“I make her happy all the time,” Torr said with a chuckle.
“Good, then I shall be an uncle very soon.”
Torr laughed. “And probably many times over.”
Cree grinned. “As will you.”
“Then I say we are two lucky men,” Torr said and held his hand out to him. “And I welcome you to our family.”
Cree took it. “And I welcome you to mine.”
The warrior returned, hurrying into the hall and speaking as he approached Cree. “Both women left some time ago and no one has seen them since.”
Cree and Torr exchanged worried looks just before Cree ordered, “Gather some men and search the village.” Cree turned to Torr. “Come with me, we will see if Old Mary knows what goes on.”
Elsa stopped them before they could reach their destination. “I was just coming to see you. Glenda came to see me and told me that she had seen Dawn and Wintra a while back hurrying behind one of the cottages, though she said that Dawn had looked as if she thought twice before following Wintra. She thought it strange, which is why she mentioned it to me.”
“Did she say which cottage it was,” Cree asked.
Elsa pointed to their right. “Glenda also mentioned that she was in the woods this morning, which is where she got the splinter she could not get out of her arm and thought she heard horses and voices. She told me that she was cautious, knowing how dangerous strangers can be. But she saw nothing, only heard what she believed were horses and voices, and then they faded.”
Cree turned to Torr. “Owen?”
“The last report from my warriors was that he was well on his way home.”
“But they did not continue on his trail?” Cree asked.
“They continued to follow, but Owen is a sly one. I would not be surprised if he made it only appear that it was he who led his troop.”
“What is wrong?” Kellmara asked as he joined them.
Cree explained and Kellmara grew angry. “You think it is Owen?”
“If it proves the women are missing, then it would be the most likely explanation,” Cree said, trying to maintain his own anger.
“I am going to kill the bastard,” Kellmara said.
“No! That is for me to do,” Torr warned as they hurried around the cottage.
Cree, Torr, and Kellmara stood staring at the ground where it was obvious an altercation had taken place. Henry the tracker was immediately summoned.
After looking over the area, he said, “The shorter one put up a struggle; the other one did not.”
“Wintra must have put up a good fight,” Torr said imagining his petite wife struggling desperately to free herself.
“She did,” the tracker said with a nod as he remained on bended knee, observing the area.
“I am going to make the bastard suffer when I get my hands on him,” Torr said before Cree could claim the privilege.
Chapter Thirty-three
They stopped what seemed like hours later, though Wintra prayed that it was not as long as it had felt. She and Dawn would then have a better chance of making it home perhaps by morning the latest once they escaped. She felt so foolish for not having thought better of simply running off to investigate a noise. But she had thought she had nothing to fear and the cry sounded so like a child in pain that she had not been able to ignore it. The worst part was that she had involved Dawn. Cree was going to be furious and she could not blame him. She had to make this right. She had to protect Dawn and get her home safely, though she hoped that their absence had been discovered by now and that Torr and Cree were on their way to rescue them.
She sent a silent prayer to the heavens. Please, God, let it be so.
Once they had dismounted Wintra went straight to Dawn, worried that the hard ride may have been too much for her and the babe. “Are you well?” she asked Dawn anxiously.
Dawn rubbed her back, though nodded.
Wintra lowered her voice. “We cannot let them take us any further. We must escape now before it is too late.”
Dawn nodded and patted her chest.
“You feel the same. Good, I have a plan, but we must be quick about it.” Wintra quickly whispered softly as she fussed with Dawn’s cloak, making it appear as if she saw to her care.
Dawn squeezed Wintra’s hand when she finished, letting her know that she agreed and was ready to do what was necessary.
“You will come with me, Wintra,” Owen ordered.
The two women clung more tightly to each other’s hand when they saw that the small troop had been divided in two. They were about to separate them and they both knew they could not let that happen.
“We need a moment of privacy in the woods,” Wintra said, knowing they would never be sent alone, but hoping no more than two warriors would be sent with them.