Chapter 8 #2
Taran sighed. "He is loyal tae nothin' and nobody. If the False King came knockin' at his door, I have nae doubt McKenzie would be willin' tae roll over if it meant he'd be closer tae his own goals. He has nae honor, nae regrets about actin' only for himself. I feel sorry for that daughter of his."
"So it was always a trap," Darren surmised. Anger flashed across his usually joyful face, and he slammed a fist down on the table, causing the teacups to rattle. "Bastard. Coward! The deceit of him and his clan kens nae bounds. How could he do this? What sort of a man—"
"He's nae man," Maeve interrupted. Her voice was quiet, the burning fury inside her so hot that the flame felt almost cold. "He's a snake. A coward. A pathetic blight on the earth."
Darren put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get Cailean back. Ye ken I'll nae let him stay there a moment longer than he has tae. And he's strong."
"We need tae act fast. We can let the others rest a while, aye, but nae long.
Every moment we let slip away is a moment Cailean is in danger," Maeve said.
"Obviously, we cannae hope tae take on the entire strength of McKenzie Castle with eleven fighters in a full-frontal attack, but we've taken a castle back with such small odds before. "
"We had men on the inside then," Darren pointed out. "We had me father's knowledge of the structure of the castle. And we had ye with knowledge of its workin's. Things are different here and now; we—"
"Shhh!" Maeve urgently hushed him as a noise reached her ears.
They all fell silent and listened. Hoofbeats, approaching quickly.
"They've found us," Darren hissed.
Maeve grabbed her sword. It didn't sound like many people, maybe two or three, but even one would be dangerous when they were on the run. "Hide," she told Taran.
"I can—"
"Please hide. I'll nae have ye in danger," she insisted.
Taran sighed and nodded. "I'll wake the others," he said, then hurried over to the stairs.
Maeve and Darren gripped their weapons and moved toward the door. As one, they opened the door to the quickly darkening night, ready to face down whatever threat might be here to hurt them once again.
But when the door swung open, there was no enemy there. Instead, Delphine stood with her hand poised ready to knock, and behind her were two very familiar faces.
"Bre!" Maeve exclaimed, and that was all she could get out before her sister charged forward into her embrace. The two of them held each other tightly, Maeve so relieved to see her that she didn't even question how she got there.
Something good had finally happened. Maeve could only pray that it was a sign that there was more good to come. It had to be.
"...and we found Delphine in the village," Eoin explained.
He had just finished telling them the whole story of how they had ended up here, emphasizing Breana's bravery in a way that made Maeve's heart swell with love and pride.
"She recognized ye in Breana's face, Maeve, and after she'd made sure of who we were, she led us here. "
"She told us what happened with Cailean," Breana said, holding tight to Maeve's hands.
She turned to Darren and Fergus, the latter of whom had come downstairs to investigate the noise.
"Thank ye for gettin' me sister out of there.
" Turning back to Maeve, she said, "I'm so sorry we were too late.
When the Sparrow, Barbara, arrived tae warn us—"
"Barbara?" Taran interrupted. "Ye've seen me daughter?"
Delphine's calm exterior cracked for the first time. "Please," she said, her accent even more pronounced in her urgency. "Is my cousin alive?"
Surprise showed on Breana's face, but she answered anyway. "I found Barbara grievously injured, but when last we saw her, the healers at Bruce Castle seemed tae think she'd make a full recovery."
The farmer and the Sparrow both sank into their seats in relief.
Maeve watched them, glad for their joy, but the storm in her heart just grew darker.
Seeing this family receive the good news that their loved one was still alive just made her more acutely aware that her own beloved was in terrible danger.
"We must act," she said. Her voice was quiet but with such command in her tone that everyone else fell silent and turned to face her. "We must return tae McKenzie Castle immediately and find a way tae get Cailean out. Nae matter what."
Eoin, Darren, and Fergus all exchanged glances. Eoin was the one to speak, though Maeve already knew what he was going to say before he did.
"We must show caution, Maeve," he told her gently. "Ye ken that. If we go bargin' in without a plan, we'll all die, and Cailean will still be a prisoner, nae closer tae his freedom."
"Caution! What is the point in caution if Cailean—if our king is dead?
" Maeve demanded. She slammed her hand down so hard that it hurt, but she relished in the pain.
It helped cut through the cold she felt on the inside.
"I'm tellin' ye. Me instincts kent this was a trap, and I didnae trust them.
Now me instincts tell me tae act, and I willnae ignore them again. "
"Ye must. If we dinnae show patience, we could easily walk intae another trap," Eoin told her in that same gentle tone.
"They have Cailean. What if they capture ye?
They could send ye back tae yer father. Or if they get Darren—the heir tae the Bruce Clan and the male leader in Cailean's stead?
What if any of the rest of us are killed? What use would our rebellion be then?"
"And if Cailean is killed because of our patience?" Maeve snapped. "Eoin, I expected better of ye. Ye of all people ken what it is tae be a prisoner—"
"And I ken what it is tae fall victim tae a trap!" Eoin sharply retorted.
"All right, enough!" Darren interrupted them.
"Enough. Eoin is right—we cannae do this without help, Maeve.
Ye ken I want Cailean back as badly as ye do, and I'm tellin' ye, this is the right way tae do it.
Let's send some men back tae get reinforcements from home. It will only take a few days at most."
"A few days is too long," Maeve replied, her heart tightening at the very thought of leaving Cailean there alone. "Time we dinnae have."
"It's our only choice," Fergus finally said. "Rest, Maeve. Or we'll be nae help tae Cailean at all."
Maeve and Deirdre were given two of the three small beds on the main floor of the farmhouse while the men slept upstairs. Night had fallen, and there was no sound at all, but Maeve was far from sleep. All she could think about was Cailean. Where was he? How was he? Was he safe? Alive?
She heard a creak from the third bed and saw Delphine slip out.
The White Sparrow had told them that she'd go into the village that night to gather what information she could; her informants operated best under the cover of darkness.
The men had all agreed that this was their best course of action—to wait until they had all the information—and Maeve had reluctantly agreed.
Now, Maeve waited until she heard the front door open and close, then slid out of her own bed.
She was still fully dressed, and she reached for her cloak and hurriedly slipped on her shoes before following.
She slipped out of the door unnoticed and just saw the back of Delphine's dress as the woman disappeared into the trees.
Maeve followed, close enough not to lose sight of her, but distant enough that she wouldn't be caught. Determined, she crept through the dark forest, knowing that she would find a way back into this stronghold. No matter the risk—no cost was too high.
"I'm comin', Just wait," she whispered, just as she had once before. But this time, whether she meant Cailean or McKenzie or something else entirely, even she had no idea.