eight
“Shawn! Cain! Da!” I screamed at the top of me lungs, hoping someone would hear, but all along I knew how useless 'twere. “Anyone! Help!”
Cat joined me, “Help! Thor! Cain! Da! Help!” she followed our frantic calls with a shrill, blood-curdling scream that sent chills through me and caused two of the British guards to cover their ears.
Then they laughed.
We could smell the ale on their rancid breath. Continuing to scream we hoped our cries would be heard before things became worse. The last sane thought to race through me mind over and over again, We're late.
We're late.
We're late.
During that brief moment, fear evaded me.
Someone'll come lookin' for us.
Someone has to, I forced meself to believe.
“Is that mine?” The beady-eyed guard smugly looked down his nose at Catriona while reaching his only hand toward her swollen belly. She didna answer, just wrapped her arms protectively around her bulge. This angered the guard. He stepped close enough to her, I could feel his thick, warm breath against the back of me neck.
Locking our arms at the elbows, I spun us around so I faced the evil man causing the harassment. “Leave her be,” proud of meself, me voice didna crack once. The guard looked down at me with disgust. It angered me to think of the vile things he did to Cat, yet he had the nerve to look at me with disgust! I hadna realized how large of a man he is until this verra moment. No even that day in the woods did he look so imposing. He musta been standing in a hole the day he tried to take me from Shawn.
Me breath caught in me throat as the memory of that awful day came back to me so clearly. A shiver ran down me spine, but me anger quickly replaced the fear of that day as me skin burned a scarlet color. I continued standing me ground between him and Catriona. He willna have his way with her again, I vowed, clinching me hands into fists at me sides.
“Nay.” He barked. “She carries my child and I want it. Until the child is born she is mine as well.” Sneering at me he took two steps closer.
“Sir, ye will maintain yer distance. Leave. Us. Be.” The outcome for us is grim, but I have to put up a fight, if no for meself, then for Catriona and the babe she grew to luv.
The guard took another step forward. Standing directly in front of me, his disgusting, ale covered breath hit me face causing me to gag. Surprising meself, I stood firm and prepared to take me chances against him to protect Cat.
“Step aside,” he ordered.
“No.” The firmness in me voice matched his, causing me resolve to protect me sister to grow stronger.
The guard struck me with the palm of his open hand, across me cheek, but I didna budge. Stay strong, I told meself. Catriona cried out another blood-curdling scream when the guard struck me. This monster put her through enough because of me. I willna allow him to hurt her again.
Motioning to the two men behind me the one-armed assailant commanded, “Grab her.”
Another blood-curdling scream escaped Catriona as she called, “THOR! CAIN! DA!” Crying for anyone who might hear her. A guard stood on both sides of her, holding her by the arms. They snickered as she struggled against them. She's weakened in her condition, and no match for either of them alone, let alone both of them together.
In the past months, Shawny taught me to fight as he promised he would, and I'm grateful. I'm no master at self-defense, but I know enough. Me instincts took over before I could think things through.
The commanding guard couldna have predicted what I'm capable of. Me hand shot out with two fingers stabbing him in the eyes, then me knee hit his groin and he hit the ground hard.
Before the free-handed guard beside me could make sense of what happened, me foot flew through the air connecting with the jaws of the two men restraining me sister. Luckily, Catriona's short enough me foot went right over her head. Instinctively, the men let go of her creating the window of opportunity she needed to escape.
“RUN!” I screamed at her. “Get help, Cat! RUN!”
Catriona took off as fast as a short, childbearing girl can go screaming at the top of her lungs.
The fourth guard, the one I hadna struck yet, grabbed me. He held me arms behind me back keeping me close to him, so I couldna strike at him. Standing the tallest and broadest of the group, he's probably the strongest too. “What do I do with her?” he asked ignorantly, but he isna the smartest.
“Hold her,” their commander replied. He pulled himself together standing in front of me. Tracing his grubby finger down me cheek – the cheek he struck – sent another chill through me, “I am going to have fun with you. The feisty ones are the most enjoyable. Yer sister did not fight like you do. She begged and pleaded.”
The smirk on his face left me defeated, I have no chance.
I willna let me fight die down. I willna submit to the damned creature before me. Shawn'll come for me soon, I reminded meself. I spat in the pussyfoots face, taking another hard blow to me same cheek.
“Get her sister,” he snarled at the other men, wiping the spittle away.
Watching the guards chase after her I screamed, “Run, Cat! RUN! Dunna look back. Just. RUN!”
POW! Another slap to me other cheek. I spit on him again. This time blood hit his face.
“I don't think she likes being hit, Sir,” the brute holding me observed.
The one-armed commanders evil, black eyes glared down his crooked nose at me as a smug grimace crossed his thin lips. For the second time in me life, he gave me that vile expression of abhorrence he flaunted the first time he interrupted me life. I saw the hatred hiding in his eyes. I also saw his vile plans for me. I'll end up like Catriona.
Maybe worse.
Catriona escaped into Thor's strong embrace as he came over the hill that divides the clearing, on his way to retrieve us for me wedding. Thor processed our surroundings taking note of the two guards chasing Cat. They struggled to get away as Thor kicked and threw them across the field. The power, strength, and confidence that is Thor had me fighting for meself again.
I jumped, struggled and squirmed in the dimwitted guard's arms. He couldna keep me. This time I screamed at the top of me lungs for help. I bit, kicked, scratched, and whatever else it took to get free.
I have to escape.
Bringing me heel down hard on the guard's toes I caused him to groan in pain and step back, briefly letting me go. Raising me fisted hand, I spun around and punched him in the nose – Me hand throbbed! – then I brought me knee up connecting hard with his groin. I didna pay attention to Thor. Something told me he could handle himself.
I have to escape, raced through me head. I have to go! Now!
“Stop.” The firm voice of their commander instructed. Spinning to face him, he controlled a small blade at Thor's throat, just under his chin. Thor still fought and struggled against the one-armed, blade-wielding assassin that managed to hold onto him from behind. Thor bucked like a horse trying to throw the guard or grab him, but it didna take long for the other two guards, the guards who had chased Catriona, to get their hands on him.
I hesitated when I saw the trio take Thor to the ground. Enough time passed for the guard, I struggled against, to recollect himself and grab me. I shouldna have stopped fighting. Doomed, either way, I only stood a chance as long as I fought back.
“I'm sorry,” Thor mouthed.
“NO!” Looking for Cat, I didna realise the scream came from me.
Right in front of me, the one-armed goon slit Thor's throat. I struggled against the guard to get to Thor. I felt responsible, as the only lad Catriona ever showed any feelings for died in front of me. I have to escape. I watched Thor's eyes roll in his head, his face fell forward and his body slumped. I screamed for him, for meself, and out of fear and anger. I screamed and cried trying to make the nightmare come to a long, overdue end.
The two men released Thor letting him fall to the ground. They dropped him like he was... n-nothing. The fight in me left with Thor and the guard's
lack of respect for the life of others. I continued struggling against the largest of the men, the one holding me. Then something hard hit the back of me head. Other than the sticky wetness gooing through me hair, matting me plaits, the last thing I saw before blacking out were the sunset.
The time when Shawny and me were supposed to declare our luv. We were supposed to be free to live our lives, to grow old, happy and content, in each other's arms.
In this moment we were robbed. Robbed of everything that ever mattered to either of us.