The Duchess (MacBride Sisters Trilogy Book 2)

being the captain of the guard was taking orders. Especially if the one asking for them was a person like Aideen. It was almost impossible to say no to her.
- All right! All right! - said taking a deep breath. - So be it! If your sister's on those trails, I'll find her and bring her home. If she offends me or assaults me, I won't answer for myself.
Aideen took my hand smiling and standing on tiptoe, kissed me on the cheek.
- Thank you!
- What don't you ask for crying that I don't do by laughing? - I hugged her smiling.
- Good luck, cousin! - said Alistair hitting me on the shoulder.
- Thank you! Thank you! - said sighing. - I'm gonna need it!

Chapter 01
Annabel
I stopped to breathe when the screaming was far away. He could not see the faces of the beings who dragged Aideen into the darkness of the forest, but he heard their despair with affliction. I went back to running towards him, but with each step taken, the distance increased more and more. As I was about to succumb in despair, I felt the earth tremble and a huge crater opened in front of me. I tried to come back so I wouldn't be swallowed, but a huge hand grabbed my waist making me scream. As I was sinking into the hole, which was illuminated by fire, the frightful figure of a demon rose up revealing flaming red eyes. All the anger and hatred that emanated from his black soul appeared. I struggled trying to release myself, but it was in vain, because I was being pulled into the depths of the earth. Out of minutes of despair and screams that didn't seem to echo through the air. My fear was so great that I fainted at the dreadful laughter and the darkness that closed around me.
A noise made me jump off the floor where I was asleep. With the beast cocked in my hands, I looked around scared, waiting for whoever came out from somewhere behind the trees. The forest I was in was known to me from my childhood and there was no way anyone could have followed me, unless of course they knew the trails. Breathing deeply, I lowered the beast when I saw that the noise was, in fact, dry branches of trees which, the horse I had stolen, had broken with its paws. Making a face for him I approached him to stroke his ears. He looked at me like he was asking forgiveness and then he went back to grazing.
- You're a good boy. - said shaking his head and smiling.
At the moment of my escape, all I could think about was jumping over the back of the first horse I saw and galloping out into the woods. Luckily the animal belonged to a scout, for, besides the beast, there was a sheath with a spare sword and a bag of supplies. Among them, a blanket I had used to rest resting in one of the trees. Fortunately my sister Aila had time to teach me how to survive in the woods or wherever I was. By the time I was sixteen, I was already a perfect archer. I didn't like living like a bird and hated the condition my mother had put Aideen in, so I decided to look for countless ways to try to free her. Go out every day in hiding to learn the ways that this forest could take me. I knew that if I married Alistair, Aideen would soon die, locked in a dungeon, since the idea of keeping her in the room was mine. Thank God she was married and being very well cared for. It might not look like it, but she's always been the most fragile of us.
I bent down to fold the blanket and pressed the cape tightly around the body. The night was cold and I couldn't light a fire so as not to attract attention. Reviewing the saddlebag, I found there was a sheepskin bottle. Walking to the riverbank, where I decided to stay until I reached the limits of Inverness and found the road to Dunhill, I filled the odour. Sooner or later I'd have to leave the woods to follow the road, so I'd been trying for days to lose the soldiers sent by my mother. Even though I was very tired, I decided to resume the trip. I held the bag of arrows on my waist and crossed the bow, which I stole from a knight, on my chest for safety. Untied the reins of the tree, I rode the horse and then returned to the trail along the river. I had barely started riding when I heard other horses whine. Looking back, I saw the glow of torches and some armed soldiers were approaching.
- Damn it! - I whispered between my teeth. - How did they find me?
That was the second time soldiers had managed to locate me. I was already frustrated. I was sure that was impossible, but it was getting harder and harder to get them out of my way. Without having time to think, I simply put the horse on fire and started my escape again. Looking back, I noticed it was being followed by English soldiers. What were they doing in Scotland? Had Roy managed to ally himself with King Phillipe? That would not be possible, since I heard that Alistair had taken care that no letters or messengers arrived in England.
- Mrs. MacBride? Stop! - One of the soldiers, shouted in the distance. - Your mother wishes to speak to you.
- But not even dead! - ...I screamed firing a beast's arrow...
After finding out that I am actually the daughter of the