Free Ian by Elizabeth Rose Page A

even in yer sleep.”
    “Shhh,” he told her, holding a finger to his lips and watching his hound move forward slo wly almost as if it were stalking someone. “I think me hound hears somethin’.”
    “What is it?” She looked around quickly, then came closer to him.
    “Listen,” h e said, straining his ears, sure he heard the thundering sound of hoof beats on the hard earth. “Quickly, pack up our things and take the horse inte the woods. Hide it behind the thicket, and hide yerself as well.”
    He put out the fire that had almost died anyway, and kicked dirt upon it with his foot. Kyla rushed around and did as he’d instructed.
    “Who could it be ?” she whispered. “Do ye think it is the MacGillivrays?”
    “ I dinna ken,” he said, but wondered the exact same thing himself. He thought of going to find out, and then decided against it since he knew Kyla would probably follow him, and get herself killed. “Fast, let’s get inte the woods and stay hidden. Come on, Kyle,” he instructed his hound and they headed into the forest.
    He had just gotten the horse out of view behind some bushes and trees, and had Kyla holding the hound so it wouldn’t rush off or make noise, when the thundering of hooves got louder and an army of men came barreling through the forest not far from where they were crouching behind the foliage.
    A large puff of dust from the road filled the air, and Ian covered Kyla’s body with his to protect her as the soldiers thankfully rode right by without noticing. He lay there atop her with his hand on her head until the dust cleared. Then he sat up, and she followed.
    “Who were they?” she asked.
    He reached out and touched his hand to her mouth to silence her, then leaned over and whispered. “Stay here. And make sure the hound doesn’t follow. I’ll signal ye when I’m sure it is safe. Ye ne’er ken if there’s a straggler.” Then he took off silently through the trees.
     
    Kyla waited for several minutes, not hearing or seeing a thing. She decided Ian was just being too protective, not unlike her brother. There was no one straggling behind or they would have showed themselves by now. She let loose the hound and got to her feet as well. That’s when she realized her mistake.
    Through the trees came a man on a horse with his sword raised. “I thought I heard someone,” he growled, dismounting and coming toward her.
    “Dinna touch me,” she said, p ulling her dagger from at her side and holding it out in front of her, waving it back and forth in the air.
    The hound put down his head and growled as the man came closer.
    “I’ll touch ye all right,” he said with a sickening chuckle. “As ye look like the sweetest flesh I’ll e’er have me pleasures with.”
    The hound gro wled again and showed its teeth, and the man stopped short.
    “That is, right after I t ake care o’ the mutt.” He rushed forward with his sword leading the way, and the hound ran forward at the same time to meet him. Kyla screamed, thinking the man would kill it, but then Ian dropped from a tree above and took the man to the ground.
    “Look away, Kyla,” shouted Ian, but she kept her eyes forward. And then right in front of her, Ian took his dagger and slit the man’s throat.
    She gasped as she realized what just happened.
    Ian jumped off of the man, and pulled the hound away from him as well. “It’s all right boy,” he said, patting the hound on the head. “Ye did a guid job protectin’ Kyla.”
    Then he turned and looked at her but she just stood there with her eyes transfixed to the bloody mess of the dead man at his feet.
    “I told ye te look away,” he growled, and now she understood exactly why.
    “I . . . I . . . who is he?”
    “Are ye all right, lassie?” Ian wiped off his dagger in the dead man’s clothes and replaced it into his weaponbelt. Then he came and put his arms around Kyla. He pulled her into his chest, trying to hide her view, but she just didn’t want to be