Plead Forgiveness (Loyalty Series) (57 page)

“Ye dinna have to worry, for she is my heart,” Gavin
said just before he spotted Ualan standing by the hearth.

“Come, my friend,” he said to the burly man. “I have
need of ye this eve. Ye have heard all, aye?”

Toying with the dagger in his hand, Ualan nodded then
said, “Tell me what is needed, for I will nae rest until she is back.”

Pride was evident in the Macleod laird as he looked at
the surly cook, who had at one time been one of the greatest warriors within
the clan. Although Ualan still limped, through the care of Ella he had made
great strides towards returning to his former occupation.

Once Ualan was by his side, Gavin asked, “I trust yer
claymore is ready, for we leave within the hour.”

Ualan nodded, not trusting himself to speak as
gratification and pride filled his chest. It had been many years since he rode
out with his laird and the Macleod warriors to defend their land and the people
they loved. It was Ella’s determination to see him walk and ride without pain
that made this moment possible.

As Ualan listened to Gavin and Alex explain the rescue
mission, he saw Fin at the top of the stone stairs that lead to the kitchen.
Even with the tears staining her cherubic face, he saw how proud she was that
he would be contributing to the return of their mistress, their friend.

Just before leaving the hall with the other warriors,
Ualan stopped in front of Fin. He cupped her face and said, “I ken ye fear
greatly for Ella, but-”

“Aye, but I fear greatly for ye as well,” she cried.

“I am only half a warrior, but I vow to keep our
dearest friend safe, then . . .”

“Then?”

“Then I will return and marry ye, if ye will have me.
I have loved ye from the moment I saw ye, but I’m nae the man I once was.”

Fin wrapped her arms around him and said, “I love the
man ye are now, and would be honored to be yer wife.”

Her last words were smothered by his passionate kiss
before he turned and followed Laird Gavin from the hall. With Lady Esme, Eva,
Maeve and Father Logan, she watched the men ride out over the drawbridge as she
silently prayed that all would be well.

Dawn was a few hours away when Ella entered the secret
tunnel that lead into the Mackenzie fortress. The trap door was hidden in the
hollow of an ancient yew tree, a furlong from the castle. She moved her hand
along the wall of the long, narrow tunnel until it branched into two, one
leading to the dungeons, the other to the far side of the castle. There was
also an iron ladder built into the wall, leading to the passageways that ran
behind the bedchamber above the hall.

She heard voices coming from above and decided to
scurry up the ladder to hear what was being said in the hall. Reaching the
first floor, she overheard Phillip speaking with one of his men. She quickly
learned that Gabriel was confined to a bedchamber above stairs, and that he
would receive neither food nor water. Good, she thought, Gabriel’s absence
would not be noticed immediately.

With slow, quiet movements, she continued up the
ladder to the second floor. Unaware which chamber belonged to Gabriel, she
began to panic, then suddenly she heard a child’s soft weeping. Her relief was
short-lived when she realized that she would unintentionally startle the
frightened boy, causing him to scream. Unfortunately, time was not an ally.

As quietly as she could, she entered Gabriel’s chamber
through the stonewall. To her surprise the little boy was face down on the bed.
She moved to the bed just as he was turning over and before he could react, she
quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

“Gabriel, it’s me, Ella.”

He recognized her at once, threw himself into her open
arms and cried, “Ella, thank God! They have-”

She put her finger to his lips and said, “Shhh . . . I
know all. We will get them out. You must listen to me very carefully and do
exactly as I say.” When he nodded she continued, “First, you must remain
silent, especially when we are in the secret passageways.”

When she saw his look of confusion, she explained,
“There is a reason why you were not told. You have not yet reached your ninth
summer, only then are children shown the passageways. We do not have time for
me to explain all, for we must get your father and uncles out of the dungeon. I
can’t do this alone. I will need your help and complete trust.”

Gabriel nodded, remembering that she had told him not
to speak.

Before leaving the chamber, she stuffed clothes under
the bed cover so it would look like Gabriel was just sleeping in case a guard
was ordered to check on the boy. Moments later they were in the tunnel that led
to the dungeon.

She picked up her medicinal satchel that she left at
the split, then headed to where her brothers were imprisoned. She was not sure
what kind of shape they would be in, but knew she would have need of her tools
to open their shackles.

After ordering Gabriel to stay in the tunnel, she
knelt on the ground and pulled a huge stone out from the wall. The stone was as
tall as her knee, so she had to crawl through the opening. Once inside, with
her satchel over her shoulder, she walked slowly towards the three figures
sitting at the opposite side of the dungeon.

She was provided enough light from the torch above the
stairwell to see that her brothers were shackled, and only Guy was conscious.
Each one had been beaten, but their injuries appeared not to be life
threatening. As she approached, the partial light afforded her a glimpse of the
three faces she had not seen in eight years. Even with the bruising, to her,
they still looked devastatingly handsome.

Guy’s brow pulled into an affronted frown and a muscle
flicked angrily in his jaw, as he stared at the small dark figure before him.

“Please, dinna speak. I must get ye out of here.” She
spoke with a Scottish accent to alleviate suspicion then pulled iron tools from
her satchel.

Guy choked out, “Gabriel?”

“He is safe and in the tunnel,” she explained, not
bothering to look up as she worked on the shackles. She was thankful that her
mother had taught her this valuable skill when they opened and she pulled his
ankle free from the iron.

“Who are ye? How do ye ken of the tunnel?”

“Ye can ask me anything after I get ye three to
safety.”

Guy nodded, then watched as she removed his brothers’
shackles with strange tools that suddenly looked quite familiar to him. When
she waved something under Keir’s nose, he knew then she was a healer and was
quick to cover his brother’s mouth when he woke.

