Page 7 of A Flawed Scotsman

It hadn’t been easy to extract the woman from her hiding place. Upon finding she was breathing, Ruari carefully pulled her out and placed her on the ground in front of the rock. In his bags, there were cloths he’d planned to use for bathing, which he now tore into strips. Once that was completed, he brought them and his wineskin to where the woman was.

Thankfully, she remained unconscious, because removing the arrows would be painful. The horse neared and sniffed at the woman. Then to his surprise, it nudged her gently.

“Get back.” Ruari pushed the animal’s face away.

He then pulled out his dirk and tore her tunic open. She was covered in blood, which there was little he could do about at the moment. Instead, he concentrated on first the arrow in her stomach. It had gone through the right side and seemed like a clean, non-lethal pierce. With one quick push, the arrow went through to her back. The woman moaned but remained unconscious.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much bleeding. He determined that she’d bled quite a bit already. If she didn’t die from the wounds, the loss of blood would bring her demise. Ruari wrapped her stomach with the strips, satisfied when only a bit of blood seeped through.

For a moment, Ruari studied her face. Although dirty, it did not disguise her features. She was fair of face, not beautiful, but fetching. With long lashes and full lips, he found her to be attractive, but not in an overt way. There was a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and the tops of her cheeks that made one think of sunny days. Her long, dark hair was a tangled mess. The locks had been loosened by whatever she’d been doing.

It would be a shame for her to die in such a horrible manner.

Turning his attention to the other arrow which was lodged into the left side of her torso, he grimaced at the direction the arrow was in. It pointed inward to the center of her body. The arrow was deep, so it could not be pulled out. If he pushed it, it could cause extreme damage.

After caring for horses for so long, he’d learned to treat injuries and, therefore, had assisted the healer when treating warriors for battle wounds. This type of arrow piercing was always the most difficult to deal with.

Deciding it was best to leave the arrow in, he broke off part of it so it would not extend out so far and then bandaged around it.

He brought his tartan from the saddlebag and wrapped it around the woman. Now, he’d have to mount the unruly beast and hope for the best. With luck, he would arrive at Fraser Keep without the horse throwing him and the injured woman to both their deaths.

It took some maneuvering, but he managed to get the woman and himself atop his mount. The horse was uncharacteristically mild and allowed him to guide it through the forest, doing his best not to jostle the woman more than necessary.

It was early morning. The sun barely peeked through the trees. A pleasant day was promised as they continued forth. Strange that the woman was so close to the keep and yet had been left out without escort.

“Who are ye?”

The soft question startled Ruari. He looked down to the woman cradled across his lap and met her brown gaze. “I am Ruari Ross, taking ye to Fraser Keep, where I am headed.”

“My home,” she said softly and grimaced. Tears began to fall and she lifted a grimy hand to wipe them away. “I am not very well.”

“No, ye are not.” Ruari was not about to lie to her. If she survived through the day, it would be a miracle. “Who did it?”

She studied him for a moment as if weighing whether to tell him or not. “I wish to see my father. How much longer?” Her eyes fell closed for a moment and then she opened them.

“I can see the keep now. Only a bit more.” If he urged the horse to a gallop, they would arrive sooner. But the movement could prove fatal for the woman, so he kept the reins tight on the horse that, so far, continued forward without much incident.

It seemed to take forever until they arrived at the keep gates. Although there were guards stationed above the open gates, he was not challenged as he rode through to the inner courtyard. It was there that four guards on horses stopped him.

“What happened?” A guard’s eyes widened upon catching sight of the woman in his arms.

“I found her in the forest,” Ruari replied. “Ye must fetch a healer immediately.”

Two men hurried forward and he lowered the woman who cried out in pain.

He followed their progress as she was carried inside.

“We have been out looking for her all night,” one of the guardsmen said. “Where was she?”

“Just north of here, in the forest. She was well hidden.”

A guard looked toward the entrance to where the people had taken the injured woman. “I am sure our laird will wish to speak to ye.”

“I was traveling here from Clan Ross to visit when I came upon her.”

The guard motioned some lads over. “See about his horse.”

Ruari dismounted but did not relinquish the reins. “I must see about my steed. He is not quite tamed yet.”