Chapter 42
Something wet pressed against his cheek. It was what brought him back. Glancing over, he grimaced at Dread. The horse must have stood by him while he lay on the ground, unaware of what was going on around him. Pushing up into a sitting position, his head swam. He clutched both sides of his head with his hands. Would the pain go away? At that moment, he would take the pain for the rest of his life if that meant Cassie was safe.
“Colin,” a voice whispered. “Colin.”
Turning slightly, he let out a chuckle when he saw the expression on his friends face. “Hello, Peirce.”
“Do not hello me,” he hissed. “I have been looking for you everywhere, and I cannot be gone long. Do you know who is taking care of Cooper? That damned cousin of Cassie’s. All the woman does is smile and nod.”
“Sounds like a good thing,” Colin mumbled while leaning back, ready to lie on the ground once more.
Hands gripped his shoulder, keeping him upright. “You are not going to sleep on me. Damn it all, Colin, what did you get yourself into this time?”
“It was not me. There was a man in a hood, and Cassie. Where is Cassie?”
“She is not here. Where is Cassie, Colin? What happened?”
Colin attempted to answer his friend, but pain hit again. Closing his eyes, he decided he would sleep for a moment. Just for a second in order to get his energy back.
“Colin!” Peirce screamed. Snapping his eyes open, he stared at his best friend. The man looked like he was about to cry and worry himself to death at the same time. Why would the man be so worried? Cassie, someone took Cassie.
“Why did you come?” Colin asked.
Peirce smiled at him, even though the smile appeared to be forced, Colin appreciated the effort. “I could not find anyone, but Ramsey and his sister. What am I to do with all the visitors if I have no host? Even Will is nowhere to be seen.”
“We were just going away for a day or so,” Colin explained quickly. He wanted to tell Peirce everything before he could not any longer. Even now, he could feel his energy draining. “I followed the directions, but it must have been a trap. A man hit me in the head from behind. After that, I do not remember anything. They have Cassie, Peirce. Promise me that you will get her home no matter what.”
Peirce gently shook him in what could only be called exasperation. “You were always dramatic, but this is uncalled for. You will be fine, Cassie will be fine, and then you can return home with Cooper.”
“Not married,” Colin whispered.
“What do you mean you are not married?”
Colin gave his friend a tiny smile. “I am not married. After all I have been through to avoid it, the only time I actually wanted it to be true, and it was a lie.”
“It’s not a lie, Colin. You may not have a paper stating it, but you and Cassie are married in every sense of the word.”
“No senses of the word,” Colin assured him.
A confused expression crossed Peirce’s face before understanding blossomed. “None whatsoever?” Colin shook his head. “Well, I guess it is a good thing, since you were not married,” Peirce mumbled awkwardly. Colin let out another tiny chuckle, ignoring the pain it caused.
Peirce’s head suddenly snapped over to the trees. Following his gaze, Colin stared at the three people exiting the woods. At that moment, he was thankful for this group of people who never left him alone. If it were not for them, he would be lying dead on the cold ground.
“I told you to stay at the manor,” Peirce hissed at the group.
Roslyn smiled and nodded, Ramsey narrowed his eyes, and Cooper pulled away from the group and ran towards Colin. Tiny arms wrapped around his torso. Cooper looked up at him with wide eyes. Large tears flowed from them, making streaks on the child’s cheeks. “Father.”
Colin smiled. “Yes, I am. Do not worry though, Cooper. It’s just a tiny bump and some red paint.”
The lad looked at him in suspicion before nodding. Whether he believed Colin or not was a mystery, but the boy would let it go for now. Cooper snuggled into Colin while the others began walking closer. Roslyn let out a gasp while Ramsey mumbled a curse.
“Why did you not get us?” Ramsey demanded while dropping down by Colin’s side. The man reached up to inspect Colin’s scalp. Wincing as the lad looked for the cut; Colin wished that this could be over with. He wished he never had taken Will’s directions.
“There is nothing you can do,” Peirce mumbled, “but get in the way.”
Ramsey turned narrow eyes towards Peirce. “I may not be as old as the lot of you, but I am close to Cassie. Anyone who is close to her and did not pick up some of her methods is a fool.”
“You know what to do?” Peirce asked.
Ramsey nodded. “It may not help him much, but until I can get a needle and a type of thread, this will have to do. Give me your shirt.”
“My what?”
“Your shirt,” Ramsey repeated impatiently, “and Rosy, go get some water. There should be some in the pack on Dread. If not, there is a river in that direction.”
The woman nodded as she lifted her skirts and darted towards the horse. Ripping sounds echoed through the night as everyone was silent, watching what Ramsey would do. Colin felt the man tug at his head once more, causing a wave of nausea to hit him. Finally, he felt something touch the back of his head. Colin could not see what Ramsey was doing, but it hurt like hell.
“Almost done,” Ramsey mumbled. Something circled Colin’s head.
“What is that?” Colin questioned.
Ramsey tugged once more on the thing before answering, “Just a piece of cloth. It will keep you from bleeding out as much. We need to get you to the manor to stich you up.”
“No,” Colin commanded, “you will take Cooper back to the manor. Peirce and I will ride on.”
“Do not be ridiculous,” Ramsey hissed. “You will fall of the horse before it even takes a step.”
“Tie me to the damned thing then. No matter what you say, I am not leaving here until I find Cassie.”
Ramsey’s hands stilled. “Where is she?”
Colin could hear the underlining anger in the man’s voice, and Colin immediately banished all thoughts that Ramsey may have been in on the plan. “I do not know, but if we follow the tracks, we should be able to find her.”
“They will not travel at night, no matter how well the moon casts some light,” Peirce told them. “I think you should go back to the manor to fix your wound Colin. After that, we can find her.”
“I have a better idea. Ramsey can go back with Cooper and Roslyn, leave the two of them there in safety, grab whatever tools he needs, and come back and fix me.”
“That is ridiculous,” his friend insisted. “You may be dead by the time the boy can come back.”
Colin attempted to shrug, but nothing happened. “It is a price I am willing to take. No one is stopping me from finding her, and I do not believe I trust you enough not to keep me in the manor once I am there.”
“Damn, fine, we will do it your way. Roslyn, will you take care of Cooper? I promise you that if you harm one hair on that boys head, you will have a group of people to deal with,” Peirce told the woman who just nodded and smiled at him.
Turning an exasperated look to Colin, he said, “Do you see what I mean? I could tell the woman that there is an arrow aimed straight at her heart and she would smile and nod. She is far from being like her stubborn cousin.”
“You can only have one Cassie,” Colin whispered while closing his eyes. For once, he needed to do something he promised himself he would never do. He needed to put his trust in the people around him. Colin had to have faith in his friends, both old and new, and pray that Cassie would be unharmed when he found her.
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Thanks to Gaaras_Girl23521 for recommending the song on the side!