"Aye. There we are," he said, quiet triumph in his voice as the rope binding them back to back unwound and fell away. Now they only needed to remove the tight strips of wet wool plaid that secured their wrists behind their backs.

"I'm going to try to break the strip of plaid around your wrists. Tell me if I hurt you."

"Very well."

Although Torrin's wrists were still bound, he moved his fingers over her wrists and the bindings. He tugged at the material from both sides. "Am I hurting you?"

"Nay." It felt tight but not painful.

After a few moments, the material ripped in the silence. "Thank the saints," she whispered. "Now let me get my knife and I'll cut you free."

"What? You have a knife?" Shock was evident in his loudly whispered words.

"Aye. 'Tis hidden."

"Where?"

"Sewn into the hem of my arisaid." She bent and worked at the seam, ripping the thread from the wool material. "'Tis not easy to retrieve, but it has come in handy for the first time ever."

"I'm going to have to use that trick."

When he turned his back to her, she cut the strips of plaid binding his hands.

He sighed and rubbed his wrists. "I thank you. I'm beyond glad to have you as an ally."

She smiled in the darkness, wishing she could see his face. She'd never imagined she would feel so safe with him… protected, even. She relished the deep, rich timbre of his voice, more obvious in the darkness.

"Can I use your knife?" he asked.

"Aye." She handed it to him. "What's your plan?"

"Och. 'Tis tiny. I'm going to disarm the man guarding us. Hopefully, I won't have to kill him. Will you hold it against me if I do?"

"Nay. We have to do what we can to escape, else Haldane may kill us both."

They crept toward the door but hung back. 'Twas lighter outside than inside. Now two men lingered upon the trail.

Torrin drew back. "So, there are two of them. One must have been behind the byre earlier."

"Aye." She bent and picked up a rock. "I'll take care of one of them."

"Are you mad?" Torrin demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I can knock him on the head."

"Nay. You remain in here, in the far corner. If one of them comes after you, then you bash his skull in good."

Typical man orders. "Very well, MacLeod. Have a care, will you?"

"Aye, indeed. How about a kiss for luck?"

Her face burned in the darkness. "Nay. 'Twill distract you."

"Och. You're right. We'll save the kisses for later when we're celebrating our escape. Stay over here, then." His strong hands on her shoulders, he guided her toward the corner.

She waited, watching as he halted at the door, peered out, then slipped outside.

She hastened toward the door, crouched low and looked out. Where had he gone? She didn't even see him. The two guards paced along the trail. She drew back and flattened her body against the wall. Where on earth was Torrin?

Seconds of silence dragged by in which she barely breathed. A shrill squealing sound echoed from behind the byre. It sounded like an animal, an injured rabbit perhaps.

"Go see what that was," one of Haldane's guards said.

"Sounded like supper." He strode out of sight and behind the byre. A thump sounded and someone cried out.

"What the devil?" The other guard followed him, sword drawn.

Blast. She hoped Torrin grabbed the first guard's sword, so he'd be better armed.

Curses echoed. Swords clanged.

Please protect Torrin, she prayed. Taking her rock, she ventured outside and peered around the corner. The two men were engaged in swordplay. But they didn't seem to notice the first guard on the ground stirring. Saints! She had to do something. Before he could notice her, she crept forward and bashed the rock against his head. He grunted and flopped to the ground.

"Jessie, get back inside," Torrin ordered.

When his opponent glanced at her, Torrin took advantage and sliced his blade across the man's chest. He stumbled back, but then charged toward her. Still low to the ground, she ducked and smashed the rock into his knee.

He cried out and crashed to the ground next to her.

Torrin grabbed her arm and helped her stand. "Move away from him."

She leapt back, and Torrin kicked the unmoving man's sword away.

"Is he dead?" Jessie asked.

"Hopefully. I ran the bastard through when he tried to grab you."

"In truth?" She hadn't seen that.

"Aye." Torrin bent and held his hand before the other man's nose. "He's no longer breathing."

Jessie picked up the discarded sword. "I might need this."

"You ken how to wield a sword?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"'Haps not as well as you, but I've had some training." She noticed a large dark stain on Torrin's shirt sleeve. "You're injured!"

"'Tis naught but a scratch. Come. Let's head toward the castle. Is there another route we could use so as to not run into Haldane and his crew?"

"Aye. I'll show you." She led the way around a rocky outcropping and along a narrow trail. When they neared Dunnakeil, low voices rumbled nearby. She ducked behind a gorse bush and he followed suit. The sounds moved along the more oft used trail leading away from the castle. It also led to the byre.

"Haldane may have left one or two of his men to watch the castle. We'll have to be careful," Torrin whispered.

"Aye."

But they also had to hurry or Haldane would discover them gone and start searching for them.

They both stood at the same time.

Again, she was thankful Torrin was with her for she would've been much more afraid had she been alone. She didn't want to tell him this now however. She didn't wish to distract him. They had to approach the castle with much caution even though they were still not on the main trail. The wind off the sea made it difficult to hear any movement in the bushes.

Closer and closer they drew to the castle, to safety.

"Stay behind me," Torrin whispered and got in front of her.

"Why? Do you sense something?"

"Aye." He crept forward one step at a time. "Watch my back."

She felt honored that he trusted her so much. Holding onto the plaid at his back, she turned her head and took a long careful look behind them. Seeing naught in the dusk, she faced forward again, then her gaze searched along the sides of the trail. Just in front of them, the bushes had near overgrown the trail. The deep gloaming only provided enough light to see indistinct outlines of the dark bushes and gray sky.

A shout sounded behind them. Her heart vaulted into her throat.

"Damnation, they've discovered our escape." Torrin grabbed her hand. "Come, let's run the rest of the way. We can't fight all of them."

Holding hands, they dashed through the bushes, the thorns tearing at their clothing. The bushes behind her shuddered and someone grabbed her left arm. She screamed and struck at the person with the sword in her left hand. Since she wasn't left-handed, her blows were weak.

Torrin leapt around her and struck out at the man. She was immediately released. She couldn't see what Torrin was doing in the dimness, but his opponent yelled out and fell into the bushes.

"Come, let's hurry." Taking his hand again, she ran as fast as she could. She tripped over her skirts and started falling, but Torrin caught her and lifted her into his arms. "Hold on around my neck, and I can still use my sword."