Page 139 of Come the Morning

“For your father, for the Vikings!” he said.

“Not for my father! My father became Scottish!”

Mallory smiled at her ruefully while men rushed around them. “For the riches then, my lady. All these years, I have counted your revenues … all these years. So much … gold, silver, and coins. Now, lady, riches will be mine. I will go a-Viking.”

Ulric himself came riding hard to where she stood. “I’ve delivered her!” Mallory said proudly. “I will be rewarded—”

She screamed as Ulric swiftly swung his sword, nearly decapitating Mallory. Blood sprayed over her. She tried to run, but the portcullis had closed. Ulric was on top of her. He reacheddown and caught her by her hair. She screamed again in pain, but he released her, grabbing her around the waist and dragging her up to the horse. He spun the animal around, racing away from the gates.

She heard the horrible screams of the men caught between gates even as they rode from the walls of the fortress. She struggled against Ulric, fighting fiercely.

She could smell burning flesh.

From atop the wall, her men were shouting. The archers aimed at Ulric, but Jon cried out in fierce command. “Nay, you’ll hit our lady!”

And Ulric was free to take her up.

They kept riding. The scent of burning flesh seemed to permeate her nostrils. The screams of the dying rose all around her.

The fortress had been saved, she realized.

But she was lost herself …

CHAPTER24

They arrived too late.

With Daro and his men at his side, Waryk realized that he had probably never ridden with such a ferocious force of men before.

But it didn’t matter. When they reached the mainland, he saw the burned ruins of the new wall, and of many of the cottages. But he saw no bodies strewn about, and as they headed for the water to the isle, he suddenly heard the cheers that were arising from the fortress at his arrival. He looked anxiously to the wall. Even at his distance, he could see Eleanora, Tyler, Geoffrey, Thomas, Jon, Igraina, Jillian … even Ewan.

But not his wife.

He nudged Mercury and tore across the water. The gates opened as he reached the land and continued across the slope. He rode into the courtyard, and he was surrounded. Jon of Wick, Ewan, Eleanora, all trying to tell him what had happened.

“A traitor within our own gates!” Jon cried to him furiously. “My lady was in command, she had a strategy, she could have saved those he intended to murder, and closed the gates upon him as well. But she was betrayed. By Mallory!” Jon spat on the ground.

Ewan was ashen. He leaned upon Tyler, looked up at Waryk, and shook his head in misery. “Her plan was good. It would have succeeded. And he meant to murder more people, she had no choice …”

Waryk felt as if ice swept his veins, as if he were cold beyond death.

“Where is she?” he rasped out.

And Ewan, pained, shook his head. “He took her. And rode away. And he is in great force; Lord Renfrew has made it into a battle between the Scots and the English. He claims he rides against Peter of Tyne and Eleanora, for betraying King Stephen.”

“Where did they ride?” he demanded.

“North, toward the settlements still largely Viking,” Ewan said. “I’ll ride with you—” he said, turning toward the stables.

But he staggered, and fell. Eleanora gasped, rushing to his side. “Ewan, poor Ewan, I will stay with you, the others must ride now.”

Waryk turned, and saw that Daro, Peter, Angus, and Ragnar and others had arrived behind him. He saw that Geoffrey, pained, stood in the courtyard as well.

“Water, lad,” he said wearily. “We need water for ourselves, and the horses, and then we ride again. Northward.”

Mellyora didn’t know where they were when they at last stopped.

It was night, darkness surrounded them, but they had come to high ground with a natural stone boundary to the south, and Lord Renfrew commanded that it was the best place to make camp for the night.