“Ye ain’t never been squeamish,” Kurt argued.
“She’s Red’s daughter.”
“I don’t care if she’s the daughter of God Almighty.” Beti heard the leer in his voice as once more his hand kneaded where it didn’t belong. She kicked and remembered that the man was right. She was the daughter of the Almighty. It didn’t change her circumstances at all, but her spirit lifted at the thought. She was not alone. She would get out of this even if it meant death.
Help me. She prayed. A strange calmness entered her mind. It was not the peace the Lord gave, but something from inside her mind. She detached.
From her position she couldn’t see but heard a scuffle as the taller man took control of the horse.
“I said, ‘No’. I remember when she were just a tyke, and ye’ll not handle her that way.”
“Where are ye taking me?” Beti demanded.
“Ye’ll see,” Kurt promised.
Harry righted her on the horse. He took hold of the tail of the rope around her hands and mounted in front of her.
“Don’t try to slide off, I promise I won’t let go.”
“I will be right behind ye.” Kurt sneered.
The knot in her stomach tightened, but the strange calmness did not leave.
The man in front of her smelled of unwashed labor and ale tinged with smoke. How different he was from Zeke. He wasn’t as tall as Zeke, but he was muscular and hard and none of it for good.
The cloud darkened sky, and the close forest masked all the clues of direction. She was lost before they’d gone a mile.
She reasoned it was about three of the clock when they stopped at a small clearing near a road that had been cut into the tall forest. Remnants of a fire lay cold in the center. Harry helped her from the horse before Kurt could reach her.
“Where are ye taking me?”
“Never ye mind.” Kurt ran hand down her backside and squeezed. Beti sidestepped and raised her tied hands in a slap. He grabbed her wrists and twisted so her back was to him. Pulling her hard against his chest. Beti pulled, but he held fast. The foul stench of blackened teeth assaulted her nose as he brought his face close to hers. “It’s coming,” He whispered. He buried his nose at her neck. Rubbery lips trailed her skin, and a bite at her throat made her stomach turn. Beti kicked and made contact with his shin.
She stumbled as Harry pushed them apart. “I said no.”
The shorter man said nothing, but he winked and gave Betty a wicked grin.
Harry tied her to a stout maple tree. Beti rested her back against the tree. Wet soaked through the backside of her gown. The pallet of leaves and pine straw provided little barrier from the rain-soaked turf. If she stayed very still, perhaps she could keep reasonably dry. Warmth was not possible. She was reminded of Peter in the Bible when he was thrown in jail and the angel who released him.
The skin of her wrists bled from the worrying she’d done to the knots. They held fast even if there was a little more room for movement. The rope around her midsection barely gave her room to breathe. Her small scissors remained deep in her pocket. They were her only chance. She’d wait until the men were asleep, then she could try the contortions she would need to access them.
The two men moved in and out of the camp always making sure she was never left alone. Before long a small fire blazed into the increasing darkness. The men perched before the flames like buzzards pecking at a squirrel.
“I can get her to talk.” The leering excitement in Kurt’s tone caused shivers deep in her belly. “By the time I’m done with her she’ll be happy to tell us anything we want to know. We get the treasure before the boss knows anything.”
“We wait for the boss.” Beti recognized Harry as the man who’d said he’d called her father a friend. She did not remember him coming to the house but prayed it was so.
Kurt shut up. The gleam in his eye as he kicked her feet told her it wasn’t over.
Vigilance kept her eyes from closing. Her captors lay near the fire, breathing evenly into the night. She dared not risk an attempt at sleep. Kurt could wake at any moment.
“Fear not.”
The voice rang in clear tones all the way to her heart. Too stunned to think anything she gazed at the tall man glowing in the night. “I am come to tell ye that yer prayers have been heard.”
“Who are ye?” Beti asked.
“I am Amos who stands before the Most High.” He gestured with his hand a silver streak shined in the darkness. “I am a prince of the people of Fjelloyricket.”
“Ye mean ye guard the people?”
The angel smiled, and Beti felt like she could reach out and touch the pure joy that surrounded them.
“Have ye been following me?”
A slight nod sent more luminous streaks into the air just like the ones she’d been seeing since her father died. “Ye are of the royal house of Fjelloyricket. Messengers were sent once it was known yer uncle would soon be gathered to his fathers.”
Beti glanced down at the ropes which had fallen about her wrists. “Help is coming.” Real peace entered her soul, and the eerie calmness departed. “A horn is rising in Fjelloyricket. Under his hand the land will know peace.”
“My Lady.” Agmund bent low before her even as the angel disappeared. His gaze focused on the ropes no longer tying her wrists or binding her to the tree. Beti leapt to her feet.
“Boss!” Harry sprang to his feet faster than Beti could push off from the tree.
Beti glanced between the two men.
“Was that the angel I saw with ye just now?” Agmund demanded.
Beti’s eyes went wide. “What did ye see?”
