Page 116 of The Sinner
“Hugh’s,” Angus said. “He put her there to keep her away from Magnus.”
“If I find ye laid a finger on her, Angus,” Alex said between clenched teeth, “I’ll come back and gut ye.”
Alex had no time to tie Angus so he picked up the nearest rock and hit him on the head.
* * *
Glynis’s wrists were raw from struggling to get the ropes off, but she kept at it. She glanced over her shoulder at her surly keeper, wondering if there was a way she could get his dirk off him. He had an oil lamp beside him, but the fog was so thick that she could see little more than his dim outline, sitting with his legs propped up on the side of the boat.
Somehow, she must get free and warn Alex and the others before they fell into Hugh’s trap. She had not seen a village or even a cottage when they were sailing to the camp. Once she escaped, she would have a long way to travel before she found someone to help her, but she would walk to hell and back if she had to.
Suddenly, there were shouts and the sounds of fighting on the beach. Glynis could not see what was happening through the fog and darkness, but she had not heard a boat arrive. It didn’t surprise her that the pirates had started fighting among themselves. Hugh and Magnus were uneasy allies. Neither trusted the other, and with good reason.
“Arrgh…”
The horrible gagging sound was close. Was that her guard? Glynis leaned forward as far as the rope would let her and squinted into the darkness at the far end of the boat.
The figure of a man slowly emerged from the night fog, carrying his long claymore blade before him. Even before she could see his face, she knew who it was.
She was alone on the boat with Magnus.
* * *
The others were still caught up in the battle, and Alex could not wait for them. He ran through the dense fog, sucking the heavy air deep into his lungs. When he reached the edge of the loch, he saw a wavering light over the water.
God, no! One of the boats was aflame.
Alex splashed into the water. The three pirate boats loomed out of the fog like ghost ships, dimly lit by the glow of fire on the middle ship. Alex could just make out the carved serpent head affixed to its bow. It was Hugh’s ship that was burning.
He clamped his dirk between his teeth and swam the rest of the way to the boat. He found a rope hanging over the side near the burning bow. As he hauled himself up, he strained to listen, but he could hear nothing over the crackle of flames and the sounds from the ongoing battle on shore. When he rolled over the side into the boat, he fell onto something soft.
A body. His mind whirled at the possibilities, and a cold fear settled in his belly. Magnus must have killed the guard. Through the flames, he caught glimpses of the back of a man. Then he heard a deep, angry voice. Magnus’s voice.
“Ye made a fool of me before all my clan,” Magnus said. “That is why they took the chieftainship from me. They lost respect for me because of you.”
“They took the chieftainship from ye because ye were cruel to your own people.”
Ach, that was his wife—arguing with a vicious man with a blade in his hand.
God help him, Magnus was far too close to her. Alex moved forward cautiously, knowing he would have but one chance. If Magnus heard him coming, he could kill Glynis before Alex could reach her.
“All my troubles started with you,” Magnus said, waving his blade in the air like a madman. Flames were licking at his feet, but he was so enraged he didn’t seem to notice. “I should have dragged ye back by your hair and fooked ye til I got ye with child.”
Alex crept forward, his own rage barely under control.
“Everyone was already laughing at me because of what ye did,” Magnus said. “So when I heard ye didn’t leave Shaggy’s with your father, I went looking for ye. I couldn’t let my wife run off with another man.”
“I’m no your wife!” Glynis said.
Alex sensed Magnus was about to attack her. The fire was so hot now that sweat rolled down his face as he crept closer. He must take his chance soon.
“It was while I chasing after ye that they took the chieftainship from me,” Magnus shouted. “They never would have had the ballocks to do it if I’d been there. Because of you, they took everything from me!”
When Magnus swung his arm back, Alex was already running through the flames.
* * *
“Glynis!”
