if you ride into our enemy’s hands. Raynor sets a trap, and I will not be fool enough to send you into it.”
“If Raynor wanted Tarr dead he would be. It is obvious he wants something from us and I want something from him—Tarr and my sister alive and well.”
John mumbled beneath his breath, Fiona hearing an oath or two while he scratched his bushy mustache.
“What you are telling me is that we have little choice.”
“Now you understand.”
“What I do not understand,” John argued, “is how do I protect you.”
“You don’t; I protect myself.” Fiona slipped off her horse. “I will need more weapons and a means to strap them to me. Raynor will expect me to be armed, and I do not want him to find all my concealed weapons.”
John ordered the men to dismount, then he and James helped ready her.
“How much time do I give you before I strike?” John asked, strapping a knife to the under part of her forearm while James worked at her ankle.
“No more than an hour. That should be enough time to convince Raynor to free the prisoners.”
John and James stopped what they were doing and glared at her.
Fiona glared back. “Raynor kidnapped my sister and then he had the gall to take Tarr. Do you think I go to reason with the fool?”
“You said ‘convince,’ ” James replied.
Fiona drew the knife from the sheath attached to her arm. “A sharp blade convinces nicely.”
John shook his head. “I would doubt your ability if I had not seen your skills.”
Fiona returned the blade to the sheath. “Good, then you will have no cause to worry. Now, get the men mounted, we ride to Raynor’s keep.”
“We will remain a strong force for Raynor’s men to see,” John promised as they rode.
“Send one of the men to Kirk to advise him we may need more men, but he is to do nothing until word is received.”
John followed her orders without thought of objecting, and she was pleased that he trusted her decisions and respected her command.
It was a couple of hours before they reached the keep and Fiona knew it would not be difficult to take it even with the few men they had. The keep was not fortified with a surrounding wall and was constructed of more wood than stone, though it appeared that construction was about to begin on something. Stone and felled trees were stacked in piles around the keep.
“Take note of the men positioned in the trees and how the men as well as the women are armed,” Fiona said at their approach.
John nodded. “A broom or rake can serve well as a weapon.”
“They are ready to defend their home if necessary. Be prepared.”
They were stopped on the outskirts of the village and Fiona was waved on.
“One hour; no more,” John reminded.
Fiona nodded and rode her horse forward.
Two warriors halted her mare at the steps of the keep and while one handled her horse, the other told her to follow him.
Fiona was fully alert to her surroundings. She could tell that much in the village was newly built and the people protective of their homes and land. Cattle were plentiful and grazed in the field to the right of the keep and beyond. Garments also appeared newly stitched, and Fiona wondered if Raynor had suddenly acquired wealth.
A small empty room preceded entrance into the great hall and Fiona was immediately relieved when she saw Aliss standing beside Raynor speaking with him. She, however, was not happy to see Tarr shackled to a chair near the huge fireplace.
His scowl and intent glare told her he was ready to kill someone, and probably with his bare hands since his knuckles were white from being so tightly fisted.
Her presence seemed to annoy him, and she thought he most likely assumed that she was foolish for walking into the enemy’s hands. He would learn differently soon enough.
No servants milled about, though a bounty of food was spread on the dais table and the few tables that lined the room.
“Welcome to my home,” Raynor said with a smile.
Fiona approached him, satisfied that they were the only ones in the hall, the warrior who had escorted her there having left as soon as they had entered. It seemed too easy, the brief thought invaded her head as she reached out. Instead of taking Raynor’s offered hand she pulled the knife from her sleeve and had it at his throat before he could retaliate.