Page 54 of Bride of Ice
“The field?” one of the knights scoffed. “I say we show our Highland hostage what Rivenloch knights are made of, right, lads? Let’s spar beneath the prisoner’s window.”
Hallie’s brows collided. She’d come to the armory to forget about Colban an Curaidh, not to taunt him.
But already the men were urging her on, their eyes full of eager fire.
She could hardly deny them. Having an enemy to intimidate fueled the knights, spurring them on to fiercer battle. Besides, what would she say? That she didn’t want to spar in front of Colban because the idea made her heart flutter?
“Very well,” she conceded drily, arching her brow to add, “but afterward, you’ll pick up your own lopped-off limbs from the courtyard.”
The men roared with laughter at that.
Despite her levity, Hallie had serious reservations about her decision. After all, what message would that send to Colban?
If she fought well with his weapon, defeating her own men, it would prove the superiority of the Highland claymore over the Lowland longsword.
If she fought poorly, it would mean she didn’t deserve her reputation as a fearsome warrior lass, a dangerous foe, an enemy to be feared.
Under the circumstances, Hallie couldn’t help but think she was making a tactical error.
Something had stirred Colban from sleep.
He groaned. His head was still foggy with dreams. Rubbing at one eye and stumbling from the bed in naught but his braies, he made his groggy way toward the garderobe.
As he passed the window, the sound of steel on steel made him frown.
Who was crossing swords at this ungodly hour?
Blinking his eyes to try to clear the cobwebs, he opened the shutters and peered out into the dim light before dawn.
On the ground below, he saw the swirl of Hallie’s tabard.
His eyes widened.
The lass was confronting a pair of giants. Defending herself withhisclaymore—a two-handed blade that was far too heavy for her. She fell back as the bloody savages attacked her on two fronts.
Then his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.
Beyond the two brutes, out of the thick morning mist, emerged an entire army of huge, blade-wielding knights.
The castle was under siege.
And Hallie was out there alone.
Colban didn’t think. Or blink. Or hesitate.
He stepped up onto the ledge and leaped from the window into the fray with a bellow of fierce challenge.
The drop was longer than he expected. The landing made his bones shudder. But he barely felt the impact. His sole focus was getting Hallie out of danger. He could deal with his own injuries later.
The two giants stood frozen with shock. In that instant, he tore his claymore from Hallie’s hands and set her behind him.
“Go!” he commanded.
There was no time to see if she’d obeyed.
Colban clenched his fists around the familiar weapon.
He’d never survive. He knew that. He had no targe, no cotun, no chain mail. Hell, he wasn’t even wearing his boots. But maybe he could buy Hallie time to escape.
