Page 30 of Highland Guard

“I willnae waste time asking if ye have searched for him,” Harcourt said, knowing full well that Annys and her people knew every single place the boy would hide and would have turned over every stone in the place looking for the boy. “Why are ye here?”

“Someone took the boy out this bolt-hole,” said Gybbon.

“Are ye certain?” Annys said, pulling away from Harcourt enough to look at Gybbon. “I saw what ye did but, although I cannae think of anything else that could have caused such marks, I am nay skilled at reading such signs. And I am nay sure I am thinking too clearly, either.”

“Verra sure. Someone dragged the lad over there”—Gybbon pointed to the small cluster of trees where they had seen the signs of horses having waited in place—“where two riders waited. Then only one person returned here. By the depth of the prints, I believe that person wasnae carrying the boy back. He had to have been given over to the riders.”

Harcourt studied the ground and then signaled to Callum. “Go see if there is a trail for us to follow.” As Callum and Tamhas hurried off to have a look, Harcourt held Annys close again. “We will find the boy.”

“He must be so afraid,” she whispered, fighting the urge to weep and rant.

“He is a sturdy lad.” He glanced down at the drag marks. “He fought hard.”

“Why didnae we hear him calling out then?”

“Tied and gagged.” He tightened his hold when she shuddered. “We will find him, Annys, and if anyone has given the lad e’en a bruise, he is a dead man.” He looked down at her. “Ye must find out who the traitor is. That will be your task. Ours is to find Benet and make certain the ones who took him pay dearly for it.”

“Harcourt,” Callum called as he ran back to them. “Look there.” He pointed back in the direction he had come from. “As far back as ye can look but be quick or ye will miss it.”

A small white shape caught Harcourt’s eye. “Is that Roberta? A sheep cannae track anyone.”

Callum shrugged. “Try to look closer to the ground.”

Harcourt did and cursed in surprise. “’Tis that cat.”

“Roban?” Annys pulled out of his arms and stared hard in the direction all the men were looking. “My cat is following them? Can ye nay use that?”

“Aye, we can, although I willnae swear it will be all that reliable, ’tis worth a try. Be at ease, love.” He gave her a quick kiss. “We will bring Benet home.”

A moment later she was alone. She watched the men until they disappeared from view but could not tear her gaze from where they had last been. A hand touching her arm startled her out of the stupor of blind fear she had fallen into. Annys abruptly turned and nearly knocked Joan to the ground.

“Oh, I am so verra sorry, Joan,” she said, catching the woman by the arms to steady her.

Joan hugged her. “I startled you. Ye have naught to apologize for.” She looked in the direction the men had gone. “Do they have a trail to follow?”

“Aye.” Annys took Joan by the hand and showed her everything she and Gybbon had found. “One of our own took my child and gave him to someone who wants him dead.” She was torn between the aching need to rage and to weep.

“And when we find the one, she will pay dearly,” Joan vowed.

“Ye think it is a woman, too, dinnae ye.”

“Aye.” Joan pointed at the drag marks in the dirt.

“No mon would have dragged the lad along like that. A mon would have just picked him up. Aye, might e’en have just knocked the lad senseless. A woman will oftimes just keep pulling a recalcitrant child along, using her greater strength that way.” Joan looked closer at the footprints. “Smaller feet than a mon would have, too.”

Annys stared at Joan in surprise. “How do ye ken such things?”

Joan shrugged. “I just notice things more than some do. And with all the footprints I have had to help mop up, I just ken some of the differences.”

“I truly need to pay more attention to the world around me. There is one odd thing that has happened that might actually prove helpful. That lamb and my cat were going in the same direction as the ones who took Benet rode in, as if they were tracking him like some pack of dogs.”

“Both can follow a scent verra weel.”

“A sheep can?”

“Aye, a dam can find her lamb e’en in a packed flock. Ye want to find water then put a thirsty sheep in the field and follow it. I suspicion that lamb kens just what our lad smells like. Come back to the keep. We shouldnae be out here unguarded and ye need to eat something.”

“Someone has a key to the bolt-hole. Someone other than me, ye, and Dunnie.”