Chapter 19
Over the next sennight, the days passed in a blur as the watch on Mabrick Castle revealed all the activity William needed to know for an attack. Each day around noon, there was a delivery of some sort, which meant there would be an opportunity to get into the castle.
While there were guards, the numbers weren’t overwhelming, and based on their previous experience with the pot-de-fer, it could only shoot straight. If the army kept off the parapet, they would be safe from its wrath.
William was ready to announce to his men that they would be attacking the following day. A decision he was further convinced to be the right choice when he went downstairs in the morning to find Reid having a bit of bread and ale at one of the tables near the back.
Reid nodded in silent greeting toward William. “I was hoping this was the right inn. The others were too empty to accommodate so many.”
William chuckled. “How many others did ye go to?”
“Only two.” Reid took a sip of his ale.
The blonde tavern wench with the pouty smile approached the table. “And who is this?” Her gaze lit with interest as she scanned over Reid.
He ignored her suggestive tone.
Nonplussed, she turned her attention to William. “What can I get for ye?” She pursed her lips after she spoke, plumping them out in an obvious attempt to show off her most attractive feature.
Her flirtation reminded William of the first night they’d arrived, when Kinsey had been jealous of the woman. If she was still jealous, she didn’t show it. Indeed, Kinsey scarcely spoke to him. At least outside of anything regarding her tasks as an archer.
For his part, William kept his distance from the tavern wench and any other woman who showed him interest.
It wasn’t necessarily to please Kinsey. She’d apparently made her choice. One that his circumstance had forced on her.
Nay, his dismissal of women had everything to do with how hard it was to even think of another lass when his head and heart were too full of Kinsey.
And how could he stop thinking of her when she was around him every day, vibrant with her determination to be the best damn archer Scotland had to offer?
William ordered an ale, and though the tavern wench gave him a pretty smile, she didn’t bother with excessive flirting. She already knew of his disinterest.
After she departed, he regarded Reid. “Laird MacLeod?”
“I found him,” Reid said. “He’s hale and hearty as always. Lost a few men in the attack, but wasna injured himself.”
While William was glad his father wasn’t hurt, he didn’t find the news surprising. His da always managed to come out of any situation unscathed.
The wench dropped off William’s ale. He nodded his thanks and took a sip. “And his opinion on Mabrick Castle?”
Reid slid a chagrined look his way.
“He’s no’ pleased, I take it,” William surmised.
Reid’s mouth flattened in a hard line. “He thinks ’tis a waste of time. He would have preferred ye join the king and his army in Jedwood Forest.”
Laird MacLeod’s displeasure only increased William’s resolve. His da would change his mind once Mabrick was taken.
“We will attack tomorrow afternoon,” William said quietly.
“Then, I appear to have good timing.” Reid lifted his ale in a silent toast.
That afternoon, William met discreetly with his army to inform them of his decision to take the castle the following day.
Their excitement hummed in the air like the currents in the air just before a lightning storm.
A week of monitoring Mabrick had not provided nearly enough activity for men who were used to constant movement of some kind.
William tried not to look at Kinsey as he spoke, despite his acute awareness of her bright blue gaze locked on him.
The men disbanded once he finished, going off to enjoy the rest of the day he’d given them to take for themselves. After all, for some, it might be their last afternoon of life. He never took for granted the dangers of battle.
It was rare to enter any fight without a single casualty, and there was nothing William hated more than losing a man.
Kinsey did not leave with the rest of his men and instead approached him.
His heart thundered in his chest. Reid apparently saw her coming and quickly slipped from William’s side, leaving him more nervous than he’d been since he’d flirted with his first lass as an adolescent.
Impending battle always left apprehension pulling taut at warrior’s nerves. Mayhap she sensed that and wanted companionship.
The idea of being with her again elicited a thrill of eagerness inside him. Not just the anticipation of intimacy, but to be in her presence once more, to revel in her tenacity and the passion she held for life.
Preparing for the battle was a welcome and much-needed distraction from the emotions otherwise roiling around inside William. All of which rushed back at him now in a dizzying maelstrom of elation, hurt and hope.
She stopped before him and met his gaze, her face absent of affection or any other telling expression.
Something cold locked around his heart.
“After we take Mabrick Castle, I’ll be returning to Castleton,” she said flatly.
Castleton.
He would never see her again.
The news was a crushing blow. Not only had he lost Kinsey, but he’d also lost their archer. He shielded his emotion behind a nod of understanding.
He’d ruined any chance with her, and now he’d ruined his army as well.
She took a quiet breath, as though preparing to say more, when she gave a curt nod and strode off. Tempting though it was to recount the scant conversation in his mind over and over and over again, he had the details of their attack to plan.
He spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Reid, perfecting the final details. The next day, just after the sun indicated noon, William and his men hid in the forest on the path leading to the castle entrance with Kinsey in the brush, her bow ready.
As expected, the rattle of wagon wheels rolling over the hard-packed trail echoed through the trees. It came into view with covered bales of hay and only one driver.
William held up a single finger to Reid, who refocused his attention on his target and leapt from the foliage like a wild cat, swift and silent. He caught the man before the merchant could even cry out, squeezing at his neck with a powerful forearm.
Alec jumped onto the wagon, controlling it as the man struggled before finally slumping forward. Reid dragged the merchant’s limp body from the carriage, where he was divested of his tunic, tied up and left in the forest to be found eventually. No more men needed to die than was necessary.
