Page 87 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
“Gather the others; I shall prepare her for her absolution,” Lucas said with finality. The men nodded, walking further into the crowd and calling for everyone to gather together, but their cries went unanswered. Fights had started amongst the villagers and guards now, and any control Lucas had held over the crowd was disintegrating.
Lucas cursed under his breath, grabbing hold of Keira’s body again and dragging her back away from the crowds. The chaos hid them from view as more flaming carts and barrels hurtled between the villagers. Some people were throwing lighted torches at the castle, and the grass around them was being set alight.
Keira felt a horrible sense of familiarity when she saw the flames leaping up beneath her feet. It was as though she were standing on that pyre all over again.
She struggled as best she could, but Lucas had hold of her in an iron grip.
She felt a wave of dread rush through her as she saw where he was taking her. Into the shadows, into the dark, which could only mean he intended to do one thing. He would take her, as he had always told her he would, and absolve her sins in the eyes of God.
She screamed, but his sweaty palm covered her mouth.
“Quiet, if ye daenae wish me to kill ye,” he snarled, and she stopped struggling as she felt the sharp blade of a knife at her belly. “Ye will do as I say, Keira, and ye will thank me for the privilege of the gift I’ll give ye.”
They were only meters from the dark, where her screams would go unheard, where no one would see what he would do to her.
She tried with one last great wrench of strength to free herself, but it was no use; her feet kicked out violently, and he simply kept walking, ignoring her protests, the unswerving path of a determined man.
“Unhand her this instant, priest!”
* * *
Noah was frantic. He watched Keira reasoning with the crowd, convinced that they would turn on her at any moment, yet her soft voice and calm demeanor appeared to win them over in a matter of minutes.
He had not considered the fact that these people knew her well. It was easy to make a person into a demon in your mind until they were right in front of you. He saw their resolve falter almost as soon as she started to speak.
She cared for them, and they could see quite well that she was no witch when she stood before them begging for her life.
He ’d been intrigued by her ability to reason with them until that cart had almost flattened her, and his heart had just about stopped in his chest.
At that moment, he knew that he would have given his own life for hers. As he watched her body fall back, it was as though someone had struck him in the gut. All he wanted to do was get to her, but everything had been confused as the bright flames of the cart blinded him. For a few precious seconds, he lost sight of her.
Once his eyes recovered all he saw was a woman screaming on the floor, in a dark dress like Keira’s, engulfed in flames. He ran to her, smothering them as best he could until they had been extinguished. But as she finally pulled her hands from her face, he saw it was not Keira.
Terrified—he leaped to his feet but could not see her anywhere.
“Callum!” he bellowed, “where is Keira?”
“I cannae see her. Did she return to the castle?”
Noah turned in the vain hope that she might have had the sense to do so, but the gates were lined by guards, he could not see her anywhere.
Then, as he watched, a figure appeared, running at full pelt toward him. It was Scott and he looked wild with fear, a sword in his hand, ready to fight.
“I was watchin’ from the window. He’s taken her, he’s taken her!”
Scott’s voice was hoarse and panicked and Noah frantically searched the milling crowds for Keira’s dark hair but there were people running in all directions.
“Scott go back inside!” Noah said swiftly, pulling the boy behind him. “It isnae safe.”
“I ken that, but he has me sister.”
“Where?” Noah barked, following Scott’s finger as he pointed to the edge of the crowds.
Please, please let her be safe. Please daenae let him touch her before I can kill him.
“They were by the wall, but I lost sight of them when I came downstairs.”
“Alright, I’ll find her. Go back inside! She’ll never forgive me if anything happens to ye, lad. Callum, keep Scott with ye.”
