Black Richard's Heart (The MacCulloughs #1) - Suzan Tisdale Page 0,137
just a few feet ahead, lay a dead man. He’d been stabbed in the chest, as evidenced by the sticky blood covering his tunic and the ground around him.
Good, he thought. At least Richard did nae go down without a fight.
Not far from that man lay another; his throat sliced from ear to ear.
Hope burgeoned in Lachlan’s heart. Mayhap his laird had survived this after all. Mayhap he was lying low until reinforcements or help arrived.
His hope evaporated in an instant, when he saw Raibeart’s body just a few feet away.
“Jesu!” he exclaimed in a whisper as he rushed to the boy’s body. He crouched onto one knee for closer examination. Laying on his side, his hair was matted with blood, his skin as white as a sheet. There was a large gaping wound on his upper left arm. In his right hand, he still gripped his sword.
This will destroy Aeschene, he thought to himself. Closing his eyes, a tear trailed down his cheek as he said a silent prayer for the lad. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. If Raibeart was dead, it stood to reason that Richard and Colyne were as well.
“Carry him home, lads,” Lachlan said as he made the sign of the cross. “Carry him home.”
Two men stepped forward to prepare to take the boy’s body back to Aeschene. “The rest of ye, spread out and look for the others.” His voice cracked, his heart aching for the loss of such a fine boy. There would be no time to grieve now; he had deaths to avenge.
“Lachlan!” one of his men cried out. “I think he still lives!”
He knelt down on one knee to see for himself. He nearly fell over when he heard Raibeart groan. “God’s teeth!” he exclaimed. “Raibeart! Raibeart! What happened?”
The lad groaned and mumbled something incoherent. He was in too much pain and too close to death to answer. “Get him back to the keep quick as ye can!” He ordered. “Thomas, Gannon, and Gerald, ye will stay with me. Continue to look for Richard and the others.”
Thomas stepped forward. “We found two more bodies not far from here,” he said. “I recognize one of them as a Chisolm.”
“Any sign of Richard or Rory or Colyne?”
Thomas shook his head. “Nay. We also haven’t found their mounts.”
’Twas as good a sign as any he supposed. If there were no bodies nor horses, there was a good chance they’d been kidnapped. Lachlan would remain hopeful but cautiously so. “We continue to look,” he told him. “Have those who take Raibeart back return with twenty more men. We will nae stop looking.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Every member of the clan was brought into the walls of the MacCullough keep. The courtyard was filled near to bursting with tents and cooking fires, chickens, and milk cows. The sheep and cattle were kept right outside the walls, under the careful care and watchful eyes of the warriors and farmers.
The elderly and families with very young children were brought into the keep, given rooms above stairs, or in the armory on the lower floor. In a matter of a few short hours, the keep was bursting at the seams with people.
Marisse was doing her best to keep Aeschene’s spirits up. ‘Twasn’t until she said, “I am certain they are all well,” for the hundredth time that Aeschene realized what she was really doing. ‘Twasn’t Aeschene she was trying to convince, but her own worried heart.
“Ye care for Rory,” Aeschene whispered as they sat near the hearth. They were surrounded by people, all whispering and speaking in hushed tones. Worry and dread had settled over everyone.
Marisse scoffed at the idea. “Be gone with ye,” she said dismissively. “I am worried about all of them.”
Not for a moment did she believe Marisse.
“Ye need to be restin’,” Marisse said, changing the subject.
Aeschene didn’t want to make the same mistake and false assumption again. For months, she had believed Marisse was in love with Tiberius. Could she be incorrect now? Mayhap Marisse and Rory were just friends?
Keevah came in and sat with them. “I think we have everyone settled,” she said. “Everyone has brought food and supplies. I think we should be able to get through the next ten days or so without the worry of starvation hangin’ over our heads.” She poured a cup of warm cider and sat back in her chair.
Aeschene was glad for that bit of news. Marisse was glad for the change in topics of conversation.