Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 30228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Bodies lie on the ground, clansmen and foe alike, some moving, some not. The last warriors left to fight were slowly dwindling and she easily spotted her brothers and what she saw had her rushing her hand to her mouth to stop from screaming.
Royden was defending himself against two warriors and a third was coming up behind him. Arran had spotted the warrior and was running toward him to prevent his brother from being struck from behind.
It happened so fast and yet it seemed so slow as Raven watched Arran, battle grime covering just about all of him, raise his sword and scream out to his brother in fear he wouldn’t reach him in time.
Royden turned slightly, hearing Arran’s shout, as he swung his sword and took down the last of the two warriors he’d been fighting before he turned all the way around, raising his left arm as he did.
The man behind him brought his raised sword down, catching Royden on the wrist and slicing it clear through. Royden’s left hand fell to the ground and he roared with a fury that Raven felt tremble the trees.
Royden’s sword came down on the man the same time Arran’s sword did and the warrior dropped to the ground dead. Arran hurried to slice cloth off a length of plaid from one of the dead warriors on the ground and wrapped it tightly around the stump that Royden was left with, to stop the bleeding.
Raven didn’t know how Royden remained on his feet, though his large body swayed as if he fought to remain standing.
“Drop your swords! It’s done!” a man commanded.
Raven watched in disbelief. Today was to be a day of celebration, a day of festivities, a day that marked a bright future for the clan with Royden and Oria marrying. Soon there would have been bairns who would continue to keep the Clan MacKinnon name strong and the clan prosperous. Instead, it was a day the Clan Mackinnon was ravaged and nearly destroyed.
Her brothers had no choice but to obey the command, not if they wanted to live and fight another day.
Fear gripped Raven like a hand to her throat, squeezing as she watched Royden lean against his brother. Arran’s muscled arm grew taut as it went around Royden’s waist, his strength helping him remain on his feet.
“His wrist needs searing,” Arran called out.
The man who had ordered swords to be dropped approached. He wasn’t a tall man, barely reaching her brothers’ shoulders, but he was bulky and from the bulge of his arms, he was strong. His dark hair was streaked with gray and his features difficult to see through the heavy battle grime clinging to his face like a mask.
“Tell me where your sister is and it will be done,” the man ordered with a shout.
“We don’t know,” Arran shouted back.
The man stepped back from her brothers and looked around, then roared out, “If you want your brothers to live, surrender, Raven of the Clan MacKinnon.”
“Don’t you dare surrender, Raven!” Arran shouted in angry command.
He received a punch in the face for his warning, but he didn’t defend himself. If he had, Royden would have fallen to his knees and Raven knew that Arran would never let that happen. Tears ran down her cheeks, though she hadn’t realized she had started crying.
“SURVIVE, RAVEN, SURVIVE!” Royden roared and once again sent the trees trembling, at least it felt that way to Raven. Or perhaps she was the one trembling.
She remembered her da and brothers always reminding her that no matter what happened, she was to survive and they would come for her. They would find her.
Royden and Arran staggered together when Royden was struck in the face, but Arran didn’t let go of him. He kept them both on their feet.
“Raven won’t surrender. She knows better. She knows that your word means nothing,” Arran called out, and Raven knew he meant for her to hear him.
“I’ll kill you both!” the man shouted.
“Go ahead. Kill us,” Royden challenged.
“But you’re not getting our sister,” Arran added.
Raven wiped away her tears that wouldn’t stop falling. Her brothers would give their lives for her. She wanted to hurry down the tree and surrender, but it would be foolish and her brothers would be disappointed in her. She stayed where she was with great difficulty and sorrow and a hurt in her heart she doubted would ever heal.
The man giving orders turned his attention to those who’d been captured. “If anyone knows where Raven is, speak up now and I will not take your husbands and sons from you.”
Raven was shocked to see Bethany step forward, the woman who was the closest thing to a mum to her. Bethany’s husband had passed and they never had any children so there was no one to protect, except Raven. It pained her that the woman she loved could betray her.