Page 22 of The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain
He would give them what they wanted.
When Egan and Fingal came in to get him in the morning, he didn’t move. He had no voice left, no strength, no will to live. He’d lost all hope. He stared straight ahead, not answering any of their questions, not responding to any of the pinches, punches, or cuts on his body.
They could do whatever they wanted to him. He would not respond, saving his strength for what he would need to do.
Another man came in behind Egan and moved over to where Lennox sat on the cot, leaning against the wall. The man spoke to him, poked him, slapped him, yelled in his face, and finally spit on him, but Lennox didn’t react. Not once did he flinch.
The man spun around and said, “He’s no good. Take him and toss him overboard.”
They carried him back to the coastline, pulled a boat out of the bushes, then set him inside. He still didn’t react. He had no idea where he was, but having lived his whole life on an island, he was a strong swimmer.
They moved across the water, waited until they were near the middle, and dropped him over the side of the boat. He fell in with hardly a splash.
He went under, held his breath, and swam as hard as he could. He pushed himself as far as possible, not coming up for air until he had to. To his surprise, it had started to rain and the two in the boat were busy yelling at each other to row faster. They were rowing away from him.
He closed his eyes and swam harder, keeping his strokes calm until he came up for air again. He looked both ways, satisfied that the boat had nearly gone ashore. They weren’t even looking at him because they didn’t care.
He turned to the opposite bank, glad to see it was visible, but he’d have to swim. So, he paced himself, starting on his back and opening his mouth to drink the fresh water coming from the sky rather than the loch water. He’d been sickened by it once and would never drink from the lochs or oceans again.
He swam and swam, alternating from his back to his belly, pleased he didn’t encounter any creatures along the way. When he was nearly there, he worried that he had weakened enough that he wouldn’t be able to climb up the bank.
But he did. He climbed across the rocks and found a grassy section, falling into it with relief.
He’d made it.
He didn’t recall anything else until he woke up in his chamber at home, his mother sobbing by his bedside.
But he never told her all the details. He’d told her he couldn’t remember anything that happened—not the men, the mice, nor the beating he’d been forced to endure from Egan after the other man had left.
Chapter Thirteen
Meg
The five escapees had been running for two days, and Meg had no idea where they were. The first day, the man they called Hairy had caught up with them, but she threw one of her axes square in his forehead, dropping him instantly. It had been unsightly, so she forced the bairns to run in the opposite direction before they got a good look at all the blood. That meant one less man to chase them.
The first night, they’d slept huddled in a clearing together, but last evening, she’d noticed a cave, a much more appealing prospect since it had rained again. They slept hard, all of them hungry, yet hopeful as they huddled together to keep warm.
This morn when Meg awakened, she was pleased to see the sea, though it still lay a distance away.
She made her way back into the cave to see if the others had woken up yet.
Magni sat up and said, “We’re still free. Can we find a boat this day? I’m going outside.”
“I hope to make it to the ferry soon. Go ahead, but please remember to be quiet and do not venture too far away, Magni. There could be men still looking for us,” Meg advised, giving a little squeal when she looked down at her finger. It had hurt just to touch it, something she noticed two evenings ago. Now it was swollen and red, which she knew was bad. She reached into her small sac attached to her belt, feeling for her sister’s bracelet for good luck.
But it wasn’t there.
“I’ll be right back,” Magni said as he skipped outside into the cool morning.
She searched the floor around her but didn’t find her missing bracelet. There was no way she could have lost it.
Magni came back inside and grabbed her by the hand. “Meg, what’s wrong?”
“My bracelet. I can’t find it. It was in my bag on my belt. It’s gone.” She couldn’t stop the misting in her eyes, but then took three deep breaths to stop because she had to be strong for the bairns. “It’s blue. I’ve looked everywhere. Please help me find it.”
She dropped Magni’s hand and went over to one corner in the cave, then raced to another, her vision blurring. “I must find it.”
Lia pointed for Magni. “Over there. I see something.”
