Her heart was somewhere in the vicinity of her throat as the horse tore down the long drive. Her hands were tight fists on the reins, her breathing coming in sharp gasps. She had never been good at actually riding on horse and she was terrified. Trying to remember anything from her brief riding lessons at the mansion she gave the reins a gentle tug to the right as the massive bay neared the road. To her relief the horse turned in the right direction, plunging them onto the dark byway.
Rogue could only guess at the landscape around her since no moonlight penetrated the cover of the trees above her. Logan had said that Wildare was to the north of Colin's plantation but she had no idea how far. She made attempts to look for breaks in the shadows, anything that would alert her to a drive or the entrance to a property but she saw nothing. Rogue dug her thighs into the side of the horse and pulled back causing the animal to shudder to an ungraceful stop. She knew time was of the essence but it would do her no good to keep galloping through the dark.
Rogue gently eased herself up in the saddle, trying to peer father down the twisting road. As she was looking she could feel her horse tense up beneath her. Looking down she noticed the animal pull its ears back as it stared forward. Acting on instinct she gave the horse a small kick, causing the animal to start, then move towards the side of the road. As the horse disappeared into the brush, Rogue could hear the faint sound of riders heading towards her. Pausing she listened as they rode by.
"That man back there is mad, I tell you," one man grumbled.
"I know but he pays as well as a sane one."
"Well I don't care how much he pays, nobody deserves what he is doing to that man back there."
"Lets just go find what happened to Clive and get that gunpowder."
Rogue could see them riding by from beneath the shelter of the trees. She waited until she could no longer hear the sound of their horses' hooves before venturing out on the road again. As much as she hated to she gave her mount a swift kick in the side causing it to take off once more into a mad gallop. If what the men said was true then she probably didn't have a lot of time to waste.
"Please," she prayed, "don't let me be to late."
She rounded a bend and up ahead she could make out a light glowing through the trees. What was worse was that, as she got closer to the gap in the trees she could smell the scent of wood burning.
It felt like forever but she found herself in the opening of a disheveled drive. Up ahead she could make out the shape of what once must have been a great mansion. Its hulking frame was gray against the shadows of the sky and forest. The windows across the front were broken, and the ivy covered columns now were nothing more then vine wrapped wrecks.
Silently she urged her horse forward, being careful to stay out of the light of the torches. A burning mass was over to the left side of the porch and Rogue felt a rush of relief when she made out the shape of the wagon. Two men, definitely drunk, were amusing themselves by watching the pile of wood burn.
Scanning the now smaller group of men in the yard, Rogue saw neither Rene nor Colin among them. Looking back at the house she could see a faint light moving around the ground floor. She was still skirting the edge of the lights when a scream pierced the air. Rogue froze, her horse shying away to the side. The men in the yard also stopped and gave their full attention to the front of the house. Rogue fought the pain welling up in her chest, that had been Rene screaming she just knew it, and it had been a scream of pure agony.
Another scream even more piercing then the first once again broke the silence. Rogue saw the men start to move uncomfortably now, shifting their gaze from the house to the waiting horses tied to the edge of the property.
"Go," she wanted to yell at them, if they left she would have a better chance at the house, but the men stood there ground. After agonizing minutes, a torch appeared in the front door. Colin stepped out of the darkness onto the porch, one man holding him steady while two cruel looking men followed behind. Rogue could see in the light from the torch that Colin's face was pale and one side heavily bandaged, blood seeping through the once white linen.
"Where the hell is Clive?" he demanded though Rogue could hear his voice was laced with pain. The man holding his arm handed him a small flask that Colin drank deeply from.
"Don't know, Sir," one of the men near the wagon answered, "Stokes and James just set off to find him, and they'll be back soon."
"Not good enough," Colin's harsh voice caused the man to cringe. He signaled to the two men behind him and each went down and lit a piece of wood from the burning wagon. Colin allowed the man at his elbow to help him down the steps and onto the back of his waiting horse.
"I guess I'll have to do without," he sneered, "but I guess its just as well since I wouldn't want my guest to die too quickly now would I?"
Handing his torch to the man who helped him, Colin rode by and grabbed another from the men at the wagon. Turning he once he surveyed his men giving them a signal with the nod of his head. Then to Rogue's horror he rode toward the front of the house and threw the torch inside. The men around him followed suit, and soon flames were licking at the sides of the worn out old building.
With a harsh laugh Colin faced his men, "Well that takes care of one problem and if you gentlemen would be so kind as to excuse me while I go and take care of another."
With that he rode off through the trees, passing only feet away from Rogue. His men mounted their horses and followed, some grinning and other shaking their head casting nervous looks at the house burning behind them.
Once Rogue saw the last one leave she flung herself from her horse. She had to act quickly; the dried wood of the old plantation would not last long. She began to run towards the porch, but her hoop tripped her. Frustrated she pulled up her skirt and ripped the ties causing the useless piece of clothing to fall to the ground. She lifted the heavy skirts and raced across the lawn to the front steps. Assessing the situation, as Logan had taught her, she figured she had fifteen minutes to get Rene out, maybe less. Somewhere her head screamed it was impossible that she didn't have enough time, but Rogue pushed the thought aside. Sprinting up the old steps she braced herself then charged through the doorway. Fifteen minutes was just going to have to be enough.
A/N: Ok so we are getting close to the end. I am really, really, really trying to find time to write but I promise to be done with this story hopefully in the next few days and no longer then next week, Thank you to all my reviewers, you guys are awesome as always. Please keep them coming. : )