The Viper (Highland Guard #4)(38)

To take advantage of its natural defenses, the curtain wall had been built to the edge of the steep, rocky riverbank that the locals called the back den. A steep sunken stairwell had been carved into the rock to connect the castle to the old cistern chamber and the well-house on the other side of the crevice. They had to walk only a few feet outside the castle before they came to the entrance, covered with a piece of now-rotting wood and obscured by years of disuse.

Magnus had lifted the wood and cleared the growth enough to enable them to squeeze through the opening. William led them down the narrow stairwell built into the side of the cliff.

It was a little bit like descending into a black hole. Thankfully, she could see the soft glow of the torches in the tunnel ahead.

She took her first step inside, and the cool smell of musk and damp earth hit her. She hesitated and instinctively turned behind her.

The last glint of moonlight caught Lachlan’s face in its ghostly glow.

She’d expected a nod of encouragement, an impatient gesture, something. What she didn’t expect was to see his face tight with pain, his teeth clenched so hard his mouth had turned white, and his eyes flash with what she could only think was panic.

But the look was gone in an instant, and then his face was shadowed in the darkness. “It’s all right,” he said softly. “Just go slow. I’ll light a torch in a minute.”

But it was difficult to see, even with the torches, and it took them a long time to wind their way down before they entered the vaulted cistern chamber.

William swore.

“What is it?” Lachlan asked.

“There’s a gate to the tunnel to the well-house. It’s locked.”

“Let me see.” Lachlan crossed the room, removing something from his sporran. Bella drew closer, trying to see what it was. It looked like a nail. He seemed to slip it inside the opening and move it around, and a moment later he pulled the lock open.

“I must not have pulled it hard enough,” William said dryly.

“How’d he do that?” Mary whispered at her side.

Bella frowned. “I don’t know.”

Once opened, they passed through the gate into a tunnel. When they came to another staircase, they had to wait a few minutes while a few of the men climbed into the well-house to make sure no one was about.

As soundlessly as seventeen people could manage, they emerged from the darkness of a tunnel first into a wooden well-house thick with spiderwebs and debris, and then into the fresh cusp of dawn air.

“I can’t find my horsey,” a small voice whinged softly. “I d-dropped it.” From the way the little earl’s voice wobbled, Bella knew that the lad was close to tears.

Christina Bruce knelt beside her son, trying to calm and quiet him at the same time. “Did you leave it at the castle?” she asked.

He shook his head, tears filling his little eyes. “I had it in my sporran.”

“Did you take it out?”

He nodded. “In the scary room.”

Christina smoothed the tears that had started to stream down his cheek with her finger. “Then it’s probably lost, my love. We’ll get you a new one when we get to Norway.”

The little boy shook his head, sobbing harder now. “Father made it for me.”

Christina looked up at her and Bella felt her throat constrict with a hot ball of tears. The child had lost his father only a year ago. And the man who’d replaced him was missing. War had cost this little boy so much.

“I’m sorry, love,” Christina said.

Lachlan had come up beside them. He looked down at the boy. “What’s the matter?”

Bella explained. William was standing near the door to the well-house and must have overheard. Before Lachlan could stop him, he said, “I’ll get it. I have to block the opening anyway. Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Lachlan’s mouth fell in a flat line, but he didn’t argue.

With Magnus and one of the other men-at-arms leading, they headed away from the well-house into the dense woodlands that surrounded it. A few minutes later she heard the dull sound of a boom.

Her gaze shot to Lachlan’s “What was that?”

“Nothing to worry about. Gordon is just making sure no one can use the tunnel to get close to the castle. It should have been destroyed years ago.”

But no sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud crash came from behind them, followed by the unmistakable scent of smoke in the air.

Lachlan swore.

She turned around just in time to see the well-house explode in flames.

Seven

Bella’s heart lurched as she stared at the inferno. Dear God, William was trapped inside!

She heard the cries of the others as they realized the same thing.

Lachlan pulled one of his swords from his back and turned to MacKay. “Get the women and children back. Someone might have heard.”

His voice was calm. Steady. Controlled.

MacKay nodded soberly and started barking orders to the other men, trying to make order out of the chaos.

All of a sudden Bella realized what Lachlan meant to do. Her eyes widened with horror. She grabbed his arm to stop him. “You can’t go in there. It’s too late. You’ll never be able to reach him.”

The old wooden well-house was engulfed in flames, burning like tinder.

Lachlan refused to see reason. His eyes blazed with a strange intensity. “I have to try, damn it. I’m not leaving him.”