“What if she can’t?” Royden argued, a scowl surfacing. “She could be held captive. We have to make sure. We made a promise to protect her. We can’t fail her.”
“Royden’s right,” Arran agreed. “We have to find her. We’ll take precautions, but we must find her.”
A thought hit her then and she got annoyed that she hadn’t considered it before. What if Abbott Thomas’s abduction had something to do with Raven? Had he known where she was? Could someone have captured him to find out about Raven? And did she share that news with her husband and Royden?
The thought had her at odds. She didn’t like not telling Arran, but she had given her word not to say anything about Raven even to her own brothers. And she was reminded of what the Abbott had said about a plan being in place and it would reveal itself by the start of winter. That wasn’t far off.
“Is something wrong, Purity?” Arran asked, his wife having turned far too quiet.
She was able to respond honestly to him. “I was thinking. Raven is the most courageous woman I know. She managed to help your da to safety during that horrific battle and she brought others to safety as well, and she still managed to escape even though warriors shouted for her to surrender. I believe she is well and will return home soon.”
“Are you saying Raven remained nearby and saw most of the battle?” Royden looked to his stump, hating the thought of what she might have witnessed.
“Aye, I knew where she would go and, as I and the others struggled through the woods to get your father to safety and to get him help, I saw her there.”
“How could you see her if you were a distance from the village?” Royden asked.
“There was no safe place for her to hide. If we found all her hiding places, then the warriors would have too,” Arran said.
“There was one place she hid that you never found,” Purity said with a smile.
“Don’t keep us waiting,” Royden said, annoyed that their sister had managed to outwit them again.
“The trees,” Purity said, “especially the large oak. She’d climb near to the top.”
The two brothers shook their heads.
“She’d have a good view from there,” Royden said. “She would have seen and heard everything and would have had to have the courage to remain hidden no matter what she witnessed.”
“If she was courageous enough to do that, then she’s courageous enough to survive,” Arran said.
“We search,” Royden declared.
Purity remained silent, thinking of ways to at least delay the brothers’ search for their sister.
A couple of hours later, Purity and Arran watched Royden take his leave. He was barely out of sight when Purity took her husband’s hand and with a playful smile tugged at him to follow. “I have something to show you in the barn.”
His wife gave a yelp when he grabbed her and scooped her up in his arms. “I prefer our bedchamber. It’s more private and we can linger without worry of being disturbed. Besides, the air is crisp today and I don’t want you to be cold when naked and on all fours.”
She poked him in the shoulder. “You better see it done this time. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one to have been suffering,” he said and turned to hurry up the keep steps.
The pounding of horses’ hooves had him turning and seeing two of Wolf’s men approach the keep. He quickly and regretfully placed his wife on her feet and took her hand to hurry down the steps.
Arran wasn’t surprised to see Royden following behind them. He must have seen them and surmised they had found something and followed.
The warriors dismounted and Purity squeezed her husband’s hand when she saw what one warrior held grasped in his hand.
It was the Abbott’s robe and there was blood on it.
Chapter 27
What troubled Purity even more was what the other warrior held. It was a broken spear with carved symbols on what remained of the handle and dried blood covered the blade. She had seen those same symbols on Brynjar’s warriors’ spears.
“Where was it found?” Arran demanded, taking the blood-stained robe from the warrior.
“Between here and where Brynjar is camped. The tracker could only take us so far, the trail ending suddenly,” the warrior explained.
“And the broken spear?” Arran asked.
“It was a short distance from the robe,” the warrior said. “The blood is dry and with the entire blade being covered with it, I’d say the wound it left is deep and more likely fatal.”
“But you’ve found no sign of the Abbott?” Arran asked to clarify.
“Not a hint,” the warrior said, shaking his head. “But then Brynjar excels in covering his tracks.”
“Continue your search,” Arran ordered and the warrior nodded and mounted his horse along with the other warrior and rode off.