When they rounded the corner beyond a particularly dense settings of trees, the landscape opened up to a wide path through clean snow. To Alaric’s utter astonishment, Crispen jumped from behind one of the trees and threw himself into Alaric’s arms.

“Uncle Alaric, you must hurry. They have Keeley and they think she’s my mama. They’ll kill her when they know the truth!”

“How on earth did you get free, lad?” Alaric demanded. For if Cameron thought he held Ewan’s wife and his son, he’d truly have everything Ewan held dear in the world. He couldn’t imagine them simply letting Crispen go.

“Keeley kicked two of the men betwixt the legs and told me to run. She tried to run too, but the third man, the one who wasn’t rolling around on the snow, caught her by the hair and pulled her back. She screamed at me to go and that she’d never let me throw another snowball in my life if I didn’t heed her instructions.”

“The lass saved the boy’s live,” Cormac murmured.

Alaric nodded. “Aye, ’twould seems she has a habit of saving the McCabes.”

He grasped Crispen by the shirt. “Are you hurt anywhere, lad? I need you to go back to the keep and tell your father what has transpired here. Tell him we need horses and men. Make sure he leaves enough behind to defend the keep and that Mairin is safely locked away.”

“Aye,” Crispen said, determination etched into his youthful features. Only now he didn’t appear so young. He looked damned angry.

“Come,” he ordered Gannon and Cormac. “We continue on foot until the others have reached us on horseback. We must stay on their tracks.”

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Several long minutes later, Ewan thundered up, leading a horse for Alaric. Behind him, his men trailed, armor on, weapons at the ready.

Alaric threw himself onto the horse and ignored the scream of protest his side gave at the first time he’d remounted since his injury. Behind him Cormac and Gannon also mounted, while six of his men herded the children into a protective circle and took them back to the keep.

Not awaiting Ewan’s orders, Alaric charged forward, sending his horse into the drifts. At first the horse struggled but then found his footing and charged over the terrain.

He followed the sets of hoofprints, his brothers and men close behind him all the while.

“Have more care, Alaric,” Ewan called. “Could be an ambush.”

Alaric’s lips curled as he glanced back at his brother. “They thought they’d abducted Mairin. Think you that you would be telling me have more care if it was she who was danger?”

Ewan grimaced but fell silent.

“They couldn’t think to get far in this weather. ’Twas a risky abduction,” Alaric muttered as he studied the terrain.