Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Hold on, we’ll have ye out as soon as we can.” Lavina spoke to the wall of rocks. She let out a heavy sigh. Just hours before, there had been a massive tunnel system running below the keep. It was supposed to be a means to escape, not of being buried under.
Guilt pricked Lavina. How could she be alive when so many had fallen?
After all, she’d been running through those very tunnels moments prior.
Had it been fate, or destiny that stole her away from such terror, she didn’t know.
But she found herself grateful to be on the other side, helping to free those still trapped.
Swallowing hard, Lavina pushed aside such thoughts. They wouldn’t help get the servants who were still trapped in the tunnels out. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she turned her attention back to the wall of rocks covering the opening to the tunnel from the council chambers.
The pleas for help grew fainter and pulled at her heartstrings. Lavina threw herself back into the work of clearing the debris.
She pulled the rocks as fast as she could, trying to free the people who’d gotten trapped in the tunnels.
But the truth was, no matter how many rocks she pulled out, more tumbled down to take their place. It felt like a never-ending task the devil would play on a fool. Lavina dropped her head as thoughts of Theo bombarded her mind.
It had been hours since he had vanished, determined to stop the attack on the keep.
Still, there wasn’t even a whisper of his whereabouts.
Although the barrage had ceased, the tension lingered in the air like flint ready for a spark.
Lavina didn’t know how much longer the truce would last, and that terrified her.
“Come on, we can do this,” she mumbled to herself, but the pep talk wasn’t working. There was too much destruction around her. Half of the west side of the keep had holes blown through it. All Lavina had to do was turn to see the south wall of the council blow to ruins.
She dropped to her knees in defeat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she took in the desolation around her. Maisie and Amber worked on clearing the rocks as more people meandered through the hole in the council chamber wall to help.
“Well, I dinnae ken if ye want to hear this or nae, but the eastern boundary wall has been demolished. Bastards have been usin’ those very stones to bust through our home, can ye believe that?” Stephen said as he climbed through what once was the window.
Dawn teased the horizon, but Lavina wasn’t sure she was ready to see what reality had in store for them. In this place in between, she had hope that Theo was still alive. But if dawn came, and he was found…
Lavina turned her head and pushed back all thoughts of Theo’s destruction. She couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t. He was out there, somewhere, and if she had to trudge through the mire to find him, she would.
“Lavina?”
The small voice startled Lavina. She whipped around to find Amber rushing over the rocks. Lavina’s thoughts immediately shifted. She dropped and opened her arms, eager for Amber’s embrace.
“Oh my, I thought ye had made it to the hills,” Lavina gasped as she looked up at Stephen for an explanation. Stephen raked his fingers through his hair as he shook his head.
“We tried. But she took off. I couldnae leave her, so I gave chase. We made it out the kitchen right as the walls caved in,” Stephen said as Lavina looked Amber over for any major injuries.
“What do ye say, ye stay with me from now on?” Lavina asked as Maisie climbed over the remains of the window with a pail of water.
Amber bobbed her head and went right for the rubble, eager to help clear it. Lavina’s heart ached to see Amber having to help or be here. But there was no place safe. If this was the end for clan McGowan, she wanted to hold on to the best memories she could.
“Please, we have children in here,” another man pleaded as she removed a rock to reveal a small arm flailing about.
“Aye, and we’ve only got a handful of people on this side workin’. We’ll get ye out as soon as we can,” she promised, fighting to keep her voice steady.
The last thing she wanted was for her people to think she couldn’t handle a crisis.
Rock by rock, Lavina, Maisie, Stephen, and Amber cleared the passage. It was tedious and stressful, trying to pick and choose which stones to remove. But when the children started flooding from the hole they had made, Lavina’s heart soared with hope.
“That’s right, right this way,” she directed as a handful of children circled her, begging for food and water.
“What’s this?” Marcus asked as he popped his head through the hole in the window. His eyes widened as he carefully climbed through. The shock was palpable. “Oh, me word. This is… a miracle. Truly.”
“They’ve just come from the tunnels,” Lavina said as Marcus bobbed his head.
“Aye, we lost them durin’ the chaos and was hopin’ they’d turn up here. Thank God they did,” Marcus answered as he rushed back to the window to alert others to come for the children.
“We’ve found Aaron and have him set up near the garden area,” Stephen said.
“Line the children up and let me take a quick look. Those who arenae hurt can head to the courtyard,” Marcus said as another cannonball fell close, shaking the ground.
“And what of Micah’s men? They’re still out there,” Maisie whimpered, hugging Amber to her. “He willnae let anyone leave here. He’ll slaughter every last one of us.”
“Well, now there’s a pleasant thought,” Stephen drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Have the earth swallow us whole, or face steel. Ye ken, I think I’ll take me chances with the steel. I’ve gotten rather good at how I handle mine.”
“Then lead the children out to the stables and get a wagon hitched. Get these people out of here,” Marcus huffed, examining each of the children before sending them off.
It was a blessing that they only had a few bumps and bruises.
“Shh, do ye hear that? I think the fire has stopped,” Maisie whispered, shooting her sister a warning look.
