Samuel Morgan had sent a letter on ahead, informing them that Skylar was coming. It was her father’s way—always prepared. There were rules, of course, for her safety. She was to wear what they wore to quell any suspicion. She was never to leave the convent, no matter what. At the beginning, it had felt more like a prison than a safe haven, but as the weeks and months had passed, she had grown fond of the sisters.
“I ken it’s hardly the place a young lass wants tae be. But I promise ye, it’s for yer own safety,” Mother Mary had said before she was shown to her quarters.
Mother Mary had been right. It was hardly the place for a young lass. In fact, the adjustment was far more difficult than she could have imagined. It was not just the isolation of not being able to see her sisters or the fact she had to remain inside the grounds of the nunnery at all times. Even the day-to-day activities were strict.
She had gone from a large manor house with all sorts of freedoms to a tiny room with nothing more than a bed and a small cabinet for furniture. The walls were bare and cold, and words were hardly spoken between the women that resided there. Prayer was three times a day, and for someone like Skylar, twenty years old at her arrival, it was an unusual way of existing.
Still, while the nuns were hardly overly expressive, Skylar knew they would protect her. There had been several instances where unexpected guests had arrived at the nunnery. On those occasions, everyone burst into a great flurry of activity, the purpose of which was to hide Skylar from sight and keep her hidden until the visitor left. Sometimes, that was several days, and yet not once did they betray her presence.
She was going to miss them all.
Four years was a long time to spend with people in such close proximity, but tonight, Skylar would have to leave without the chance of any goodbye. When they had all retired and were fast asleep in their beds, she would sneak out of the nunnery. Her disappearance would not be discovered until the following morning, but by then, she would be far away. They did not deserve to get caught up in such horrific violence. Knowing Johnson, the fact that they were nuns would matter little to him. He was a violent, ruthless man. Of course, running away went against her father’s wishes, but she knew if he was aware of what was coming, he would agree with her decision.
Continuing to gaze at the praying nuns from beneath hooded eyelids, she thought of Lana. She missed all her sisters dearly, but Lana and Skylar were closer. The fact they had both witnessed their mother’s horrific death had only strengthened their bond before they were sent apart. Poor Lana had been terrified and, being younger than Skylar, had struggled much more to come to terms with what she had seen.
In fact, for several nights afterwards, while their father made arrangements for all their departures, Lana had woken up screaming in the middle of the night, terrifying them all. While Skylar and the others had tried to offer her comfort, she was inconsolable—trembling from head to toe until, lying in Skylar’s arms, she had allowed herself to be rocked back to sleep.
If only to see her sisters again. The chance was slim, but perhaps—
The sound of a door crashing open suddenly shocked Skylar out of her thoughts, and the nuns jerked their heads up, looking at each other with panicked faces. A haunting battle cry carried down the corridors, followed by the sound of fast-moving, heavy footfall.
“Come with me, child.” Sister Catherine hurried toward Skylar and was about to grab her hand when the door to the prayer room burst open, and a group of scowling, angry men barged inside.
“Put yer head down,” she whispered in a rush before putting her hand behind Skylar’s head, bending it down.
Skylar did as she was bid, but deep down, she knew it was no use. This was exactly what Lana had warned her about in her letter—it was too late now.
The rest of the nuns screamed in terror and began to run for the door at the other end of the room. Only Mother Mary did not move.
“Ye have nae business being here,” Mother Mary said, standing forward with admirable courage.
“Silence!”
The booming voice of the man circling the room echoed loudly around them. He was tall and broad, with a snarling, ugly face marred by many scars. By his actions, he was clearly the leader of the group.
“We’re here for one thing, and ye ken what it is. Give the lass over, and nae harm will come tae the rest o’ ye.”
The other men had now grasped the escaping nuns and shoved them roughly back into the middle of the room. The men grabbed at the nun’s chins, checking the women’s faces. Skylar knew what they were doing. They were checking the color of everyone’s eyes.
“We dinnae ken who ye mean,” Mother Mary cried, trying to push a big soldier away from her, but he was too strong for her to make an impact.
The leader of the group stormed across the room and glared down at her. Even then, the older woman did not back down and glared right back. “If that’s the way ye want tae go about it, Sister,” he growled. Pulling a dagger from his belt, he swiftly brought it up to the old woman’s throat, pressing it against the loose flesh beneath her chin.
“If the one we seek doesnae step forward, blood will be spilled,” the leader growled.
May the Heavens be with me!Skylar had no choice. She could not let any harm happen to these poor innocent women, and it was time for her to protect the nuns as they had protected her and face her enemy.
Taking a step forward, she lifted her face to look at the disgusting man in front of her, still holding a blade at Mother Mary’s throat.
“Nae!” Sister Catherine cried.
“I am the one ye seek,” Skylar said calmly.
The leader jerked his head at the soldier standing nearest to Skylar, and just as he had done with the others, the ghastly man put his grubby hands on her chin and stared into her eyes.
“It’s her, Colum,” he declared excitedly. “We’ve finally found her.”
It was likely their journey had been a long one. The Lowlands were a great distance away from the Isle of Iona. Skylar could see the excitement and relief on all the men’s faces. There were even signs of delight. Their long search had come to an end, and now, they could all return home with the prize, no doubt to be rewarded by Laird Johnson.
