Bliss had recognized Jaffee at first sight, and she knew what he wanted with her, revenge against Rannick.
“Come here, woman,” Jaffee commanded, spotting her. “I have much planned for you.”
“Something is not right, Lawler,” Rannick said as they approached the village. “The men we caught were spread out wide as if they did not know where to go. They also surrendered easily as if grateful we found them, yet we found no sign of Sheed, and no one can tell us where he has gone.”
“I thought the same,” Lawler said and raised himself up a bit on his horse, his brow wrinkled.
Rannick looked to see what had caught his attention and saw the flames of several torches weaving throughout the village. He urged his horse into a run, his heart pounding in his chest, praying nothing had happened to Bliss. He needed only to see his father’s and mother’s worried faces to know his prayers had not been answered.
“Where is she?” Rannick demanded once off his horse. “You were to keep her safe.”
“Damia is gone!” Bram shouted as he brought his horse to a stop at the keep steps.
“They were taken, Bliss and Damia,” Lord Lochlann said.
“Who took them?” Rannick demanded.
“From what the guards who have suffered blows to the head told us—”
“Told you?” Rannick said with a growling sneer. “You did not see it for yourself? Where were you?”
Lady Helice stepped forward. “There will be time for blame later, Rannick. Bliss and Damia must be found.”
Rannick calmed himself as best he could. “Lawler gather more men. Where are the guards who can tell me what happened, Da?”
“Please, Lord Rannick, let me stay at your side as we search so I may be there when Damia is found?” Bram pleaded as Rannick stood beside his horse at the edge of the woods where tracks had been found after the two guards told Rannick everything that had happened.
“Only if you can kill without thought or hesitation, Bram, for I do not intend to let the ones live who did this,” Rannick said.
“You have my word on it, my lord,” Bram said with a fury in his voice that confirmed he would do just that. “Why do we wait? We should leave now.”
A squawk of a raven overhead had both men tilting their heads back.
“For him,” Rannick said and mounted his horse.
Rannick thought he must be crazy putting his trust in a bird, but Brogan had warned him that the witch commanded the ravens and wolves, and he had had a feeling that the witch would send help. He had recalled the witch he had fought on foreign soil and her growing anger that he had been able to sense her actions. That was how he felt about the raven. He sensed the bird would appear and he’d been right.
After a while the raven slowed, and Rannick slowed his horse, a signal to his warriors behind him to do the same. That was when he heard the footfalls, a stumbling of sorts yet determined.
A cloaked figure suddenly appeared, stopping abruptly as if in fright, then a frantic voice called out, “Bram!”
“Damia!” Bram shouted and rushed off his horse to the figure in the darkness.
Rannick heard it then, the cry of a bairn and he shut his eyes from the sharp pain that jabbed at his heart. He could not fail his wife and their bairn. He had to save her no matter the cost.
Bram’s arm was firm around Damia as he walked her to his horse.
Damia rushed to speak up as soon as she was in front of Rannick. “Lady Bliss says to let the raven guide you,” —she choked on her tears— “she said to tell you that she loves you. Please, my lord, please save her.” She choked back more tears. “My lady also said to tell you that Jaffee waits for you.”
Fright ran a chill through Rannick right down to his bones. “How many men are with Jaffee?”
“I do not know, my lord. Sheed is there along with my sister and the four men who lead the way in the woods, but I never saw Jaffee. Lady Bliss blocked me from him and the others to give me a chance to escape. She believed they cared not about me and, therefore, would not follow after me, and they didn’t.”
Of course, they hadn’t, Bliss was right, they were not interested in Damia. Jaffee’s revenge was against him, though he knew not what he had done to the man to cause such hatred.
“Take Damia and the bairn back to the keep and have my mother help them,” Rannick ordered.
“I fight beside you, my lord, I will have two warriors escort her back,” Bram said.
“Nay, you will go with her, and I will have no argument about it,” Rannick ordered sharply. “Now go and see her and the bairn kept safe.”