But on second thought, he remembered that she’d come to him, risking her own safety to tell him the truth of Edana’s lie about the child.
He called out to her, doing his best to be loud enough so that she could hear him, but restraining so that he would not draw attention from elsewhere in the dungeon. “Aye, lass. Do ye know why I was placed here?”
He listened as she made her way toward him. As she stepped into the small crack of moonlight beaming into his cell, he saw the fear on the lass’ face and knew that she was not there to harm him.
“Aye. Tormod has convinced everyone that the lass ye are with is a witch and she killed Edana. He says she has ye under a mighty spell.”
Anger boiled inside of Arran. He’d wanted to kill the bastard the moment he’d first laid eyes on him, able to see the lad’s evil sprit through the hatred that shown in his eyes.
“Why would he do it? What does he have to gain from it?” Arran believed he knew the answer, but it was hard for him to imagine anyone wanting to be laird enough to go to such lengths. Ruling a keep was hard work and if he could go back, he would gladly give up his position as laird, but no to a man like Tormod.
“He wishes to be laird. He believes it is his right because he is the bastard son of Ramsay’s brother.”
“He is a bastard, no doubt, one that I intend to send deep down into the earth once I am free of this cell. Do ye know where they’ve taken Blaire? What does he intend to do to her?” His heart beat quickly at the thought of Blaire. If Tormod hurt her in anyway, he would return whatever pain he inflicted on her, tenfold.
“Nay, sir. I doona know where she is, but the clansmen intend to kill her. That is clear from the mob that awaits ye outside.”
Arran beat his fist hard against the stone wall, growling at the pain. “I am no so worried about the mob, all I can think of now is Blaire. I must get to her before Tormod causes her harm.”
“That ye do, sir. I dinna tell ye the whole truth last time I spoke to ye. I was too afraid that Tormod would hurt me children, but now I have sent them safely away to be with me sister, and I have come to right the wrongs I have played a part in.”
“What is it, lass? What dinna ye tell me last time we spoke?”
“Edana dinna die naturally. ’Twas poison that killed her, a poison Tormod instructed her to take. I doona believe that she knew it would kill her. I believe that she thought it would only mimic an early birth and the loss of a child.”
Arran shook his head in the darkness, disgust rising in the form of bile in the back of his throat. “How could anyone be so evil? Do ye know of a way to get me out of here, lass? ’Tis urgent that I do so before Tormod can cause harm to anyone else.”
“Aye, sir. I have worked in the castle most of me life, I knew where a set of keys was hidden.”
Arran breathed in a deep sigh of relief as he watched Gara pull the keys out from under her dress and begin to work on his lock. Once he was free, he pulled her into an embrace, quickly pulling away as he took off in the direction of the other cell block.
Chapter 44
I dinna know the man who held on tightly to me in the darkness. He pushed me back hard into the side of the cell wall and growled a sound so inhuman that the evil in it caused me to shiver uncontrollably. I was certain that me life was about to end.
A sound in the distance caused him to pull away from me, and I had to swallow to keep from emptying me stomach onto the cell floor.
“I did as ye bid me. Now, tell me where I can find me wife.”
The voice sounded old and frightened, and I knew that whatever he asked of the creature next to me, he would not receive what he hoped for.
The stranger spoke, calling the man to approach him. “Come here, gardener, and I shall tell ye where ye can find yer wife.”
Me eyes slowly opened themselves to the darkness, and I could see the outline of the man approach the cell. I also saw the glint of metal as me captor pulled the knife from his boot. I charged him, jumping on top of his back as I brought me fist down on the top of his head with as much strength as I could.
The beast was too strong. While it caused him to shift his arm so that his blow to the man wasna fatal, the dirk still slipped easily into the old man’s side. I screamed loudly, hoping for anyone to hear me and come to me aide, for I knew that the dirk would be headed in me direction next.
Me captor was on me in an instant as he grabbed me throat with one hand and pinned both of me wrists above me head with the other. I could hear footsteps headed in our direction, but it dinna seem the choker could make out the sound. His face contorted with rage as he did his best to squeeze the life out of me.