Page 37 of Highland Guard
What followed was a silent stare off. Neither participant backing down. Eventually Kieran gritted his teeth and replied, “Very well, then. If that is your wish, I dinnae want to force my company on you.”
Deep down inside, Naomi did not want him to leave, but she had no choice, so she simply nodded. Kieran was disappointed at Naomi’s reaction. Still, he knew when he was not wanted. He turned his horse about and Dermid followed. Kieran did not want to think about why his heart felt heavy with the parting.
Naomi waited until Kieran and Dermid were out of sight before she let her horse graze nearby, then scaled the wall. Landing sure footed on the other side, Naomi felt guilty about lying to everyone, but she needed to get this done without risking discovery or the lives of innocents.
Naomi was not delivering a relic to the nunnery; she was here to steal it.
***
“ARE WE REALLY GOINGto leave the lass behind?” Dermid asked Kieran. They had just ridden out of view of the nunnery.
“Not a chance,” Kieran replied as he swiftly dismounted. He grabbed the reins of his horse and ushered it towards a copse of trees. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from guarding troublesome women, tis this. The more they try to assure you everything is fine; I guarantee they’re moments away from causing enough damage to burn down a village. Keep watch and stay out of sight. I have a feeling there’s more to her eagerness to be rid of us.” With that, Kieran grabbed his targe and claymore and sprinted back towards the abbey through the woods.
Dermid just sighed but did as he was told.
***
ONCE INSIDE, NAOMIstayed in the shadows, making her way through a maze of passageways. She had already memorized the map Abbess Murdina had given her with the location to the room holding the amulet. As Naomi moved between the cloister and corridors, she wondered where all the people were. There should at least be a little activity within the nunnery walls, such as a service for sacraments or, at the very least, someone quietly preparing food in the kitchens. The deeper she ventured inside, the more the place seemed deserted. As if the occupants had abandoned it in a hurry.
Naomi finally found the room for which she was searching. Murdina warned her the inner sanctum was guarded. But again, no guard stood outside the door. Naomi had a sense of foreboding. Instinct had her on alert again. She quietly opened the doors.
The room was well lit but ransacked. She stepped inside and slid sideways, having stepped into something wet. Naomi looked down and realized it was blood. Lots of blood. She slowly turned her head to the side and stilled in horror. The inner sanctum opened out to a small vestry and from the rafters hung the bodies of two friars with their throats slit. She opened her mouth to scream when a hand slammed over it and she was pulled against the wall. She was about to fight when she heard a familiar voice say, “Quiet, lass, they’re still here.”
Naomi relaxed and remained still in Kieran’s arms. He removed his hand and whispered, “There are three monks in the next room and more dead bodies in the chapel. We need to go.”
Naomi shook her head. “I cannot leave until I’ve found what I’m looking for.”
Kieran gritted his teeth. “Lass, I canna keep you safe when I dinnae ken how many more there are.”
Naomi gave him her most defiant look. “You go. I will be fine alone.”
Kieran sighed in resignation. “Then I’m coming with you.”
Together they crept into the next room, hiding behind a large pillar, and listened to the men’s conversation.
“What about the rest?” the leader asked.
“The place is mostly empty this time of year, as others have gone on pilgrimage. Tis just a handful of nuns. We have killed the rest.”
Naomi realised that was why the place was deserted. It took many people to maintain a nunnery this large. With most away, it became unruly and mostly unguarded.
“What of the prioress?” the leader asked.
“Half beaten but still refusing to speak. I have her outside.”
“Bring her in.”
Naomi watched as, moments later, a woman wearing a gown and cross was dragged into the room. One eye was swollen shut. Her face had bruises, and she was bleeding from a stomach wound. The leader unsheathed a dagger.
“Where is the amulet? My men have been patient so far, but I am not.”
“Patient? We are a peaceful community. We told you we have no earthly possessions, and you still murder us!” she shouted.
The leader struck the prioress in the face. “Shut up! Unless you want to lose your tongue as well.”
The prioress buckled over in pain. Kieran clenched his fist and Naomi felt her blood boiling inside.
“Bring in the others.”
