Page 65 of Come the Morning

Waryk turned within his saddle to see that Daro was engaged in deadly battle; if he had been a party to this abduction, he was willing to slay his coconspirator. Angus, too, was involved in hand-to-hand combat, but just as Waryk determined to come to the aid of his friend, another man burst forth from the cavern.

Waryk nudged Mercury carefully, urging him hard to the cavern. Was Mellyora within?

He didn’t reach the cavern. He clashed with the man just outside. The waters of the loch rose into the cavern and as their horses jostled for position, the cold water of the loch soared and sprayed around them. He thought that Mellyora must be inside. Anxious to reach her and determine if she’d been harmed, he fought with a renewed strength. His opponent fought with battle-ax and sword, but Waryk gave no quarter in return, slashing with a fury. He split the battle-ax, and his opponent threw it to the ground. Their blades next clashed; the ring of steel seemed louder than thunder. His next blow felled the man, catching him in the neck. He caught at his throat from where his life’s blood gushed, and fell into the water. Waryk dismounted from Mercury, rushing into the cave, his sword still ready. “Mellyora!”

There was no answer, and he wondered wryly if she would come to his call, but though there were more horses in the cavern, there was no sign of Mellyora or any other men.

He rushed out, seeing that Angus had just slain his opponent and that Daro was bringing his sword down on the man he battled.

“Keep him alive!” Waryk roared, but he had cried out too late, and Daro managed to just slightly deflect his blow. The man fell,and Daro leapt down from his mount as Waryk rushed forward. Together they hunched over the dying man.

“Where is the Lady Mellyora?” Waryk demanded harshly.

“Who are you? Where is my niece?” Daro demanded in Norse. The man, aware he was dying, smiled up at him.

“Join me in Valhalla!” he cried, pulling a knife, and trying to slam it into Daro’s chest.

Daro caught the man’s wrist, deflecting his blow. The man stared at Waryk. “A prize no more, tarnished gold, taken, alas, me laird … Viking’s daughter, Viking’s prize … she’ll not be yours, Scotsman.”

“Where is she?” Waryk demanded, catching the man by his hair and lifting his head by it. “Where—”

The man didn’t reply. He coughed blood, and died.

Waryk rose, swearing in frustration, and fighting the suspicion that Daro just might have killed the man to keep him from talking. “Waryk, there are more horses than there are dead men,” Angus said, and indicated the cliffs.

“Aye!” Warykcried. “The cliffs. The caverns in the cliffs.”

“Shall I start here?” Angus asked.

“I’ll move to the east,” Daro said.

“And I to the west,” Waryk agreed.

“Mellyora!” Daro called, but Waryk caught him suddenly by the arm, and shook his head.

“But we must find—”

“We must find her carefully. There are more men out there. We may need to see them, before they see us. They have Mellyora.”

Daro fell silent, his lips pursed grimly. “Aye, then,” he murmured softly. “We’ll search carefully and quietly, until we find her. And the rest of the traitors within my own camp!”

“And when we find them—” Waryk said with tight anger.

“They are dead men,” Daro swore. “They lived in my camp, they broke bread with my men, and then they betrayed me—and seized my niece!”

“Aye, they are dead men,” Waryk agreed. “But not until we know who they are, and why they have seized Mellyora.”

Mellyora didn’t know now just how far she had moved into the cavern. There was scarcely any light seeping in, but she moved back as deeply as she dared, wondering what kind of varmint might frequent the area. Wolves? Could they climb so high? She didn’t know. What other manner of creature? Bears, possibly? If only she could see …

When daylight came, she would be in a better position. In this darkness, she couldn’t see her enemy, and neither could her enemy see her. But daylight might serve her well, since she was nimble and agile in these crags. She could move swiftly while watching for the man. He could not move so well as he searched for her.

She sat against the cavern wall, knowing that he walked the cliffs, knowing that he sought her, that he longed to kill her.

Knowing that there were more of them out there.

She barely dared to breathe.

Eventually, she realized that she could dimly see the entrance to the cavern. Moonlight had escaped cloud coverage now, and she could at least see form and shadow at the entrance. She blinked, then stiffened as if she had been pierced through with steel—there was someone there.