respond to the soldier.

He felt a little lightheaded, but he was strong enough to say with a chuckle, “Nae, I didnae, actually, although it would have given me a lot of satisfaction.”

“Then who did?”

“A woman, actually. Yer leader was so bloody weak that it only took a woman from the village tae cut him down in his path as he tried tae escape. Tae leave the rest of ye lot tae die in yer fort.”

Eamon glanced at Isabelle for a moment, feeling a strong urge to wink, but he resisted. He needed to remember how angry he was at her, but seeing her again had flooded him once more with feelings of love and affection and, unfortunately, desire. “You lie!” the soldier yelled. Eamon could tell he was losing control of the soldiers, he could feel the fury rising in the men as he taunted them. He prayed for a miracle. There would not be enough of them around the fire to defeat the group of soldiers, especially with himself injured and unable to lift his sword arm. He was searching his mind for solutions when out of the corner of his eye, he could see a group slowly sneaking up towards the camp behind the soldiers.

There was no flash of red, and he could see the colors of various clans. His heart lightened. The men were here! They had survived! He cleared his throat, trying to make time until the soldiers were attacked. “I know ye may nae want tae believe the word of a Scotsman, but this time I am telling the truth, and ye may want tae collect his body before its removed by animals or body hunters.”

The head soldier was about to retort when they were attacked from behind. A few of the soldiers were stabbed and fell to the ground, but there were still a few left behind who turned in time and began to fight back against the group of Scottish men with whatever they had available. Since there was no time to prepare the empty muskets, some attempted to grab them from their saddles and use their bayonets or bare fists to fight back, but the number of The Scots was too much.

Once the first soldier was attacked, Lukas lunged forward towards Eamon to escape the range of The Scots’ knives, in case they didn’t recognize him because of the red coat. But as soon as he got there, he ripped it off, ready to join the fight. Sean, Donovan, Dirk, and Errol lunged forward too with battle cries in their throats, punching, stabbing, doing anything that would cease the fight and finish what they began.

Eamon watched and wished he could do his part, but he’d had to kneel on the floor again, a searing pain moving through his torso. He felt light hands on his shoulder, and he knew it was Isabelle by his side, even though she said nothing. She was here again. He had saved her. His hand was itching to touch hers, but instead, he clenched his fist. He could not let a woman confuse him and betray him again. The pain was far too deep, and he couldn’t bear it any longer.

In a matter of moments, while he only sat and watched, the soldiers were on the run, clutching their hands to their sides or their heads, or even lying unconscious or dead by their campsite. Some tried to ride the horses back, galloping towards their crumbling fort.

Eamon burst into hearty laughter when he saw the satisfied faces of the Scots as they approached him. “Took ye long enough, lads. We were about tae become skewered intae the ground.” He tried to stand again, and Sean lifted an elbow to help him.

“Ye should rest, brother.”

“Aye, so I should, but nae until I thank ye all for what ye have done.” He spotted Lukas and went over to him, gripping his shoulder in his hand. “Friend, brother, ye have done well. Ye saved these three from execution.”

“Thank you, Lukas. I cannot thank you enough for saving me, us. You have given us another chance.” She looked at Sean and Donovan, who smiled back at her in reply.”

“Aye, we agree with the lass, even if she is a Sassenach,” Sean said, his face breaking out into a wide smile. The rest of the men and women laughed heartily and began to pack up their remaining belongings, ready to move camp.

Sean said loudly, “So I know that we ought tae move away from here since bodies lie in our midst, but I have tae say, I think we prisoners need a little food.”

Everyone laughed once again, their hearts light, hopeful for the coming of a new day that didn’t leave blood on their hands.

* * *

The party had traveled a few miles away to a new patch of forest with the river on their side, just to keep the fort in view. Even hours afterward, smoke from the fort still curled up into the sky, and Isabelle could see how the stone had blackened in large patches over the fortress. She tried to keep her mind from her father’s still form, which lay alone in the woods, and she knew that one day, she might be called to pay for her crime, but today was not that day. Today was to celebrate freedom and success.

Even though she and Eamon had not yet spoken about all that had happened between them, the attitude was merry around the large fire as the group partook in a hearty meal of fresh venison and rabbit, heated perfectly over the flames. There had been much laughter, and Isabelle finally felt that she had found a place she could belong to. She had laughed along and been amazed at the stories of the battle in the castle against the soldiers and escape from the fire. The flames had been so distracting to the redcoats, that they didn’t have the time or energy to fight back as they would have.

Instead, they were reduced to fighting with swords and fists, since they were caught unawares. Isabelle said, “Lukas, I knew something was off when I spotted you calling out about the fire, even though I did not recognize you at first. Where did you go when you jumped over the wall?”

He laughed. “I saw a way tae get intae the window below, and I thought that would be better than getting caught up high when the fires were burning the foundation of the building. God was on my side. I was able tae meet up with a few of the other men, and we fought our way tae escape, except that since I was still wearing the redcoat, and was strangely bearded, I was the only one of the group who got caught.

---