Page 40 of Only By Grace
“There is no time to explain,” Grace interrupted. “We must leave before Flynn realizes I am here.”
Maeve sat up slowly, wincing as she moved. The faint light revealed dark bruises along her arms and across her cheek. Grace gasped, her stomach twisting with anger and sorrow.
“Maeve,” she said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to stay calm, “What has he done to you?”
Maeve’s gaze dropped, her hands clutching the blanket as though it might shield her from the shame and fear written across her face. “He said I was being disobedient,” she murmured. “That I needed to learn my place.”
Grace’s anger flared, white-hot and righteous. “You do not belong here,” she said firmly. “Flynn is a liar and a coward. You must come with me now.”
Maeve hesitated, tears spilling over as she shook her head. “He’ll come after us. He said if I tried to leave—he said I’m ruined.”
“He will not touch you again,” Grace said, her voice fierce. “Ronan is waiting just beyond the gates. He will protect you.”
Maeve’s eyes searched Grace’s face, as though seeking reassurance. Finally, she nodded, her movements slow and tentative. “Very well,” she whispered. “I’ll go.”
Grace squeezed her hand, relief flooding through her. “Get your cloak. The night is cold, but we must hurry.”
As Maeve rose from the bed, Grace helped her don a thick cloak around her shoulders. Together, they moved towards the door, their steps silent. The corridors seemed to stretch endlessly before them, each shadow a potential threat.
Finally, they reached the staircase. Maeve hesitated, her grip tightening on Grace’s arm. “What shall we do if he’s awake and sees us?” she whispered.
“Then we run,” Grace replied, her voice firm. “But I will not allow him to stop us.”
Maeve nodded, her resolve visibly strengthening. Together, they descended the stairs, the torch near the front door guiding them like a beacon.
The sound of raucous laughter and clinking glasses echoed in the corridor, accompanied by the unmistakable slur of drunken revelry. Grace froze mid-step, her heart pounding so violently she feared it might betray them. They must have gone the wrong way! Beside her, Maeve clutched at her arm, her trembling fingers a silent plea for reassurance. Light spilled from a half-open door ahead. “’Tis him.”
A voice rang out in a drunken boast tinged with cruelty. “A toast to our triumph, lads! He thinks he can outwit me? Will he not be surprised to return and find his little sister came to me on her own!”
Another burst of laughter followed, the kind that sent shivers down Grace’s spine. She glanced at Maeve, whose wide eyes glistened with barely contained tears. Grace placed a steadying hand on her arm, her whisper barely audible over the din. “We must keep moving. Slowly and as quietly as possible.”
Maeve nodded, her breath shallow as they edged closer to the source of the noise. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, and Grace feared they would ever reach the end. The smell of ale and sweat was overwhelming as they passed by, and Flynn’s laughter felt like a blade poised to strike.
As they slipped past unseen, Grace prayed fervently that the laughter would not suddenly stop, that no shadow would fall across their path. The door was now behind them, but their fear lingered, a suffocating presence urging them onward.
When they reached the threshold, Grace pushed the door open and stepped into the cool night air, pulling Maeve through with her, then shutting it carefully behind her. She prayed their steps were unheard as they hurried back across the drawbridge and towards the waiting shadows where Ronan was hidden.
“Ronan,” Grace called softly, her voice carrying just enough to reach him.
He emerged from the darkness, his tall figure silhouetted against the moonlight. His eyes widened as they fell on Maeve, and in an instant, he was at her side, his hands gripping her shoulders as he searched her face.
“Maeve,” he breathed, his voice breaking with relief then anger as he saw her beaten face. “What has he done to you?”
She shook her head as though she could not speak of it. “You came for me,” she whispered, tears spilling anew.
“Mo mhuirnín, I’ll always come for you.” Ronan pulled her into a fierce embrace, his jaw clenched tightly as he held her. Over her shoulder, his gaze met Grace’s, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between them. She had done what he could not, and for that, she knew he was grateful.
“We must go,” Grace reminded them. The night was not over. Flynn would not let Maeve go so easily, and the danger was far from past. Who knew how long they had until they discovered she was gone?
“We must gatherthe others and make haste before he discovers you are missing,” Ronan said, making his voice low and urgent as they prepared to depart. The cool night air wrapped around them like a shroud as Ronan tightened his grip on Maeve. He glanced back towards the darkened fortress they had just left, half-expecting Flynn to burst through its heavy doors at any moment. They had to move swiftly before their escape was discovered.
“He drank heavily tonight,” she murmured, her tone strangely subdued, as if seeking to explain away the brutality Flynn had inflicted upon her. Ronan’s arms tightened around her shoulders. He made no reply to her words—there would be time later to unmask the full depth of Flynn’s cruelty and offer what solace and redress he could. For now, escape was paramount. They made their way to a copse of trees where the horses had been hidden.
Maeve was hoisted onto Ronan’s gelding, then he helped Grace onto her mount.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, the intensity of his voice speaking volumes that words could not capture at present.Later, he would attempt a better way of expressing his gratitude. There was no time for emotion when they were so close to having Maeve safe. What other demons Flynn might have inflicted upon his sister they would deal with in time. What mattered now was that they had recovered her.
He mounted the horse behind Maeve, who was trembling, and tightened his arms around her, though he suspected ’twas fear and nerves more than the cold that caused it.
