CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Maeve burst into the dungeons with an intensity she hadn't known she possessed.
Her heart stuttered when she entered the place again — after all, the last time she'd been here, she had been sure that she was about to face her death for a crime she had not committed.
But she did not let herself focus on that, did not let herself become overwhelmed.
She had left the rebels and then left Darren for one reason: she had a job to do.
Instinct dragged her toward the solitary cell, the one where Maeve herself had been thrown to spend what were supposed to be her last days.
She could still taste the dampness and feel the chill of the icy stone beneath her, but though it threatened to repulse her, she pushed ahead.
She peered through the bars and a pair of owlish, deep blue eyes stared back at her in pure astonishment.
"Maeve?" Eoin rubbed his eyes, obviously barely able to believe what he was seeing in front of him. "I must be dreamin'. There's nae other way ye'd come back here."
"I'm here tae get ye out," she told him in a low voice. "Just like ye did for me months ago. Are ye hurt?"
He moved forward into the light, and it was clear he'd been beaten. He wore a shadowy bruise on his face, his jaw darkened, and his leg moved with a slight limp. "It hasnae been fun, but I'll survive. But I dinnae understand. How…?"
"The True King is alive, Eoin. Alive and ready tae fight tae save this country at last from men like yer father. He's fightin' above right now with a small group of men."
Eoin ran a hand through his hair. "The True King… the missin' McNair lad? Me father always worried he'd return. And he's here?" He shook his head, then something seemed to occur to him. "Maeve, yer sister…"
"I ken. We're gonnae get her out as well. Where are the keys?" She looked around. "Why are there nae guards?"
Eoin smiled slightly at that, though it was obviously an effort for him with his sore face.
"Ye'll find guards locked up in the cells further down.
Else they're probably up there fightin' with yer king.
Most wouldnae stand against me, so me father just left me down here tae rot.
We've lost many men recently, Maeve, more than ye can imagine. We dinnae ken where they've all gone."
Flashes of the fight and the bodies that followed filled Maeve's mind, but she pushed them away.
There would be time for this later. Eoin told her where to find the keys, and she ran over to the captain's desk where they were waiting.
After fumbling with the keyring for a few minutes, she was able to find the right one and set him free.
"Come on. The others," Eoin said. "Ye can explain this all tae me later."
The two of them hurried further into the dungeons, and Maeve was stunned by just how many men were locked down here. At least twenty men waited in cells, each of them wearing faded tartans that marked them as part of the Darach clan.
"Dissenters, each and every one," Eoin explained as Maeve went from cell to cell, freeing each of the captives, all of whom reacted with shock mingled with joy when they saw her and Eoin.
"Me father grows paranoid. He thinks everyone is plottin' against him.
He planned a mass execution tae show what happens tae those who stand in opposition tae him. "
"Surely he wouldnae have executed ye, his own son?" Maeve asked.
The prisoner she had just freed, a man in his forties, laughed. "Ye think so? He killed his own lover, lass. And I'm his uncle. Nothin' matters tae Kyle Darach but power."
Once the men were all free, Eoin turned to Maeve. "How did ye get in here? Are ye with the Sparrows?"
"There's nae time tae explain now. The rebels are fightin' for their lives. Are there any of ye who can fight?"
About ten of the men announced that they could. The others were older, or injured, or simply had the fight beaten out of them by the horrors they'd faced. Maeve couldn't blame them. She knew how draining it could be to be a prisoner.
"Can we get weapons?"
"Guard storage is in the back room. We can access it easily," Eoin confirmed. "Tell us the plan."
Maeve was heartened by how easily he trusted her.
She realized that this man was truly her friend.
"Eoin, I need ye tae do something important.
I ken ye want tae fight, but it's more important that ye lead the men out — the ones who cannae fight — get them somewhere safe.
And then, gather any allies ye can and get tae the front gates.
An army is arrivin' soon, and ye need tae make sure they can get in. "
Eoin nodded. He gave her a searching look then said, "I'll do as ye ask. But ye owe me a long conversation."
"After," she promised. She led them all to the passageway, and as they were filing through, one older man took her arm.
