Page 50 of The Bells of Triumph
“We will have to move quickly and quietly. I can get ye as far as the clan borders, and then ye will be on yer own.”
She nodded, hoisting her bag over one shoulder and across her body. Waving her through, Caitria followed Hamish through the castle. They took a roundabout way down the servant's halls and through hidden doorways, never making a sound. She was sure they would be caught the entire time they moved. After all, she had been caught every other time she had tried to escapeMacKenzie Castle. But this time would be different. It had to be different.
By the time they made it to the stables, Caitria felt like a new woman entirely. A spark of hope was growing in her, one that she thought had died a long time ago.
“Take that one,” Hamish told her, pointing to a golden mare.
They each worked to saddle their horses. Every few moments, Hamish would peer around the stable walls, checking for anyone who might give them away. The third time he checked, there were footsteps. Caitria's heart sank, knowing that they had been caught before they had even made it out of the stables. She could tell Hamish was thinking the same thing from the slump of his shoulders.
“What is—och. Hamish,” the stable master pushed into the stall. “What are ye doing? Campbell will kill ye for this.”
“Someone has to get word to Seamus. Lady Caitria is our only chance.”
The two men exchanged meaningful looks for a moment or two before the stable master sighed.
“Then we must hurry. Campbell is having the castle searched as we speak.”
Relief coursed through her as the man came to help her with her horse. Between the three of them, she and Hamish were saddled and ready to go in a matter of minutes. This time, it was the stable master leading them out of the barn and towards the main road.
“Dinnae follow the road through the clan. Campbell's soldiers will be looking for ye that way. Go past the village, then head west until ye find the river. Then all ye will need to do is follow the river north until ye reach the bridge. Dinnae stop for anything.”
Caitria took in every syllable of Hamish's instructions, committing them to memory as though she didn't already know the way to Murray Castle.
“Are ye ready?”
“Aye.”
Kicking their horses into a run, Hamish and Caitria blazed out of the stables. She kept her body low, near the neck of her horse, pushing her faster and faster. Behind them, beyond the sound of the thundering hooves, Caitria could hear Campbell's men shouting after them.
“Keep going, my lady! Faster! Go!”
She didn't look to where Hamish was riding beside her, but rather, kept her eyes centered on the trees. As long as she could make it to the forest, she knew she could get away.
“Ye there! Stop!”
Something flew by her face before falling a few feet in front of her horse. An arrow. They were shooting at her. She looked up in horror, glancing behind to see half a dozen of Campbell's soldiers close behind.
“Dinnae look! Ride faster. Look ahead!”
Hamish kept shouting even as his own horse slowed.
“I am warning ye…” one of the guards behind her called.
But she kept going, hearing Hamish's words echoing in her mind. Another arrow flew by her face, while a second passed her elbow. She dug her heels into the sides of her horse, determined to make it to the trees.
“Are ye coming, Hamish?” she blurted out over the sound of her horse's hooves against the soft ground.
But her servant didn't answer.
“Hamish?”
A groan was the only reply. Caitria turned in her seat, searching for Hamish. She found him several yards away, clutching his side. Pulling up on the reins, she started to turn tohelp her friend. Blood poured from in between his fingers and down from the corner of his mouth. Campbell's guards were fast approaching him and his horse. Hamish made no effort to speed up or keep going, though he shouted to her one last time.
“Dinnae stop, my lady! Save us!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks even as her horse continued forward. She watched in horror as Hamish turned his horse around and rode straight into the group of guards, inflicting as much damage as he could, trying to slow them down. It worked for only as long as it took one of the guards to pull out his sword and ran it through the servant's chest. His body slid from atop his horse and landed on the ground with a hard thud. Caitria was horrified to see that there were still two guards chasing after her.
Refusing to let Hamish's sacrifice go to waste, Caitria spun back around and kicked her horse to go faster and faster.
