Owen wiped the blood from his head, though there wasn’t much. It was the two bumps on his head that caused the most discomfort, especially when he mounted his horse and began to ride. The throb in his head escalated, and he silently swore that the two women would suffer much more pain than he by the time he got done with them. He would make them suffer until they begged to die.
~~~
Wintra saw that Dawn’s steps had turned sluggish, as if it was a burden for her to lift her feet. She needed to rest and though it was unwise for them to stop, Wintra felt they had no choice. She did not want to take the chance of Dawn losing the babe. Cree would never forgive her and she would never forgive herself.
“We will stop and rest,” Wintra said.
Dawn looked ready to disagree, then her shoulders slumped and she nodded, as if she too realized that she could not go on. She silently cursed herself for not having gotten more sleep last night, but then she did not regret her time with Cree. She never did. Making love with him always left her feeling safe and cherished, and it made her all the more determined to return home to him.
Wintra searched the area for a secluded spot to rest. With it being winter, the trees were mostly bare, except for the pines, leaving the forest naked with few places to hide. The only spot that would afford them any cover was an old pine with a thick trunk and low branches.
“Over there behind the pine tree will be a good place to rest,” Wintra said and once there she helped Dawn to sit. As soon as her head rested back against the tree trunk, she fell asleep.
Wintra stood beside the tree to keep watch. She would give Dawn a little time, and then wake her and they would go. She kept the dagger clutched tight in her hand as she kept her eyes and ears alert. However, her thoughts wandered to Torr and the joy they had shared these last few weeks. She had been so very happy, and the more intimate she and Torr had become, the more deeply she had fallen in love with him. He was a kind and generous lover and an attentive husband. He was not one to anger fast, at least not with her. He was patient with her, and she loved that about him. She actually loved everything about him and, at the moment, she missed him terribly. She feared she would never see him again, and she could not let that horrible thought take hold, or all would be lost.
Dawn stirred awake and when she took in her surroundings, she bolted up away from the tree and winced, though it could not be heard. Her legs and back ached, and she feared she would not be able to stand.
Wintra was at her side as soon as she had seen her move. “You are in pain?”
Dawn didn’t want to admit it, but she would be foolish if she did not. So she gestured to Wintra that she ached and could not go much further.
“I thought that might happen. You look exhausted. I am going to find a place to hide you, and then I will keep watch. If Owen manages to find us, I will divert him and you wait here for Cree and Torr. I am sure they are on their way to rescue us. They will find you.”
Dawn shook her head adamantly.
“It is the only way,” Wintra insisted. “You haven’t the strength to help me.”
Dawn shook her head more strenuously, insisting Wintra was wrong.
Wintra knew there was only one thing that would change her mind. “What of the babe? Would you endanger his life?”
Dawn’s hand went to her stomach. She would do anything to keep her babe safe. But could she sacrifice Wintra’s life to do that?
“There is no time to waste arguing,” Wintra insisted. “There is no other way.” She did not wait for Dawn to agree or disagree. She got busy searching for a hiding spot. She found a small cropping of rocks not far away that seemed the only possible choice. By adding fallen pine branches along one side, it just might work.
Dawn tried to protest again, but Wintra would not have it. Wintra made certain that Dawn could not be seen behind the large formation of rocks by scattering fallen pine branches on the sides in just the right places.
“You must promise me that no matter what you hear, you must stay put,” Wintra said worried that Dawn would try to help her.
Dawn shook her head and with her finger crossed her chest, letting Wintra know that she could make no such promise.
Wintra took Dawn’s hand. “Please, Dawn, let me do this for you and the babe and for my brother. Cree has protected and kept me safe all my life. Now it is my turn.”