Chapter Nine #2
Alastor looked him in the eyes. “You have come to ask me what my response is to Alpin Canmore’s many missives,” he said.
“Therefore, I will tell you. You can return to your king and tell him that I refuse any alliance with the Scots. I will not enter into a battle that I cannot win. You cannot win. There are greater armies in England than there are in Scotland and the north lands, and you are entering into something that will assure your destruction. But it will not be mine. Make sure you tell William that.”
MacDuff’s eyes glittered in the weak light. “William is the rightful Earl of Northumbria,” he said. “That title was taken from him by Henry. He wants it back and he shall have it.”
Alastor cocked an eyebrow. “You dare to tell me that?” he asked.
“My family descends from the Kings of Northumbria. This land was mine before it was ever William’s.
The man is arrogant beyond measure to presume the land is his because it is mine and it will remain mine.
If he comes to take it, I will fight him for it.
I will not align with him simply to gain a piece of the pie of something that already belongs to me.
Northumbria is mine, it will always be mine, and any man who thinks otherwise is my enemy.
Now, get off my lands before I turn my army loose on you. I do not want to see your face again.”
With that, he turned away from MacDuff and headed out of the gatehouse, but MacDuff wasn’t finished with him yet.
“Ye’re making a mistake,” he called after him. “William will come and when he does, he will bring hell with him. Ye can be burned by the flame or ye can align yerself with the Devil. Dunna be foolish, de Bourne. Think!”
He was shouting by the time he was finished. But Alastor kept walking, unmoved and unimpressed. He grabbed Ares as he went.
There were plans to make.
“Reinforce the walls,” he commanded quietly. “Drop the second portcullis and secure the gatehouse. I fear we will have an onslaught when the day fully breaks.”
Ares nodded sharply and headed off as Alastor continued towards the keep. He’d just made a decision that was going to affect the health and welfare of his people, but he’d never felt better about anything in his life. Hell was indeed coming, but it wasn’t coming for him.
MacDuff would find that out soon enough.
And so would The Rough.
Unfortunately, MacDuff had other ideas.
“Pssst! You! Open this gate!”
Addax was trying desperately to get the attention of a soldier inside the kitchen yard as he and Cole stood at the postern gate of Castle Keld.
They were trying to get inside before the Scots saw them. Because of the low-setting moon and the near complete darkness, they had been extremely fortunate to have made it to the castle without being discovered. But it had been more fortunate that they had discover the Scots at all.
Shadows moving in the darkness had tipped them off.
Castle Keld was on a rise overlooking a small village of the same name, and the area around the village was lush with growth and trees.
That growth only disappeared at the base of the hill Castle Keld was perched upon, and Cole and Addax had come in from the northeast, losing themselves in that growth as they made their way towards the castle.
But there were phantoms on the hill surrounding The Keld, phantoms that trickled down the road, seemingly clustering around the western edge of the village.
It didn’t take a great intellect to realize that the Scots had beat them to Castle Keld, so they carefully made their way through the dark trees, finally emerging on the northeast side of the castle and making their way up the hill via the postern path.
Now, they stood at the gate.
Addax was trying desperately to catch the attention of someone while Cole held on to the horses and watched their backs.
Drago, the happy glutton, ripped at the fat, juicy grass on the hillside as Addax did everything but shout as he tried to get someone’s attention.
The postern gate was in two parts, with an outer gate that led to a small, enclosed yard before another gate was opened into the kitchen yard.
Therefore, Addax had to work hard to make his presence known.
But finally, it worked.
The cook happened to be in the yard gathering eggs when she saw Addax at the outer gate.
She had a torch with her and she went to the inner gate, curious as she peered towards the outer gate.
Recognizing the prince from Kitara, she threw the bolt on the inner gate and quickly went to open the outer one, swiftly admitting Addax and Cole and their horses.
Cole slammed the gate behind him and locked it securely.
“Did the Scots see you?” the cook, a round woman with a knot of hair on top of her head, asked eagerly. “They’re at the gatehouse, you know.”
