Brian blinked away the tears that stung his eyes as he looked her over. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, her lips also swollen and cut, and blood dripped slowly from a wound on her forehead. The way she swayed and trembled told him that she was very close to unconsciousness. He did not know where or how to touch her, afraid to add to the pain she was in.
“What was that terrifying bellow that came right after ye told me to run?” she asked, reaching out to him in the need to know that he was truly there. Since she could see very little, she needed to touch him.
“Sigimor.” He gently took her hand in his, careful not to touch the cuts and scrapes on her palm. “Ah, lass, he beat ye sorely. I should ne’er have left ye alone.”
“Ye needed to be certain the path to Scarglas was clear and safe. I should have hidden myself better and nay closed my eyes. Took a wee nap. Foolish.” She licked her lips and tasted blood. “Do ye have anything to drink? Cider? Water?”
Brian carefully put his arm around her shoulder and, seeing Fergus, signaled to the youth to bring him something to drink. There were two bodies before the little cottage, both of them Lucette’s men, and none of Sigimor’s men looked to be hurt. A quick count told Brian that Sigimor had sent a few of his men to follow Lucette even though they were all certain of where the man was going. Brian was not too furious over Lucette’s escape. Unless Lucette and his allies had the sense to see that there was no way to get the boys out of Scarglas, there would still be a battle to be fought, so there would be another chance to kill the man.
Sigimor crouched beside them. “I think we may need to wrap those ribs of hers tightly before we ride back to Dubheidland.”
The way Arianna had her arms wrapped around her ribs told Brian that Sigimor was probably right about that. “Do ye think anything is broken, lass?” he asked her.
“Nay, just verra badly bruised,” she replied, and attempted a smile although she was certain it was a ghastly sight. “Mayhap a wee bit rattled. He kicked me, hard, several times, but I kicked him, too. Once.”
“Good lass. I hoped ye kicked him hard.”
“I did. I am surprised he could ride a horse. I kicked him right between the legs. Suspicion he was a wee bit sore.”
Brian exchanged a grin with Sigimor and then began to unlace Arianna’s gown. Sigimor moved quickly to find something to use to wrap her ribs. It was hard to ignore her soft gasps of pain as he tugged her gown down to her waist and pulled her shift up to just under her breasts. Brian was pleased to see that all of Sigimor’s men kept their gazes averted, but it was all he could be pleased about. The massive bruises on Arianna’s rib cage made him wish he could get his hands on Lucette. Brian would make very certain that the man suffered in agony before he killed him.
Sigimor returned with several long strips of blanket. Brian clenched his teeth to hold back a demand that Sigimor get his hands off Arianna when his cousin gently explored all along her ribs, searching for signs of a break. Her hiss of pain only added to that urge.
“Naught is broken, but, as ye said, lass, they are a wee bit rattled,” said Sigimor as he began to wrap the strips of blanket around her ribs. “This will help and give them some protection from the ride back to Dubheidland.”
“But we were going to Scarglas,” Arianna said, her voice a hoarse whisper rife with pain.
“Nay, not until ye heal,” said Brian. “Ye cannae ride that far as battered and bruised as ye are.”
“That is where Amiel is going. Where they are all going.”
“If they are fools enough to try and attack Scarglas they will need more men than they have and that will take time. I am hoping that land ye think the DeVeaux want from Lucette and their need to use ye for some old and should be forgotten vengeance on your clan willnae seem so verra important once they get a good look at Scarglas.”
“’Tis more than the land. Amiel will let them have his kin, too.”
“What do ye mean?”
“Amiel said he didnae like the idea of being but one of many landed and titled Lucettes. He intends to use the DeVeaux to help him thin out the crowd.”
“Jesu.” Sigimor sat back on his heels as Brian got Arianna fully dressed again. “He means to turn the Lucettes’ worst enemy on them? To kill off his own family?”
“Aye, little by little until he is heir to it all, or most of it,” Arianna replied. “And the DeVeaux cannae get the land they want until my laddies are dead. Claud held that land himself, nay as part of an inheritance or entailment. He could dispose of it as he wished and he left it to the boys in his will, something I wasnae invited to hear read so I didnae ken it all. My bonnie wee laddies now hold what the DeVeaux want.” She panted softly in a vain attempt to overcome the pain washing over her as Brian urged her up into a seated position. “Claud made me their guardian.”
“He hung a target on all your backs.”