Page 44 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
Within moments, Samuel and Nerian were both by his side, putting themselves between him and his attackers. Sweat dripped down Samuel’s forehead as he fought the same man who had attacked him before, their swords meeting again and again in a frenzy.
He saw his opening moments later, when the man left his right side unguarded, too tired now and too open without his partner’s help. With a swing of his sword, he finally managed to strike, killing the man instantly.
When he looked over his shoulder, he met Nerian’s gaze, who stood over the body of his own opponent, breathing heavily through his nose. Both men were covered in blood, but little of it belonged to either of them. Distantly, Samuel realized he bore a scratch on his forearm, but it was nothing that bothered him. What truly unsettled him was the sight of his friend on the ground, bleeding profusely from his shoulder.
“Faither!” Alicia screamed as she jumped off her horse, rushing to Gavin. She fell to her knees next to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grabbed his shoulders with uncertainty, at a loss for what to do. Katherine was close behind, joining the two of them on the ground, but from the distant look on her face, the blankness of her expression, Samuel could only assume she was in so much shock that she could hardly act at all.
“Gavin,” Samuel said, he and Nerian crouching down next to him. “Can ye stand?”
“Aye,” said Gavin, and though his voice was strained, he seemed to be entirely lucid, at least. “It’s only me shoulder he injured. I can stand an’ I can ride.”
“I dinnae think ye’re in any position tae ride,” said Samuel, before he turned to Alicia. “Can ye take him? Can yer horse carry ye both?”
“Aye,” said Alicia with no hesitation.
“An’ ye can control it?”
“Aye.”
Samuel nodded, not doubting her for a moment. “We’ll help ye onto the horse, Gavin.”
“I said I can ride,” Gavin protested, already using his uninjured arm to push himself up, only to fall back down, his eyes fallingshut for a moment. He was dizzy, Samuel could tell. He was losing a lot of blood.
Glancing at Nerian, Samuel didn’t have to speak for his friend to know what they had to do. He nodded, and together, they grabbed Gavin, helping him up and guiding him to the horses, all of whom had gathered in the clearing, away from all the commotion, and were now grazing the grass there. Once they had Alicia and Gavin secured on the saddle, they all set off for the castle, trying to get there as fast as they could.
All Samuel could think about as they rode was how devastated he would have been if something had happened to him and Alicia didn’t know how much he loved her.
Tears blurred Alicia’s vision as she rushed to Castle MacLachlan. The sight of her father on the ground, bleeding and hurt, still lingered in her mind, the memory of it so strong she could almost see the scene replaying before her eyes.
It was a struggle to ride, to keep calm enough to follow the others while she could hardly see through the tears. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that her father needed immediate attention from a healer, and naturally, the closest place they could find one was Samuel’s castle. The sooner they got there, the better it would be for him.
And so, Alicia rode on, she and the rest of the party moving as fast as they could to get her father to the healer. The reliefthat washed over her the moment the castle walls appeared in the distance was unlike anything she had ever felt before, so all-encompassing that she couldn’t help the sob which escaped her.
Help was so close. They just needed to reach the castle.
That last part of their ride seemed the longest, the minutes trickling by torturously slowly. Gallop by gallop, they finally made it to the gates, and upon spotting their laird, the guards threw them open for them to pass. Alicia had hardly managed to bring her horse to a halt when Samuel took charge, yelling commands at the guards and the soldiers around him. Before she knew it, three of them were carting her father off to the healer, showing utmost care as they carried him, and she and Katherine quickly followed.
“Alicia,” her sister said, the word a quiet whimper, as she grabbed Alicia’s hand while they ran after the soldiers. “Faither… he…”
“He’ll be fine,” Alicia assured her, lacing their fingers together and holding tightly onto her hand. “I promise ye, Katherine. He’ll live.”
He had to live. That was what Alicia told herself again and again as she watched them carry her father to the healer’s quarters, as she watched the healer work on his wound, as she heard his muffled cries of pain. He didn’t want them to hear him, she knew. He didn’t want them to worry, but how could they not?
The minutes trickled by like rain drops from the edge of a roof, so slowly that Alicia feared time had stood still. By the time the healer, an older woman with long, greying hair, approached them, her dress spattered with blood, Alicia was close to bursting into tears once more and the only thing that stopped her was the thought that she had to remain strong for Katherine.
She wished Samuel was there with her, but understandably, he was too busy with his council. After such an attack, it was only natural that he would have to consult his people, and though she was certain he, too, feared her father’s fate, he could do little for him now. He had already made sure he would get the help he needed. Now, it was only a matter of waiting.
“How is he?” Katherine asked the healer as she came to stand in front of them. “Is he… will he live?”
“He will,” the healer assured them, and Alicia sobbed with relief, her arms wrapping around Katherine’s shoulders as her sister collapsed into her. “He needs plenty o’ rest an’ I will have tae make sure the wound doesnae get infected. It’s very deep an’ he has lost much blood. He will have tae stay here fer a while.”
Now that Alicia knew that her father was going to be alright, the other concerns began to creep into her mind. “How long?” She asked. “We were only meant tae stay here fer a few days afore we left fer Castle MacTavish.”
“Longer than that,” said the woman with a small shrug. “I cannae say how long, exactly. It depends on how fast yer faither heals. But I would say a week, at least, if nae two or three.”
That, too, was a relief of its own. Though Alicia would have done anything to prevent her father’s injury, the one good thing that came out of all this was that they had a good excuse to remain where they were instead of heading out to Castle MacTavish. For a while longer, at least, Alicia didn’t have to worry about Laird MacTavish or her marriage.
Nodding in understanding, Alicia exchanged a quick glance with her sister, who seemed to be having the same thoughts she was. Then, she looked back at the healer and said, “Can we see him?”
