Page 91 of The Warrior
The voice was a woman’s. Duncan backed up, turning his head side-to-side, searching the shadows for Erik.
“Don’t kill me!”
The lass sounded terrified. Duncan moved the curtain aside with the tip of his sword. She was fair-haired, pretty, and far too young to be here. And she was alone in the bed.
“I’ve come for Erik,” Duncan said. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He left when we heard the shouting coming from the hall. Then he came back in a fury and said he was looking for the lad.”
Duncan’s blood turned to ice. “What lad?”
“The quiet one with the red hair,” she said. “Sarah’s friend.”
* * *
Please, God, don’t let Erik find Ragnall before I reach him. Surely, Erik would not think to look in the turret for him.
Duncan flew down the circular stone steps three at a time. He was moving so swiftly that he almost crashed into the small figure before he saw her. Just in time, he lifted her up. He carried her down several steps before he could stop.
“Sarah,” he said as he set her on her feet again, “what in God’s name are ye doing wandering the castle?”
“I was looking for ye,” she said, slipping her small hand into his. “Erik has Ragnall, so ye must come quickly.”
No!The devil had his son. “Where, Sarah?”
“I followed Erik into the other building and up to the turret.”
“Get back into your bedchamber and stay there!” he shouted and took the rest of the stairs in one leap.
By the time he reached the long room that led to the turret, Duncan’s heart was pounding hard enough to explode. He flung the door to the turret open and froze.
The room was empty.
Chapter 39
Duncan tore at his hair. Where could Erik have taken Ragnall? MacDonald warriors were guarding the gate so he could not get out that way. Erik could have taken Ragnall over the wall. It was a long drop, but that’s how many of the others were escaping.
From the corner of his eye as he left the turret room, he saw the rope they had left hanging out the window. Something bothered him. He started down the three steps to the other room, then halted abruptly and looked back. The rope was taut.
“No!” he shouted and ran to the window.
The wet wind lashed at his face as he leaned out, trying to see down the rope through the darkness. A rush of terror went through him as he imagined Ragnall falling down, down the side of the cliff into the black swells far below.
Then, finally, he spotted what he was looking for—a movement halfway down the cliff. In the darkness, he could barely make out a shape against the black rock. He could not tell if it was one person or two.
Duncan climbed out the window and started down. Moving dangerously fast, he let the rope slide through his hands as he rappelled off the wet, slippery side of the cliff with his feet.
He felt the rope strain under his hands and hoped to God the knots would hold under the weight of the three of them.
“Don’t come any closer,” Erik shouted when Duncan was fifteen feet above them, “or I’ll drop the lad.”
“You do that, and your life is over,” Duncan shouted back. “Are ye all right, Ragnall?”
“I’m scared!”
Lord help him.Duncan was close enough now to see that Ragnall was on Erik’s back and holding on to Erik’s neck—which meant he did not have a hand on the rope.
“I’ll let ye go, Erik,” Duncan shouted. “Just let me have the boy.”
