She sighed softly. It was done and could not be undone, and she would not take the words back if she could.
Rannick heard his wife sigh even as soft as it was and watched as her head lowered, her eyes focused on the ground.
He went to her and lifted her chin with one finger. “Regrets, wife?”
“Not one regret, husband,” she said.
Did he have his answer? Was she telling him that she did not regret a thing she had said? Did she truly love him? There was no time to find out. Or did he fear what she might say?
He lifted her onto the horse and mounted afterwards. His arms went around her to take the reins and he whispered in her ear, “Silence. No talk so we may listen for what awaits us.”
Bliss nodded and her stomach churned since there was a good chance they were riding into a possible ambush.
They rode more slowly than Bliss would have liked, but she remained silent as her husband had ordered. Though, it did seem to her that he was taking his time getting there. She grew more impatient when they stopped after a while and simply remained as they were… waiting, but for what?
Lawler approached. “It is how you thought, my lord.”
“Bring me, Owen,” Rannick ordered and dismounted, then reached up and lifted his wife off the horse. He shook his head at her when she looked ready to speak and he was glad she kept her word and remained silent and that she nodded when he ordered her to remain by the horse.
He walked only a short distance away when he saw Lawler, Owen in front of him.
“Is there a problem, my lord?” Owen asked. “We go so slow, and I am eager to return to Maura.”
“I’m afraid there is a problem,” Rannick said.
“What is it?” Owen asked anxiously.
A sudden scowl captured Rannick’s face. “You lied to me, though at first you were convincing which is why I kept you talking. The more a liar talks, the more easily you can catch the lies.”
“I swear, my lord, I have not lied, Maura—”
“I believe that part about Maura needing help, pleading for it, but the words were not yours. They belonged to Maura’s husband, who begged you not to hurt his wife. And I am telling you now, if you or any of the other men have hurt Owen and Maura, you will suffer greatly,” Rannick threatened.
“I have no worry, my lord, since I speak the truth,” Owen insisted.
“You rushed to the keep looking for the healer—my wife—who you did not know had arrived there just today.”
“Nay, I did not know your wife was there or that she was a healer,” Owen said quickly.
“Then what healer did you expect to find?” Rannick asked.
“The one my wife told me to find, Berdina,” Owen said, “though I would take any healer who can help my Maura.”
“The problem with that, Owen, is that Berdina left the clan months ago,” Rannick said, “and you would have known that if you were actually Owen.”
The young man drew his shoulders back and his demeanor turned defiant. “Do what you will with me. I will tell you nothing.”
“That is where you are wrong. You are going to tell me everything,” Rannick said and gave a nod to Lawler.
The two warriors behind him grabbed his arms to hold behind his back while Lawler shoved a rag into the young man’s mouth.
“I see in your eyes that you laugh thinking… how can you tell me anything with a rag stuffed in your mouth?” A malicious grin settled along Rannick’s mouth. “You see, I don’t want your friends to hear you scream when I cut off one of your fingers, though I may take two to show you I will keep going until you have nothing but nubs left, unless you want to save yourself the pain and suffering and tell me what I want to know and thus keep all your fingers.”
The young man stuck his chin up in defiance.
“That insolence will cost you three fingers,” Rannick said and nodded to Lawler.
The young man fought the two warriors who yanked his arm from behind his back, but in the end, he lost three fingers, though after he lost the first one his eyes pleaded with Rannick to stop.
“You made your choice,” Rannick said and lopped off two more.
The young man could not talk fast enough. He told them how many men waited and that they were sent from different clans to see the task done, once it was learned that Rannick had taken a fourth wife. The last failed attempt had seen six men sent ahead to see it done. One had waited in the woods to report back if the others all failed. When the lone man returned with the news that all five men were dead, the group hurried to the cottage, fearing Rannick would return to the keep before they could stop him. They arrived too late. They followed to see that Rannick was returning home but to be sure they sent one man to confirm it.