- Your reputation precedes you, Your Highness. - the man said in a debauched way. - I've been following you on the battlefields and studying all your moves. It will be a pleasure to dissipate the life of the man who killed my brother.
Alistair just laughed. That bastard was gonna kill him and he was laughing? He was a fool to laugh like that and, besides, to bleed to death.
- You're good. How did you get past the lines of defense? - Alistair asked the man.
- It's none of your business. - the man replied harshly.
- Besides being a coward, are you a traitor? - Alistais asked in a debauched way. - Who paid you to come and kidnap my wife? Was it that bastard MacGregor? Is his desperation so great that he's down to the point of resorting to greedy traitors?
Alistair was distracting him, perhaps to gain time and strength. The cut was bleeding a lot and it looked deep. I looked around in the hope of being able to help him and found daggers stuck in the other dead guy's boot. Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly to the fallen body so that no one would notice me. Dropping down next to the boot I grabbed the two daggers and hid them in my hands behind my back. I hadn't done that in years, but I had to try and pray that I was still good.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey. You ugly one-eyed guy? - I screamed. The man turned to face me.
- What are you doing, Aideen? - Alistair screamed, but I ignored him.
- I give you two options: - told the man that he looked down on me. - Drop the sword and go! In this case you will live, or stay and die like the coward you are. You have ten seconds to decide.
I started the countdown slowly and the man laughed in a debauched way.
- Your wife is hilarious! - he said turning to Alistair. - I'll be happy to kill her when the time comes.
Before I finished, he raised his sword and made mention of hitting Alistair, who was already standing and grabbed his hands avoiding the hit.
- Wrong choice. - I whispered.
Without hesitating, I brought my hands forward and turned the dagger to grab the handle. Praying to hit the target, I shot the man in the back of the head. He dropped a roar before falling to his knees on the floor and then tipping over to the side. Alistair stared at me in an astonishing way, but when I was about to ask him something, he grunted.
- Oh! God! - I exclaimed by throwing the other dagger away. - That wound looks serious. We have to get back to Dunhill now.
Grabbing Alistair's arm, I placed it on my shoulder and then took it near the Sovereign.
- Can you ride? - I asked.
- I think so. - he whispered with a face.
- Oh, great! Mount I'll take Chimera for us to leave.
He nodded and pulled Chimera down the reins. When I passed the sword of Alistair, I caught her handing it over to him. I tied Chimera's reins to the Sovereign's cell and stretched out my hand for Alistair to help me ride.
- Give me the reins and hold tight. - I did.
Alistair laughed, but then regretted doing so.
- What are you laughing at?
- If I give you the reins, then I will die.
I snorted angrily and I folded my arms. Alistair passed his arms around my body to keep me safe. I held my breath when I remembered that I was in those arms a little earlier. I couldn't deny that I felt safe every time I rode with him. Tired and still dizzy, I put my head against her chest. That was another frustrated escape attempt, but it was not what I was worried about, knowing that I could do it again. What really worried me was what happened to those men. Who were they and why did they want me?
Chapter 13
Alistair
My vision was beginning to fail. We were only a few metres away from the castle and I felt my whole body weakening. I've never lost a fight. That one was the first time. If it wasn't for Aideen, I'd certainly be dead. I didn't know either of the two men who attacked Aideen and I knew how they got to Dunhill. There was an army besieged to the east by the Inverness border. It was the militia Bree commanded before he went to the front. There was no way they could have crossed there unless they were already there. His robes looked a lot like those of mercenaries. I was amazed to see you two acting together. It was usually a gang or just one. The idiot who attacked Aideen wanted to take her with him. That only confirmed my suspicions that they were mercenaries. Roy should have known about my marriage to Aideen by now, and he already knew who had notified him about it, but how did he manage to send money to