“Keir, dinna speak. Gabriel is well and waiting in the
tunnel. This strange lass has removed our shackles and wishes to help us to
safety. All will be answered in time, but for now remain silent.”

Keir nodded as he looked at the female in question,
but was unable to make out her face. When he saw her try to wake Hamon using
the same method she had used with him, he whispered, “Drugged.”

Wasting no time, she grabbed Hamon’s wrist and
proceeded to drag his limp body to the tunnel. Both Guy and Keir just stared at
her in disbelief, then on wobbly legs moved to help her.

She went through the tunnel first to give Gabriel her
satchel and instructed him to follow the tunnel to the end. “It will be dark,
so let the wall be your guide. Dinna fear, sweetling. We will follow, but at a
slower pace. They have been beaten, but ‘tis naught I canna fix.”

Gabriel nodded, then started down the tunnel. He was
petrified, but he knew she needed him to conquer his fear for the sake of all
their lives. He would question her later to why she suddenly spoke like a Scot,
rather than an English lass.

The small space proved to be quite difficult for the
large men, but with her assistance in dragging them through the opening, they
soon were all in the tunnel.

Ella quickly slid the stone back into place to conceal
their escape route, then took hold of Hamon’s wrists again and began to drag
her limp brother down the tunnel.

Guy and Keir grabbed their brother’s feet, lifting him
so the dragging sound would not be heard. They used the wall to brace
themselves, but had to stop twice before they came to the end of the tunnel.

“Gabriel,” Ella whispered.

“Aye, I’m here.”

She found his outstretched hand, pulled him into a
hug, then pushed him into Keir.

Her heart melted when she heard the two embrace and
Keir whisper softly, “Gabriel, are ye hurt or harmed in any way?”

“Nae, Papa. But, we canna talk, Ella says so.”

“Aye, but I believe she will need our assistance,”
Keir replied.

When Ella tried to climb up the stones embedded in the
wall leading to the trap door, a large hand fell upon her shoulder.

“Let me go first,” Guy whispered.

“Nae, ye will need my help at the top, “she said in a
hushed tone as she continued to climb up.

“Then allow me to help.”

“Nae-” Her protest faltered as Guy grabbed her by the
waist and hoisted her up to the trap door. She did not want Guy wasting his
strength on her, but knew there was little time to argue.

With haste, she retrieved the rope from her saddlebag,
tied one end to Apollo then dropped the other end to Guy.

Ignoring the rope, Guy and Keir easily lifted Gabriel
into her waiting arms. The two oldest brothers then tied the rope around Hamon
and allowed her to use her horse to pull him through the opening of the tree
hollow. The same method was used to lift Guy, followed by Keir.

Once they were safely out of the tunnel, Ella had Guy
mount Apollo, then with Keir’s help, tied Hamon to his back. She had chosen
Apollo for them, since he was easiest of the three horses to ride. She then
helped Keir and Gabriel onto Coisi before she mounted Righ.

Dawn has yet to come when Keir led them through the
woods towards the burn. The moon bathed the landscape below in soft white light
as it cast shadows that concealed their escape. Crickets and moving water were
the only sounds heard beyond their own horses. They stopped occasionally to
listen for signs of other riders then continued their slow pace.

When Ella realized they were going to take the bridge
and cross over onto Fraser land, she asked, “I thought the Fraser’s were yer
enemy.”

Keir barely heard the feminine whisper and was unable
to answer due to the excruciating pain rippling through his body. His back and
feet had been whipped until he blacked out from the blood loss and he prayed he
would remain conscious long enough to get his son, his brothers and the lass to
safety.

“They are nae enemies, but neither are they allies,”
Guy answered. “Our chances are better with them than the English.”

“RIDE,” Ella screamed when she heard horses galloping
towards them.

Both Guy and Keir kicked the flanks of their horses,
bolting to the bridge as she stayed behind and moved into the shadows. When she
pulled out her bow, she saw flaming arrows light up the darken sky and impale
the wooden bridge. They were trying to burn the bridge down, effectively
cutting off their escape route.

There were three of them, she noticed as she took aim,
then loosed her arrow at the lead rider. He fell dead to the ground while his
companions continued their chase. She let a second arrow fly, then cursed when
it was misdirected by a sudden gust of wind, giving them sufficient time to hit
the bridge with two more flaming arrows. She let loose another arrow, hitting a
second man in between his shoulder blades, while the last soldier raced towards
the bridge.

Riding hard to keep him in her vision, she saw beyond
him that her brothers and Gabriel had not crossed the bridge. And the bridge
was on fire.
With her heart pounding in her chest, she
took aim and killed the last man.

By the time Ella reached the bridge, her brothers and
Gabriel were safely on the other side. Pulling Righ to a stop, she closed her
eyes and swallowed a sob that rose in her throat. She could hear the timber
splinter apart, then the splash of the wooden bridge falling into the burn. She
had lost her chance to cross and be with her family. A flash of loneliness
stabbed her heart when she opened her eyes and looked across the water.

Dawn had come, bathing the horizon in a red and orange
glow, illuminating the landscape around the lost sibling. Keir and Guy stood
motionless as they stared in utter disbelief. In the light of the new day they
saw that face, the one they had loved so fiercely, but thought never to see
again. To recognize the sister they believed had died, only to be separated once
again, left them trembling with vicious agony and wretched helplessness.

Hearing riders in the distance, Ella’s chest tightened
knowing that this would be the last time she would see her family. She took
once last look at her brothers, and then put her hand over her heart. The
gesture was meant to convey her love. Tears blurred her vision as she turned
and rode back into the dense woods.

Had she looked a moment longer, she would have seen
Keir and Guy put their tight fist over their hearts as they stared at their
beloved sister. Shock and pain was replaced with stone-hard determination.