Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 92771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Brother Peter turned away, a woman calling out to him.
Shade continued to the keep, doing as he said, thinking on it.
“You are sure he is ready?” Quint asked, keeping his voice to a whisper since servants were busy serving the sentinels who were arriving after their night shift to enjoy a hardy morning meal.
“It’s been several days. I believe he has grown strong enough for the plan to work,” Shade murmured.
“I will go talk with him and Ula and arrange his return for tomorrow morning and—”
“QUINT!”
The sharp shout had Quint hurrying to his feet, knowing something was wrong since Nug had addressed him as ‘sir’ since he took over leadership of the clan.
“A sentinel has been wounded and left for dead,” Nug said between labored breaths.
Quint helped Shade off the bench and draped her cloak over her shoulders before grabbing his off the bench where they had left them, then they followed Nug out of the keep and through the village.
Quint did not stop Shade from rushing to the warrior lying on the ground since several MacLeish warriors surrounded the area. He turned to Nug as they walked to reach the fallen warrior. “Have the village searched to see if anyone is missing and ask if anyone has not been seen in a while. And find Dru and make sure she’s all right.”
“Aye,” Nug said and motioned to Heath and quickly assigned him the task.
Shade moved the warrior’s head to the side so she could see the wound and so that she could also see what damage may have been done inside his head. A head wound always bled more, so the pool of blood did not worry her as much as the young warrior not regaining consciousness yet.
“How is he, Shade,” Quint asked.
“He took a good gash to his head and the sooner he wakes the better,” she said. “He needs to be moved to Ena’s cottage where she and I can tend to him.”
While the men got busy moving the wounded warrior, Quint stepped beside his wife and whispered, “Did you see anything that might present a problem?”
“Nay. He has no bleeds within his head or swelling and both are good signs. I don’t think he’s been out long since no blood has dried, so hopefully he will wake soon.”
“Go and see to him while I tend to this, but be careful, no rushing into anything since I do not know if someone left the village or that someone arrived.”
“I will be careful,” she said and hurried after the men who carried the warrior.
“Get one of your trackers on this,” Quint ordered, “and have your men search the nearby area to see if they can find anything. And have Witley and Monty brought to the Great Hall.”
Nug nodded and rushed off.
He was glad to see Dru approach him as he made his way back to the keep.
“The news spreads fast, I heard already. How can I help?” Dru asked when she reached him.
“Be my ears and eyes today. See if you hear or see anything out of the ordinary, anything that might be suspect, or anyone behaving differently than usual. You know what I mean. You have done it before.”
“Aye, I’ll see to it right away and check the spots I’ve come across where someone could easily hide.”
“Take Nug with you when you do that and that is not a request,” Quint said firmly, worried she might find the culprit.
Dru squared her shoulders and snapped, “Aye, sir!” Then she ran off laughing.
By the end of the day, Quint was furious. Nothing and no one could be found. There was no explanation as to what happened. Thankfully, the young warrior had woken and was doing well. The only thing he could tell them was that he heard what he thought were footfalls and went to see. That was when he was hit from behind unable to see the culprit. Quint could only surmise what had occurred and he shared it with Nug in the solar.
“I assume someone left the village to deliver or receive a message. The sentinel heard the person retreating and went after him and fearing the fellow might be caught and all revealed, the person who was returning to the village hit the sentinel with a rock.”
“It can’t be any of the clan members. They have been through too much together. They would never harm one of their own. That leaves four possibilities. Witley, Monty, Brother Peter, and Dru.”
Quint looked ready to explode, he got so angry. “You truly believe Dru would have anything to do with this?”
“She is not part of the clan and when you sent word for me to go with Dru when she searched the hiding spots she knew of, she wasn’t to be found. She didn’t want me to go with her. Why if she had nothing to hide?”