Seduced By Her Highland Prisoner: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance by Alisa Adams

Author:Alisa Adams [Adams, Alisa]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-08-18T16:00:00+00:00

11

The Battle of Auldford

In the minutes it took them to get back down to the little back gate into Auldford, the situation had gone from bad to much worse. The black smoke from a burning thatch roof choked the air, and they could hear angry and frightened voices shouting from near the market square.

Rodric sprinted down the sloping main street between the tightly-packed buildings and Adaira followed close behind him. He was unarmed, and she was not sure what he would be able to do in the village’s defense but was very impressed at his bravery.

As they rounded the corner of a house, a man stepped from the doorway alone. He was dressed in the red and green of the MacCormicks. Without hesitation, Rodric barrelled into him, knocking him back into the wall where he fell, stunned. The man’s broadsword slipped from his grasp, and Rodric snatched it up.

“We must get to the market square,” he said to Adaira grimly. “That’s where most of the villagers are.”

When they arrived in the square, they found a tragic sight. Some thirty of the villagers had armed themselves with whatever weapons they had been able to find, but they stood at bay with their backs to the wall of the inn, surrounded by a ring of MacCormick soldiers. The villagers outnumbered their tormentors three to one, but it was clear that there was none among them with enough authority, or skill in using weapons, to lead the others in a charge against the highly trained and heavily armed soldiers. In the midst of the crowd, carrying an old-fashioned sword and looking scared, was their friend the innkeeper.

Rodric did not hesitate. He and Adaira had come out into the square from a different direction so that they were facing the back of the group of MacCormick soldiers. Rodric let out a fierce battle cry and charged across the small space. Before they knew what had hit them, two of the soldiers had fallen before his charge. The rest gave back a few steps, milling about in surprise and fear as they tried to respond to this new threat. Rodric waded in, swinging about him with his heavy sword.

With a sudden shout of surprise and encouragement, MacPherson led the group of villagers in a charge at the remaining soldiers. It did not last long. The six men who were left turned and fled from the market square, two of them dropping their swords as they ran.

A great shout of victory came up from the ragged group of beleaguered villagers, but Rodric held up a hand to stop them as they began to run after the fleeing soldiers.

“Hold! Hold!” he shouted, and the villagers stopped in their tracks, gathering around him instead. Adaira walked up and stood beside him, and the gathered people looked at the two of them in wonder.

“Ye came back!” said MacPherson.

“Aye, we did,” said Adaira, breathlessly. “We couldn’t sit by and watch those soldiers destroy the village.”

“But we have no time to discuss it,” Rodric cut in.

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