She’d left. Bloody hell. He should have anticipated this. He knew how his wife’s mind worked. She couldn’t have gotten too far. The hour was still early, and she’d still been abed when he’d risen.
He ran for the ferry landing, the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach increasing the closer he got. The ferry approached, and Malcolm could see Hunter aboard—without True. The lad looked agitated, and he could not stand still. Malcolm’s prickle of alarm grew to an all-consuming dread.
As soon as Hunter saw him, the lad began to sign wildly. Malcolm couldn’t make any sense of his gestures. Hunter strained forward, as if he could make the ferry move faster by doing so. Once the ferry was within range, he backed up, took a running start and leaped the distance to shore.
Malcolm rushed forward, his heart in his throat. Catching Hunter in mid-leap, he swung him up to the shore and knelt in front of him. “What has happened, lad?”
Hunter’s face screwed up, and tears filled his eyes. His gestures were frantic. “Bad men have Mother. I told her to turn back. I told her, Da!”
“Who? What bad men have her?”
Hunter breathed hard as he tried to think. “The man.” His eyes seemed to beg Malcolm to understand. “The one who used to live here. Mother broke his nose.” Hunter looked desperate—his eyes pleaded with him to make it all better.
Malcolm’s blood turned to ice. Black Hugh had his wife. Rising from his crouch, he shouted at the top of his lungs, a call to arms. The war cry reverberated throughout the island. Warriors came, rushing from all directions, their weapons to hand. Malcolm sought those he trusted, Galen, Gareth, Robley and Liam.
“What is it?” Robley reached his side first.
“Hugh has Alethia.” Cries of outrage sounded all around him as his attention went once again to Hunter. “Do you ken which way they went? Can you lead us to her?”
Hunter nodded. “To Inverness.”
“How many men?”
Hunter held up four fingers. Turning to the men around him, Malcolm gave orders. “There is no time to waste. We ride now. Robley, Galen, Gareth, come with me. The rest of you, set up a guard in the hills. Liam, inform my father what has occurred, and tell him we are on the road toward Inverness.”
God, let me get to her in time. He and his men boarded the ferry, Hunter in tow. How dare she put herself and their bairn in such danger. “Arlen,” Malcolm urged the ferry master, “make haste.”
“Aye, my lord. Have the lads take up the poles to aid me.”
Malcolm nodded to his men, and they took up the task, hastening the vessel toward shore. He lifted Hunter and gave him a fierce hug, then set him down at arm’s length. “You were very brave to get away, son. I am counting on you to lead us back.”
Hunter nodded and swiped the tears from his cheeks. The trip across the loch took interminably long. Once there, Malcolm lifted Hunter to his shoulders and ran for the stables.
Ikwe’s empty stall stopped him dead in his tracks. Hunter’s pony, wet with sweat, was being rubbed down by one of the lads, and his wife’s pack rested in the corner. “How far?” He turned to Hunter.
“Not far. I rode slow on the way out.” He shrugged. “I did not want to go, but Ma said there is somebody in Inverness she needs to talk to.”
“Giselle.” Malcolm ran a shaking hand through his hair. He turned to one of the stable hands. “See my wife’s things are taken back to the keep, lad.”
“Aye, milord.” He nodded.
“She must no’ have been asleep when we spoke of Giselle, Malcolm. Makes you wonder what else she might have heard, does it no’?” Robley gave him a shove to get him started. “Come, we’ve no’ a moment to waste.”
They rode hard. Malcolm’s horse was covered with froth, and its sides heaved when Hunter grabbed his hands. Reining in, he signed to his men to stop. Turning his son in the saddle to face him, he waited.
“The forest around the next bend is where we were stopped,” Hunter signed. “The men will be watching.”
Nodding, Malcolm dismounted. “We go on foot from here. Gareth, guard the horses beyond the rise there.” He pointed to a hill to their east. “From here on in, we use sign only. Hunter, stay to help Gareth.” He squeezed his shoulder.
Lifting his nose to the wind, he sniffed and caught the faint scent of an old campfire. Malcolm pointed to the left side of the forest. “Hugh will have posted his men to guard their camp. Find them. Hugh is mine. Once the other three are dispatched, we’ll meet at their camp.”
“Wait,” Robley signed. “This may be a trap. Mayhap there are more than the four Hunter saw.”