Cole nodded wearily. “We know,” he said. “Where is Lord Alastor?”
The cook shook her head as they passed through the second gate and bolted that one securely behind them. “I’ve not seen him,” she said. “But Anteaus told us to secure the keep. I’m gathering my chickens and moving them into the kitchens.”
They were moving quickly through the kitchen yard. “Where is Anteaus?” Cole asked.
“The last I saw, he was in the keep.”
Cole thanked her, leaving her with her chickens as he and Addax headed into the main bailey. They could see men on the battlements, battlements that ran all the way around the castle walls but, unfortunately, they all seemed to be bunched up towards the gatehouse, undoubtedly watching the Scots.
He shook his head.
“Idiots,” he muttered. “Thank God we were able to come in through the postern gate, but no wonder we were able to come that way. No one is watching it.”
Addax shook his head in disapproval. “If the Scots want to breach this place, they’ll find any opening or any area that is not well protected,” he said. Then, he reached out and took Cole’s horse. “Go – find Lord Alastor and tell him his postern gate is poorly guarded.”
Cole handed over Drago, who still had big pieces of green grass sticking out of his bridle. “Find me when you are finished,” he said. “If the Scots are here, that can only mean that we are going to find ourselves in a battle when the sun rises and that is not far off.”
Addax took the horses quickly as Cole continued towards the gatehouse where there seemed to be an inordinate amount of activity.
He was just passing the keep, albeit at a distance, when he heard someone call his name.
Coming to a halt, he could see Corisande and Anteaus standing at the bottom of the forebuilding that led into the keep.
Cole headed in their direction.
“I came to warn you that the Scots were traveling down Kielder Pass,” he said as he came near. “It looks as if I am too late.”
Anteaus was in full battle protection. “They arrived less than an hour ago,” he said. “They want to speak with my father.”
“Where is your father?”
“At the gatehouse.”
Cole turned in the direction of the gatehouse, seeing the dozens of torches and men milling about. There was a sense of urgency in the air and a current of uncertainty, but no one seemed to be panicking. At least, not yet.
He returned his attention to Anteaus.
“This cannot be good,” he said. “An army of Scots does not simply travel into England to socialize.”
Anteaus’ gaze was also fixed on the gatehouse. “My father thought they may have come looking for Canmore,” he said. “But there is no way anyone would know Canmore is here. It is more than likely they are here to discover if my father is going to side with them or not.”
Cole couldn’t disagree. “More than likely,” he said.
Then he returned his attention to Anteaus.
“Addax and I came in through the postern gate. It is without a guard, so I would strongly suggest moving men to protect it. If the Scots figure it out, you will have an onslaught trying to come in through the rear.”
Anteaus stepped away from the forebuilding, looking at the wall walk, which was lit with men and torches as well.
He grunted unhappily.
“There were men there,” he said. “I placed them myself, but it looks as if they have all moved forward to watch what is happening at the gatehouse.”
“My thoughts as well.”
Anteaus turned to him. “Cole, would it be too much to ask for you to secure the keep?” he said. “It looks as if I am needed elsewhere.”
Cole nodded before he even finished speaking. “I would be honored,” he said. “Do what you must. I will make sure the keep is secure.”
Anteaus raced off. Cole watched him for a moment before finally turning to Corisande.
It was the first time he’d really looked at her since the conversation with Anteaus had started and that first glimpse of her in the early morning darkness did not disappoint. Dressed in a heavy robe, her blonde hair braided over one shoulder, she looked like an angel.
“Inside, lady,” he said, a smile on his lips. “We must get you and the other ladies to safety.”
Corisande smiled and all of the stress and concern Cole had experienced on his harried ride back to Castle Keld seemed to melt away.
“I am glad to see that you are safe,” she said as he took her elbow and turned her for the steps. “Have you been traveling all night?”
