“You are the one who has gone mad. The curse is done. It has been broken,” Damia argued.
Bliss was not able to stop Lana from delivering a vicious slap to Damia’s face. She did, however, grab the young woman and steady her before she tumbled to the floor. The way Damia moaned and planted her hand on her stomach made Bliss realize the young woman was in labor. The frightened look in Damia’s eyes told Bliss that she did not want Lana to know.
“You are a fool like the rest of them. The curse is not broken. It cannot be broken. The cursed lords must die for it to finally end, and goodness restored,” Lana said and pointed the dagger she held at her sister’s cloak. “Put it on. We leave now.”
Bliss hurried to drape the cloak over Damia’s shoulders, praying that Rannick would return in enough time to keep them from harm.
Damia let out a low moan and leaned against Bliss.
“She is in labor. Leave her here. I will go with you,” Bliss bargained, knowing it would become obvious all too soon and hoping Lana would do right by her sister.
“She can drop the little bastard in the woods for all I care. No sister of mine shall bear the child of a man who belonged to the clan of one of the cursed lords,” Lana said, her face twisted with a look of disgust.
Damia gasped, placing her hand over her stomach as if somehow she could protect the bairn. “Finn was a good man and husband and served his clan well.”
“And yet you wed only a few months after his death,” Lana accused.
“Fate sent Bram to me, and Finn would be glad for it. He would want me and our bairn protected,” Damia argued. “You cannot harm my bairn. Please, Lana, do not let your hatred harm an innocent bairn.”
“Time to go,” Lana said, ignoring her sister’s pleas.
Bliss wasn’t surprised to see the two warriors who had escorted them to the cottage crumpled on the ground and hidden out of sight behind the cottage. A quick glance showed no signs of blood, and she assumed a good knock to their heads had done them both in, which meant there were others helping. She feared if there were more than just those men who had escaped, then that meant the escape had been intended to divert and that would mean that she and Damia were being led in the opposite direction of where her husband searched.
A chill of fear raced through her, and she prayed that Rannick would come to discover the ruse before it was too late.
The night wore on, the walk through the dark woods not easy as Damia’s labor progressed. Bliss kept her steady on her feet while leaving as heavy footfalls as she could for Rannick to find and follow. Unfortunately, with the snow continuing to fall, she feared it might be for naught.
“You have to stop. Your sister can walk no more,” Bliss said, feeling Damia collapse against her.
“It’s not far now and let her drop the bairn, I care not,” Lana said, reiterating her indifference and walked ahead, four men in front of her leading the way.
Fury raged through Bliss that Lana could bring such harm and heartache to her own sister. She stopped walking and eased Damia to the snow-covered ground to rest against a thick tree trunk.
“We will not take another step!” Bliss shouted.
Lana turned, her face glowing red with anger at seeing her sister sitting on the ground. She raced toward her.
Bliss hurried to steal a glance around and quickly reached out to grab a long stick on the ground, an arm’s length from her, and swung it at the enraged woman when she got near, catching her on the cheek, a welt swelling fast. Bliss’s stomach roiled, knowing there was no way she could defend her or Damia against a dagger, but she had to try. She could not let the young woman keep walking and the bairn drop from her, and Bliss was sure she was close to delivering the newborn.
Lana’s eyes sparked more with madness than with fury and Bliss braced herself for the challenge.
“Enough!” a man shouted. “You know the orders. She is not to be harmed. That privilege is for another.”
“Do I get to watch when she gets what she deserves?” Lana asked.
“We will be long gone,” Sheed said as he emerged from the woods alongside the narrow path. He went to Lana and glanced at the welt. “It will leave no mark. You have done good. Our reward will be great.” He turned to smile at Bliss. “Your husband will find his way to you, though too late. No doubt by the time the fellow is done with you, you will have lost the bairn and probably wish you were dead.”