"Please," he said, "If ye find me daughter…"
Maeve recognized him: the stablemaster. Her heart wept for the family, and she wondered just how poor Sadie had been threatened to betray them. She couldn't even feel anger. "I'll tell her ye're safe. And I'll get her out," she promised. "Now go."
Once those who would not fight had left, she turned to the others, now equipped with weapons. "Let's do this," she said. "Let's break free once and for all."
Cailean knew that he might die here. He and his five warriors were doing a decent job of keeping the ambushers back, but he knew they could not hold against twenty men indefinitely. He just hoped that Maeve and Darren had enough time to escape before—
"Attack!" Maeve's voice yelled out, and Cailean spun to see her charging forward with ten men at her back, each brandishing a weapon.
The sight of her and the reinforcements spurred Cailean and the other warriors on, and he felt a surge of renewed strength as he fought off the next blow from a Darach soldier.
Suddenly, the tides were turned as Maeve and her mysterious men joined the fray, and the rebels pushed forward, killing where they had to and disabling when they didn't. None of them liked to end a life unless it was absolutely necessary.
When the last Darach man was incapacitated, Cailean wiped his sword on his shirt and took a deep breath.
Maeve ran to him, and for a moment, they just stared at one another.
"Are ye hurt?" she asked anxiously. "I'm sorry it took so long."
"Where did ye even come from? Who are these men?" Cailean asked her. "I thought ye were goin' with Darren…"
Maeve briefly explained how she'd detoured to the dungeons and been able to free Eoin and several prisoners who were sympathetic to or even enthusiastic about their cause.
She explained that she'd sent Eoin and several others ahead to make it easier for the full-frontal attack portion of the rebel army to arrive.
Cailean felt a swelling of pride and love in his heart for this reckless, foolhardy, incredibly brave woman.
"Ye were supposed tae get tae safety," he admitted.
She shrugged. "None of us are safe. Nae 'til Kyle Darach is dead."
The chatter between the warriors died down and all faces turned to Cailean and Maeve as both sets of warriors awaited their next course of action.
Before either could speak, though, the soft sound of sobbing echoed through the stone corridor, rising above the groaning of the few still-alive but incapacitated Darach soldiers.
It was the girl, Sadie, crouched in a corner and crying her eyes out.
Cailean was overwhelmed with complex emotion as he looked at her — a White Sparrow who had betrayed them and led them into a trap, yes, but also a young woman, barely more than a girl, who was clearly scared out of her mind.
What had gotten her in such a state? The Sparrows could endure all sorts of torture, but something had broken her.
Maeve walked over to the girl and crouched down to her level. "Sadie. Look at me," she said.
Sadie looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry," she wept. "I'm so sorry. I'm so glad ye survived, I… I didnae ken what else tae do. They already killed me mother and me wee brother. Da's trapped in the dungeons, I…"
"Yer father is free," Maeve told her gently.
Sadie gaped at her. "He is? But… how…?!"
One of the newcomers confirmed the news, and Sadie's face crumpled in a mixture of relief and horror.
"I betrayed ye," she whispered. "Will ye kill me? Take me prisoner? I'll nae resist, so long as me Da is safe."
Cailean felt all eyes on him, and realized suddenly that the judgement was to be his.
He knew that if he was to be a ruler, he had to be decisive and swift with justice, and what Sadie had done could have easily killed them all.
But he met Maeve's eyes and saw that she, too, was seeing the complexities of what this girl had gone through — what they had all gone through.
"The Sparrows will clip yer wings, Sadie. Ye can never return tae them," he told her. He knew that, though loving, Morag would never accept a traitor into her network. They simply couldn't afford the risk.
"I ken," the girl said quietly. "I deserve that and more."
"Go. Find yer father, and flee. Get far from here.
Go tae another clan, or even down south tae England or across the water tae the Emerald Isle.
Change yer name if ye must. Do whatever it takes tae find a new life.
" Cailean spoke the words, and as he did, he felt that it was right. "Go find yer peace, Sadie."
"Ye… ye're lettin' me go?" she asked breathlessly.
Maeve put a hand on her shoulder. "He's givin' ye a second chance," she told the girl. "We rebels, we all ken what it's like tae need one. Dinnae waste yers."
"I willnae," the girl said. "I promise."