He nodded as he escorted her up the stairs. “All night,” he said. “We were in Otterburn when were told that a Scots army was moving south through the Kielder Pass. I knew we had to warn you but, evidently, we were too late.”
Corisande was watching her feet as they headed up the stairs, careful not to trip on her robe. “But you came,” she said softly. “That is all that matters. And I’m glad you’re back, Cole.”
He watched her lowered head. “May I tell you a secret?”
“Of course.”
“I came to warn your father and brothers, of course, but my main concern was you.”
Her head popped up, looking at him with surprise. “It was?”
His eyes glimmered warmly. “It was,” he said.
“It is. That is why I am going to make sure you and your sister and the women are locked up safely in this keep before I return to see what your father would have of me. If I did not know you were tucked away safely, I do not think I could go about my business properly.”
They paused at the top of the stairs, facing one another.
“That is a very sweet thing to say,” Corisande said, clearly touched.
But the warmth in her eyes faded. “Cole… if there is a battle, I am my father’s surgeon, so I cannot remain locked up in the keep.
I will need to move to the great hall so that I may tend the wounded. ”
He had a feeling she might say that and his first reaction was to insist that she retreat into the keep and remain there, but he knew he couldn’t. He had no right. In fact, he had no right at all to make any demands of her, but it was difficult to restrain himself.
Difficult, indeed.
Cole was a man who did everything wholeheartedly.
He never did anything only haphazardly, whether it was his profession or personal relationships.
He just didn’t have it in him not to give all of himself to something he was passionate about, which was difficult when navigating his fledgling feelings for Corisande. He didn’t want to overstep his bounds.
But he wanted to make sure she was completely safe.
“I understand,” he said, reaching out to discreetly take her hand in an electrifying gesture.
“If you will retreat into the keep for now, I will come for you if there are wounded and escort you to the hall personally. There really isn’t any reason for you to be out here at the moment, so it would be better if… ”
Shouts caught his attention. He couldn’t see what was happening because he was in an enclosed forebuilding, but he could hear men shouting.
Something was happening.
Still holding Corisande’s hand, he began pulling her back down the steps.
“Bolt these doors when I am gone,” he told her swiftly but calmly. “Then you will retreat into the keep and bolt every exterior door, every shutter. Do you understand?”
Corisande was trying very hard not to trip on her robe as she struggled to keep up with him. “Aye,” she said. “But if there are wounded…”
“If there are wounded, I will come for you,” Cole said. They had reached the forebuilding entry and he helped her shut the enormous oak and iron doors. “Bolt these!”
The doors slammed in his face and he could hear Corisande throwing the heavy bolts. Whirling around, he caught sight of men dashing to and fro. Now he was seeing the panic he hadn’t seen earlier. He could see Alastor running in his direction.
“My lord?” he shouted. “What is amiss?”
Alastor was breathless. “Damned Scots,” he said. “They wanted to seek shelter here for the night, but I turned them away. They’ve gone after the village.”
“They are trying to draw out your army so that you will open your gates.”
Alastor shook his head grimly. “I know,” he said. “But the village is vulnerable. I cannot deny them protection, Cole.”
Cole turned in the direction of the postern gate. It gave him an idea.
“Addax and I just came in through the postern gate,” he said. “I do not know if the Scots are even aware of it, but we can take a contingent out through the gate without opening the gatehouse. How many Scots are there?”
Alastor lifted a hand helplessly. “I could not tell in the darkness,” he said. “Hundreds, at least.”
“Then let us move a few hundred men through that postern gate immediately and protect the village,” he said. “I will go and so will Addax.”
Alastor put a grateful hand on his shoulder. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I will find Ares and send him and Atlas with you.”
Cole was already on the move, heading for the stables. “I will find Addax and meet them at the postern gate.”
Everyone was running for their respective destinations.
The Scots, spurned by Alastor’s refusal, had set their sights on the little village next to the castle.
It was an invitation for the men of The Keld, an invitation that was about to be decisively answered but not in the way the Scots had hoped.
The spawn of the darkest lord of all had been unleashed.