Highlander's Trials of Fire

“Get away, Jonet!” he shouted after her, dodging beneath the lethal swing of the first ax. “Go back to the Castle!”

He was at a disadvantage. They bore weapons and all he had to rely on was his quick senses and his nimble feet. They had him on the defensive from the very beginning, but he was hoping that if Jonet escaped safely, he would be able to stop this. Just as long as he occupied their time long enough to keep them from chasing after her.

Yet she did not move.

“Jonet!” he barked.

One of the brigands lunged after him and Matthew just narrowly managed to dodge the blow. The brigand stumbled and Matthew took advantage of it by pouncing on his back and pulling the ax from his hand.

“Ye fools!” the leader bellowed andhe dismounted as well, charging after Matthew.

They all left Jonet alone, who stood on the outskirts of the tussle.

Matthew did not have any time to think on it. They pounced on him all at once, including the one who had been disarmed. He had pulled out a long dagger and swiped at him, seemingly not caring if he got hit by his own ax. They were dangerous foes from the very beginning, moving with such intent that it was difficult to achieve the upper hand during their assault, buthaving the ax now gave Matthew more of an advantage.

“Matthew, get back on yer horse!” Jonet screamed. “Ye cannae fight them!”

“Ye need to leave now, Jonet!” He shouted back. He tried not to be distracted, but the attackers did not ease up. Even though Jonet was the Laird’s daughter, the more likely target for their ambush, they did not pay her any mind. Why?

“I cannae leave ye!” Came her determined voice once again.

Before Matthew could tell her to stop, Jonet charged into the brawl with Fenella. She whisked Fenella around at the last moment and the horse kicked its leg out at the leader’s chest, sending him flying.

The other two faltered at the sudden attack and Matthew used that distraction in his favor. He swung his leg out under the brigand closest to him, and before he could crash to the ground, he punched the other twice in his jaw in quick succession. He collapsed to the ground, right next to the first. Matthew, not giving the first the chance to get to his feet, rammed the hilt of the ax into his temple and he too fell unconscious.

He whirled to face the leader, ready for anything that might be coming. Yet the leader was groaning on the ground, trying and failing to get to his feet.

Jonet rushed over to Matthew. She grasped his hands, then his arms, then his face. “Are ye all right?” she demanded to know. “Did they hurt ye?”

“Luckily, I managed to get out of that unscathed,” Matthew said. His heart was still hammering. He tossed the ax away

from him, grasping Jonet by the arms. “Why dinnae ye leave when I told ye to?”

“How could I when ye were being attacked by three men?”

He sighed. “That hardly matters. They might have stopped had ye gotten to safety.”

Jonet shook her head. “They dinnae even pay me any attention. They were only after ye. I had to do somethin’.”

He let out a shuddering breath, pulling her into him. He held her tightly, trying to comfort himself with her smell. Her presence. She was safe. She was unharmed. Matthew had not felt fear like that in a long time, and it had all been for her.

“I’m all right, Matthew,” she spoke after a while. She stroked his back. As if she were the one comforting him. “Right now, we daenae have much time to waste standin’ around. They might wake up at any moment.”

“Right.” He let out another breath, hoping that this one would serve to calm him. “Right. Let’s see what we have here.”

He turned to look down at the two men unconscious near his feet. Jonet wandered over to the other, who had given up his struggle to get to his feet.

“This one is still conscious,” she told him.

“Curse… ye…” the man wheezed, then collapsed to the ground.

Matthew felt no pity for the man. He did not want to know how it felt to be kicked full force in the chest by a horse, but considering the circumstances, he was happy that it happened.

“Thank ye for helpin’ me when ye did, Jonet,” he said to her. “I should have said that first. If ye hadnae, I might nae have been able to overwhelm them.”

“It looked like ye needed the help,” she beamed.

Matthew chuckled. He jogged over to Fenella and knelt at the fallen basket by her side, withdrawing the blanket. With all this strength, he tore the blanket to strips.