Lavina bobbed her head. She didn’t need to be told what came next; she knew her uncle all too well.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried not to think of Theo slain in some ditch, never to be seen again. She couldn’t bear the idea; it sickened her and sapped every ounce of strength she had.
“Are ye all right?” Marcus asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She didn’t know exactly how to answer that question.
A wave of guilt washed over her as she looked around, before her eyes fell on Maisie.
It was because of them that the walls had come down. If only they had gone somewhere else and been a curse to another family. Maybe then, the madness would make sense to her.
But as she tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, all she could do was nod.
“Aye, Theo will be proud to hear that when he comes back. He’ll want Lady McGowan to show dignity in times of war,” Marcus said with a wink.
It was as if his words gave her the fuel to be the woman she needed to be. Not just for her sister, but for the clan. People were counting on her to pick up the pieces. All she could do was pray the clan didn’t blame her for the catastrophe that had transpired.
“Stephen, is the way clear? Can we get to the kitchen?” she asked.
“Aye, I suppose we can, but I dinnae see the point. Are ye lookin’ for a snack or something?” Stephen asked, arching an eyebrow.
Lavina squared her shoulders. “Yer tongue might be a bit looser with the laird, but I’m Lady McGowan and ye’ll show me that respect. Now, answer the question. Can we get to the kitchen?”
“Aye,” Stephen said, straightening to his full height. A silent apology flickered behind the sternness in his eyes.
“We should load up on whatever we can,” Lavina added, glancing at Maisie, then Amber. “We’ll raid the kitchen so we dinnae starve on the road.”
“And just where are we goin’?” Marcus asked.
“If ye think we can still make it for the hills, ye’re wrong.
If it’s nae clear by now, Me Lady, we cannae go that way.
The tunnels have collapsed, and the caves in the hills are nothing compared to the stone that surrounded us.
And if that’s what Laird Lewis did to it, well, I hate to see what he’d do to the caves. ”
“Ye’re just scared,” Lavina said in a soothing voice. “We all are. But it’s in these moments that we must—”
“Look!” Amber cried, pointing her slim little finger to the smoky horizon.
Lavina paused and craned her neck to peer through the crowd. She couldn’t quite see what the girl was pointing at. For all she knew, it could be an enemy scout sent to find them.
Panic shot through her and rippled through the crowd. People darted in every direction as Amber waved her little hand as if it were Theo stepping over the ruins of the keep, searching for them.
“Look!” Amber cried again.
Stephen darted forward and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
Lavina pursed her lips and flashed him a warning glare for handling the girl so roughly. But she couldn’t deny that the situation required it. After all, there was no telling who was coming up over the rubble.
The wall of the council chambers had collapsed, exposing the inner court to the elements. The tapestries that hung so elegantly around the room kept their secrets well.
“Will ye be still, ye wee devil,” Stephen hissed as quietly as he could. “Are ye tryin’ to give us away?”
“Amber, please be still,” Maisie pleaded. There was no hiding the terror in her voice.
Lavina knew there was only one thing for her to do. She would have to defend Maisie with her life.
“Wait,” she said, trying to get Stephen to calm down. “Who do ye think that is?”
“Pa,” Amber mumbled against Stephen’s hand.
Lavina’s heart soared with hope as she rose. Stephen shook his head as doubt flickered in his eyes.
“Lavina, be smart. Ye dinnae ken who that is. That could be our uncle,” Maisie cautioned.
Lavina craned her neck and tried to see through the ruins and smoke. Closing her eyes, she let out a heavy sigh, feeling the sun on her face.
Lord, please let it be…
Slowly, she rose and started for the opening of the ruins.
“Lavina, nay, ye’ll be seen,” Maisie whimpered, clawing at her tattered shift as she walked past.
“Theo? Is it… Could ye have…?”
Hope swelled in Lavina’s breast. With each step she took, the figure grew clearer.
Hope ballooned to joy and joy to utter astonishment as she noticed it was Theo climbing over the rocks and beams of wood that once were the council chambers.
“Theo!” she screamed and darted toward him.
She didn’t care that the rough rocks cut her skin as she climbed over. She didn’t care that every inch of her was covered in soot and dirt.
“Oh, me word, what did he do to ye?” she gasped when Theo dropped to his knees.
The man looked as if he’d been dragged through the mires and bogs of the seven rings of Hades. There wasn’t an inch that wasn’t covered in blood or dirt.
“Vina…” Theo managed to say, before collapsing from exhaustion.
She was at his side in a flash, cradling his head. Oh, how she wanted to take his pain away and see him smiling. But she didn’t know how much of the blood was his and how much was someone else’s.
“Dinnae talk,” she urged, trying her best to wipe the grime from his face with her shift.
But all it did was smear the dirt around, masking his scars.
“It’s done,” he muttered. He seemed to strain to get even a single syllable out.
“What’s done?”
“He’ll never harm ye again,” he murmured, lifting a weary hand to her face.
His touch was colder than she had expected. It was as if he were slipping into the grave, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“I made good on me promise.”
“Aye,” Lavina said, her tears spilling over. She swallowed hard as his chest wheezed before he went limp on her lap. “Nay! Theo! Ye cannae leave me here. Aaron! I need the healer. Please! Theo. Ye cannae die on me. Lord Almighty, please, dinnae let him die.”