Rogue of the Lowlands by Cynthia Breeding

Author:Cynthia Breeding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: warrior, scotland, scottish, highlands, protection, glasgow, lowlands
Publisher: Highland Press Publishing

Chapter Fifteen

At the sound of horses’ hooves pounding in the narrow alley, the men looked up momentarily, giving Niall the seconds he needed to land a fist in one man’s face and causing him to fall back on the other. They both staggered. Annie looked like a wild barbarian bearing down on them and Niall hoped she had control of the horses. He stepped to one side and then grabbed the saddle. A searing, sharp pain tore through his thigh as he vaulted onto his horse.

More men came running around the corner of the boarding house. Although his sword hung from his saddle, he didn’t draw it since fighting in such close quarters would be useless. They needed to get away.

The alley finally opened onto a street. Men were already pouring into the street, no doubt alerted by the noise of the horses. Annie looked back, inadvertently pulling her reins and her mare slowed.

“Go!” Niall yelled. If the men closed in on them, Annie would be pulled down. That she was a woman wouldn’t matter in their current crazed state. He’d seen mob mentality before. It was akin to a shark feeding frenzy when fishermen threw chum back into the water. “Go!” he shouted again as a rock came flying way too close to their heads. “Go!”

Annie’s eyes widened as she evidently understood the danger. She kicked her horse’s flanks, leaning low as another rock came hurtling by. A third rock hit Niall’s shoulder, but he ignored it as he had the slash to his thigh when he mounted. Red stained his breeches, but at least it wasn’t flowing freely. Tending it would have to wait.

They thundered down Argyle Street, causing carriages to swerve and the drivers to swear at them., then on to Trongate and past the Tolbooth, scattering pedestrians along the way. It wasn’t until they veered onto Gallowgate on the way out of town that Niall finally called to Annie to slow down.

“Are we clear?” she asked as he came alongside, keeping them to a trot.

“No’ yet, but I doona want to risk injury to the horses by galloping further on cobblestone. Besides, the ruckus we raise will leave a trail for any who are following.”

Annie’s eyes widened again. “Do ye think they will?”

“I doona ken. The men were all afoot which means they would have to get mounts. But I doubt any heads will cool so soon.” Niall gave a quick glance behind him to the presently quiet road. “We may have a quarter hour lead on them.”

“Where will we go?”

“For now, we just need to get into the country where we can hide.”

“And then?”

“And then, we head north.”

“How far north? Will I be safe? I dinna feel—”

“Doona fash. I am taking ye where ye will be safe.”

Annie looked unconvinced. “And where is that?”

“Arisaig. My home.”

*

The gloaming had settled in by the time Niall finally called a halt to their travel for the day. The horses were tired and had taken to plodding along. Annie was exhausted from the hours of riding and she thought Niall was looking a little peaked too.

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