SEVENTEEN

A GLEAM of metal.

Jane inhaled sharply, her gaze fixed on the small, corroded bronze object she’d uncovered.

A stopper?

She carefully cleared more earth away from the object.

Yes, a stopper.

She cleared away more earth.

A bronze stopper sealing a bottle.

She sat back on her heels and drew a deep breath.

“Hadar, you bastard. I think I’ve found it,” she whispered. “Now to get it out of the ground and we’ll see what we-”

“Jane, get out of there,” Jock’s voice was sharp. “Lights in that farmhouse.”

Shit.

“I can’t go yet.” She was digging frantically around the bottle. “A few more minutes.”

“You don’t have a few minutes.” Jock was cursing. “Caleb must have blown it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” She was digging the earth away from around the bottom of the bottle. “Never mind. I don’t give a damn. Just keep them off me for one more minute. I’m almost there.”

“Two men are running out of the farmhouse. Get out of that gopher hole, and let’s get away from here.”

Careful…

She cautiously, slowly pulled the smooth, opaque bottle from the earth. It was over eighteen inches high; the width varied from seven inches at the bottom to about four inches at the top, and it was sealed by a bronze stopper. And it’s heavier than I expected, she thought as she lifted it.

“Jane.”

“I’m coming.” She carefully wrapped the bottle in several rolls of protective plastic and put it in her backpack. She started wriggling through the cave toward the entrance. “I found it, Jock.”

“Great.” He reached down as her upper body emerged from the cave, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet. He took her flashlight and dropped it fully lit to the ground in front of the cave. “We’ll leave it here to light their way. Now let’s move, Jane.”

She could see the lights of several flashlights bobbing across farmyard toward the Field of Blood as Jock half pulled, half dragged her down the hill.

“Where’s Caleb?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care.” He dragged her behind a hillock and pushed her to the ground. “We’ll wait until they get to the cave, then start across the field.”

Four running men were only yards from the hills now.

Dammit, where’s Caleb? What happened to him?

Guns. The men were carrying guns.

They were almost upon them.

Then they were climbing past them up the hill toward the cave, where Jock had dropped her flashlight.

“Just a little longer,” Jock whispered. “Get ready.”

Her muscles tensed.

“Now!”

She leaped to her feet and streaked after him down the few yards to the field.

She heard a shout from up the hill.

The clay sank deep beneath her feet as she ran.

Another shout.

She glanced over her shoulder. The four men were bolting full speed down the hill.

She stumbled, caught her balance, and kept running.

“Okay?” Jock asked.

“Yes, but where’s Caleb? We shouldn’t leave him.”

“He may have left us. Keep running.”

She wasn’t about to slow down. Their pursuers had reached the field and were gaining on them.

A bullet whistled by her ear.

Shit. They’re firing on us, she thought.

“Zag to the left!”

Caleb’s voice. Caleb himself in the stable yard, kneeling on one knee, leveling a rifle.

“Left!” Jock said. “He needs a clear shot.”

She zagged left.

Another shot. But this one was from Caleb’s rifle.

A scream from behind her, and she looked back. The leader of the pack had fallen to the ground, and the other three men were splitting to either side. They were hesitating, their attention fixed on Caleb.

The next moment, Jane and Jock reached the farmyard.

“Get to the car.” Caleb was sighting again. “One more down should distract them enough to hold them.”

She slowed, hesitating.

“Come on,” Jock grabbed her arm. “He’ll take care of it. He doesn’t need us. You’ll get in his way.”

Caleb pressed the trigger, and another man fell to the red clay.

Field of Blood.

And no one knew more about blood than Caleb.

No, he didn’t need her.

She ran with Jock toward the car.

Gillem was standing beside the car. “Get in. What were those shots? I was supposed to get you in and out with no trouble. I don’t like this.”

“Neither do we,” Jock said. “So get in that driver’s seat and get us out of here.”

“Wait.” Jane said. “Caleb.”

“I wasn’t going to leave him.” He was watching out the window. “Here he comes.”

“Go!” Caleb dove into the passenger seat. “We have maybe two minutes before they reach the cars parked in the driveway.”

Gillem pressed the accelerator, and the car jumped forward. “I don’t like this,” he repeated.

“But you’ll do what you’re supposed to do, what we want you to do,” Caleb said. “Won’t you, Gillem? Whatever it takes.”

Gillem muttered a curse as he raced away from the farmhouse. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Attitude adjustment,” Jane murmured.

Caleb met her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I had to keep busy. You had both Jock and me twiddling our thumbs. Did you find it?”

“I found a bottle. I think it may be alabaster. I’ll have to see if there’s anything in it. I didn’t want to risk opening it.”

“You blew it, Caleb,” Jock said. “You were supposed to keep those two guards from giving an alarm.”

“I took care of the guards. Someone from the house must have spotted the light.” He glanced back over his shoulder and stiffened. “I see headlights. Lose them, Gillem.”

Gillem stomped on the accelerator, and the tires screeched as he tore down the road.

MacDuff’s Run

LORD, SHE was sick.

Eve barely made it to the bathroom before she threw up.

And again. And again.

She sank to her knees on the floor beside the toilet.

Nausea and pain.

Flu?

Food poisoning?

But she had felt fine earlier in the evening.

She threw up again.

But she didn’t feel fine now.

Her cell phone was ringing. She didn’t want to move.

She had to move. She had to get help. She crawled to the bedside table. “Hello.”

“I’m sick,” Lina said. “I keep throwing up.”

“Me, too,” Eve said. Lord, she was dizzy. “Food poisoning?”

“I don’t know. I feel like the time the midwives gave me some powerful herbs to make me fertile, and they only made me sick.”

“I’m calling MacDuff to get a doctor.”

“I’m coming to your room. I don’t want to be alone.” She was retching. “Dammit. If I can stop throwing up.”

Eve had to wait a moment before she was able to dial MacDuff’s number.

“Sick. Both Lina and me. Throwing up. Maybe food poisoning… I don’t know,” she said when he picked up. “We need a doctor.”

MacDuff muttered a curse. “I’ll call Dr. Kelsey in the village and tell him to get up there. I’m phoning Mrs. Dalbrey to go to your room and see if she can help. I’m on my way back from the hills. I should be there in twenty minutes.” He hung up.

If I didn’t feel so rotten, I’d be relieved, Eve thought hazily. MacDuff was on the job doing what he did best. Taking care and bossing everyone around.

Her door opened and Lina came into the room. She was white as a sheet, her eyes rimmed and dark.

“Do I look as bad as you?” Eve asked. “Don’t answer. I don’t give a damn.” She curled up on the floor. “I called MacDuff. He’s getting help.”

“So sick.” Lina sank to the floor beside her and leaned against the nightstand. “Like those herbs…”

Herbs.

I hope all goes well with you.

There’s sighting in the hills. I have to check on it.

The MacDuffs wouldn’t have built their castle here if they hadn’t worked out an escape route.

BUT AN ESCAPE ROUTE could also be an entry.

Wrong. Something was very wrong.

Eve’s lids flicked open. “We have to get to the guards at the gates. It’s not… safe here.”