Page 58 of A Fearless Rebel
“Bring them I said,” she snapped and hurried away.
*
Keithen tested his ability to sit up by himself. Pain from the tension around his midsection made it difficult, but he managed it. His eyes felt hot, so he knew a fever was present, but it was normal. After all, his body was fighting to heal. Working his tongue around his mouth, he was surprised to find only one spot on the right side where a tooth was missing. He’d done the best he could to keep kicks from his face but had failed a couple of times.
He had to speak to his father and ensure someone was sent to find out where Ava was. Unable to stand on his leg, he could not hope to walk out of the room. “Guard!”
No one entered and he huffed in annoyance. Hopefully, a maid would appear soon, and he could send for his father.
All day, it had rained, and he wondered if Ava had found shelter from it. If she had remained at Mackenzie Keep, he wasn’t sure if he could accept it.
On one hand, she’d saved his life by riding to the Ross Keep to get help. But on the other hand, why had she abandoned Gallant? The horse had returned unharmed and saddled.
If she’d been accosted, surely they’d have kept the warhorse as it was an astonishingly beautiful horse.
Keithen grunted as pain gripped him. Then again, Gallant was not tame enough to allow just anyone near him.
Finally, the door opened and Broden entered. “Ye bellowed?” His friend lowered to a chair and proceeded to bite the side of his thumb nail.
“I thought ye were out on patrol,” Keithen said. “Why did ye return already?”
“No news. No one has seen or heard of a lass matching Ava’s description riding about.”
Keithen gave him a droll look. “She would not be riding since the horse returned.”
“How do ye know? What if she returned to Mackenzie Keep and retrieved a horse there? We do not know where Gallant was released from.”
It was true. However, his gut told him something had happened to Ava.
“If yer wife wished to return, she would have arrived by now.” Broden gave him a pointed look. “I think she is at Mackenzie Keep. It is impossible to breach Mackenzie Keep as the gates are closed and heavily guarded.”
“What should I do?” Keithen asked, knowing Broden did not have a reply.
His friend shook his head. “All ye can do is wait and recover. Right now, there isn’t much that can be done.”
Just then, his father and mother entered. His mother carried a tray with a bowl of soup and bread. “Good evening, Son,” she greeted with a smile. “It is good to see ye sitting up.”
She looked to Broden. “Help him to straighten, please, dear.”
Doing his best to keep from grimacing at being pulled up and pillows pushed behind his back, Keithen then waited for his mother to place the tray over his lap.
“Now,” she pronounced. “Yer father and I will keep ye company while ye eat.”
Broden met his gaze for a moment. “I will see about last meal then.” He left the room and both his parents looked to him with expectation.
“Eat,” his mother instructed.
“Father, I must insist that scouts be sent to find out if Ava is safe. She saved my life and I am concerned that no one has seen her.”
His father nodded. “In all probability, the lass is scared to return. After all, she is the cause of what happened to ye. Several of our men have been seriously hurt, one is near death from the clash with the Mackenzie guards. All because of her impulsive notion to go to our enemy’s keep.”
“I like the lass, but I do not care for a wife who is disobedient,” his mother said with a frown.
“Do ye not think, in a similar situation, Esme would have done the same?” he asked, looking first to his father and then to his mother. “I am willing to wager she would have been here without hesitation.”
“Be that as it may,” his father said. “I am reluctant to send men into dangerous territory. I prefer to wait and see if news comes.”
There was little he could do. It would be months before he could ride, much less fight. Keithen peered down at the soup. “I only ask that men be sent to surrounding villages on the road from Clan Ross to here to ask about her.”