Reid appeared from the forest once more, wearing the man’s tunic, and climbed onto the cart as several men slid beneath the heavy canvas covering the hay.
William stepped forward to join them when a gloved hand folded around his.
He looked back to find Kinsey at his side in full chain and armor, per his orders.
It was almost impossible to make out her expression beneath her helm. “Be safe,” she whispered.
He gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand. Though he couldn’t feel the action any more than she could in their gloves, his memory recalled the silkiness of her skin. “And ye, my love.”
Her eyes widened, but he turned away.
The time had come to take Mabrick Castle.
And this time, he would not accept failure.
The anxiety gripping Kinsey had been unexpected. They had been in battle before, but not like this. Not after having been so soundly defeated on their last attempt.
William had explained that it didn’t appear the pot-de-fer had the ability to reach them from its position on the parapets. At the time, such information had put Kinsey at ease.
Her stare followed the wagon as it made its way toward the castle gates. Beneath the canvas were warriors who had become friends, as well as the man she loved.
There was no point in denying her feelings, even if she meant to run from them when this was all over.
The rest of the army that had not hidden in the wagon shifted closer toward the castle in preparation to storm inside the fortified walls once the portcullis opened. She nocked an arrow and waited for her chance to defend them.
It was almost impossible to keep her breathing even as the shout of an English guard calling down to Reid echoed in the damp air. Somehow, Reid managed to keep his accent neutral as he replied.
The guard’s response did not come immediately, and the stretch of silence filled with tension. At least for Kinsey.
The late November chill had left her teeth chattering only hours before. But now sweat prickled at her brow.
What if the guards didn’t believe Reid? What if they were suspicious and attacked the cart where William and the others lay defenseless beneath the canvas?
“Aye, come in then,” a man shouted from the castle wall.
Kinsey gasped out the breath she’d been holding.
A loud creaking groan sounded, and the iron portcullis slowly began to inch upward. Where fear had once presided, now Kinsey felt a surge of hope.
They’d done it.
Her back burned from holding the arrow in place, but she didn’t dare move. She would be their first line of defense until William and the men were inside.
Finally, the portcullis was raised enough for the wagon to pass under. Reid drove it into the bailey, stopping when he was almost completely through.
William and Duff jumped from the back with iron spears in hand.
But they were not weapons. The spears were like double-ended tridents, with one end an open brace to catch the heavy gate, and the other flat with four thick arms branching out to hold it in place.
These were lodged at the base of the portcullis as the other men leapt from the wagon and poured in from outside the castle walls.
The English did not hesitate to attack.
And Kinsey was ready.
She released her arrows, one after the other. Now, after having had experience in battle, she was better able to aim for debilitating injuries rather than kills. A kneecap, a hand, the arm they used to wield their weapon. It was far better than the throat.
A wall of Englishmen formed at the entryway to keep William and the army out, but after several minutes of combat, the Scots were able to force their way through. Their blades flashed and slashed, hacking through the defenses to get into the castle beyond.
Once they were inside, it would be easy to take possession of the castle, with most of the English’s prime defending soldiers already slain.
Kinsey held back from sending more arrows into battle lest she hit one of her men. They pushed farther into the thick stone entryway and finally disappeared inside. Her heartbeat quickened.
This was it.
The hard part was done.
Victory would be theirs.
She searched the area for any guards who might be coming to assist. Seeing none, she waited.
That had been the plan. She was to remain on the outskirts of the castle, vigilant for any approaching guards. The seconds passed like hours.
It was impossible to gauge the time. The clashing of swords continued to ring out through the entryway, as did the grunts and cries. She craned her neck but couldn’t see inside.
Apprehension tingled up her spine.
Shouldn’t the fighting have stopped?
William had made it seem as though once they were within the castle, Mabrick would fall. The sounds of battle suggested otherwise.
She waited only a moment longer before making the decision to relinquish up her post and join the men inside. Wasn’t this why she had a sword strapped to her belt? In the event that she might need to help?
She scanned the surrounding area constantly as she moved, on alert for any men who might try to attack.
Blood darkened the path where the packed earth met fitted stonework.
She stepped over one dead English guard and another, flinching as she saw one of their own too—a man with unruly dark hair and a witty sense of humor.
She knelt at his side, but his open sightless eyes told her there was nothing that could be done. He was already dead.
The ringing of swords was louder now. She pressed against the thick stone wall and crept deeper into the entrance. There were more bodies, the floor wet with blood. The coppery scent mingled with the odor of death and made bile rise in her throat.
She lowered her bow and nocked an arrow to her side, still keeping it at the ready lest she need it and glanced around the corner.
The air sucked from her lungs in horror. Many of their men had been slain, but not only by English guards. Mabrick had reserved its most powerful warriors for inside the castle. Several Englishmen in superior armor, wearing blue and white surcoats, fought alongside the guards with brutal force.
In only one slash, the soldier closest to Kinsey blocked the blow of three men, killing one and injuring another as the third staggered back.
The back of her neck tingled with fear.
Her gaze darted through the mass of fighting men, seeking William. She found him alongside Reid as they battled against the tallest of all the superior English warriors.
William wouldn’t want her to fight. She was aware of that, just as much as she realized that in joining this battle, it might result in her death.
But if she did not, William would certainly be slain.
Ignoring all the warning protests in her mind, she took aim and released her first arrow.
She had joined the fight.