She closed her eyes and took small, steadying breaths until the nausea abated. Then she slowly rolled to her side and lay there for a long moment collecting her strength.
When she tried to get to her knees, she pitched forward. Tears of frustration bit angrily at her eyes. By all that was holy, she had to make it back to the keep even if she had to crawl.
She nearly passed out again when she pushed herself upward. She glanced up the hill and sighed wearily at the seemingly interminable distance.
And then she began to crawl.
CHAPTER 15
“My lady! My lady!”
It took all Rionna’s effort to raise her head and stare ahead, though she couldn’t make out who was yelling. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut and her vision was blurry out of the other one. Her ears still rung from the blows she’d received.
“Dear God, lass, what happened to you?”
“Hugh,” she whispered. She made a feeble attempt to hold the tattered tunic to her breasts.
“Aye, lass, ’tis Hugh. Tell me what happened.”
She licked her lips and tasted blood. “Men.” Her voice was raspy, barely recognizable. Her throat was swollen from the attacker’s grip. “Came across the brook.”
“To arms!” Hugh roared.
Rionna pitched forward, the last of her strength gone as she listened to Hugh shout orders for the men to get to their horses.
“Rionna!”
Gentle hands touched her shoulders and carefully turned her. Then shoved the mass of hair from her swollen face.
“Oh, lass,” Sarah moaned. “What has happened to you?”
“C-Cold. Help me inside.”
“Nay, don’t move. I’ll have one of the men carry you. Does anything feel broken?”
For some reason Rionna found amusement in that. She grinned crookedly and promptly regretted moving any part of her mouth. “Just my face.”
“Mangan, come carry your mistress to her chamber,” Sarah ordered.
Rionna groaned when she was lifted by the burly warrior.
“ ’Tis sorry I am, lass,” Mangan said gruffly. “I don’t mean to hurt you.”
“I’m fine, Mangan. Just a little bruised.”
“ ’Tis disgraceful for a man to abuse a woman so,” he growled.
“Aye, ’tis,” she whispered. She shivered, remembering Caelen’s reaction to her father striking her. He would be furious when he learned of the attack.
Mangan bore her inside and up the stairs, with Sarah and several serving women following along the entire way.
“Put her on the bed. Careful now!” Sarah said briskly. “Neda, fetch me warm water and rags and have hot water brought up for the lass to have a bath. She’s going to catch a chill. Mangan, bring up wood for the fire. I need a brisk flame to warm her.”
Rionna sank onto the bed and moaned softly. Now that she was safe and inside the keep, the battle to remain conscious was lost. The room grew dimmer and dimmer, and despite Sarah’s attempt to keep her awake darkness crowded in and she let go with a weak sigh.
“ ’Tis a fine shot you made,” Caelen said to James as he stood over the fallen stag. “Your father is right. You’ve a steady aim with a bow.”
The younger man grinned in acknowledgment. “That makes two. Three, counting the stag we sent back to the keep. One more and ’twill be enough meat for many weeks to come.”
“Aye, perhaps on the morrow we’ll down another one. ’Tis getting dark. We should seek a place to camp for the night and start a fire.”
Little more than an hour later, the men sat in front of a warm fire with one leg of the stag roasting over the flames. Simon pulled a piece from the bone with his knife and tossed it toward Caelen.
Caelen took a bite and nodded in approval. “ ’Tis a fine piece of venison.”
Simon carved pieces for the rest of the men until the bone was picked clean. Gannon hunkered down next to Caelen and leaned back against the log.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a long hunt. All I’ve done of late is trail after difficult women.”
Caelen snorted and coughed as a piece of meat got stuck in his throat. Gannon pounded him on the back and both laughed.
“ ’Tis the truth I didn’t envy your duty,” Caelen said ruefully. “I took my turn at trailing after Mairin. ’Tis not something I want to do again. I oft wondered what bad thing you’d done to make my brothers choose you to look after their women.”
Gannon shook his head. “And I’ve oft wondered if Cormac got himself married just to avoid the duty.”
Caelen chuckled. “ ’Tis possible, I suppose. You have to admit Mairin ran him ragged.”