(Clan Kennedy, #1) Tempted by Virginia Henley

Author:Virginia Henley [Henley, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

The village of New Abbey, a dozen miles to the east, had been attacked by English borderers, but by the time Douglas and his men arrived, the freebooters had departed. They had stripped every building of anything of value, including the church. They had driven off the animals and even stolen food supplies. They had killed men, raped women, and set the thatched homes ablaze before moving on.

Another signal beacon glowed on a hill, and Ram knew the English swine were ravaging the village of Kirkbean, four miles away. His anger blazed hotter than any fire. He left half his men to aid the victims of New Abbey and headed for Kirkbean.

Ram intended to capture some of the raiders alive to learn whence they had come and on whose orders, but he found he was outnumbered three to one after leaving half his men behind. They knew they must slaughter or be slaughtered, and a fierce and bloody battle ensued.

The animals had already been driven off, and Ram knew the number of looters had been even greater. A dozen English lay dead while Douglas men had received only wounds. Ram’s thigh suffered a long sword gash that was bleeding profusely, but he was almost certain it had not gone deep enough to sever tendon or bone.

The inhabitants of Kirkbean told the border lord that three of their women had been carried off with the cattle. Ram vowed to return them, and he rode hell for leather toward the rocky coast. Again they were too late. A ship had weighed anchor, and another was fast disappearing into the darkness of Solway Firth toward the shores of England.

Because they had been so hotly pursued, they abandoned the women but not before they had slit their throats. Ramsay, Jock, and Cameron drew rein and dismounted when they came across the bodies of the women. Cameron turned away and vomited into the gorse. Ram pressed a fist to grim lips and closed his eyes. If he hadn’t given his promise to return the women, he would have buried them where they lay. It would have been kinder to let them think the women had only been stolen.

“Since when do borderers raid by ship?” Jock asked Ram.

“The whoresons have received their orders from a high authority. Dacre—or mayhap King Henry himself.” He gazed out to sea in that early hour before dawn and made a decision, then he spoke to his moss-troopers: “Tomorrow we man our own ships. Most of ye know how tae crew a vessel, and those who don’t will learn in a hell of a hurry.”

Jock, Ram’s first lieutenant, said, “I’ll round up our wounded back at Kirkbean. Get ye tae Douglas and get that leg cauterized.”

Ram shook his head. “I’ll ride tae Kirkbean first. I promised tae return the women. Are ye all right, Cameron?” he asked, wishing he’d left his young brother to stay and help the people of New Abbey.

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