Page 75 of The Stag & The Owl
She yawned, shifted, and blinked her sleepygreen eyes up at him.“Not yet,” she pleaded.“Surely we can sleepin a little long…” Her sleepy eyes widened.“Damnation.”
“Aye,” Roark said, pushing a lock of hairfrom her sleep-dampened cheek.“Damnation.”He lowered his mouth tohers and kissed her, long, soft, and tender.He started to pull hismouth away and she threw her arms around his neck and deepenedtheir kiss, branding his lips with hers, branding him, his heart,and his very soul.
“I, ah, I hate to break this up,” Owen saidfrom across the room.“But we need to get going if we want to maketheTrade Windin time.”
Roark held Alina by both shoulders and staredinto her eyes.“We can do this,” he told her.Told himself.“We cando this.”
She smiled and blinked back her wellingtears, sniffed, and nodded.“We can do this.”
They met up with Niels in the common room,where he told them he’d been right about the raggedy band of threenosing around the wagon last night, though not too close or toolong when Duncan and Liam confronted them.He’d heard Roger’s menhad left town shortly after their group had arrived.
Owen bought two loaves of bread, a wheel ofcheese, and a pitcher of ale from the innkeeper that they took tothe stables, where the draft horses were already hitched to thewagon and their mounts all saddled.They split the food and drinkamongst themselves and ate it quickly, and then it was time togo.
Unable to resist the chance to touch Alina,Roark took her by the waist and boosted her onto Etain, running hishand down her breeches-clad thigh and booted calf, guiding her footinto the stirrup.Loath to remove his hand from her, her gave herankle a gentle squeeze and then broke his hold and mountedBeasty.
The docks were only a short ride away, yeteach step felt like a league as they made their way down the roadin the thick, early morning mist.
Roark sidled Beasty closer to Etain and heldout his hand, his throat constricting as Alina reached out andtwined her fingers through his.He tried to smile, to reassure her,and himself, and was pretty sure it came out more of a grimace.
They held on tight to each other’s hands asthe docks came into view.Niels pointed out theTrade Windtied off at the nearest pier, and men appeared on the deck of theship.The mist cleared and other men appeared on the road, all ofthem mounted and all of them armed, blocking their way to theship.
Roark recognized them immediately.Three ofthem were Ned, Shaw, and Cam, and the other four were Roger’smen-at-arms.He pulled his scarf up over his nose and Alina pulledher woolen cap lower over her forehead.
“What is the meaning of this?”Owen demandedas Liam pulled the wagon to a stop.“I am Owen MacLeod, laird ofSilver Water Keep.Who are you to block our way?”
Scott, the captain of Roger’s men-at-arms,urged his horse forward, his gaze flicking over Roark and Alinabefore he addressed Owen.“We are the men of Laird Roger MacKinnonof North Shore Keep,” he said.“Sworn to apprehend the murderers ofhis only son and return them to him for a fair trial and publichanging.”
“What is that to us?”Owen said.
Scott lifted his chin toward Roark and Alina.“I see the murderers, Roark MacInnes and the serving wench, Alina,amongst you there.I demand you turn them over to us.”
“Or?”
Scott glanced from his men, who were allarmed with short and long swords and wore lacquered chest platesand arm guards, to Owen’s who, though armed with short swords, woreno armor other than their thick leather jerkins.Among whom onlyOwen and Niels had long swords.“Or we will take them by force andyou will suffer the consequences of Laird Roger’s wrath.”
Owen laughed, short and harsh.“This lairdRoger must think his arms long indeed if he thinks they can reachme here.”
“Will you give the man and woman over?”Scottasked, his question more of a demand than a request as Ross, hissecond, urged his horse forward.
“I will not,” Owen said as curious onlookersbegan to line up along the road.
On board theTrade Wind,three of thecrew started to descend the gangplank, each one armed with a shortsword and various blades, while three more stayed on board,brandishing their blades from the rails.Scott and Ross bothglanced behind them to see the three crewmen spreading out aroundthem, and Owen grinned.It was now Roger’s group who wereoutnumbered.
“Well,” Owen called out to Scott.“What’s itto be?”
Scott and Ross sat taller in their saddlesand pulled their long swords, as Douglas and Todd, the other two ofRoger’s men, did the same.Ned, Shaw, and Cam brandished theirshort swords.Owen and his men pulled their weapons too, and Alinahad a death grip on her waist blade with one hand and her bootdagger in the other.
Roark had been in enough fights to realize noone was going to back down, and people were going to get injuredand die if a fight broke out.Laird Owen could be hurt, or killed,leaving his wife and children without him.Alina could be injuredor killed, or taken prisoner and sold as a slave, and then all ofwhat they’d gone through would be for naught.
“I’m sorry, Ali,” he said.“I know I promisedI’d wait to go back and face Roger, but if I don’t go with themnow, people will die.You could die.I won’t be responsible forthat, not if I can stop it.”
“No.”She shook her head, her eyes pleadingwith him.“Roark, no.”
He let his eyes tell her what he couldn’t andurged Beasty forward between Owen’s and Niels’s mounts and loweredhis scarf.
“What are you doing, lad?”Owen said.
“Stopping this before it gets bloody.”Roarkurged Beasty forward a few more steps.“Scott, Ross,” he addressedRoger’s men.“You know me.You know I’m a man of my word.”
