Page 50 of The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds
Eva screamed as the others began to fall so quickly. It was horrible.
Connor, Logan, Dyna, Derric, Gwyneth, Eli, Alaric. Fall after fall. Maitland tried to take the bairn from Maeve, but he dropped next.
And then the chamber was full of masked men. Six? Eight?
One man grabbed Maeve and the bairn, another went for Lia. Eva reacted without thinking, grabbing Alana who was now crying, and then ran to an alcove near the tunnel passageway. She passed one masked man, the stench of him hitting her so hard that she nearly stopped but then kept going. He was headed toward Sandor. Sylvi raced by her screaming, so she grabbed Sylvi and picked her up, taking her with her to hide in the alcove.
Once behind the curtain, she grabbed both girls and shushed them. “Hush, we cannot let them find us.”
Alana cried, “Mama fell down.”
Sylvi mumbled, “I saw Papa fall too, then Mama, then Grandpapa. Where’s Tora?”
The men were yelling at one another to grab this bairn and that one, so Eva put a finger to the girls’ mouths as the chaos continued. Someone yelled out, “Where’s the other white-haired lass? He decided he wanted all three of them.”
Sylvi looked up at Eva, tears in her eyes, gripping her hand as if she were the only one who could save her. She didn’t know what to do, hadn’t brought a weapon, but the three of them were safe.
When all seemed quiet, she peeked out of the curtain and scanned the area. No one moved. Then Magni came in from the tower chamber and began to scream and yell.
“Magni. Hush!” she called out, pulling the curtain aside a wee bit.
Magni saw her and rushed over. She tugged him inside the alcove and made room for him. He rambled on and on, “What happened? Where is my sister? Your mother, Sylvi? Where are Thane and Tamsin? I’m so scared again.”
“Hush. Listen carefully, but you must be quiet. Everyone started to pass out and then six masked men came in and took Maeve and the baby. I think they took Lia too. I don’t know who else, but I saw Sylvi and Alana, so we hid in here. Did you see anyone with a mask?”
Magni shook his head. “Nay.” He chewed on the tips of his fingers and whispered, “Not again …”
Eva closed her eyes and said, “Listen. See if you hear anything. We cannot go out until we hear a voice we recognize.”
It seemed like forever before some people began to awaken. Gwyneth’s voice was the first one they heard. “Logan, wake up!”
Sela called out to Connor, but he didn’t answer. Then Eli and Alaric. Voices grew louder and louder, searching for their loved ones.
Tamsin screamed, “Alana!”
“Can I go?” Alana peered up at her, but Eva was doubtful.
“In a moment.” Eva stood and peeked out, holding Alana’s and Sylvi’s hands, Magni clinging to her. By now, half the people were up and looking around. She stepped out and after gazing around, said to Alana, “Go.”
“Mama!”
Dyna woke up screaming. “Sandor, Tora, Sylvi! Where are you?”
“I’m here, Mama,” Sylvi screamed.
Eva took her over to Dyna who immediately asked, “Where are your brother and sister?”
Sylvi began to cry, and Dyna looked at Eva, who shook her head. “I don’t know. I grabbed these two and hid.”
In the middle, a man moved from person to person, searching and searching, then ran into the kitchens and up the stairs calling out, “Maeve! Where are you? Maeve!”
Finally, he shouted, “Who saw anything? Anyone? Who stayed awake?” From the balcony, he yelled, “Someone must have seen something.”
Eva said, “I did.” Magni hugged her.
The hall quieted as they all turned to her. “I saw six men with masks come inside after everyone passed out. They went straight to Maeve and grabbed her, the bairn, and Lia. I grabbed Sylvi and Alana, and we hid in the alcove. Magni came out of the tower, so I tugged him in.”
“Who were they?” Maitland shouted, his face filled with a fury unlike she’d ever seen before.
