Chapter 8
"Yer sister is quite the artist," Kier said, his gruff voice raising with genuine and obvious admiration. "This information she gathered from yer father's castle and the way she's managed tae organize it all is…"
"It's goin' tae bring the rebellion further forward than anythin' we've managed tae gather so far," Ewan continued.
He pointed at a letter rolled out at the top of the sprawling information scattered strategically across the war table.
"Look at this correspondence between O'Sullivan and the False King.
Looks like he was hopin' tae angle his way intae weddin' his youngest tae the lad, Ansel. "
Hamish snorted. "As if Ashkirk would have ever accepted such a match in earnest. Nevertheless, it seems tae have done the trick just tae trick the fool intae believin' it was a possibility. He's sent a strong contingent of men along tae the trainin' grounds at McNair Castle."
Senan was bent over a map of the area around McNair Castle, studying the marks that had clearly been made by either O'Sullivan or the False King himself. He didn't speak, but he did glance up at Maeve as the other councilmen talked, a glimmer of concern in his keen eyes.
Cailean rested a gentle hand on the small of Maeve's back.
She had tensed at the passive mention of her youngest sister, and though she rarely spoke about Nessa, he knew it must be complicated to hear about her in such a way after their altercation back in O'Sullivan Castle.
His own nerves were standing on end knowing that Eoin and Breana were out searching for his own sister, and he could not help but wonder if Maeve was feeling some of that same pain he was, if in a different way.
She glanced up at him and smiled, the tension melting away in a moment.
If she was upset, she did not show it, instead stepping forward and pointing to a spot on the map that Senan was examining.
"That's where Ferda said she and the others were ambushed," she explained.
"So we ken that it must be heavily watched.
If we are tae approach, we best do so from a different angle. "
Pride flared in Cailean's chest. He didn't have to worry about Maeve, not really—though of course, he did and would worry about her, no matter what.
She had fully stepped into the role of a strong leader and a queen, and even more than his love for her, he was overwhelmed with gratitude that the two of them had somehow found one another.
She was beautiful in mind, body, and spirit, and she was everything he had always known that a queen should be without even thinking about it.
He glanced over to Darren and Fergus, who were currently deep in discussion about formations and attack strategies.
As was characteristic of the cousins, Darren favored a more all-out attack, while Fergus was being cautious even to a fault.
Cailean knew that they would argue back and forth for a while before presenting him and the rest of the council with a reasonable and well-thought-out happy medium.
It was one of the reasons that the two of them were so important to him other than just their friendship; the way that they worked together to strategize was nothing short of brilliant, and Cailean would never stop being grateful to have them by his side.
"There could be over a thousand men in that castle," Fergus said patiently. "We arenae prepared for that."
"That's very unlikely and ye ken it," Darren responded. "And even if there were, many of them will be less trained than the soldiers we're used tae fightin' against. Besides, it isnae our goal tae slaughter everyone, just tae fight our way tae victory."
"If ye look here," Hamish said in another conversation, addressing Ewan and Kier as he pointed at another scattered document, "Ye'll see that there seems tae be a pattern of there bein' a lag in security at certain times of day.
I'm wonderin' if we might nae be better sendin' out a small scoutin' group tae measure the best time for our full attack. "
"I think time is of the essence," Ewan replied, shaking his head in disagreement. "We need tae attack fast and hard, before they ken we're comin'. We need more men, nae more time."
"Then we'll send out word," Cailean said decisively.
All conversations paused, and everyone turned to look at him.
"Our numbers have grown significantly, and they grow more every day.
We ken now that many of the people of Scotland are unhappy with the way things are and continue tae be.
So what we do is we send out messengers tae the nearby villages and clans, all the way between here and Castle McNair, and we ask for any man—" he paused, looking at Maeve, then added "—or woman who is able and willin' tae fight tae join us. "
"That's risky," Kier said, though it was clear by how his eyes lit up that, despite his caution, he did like the idea. "We cannae tell who is a spy or a loyalist of the False King. Any one of our messengers could be caught and turned in, and the message would get out."
"Aye," Senan agreed thoughtfully. "That, and the other thing—it may just attract more people here tae Bruce Castle. We're already splittin' at the seams; it is uncertain if we can handle any more."
Cailean hesitated. Both of those were very good points, neither of which he could really argue with. He looked at Maeve, but she simply smiled.
"It is risky," she said softly, gaining the attention of all the men in the room. "But right now, risks are all we have. All we can do now is take them together."
Maeve was tired after the meeting finally ended, but not in the way that made her want to sleep. It was more that her mind was full of too many things, and she needed a way to let them all process without thinking about anything new for a while.
Fortunately, Cailean seemed to understand her completely. They didn't even need to speak. As soon as she approached him after the meeting had concluded, he'd simply held out his hand, and the two of them had strolled together out of the castle to take a walk through the nearby village together.
Maeve loved visiting the village. She loved being able to see the people they were helping just living their day-to-day lives, and loved being able to actually contribute to them on a personal level as well as simply helping direct the seemingly endless war.
It was especially joyful for her to come here with Cailean; she saw it as a special treat and, despite his powerful leadership, it was here that she saw him most as a king.
"Yer Majesties!" someone called. They paused and turned to see an old man hobbling out of his little thatched house toward them. He had a young man who looked a little younger than Maeve in tow, and a huge smile sat on both of their faces. "May I interrupt yer walk?"
Cailean and Maeve glanced at each other, then Cailean smiled slightly and said, "It's never an interruption, Iain," he told the old man in a friendly voice.
Maeve found it remarkable how easily he remembered the name of each and every resident he'd ever had a conversation with in both the castle and the village, even as the population continued to grow.
"Is this yer grandson that ye told me about? "
Iain, who Maeve now recalled was an old cobbler, beamed with pride. "This is Sean. His mammy finally brought him back home tae work with me, now that things are turnin' around."
"Granda, I'm an adult," Sean said, rubbing the back of his neck in obvious embarrassment. As he spoke, Maeve noticed that he leaned slightly to one side; there was obviously some issue with one of his legs.
Cailean laughed, though was careful to make it clear he wasn't laughing at the young man. "Even adults listen tae their mammies, in me experience," he said. "Are ye the man of the house?"
"I am," Sean admitted. "We fled south when I was a bairn after me father was killed in the aftermath of the False King's takeover. Granda here refused tae come with us. I learned the cobblin' trade in the city, but I always wanted tae come back tae the Bruce Clan and continue me father's legacy."
"And now he can!" Iain said jubilantly. "Because the two of ye are here, and because Laird Bruce has finally returned tae us.
I remember how good life was twenty years ago when the True King ruled over us fairly.
I only hope that the day comes where the whole of Scotland can breathe as freely as I can. "
"It will," Cailean promised. He glanced down, obviously noticing Sean's uneven leg as well. "We're plannin' an ambush tae take back Castle McNair. Ye'll hear word soon enough; we'll be recruitin' anyone who can fight."
"I can fight!" Sean said immediately. "I'll join yer army."
A look flashed across the old man's face, his joy obviously dimming a little. "Och, son. Yer mammy would be heartbroken if—"
"Dinnae start! I can fight as well as anyone else!" Sean insisted.
Maeve was about to intervene, but before she could, Cailean spoke. His voice was calm and even, not panicked or stressed at all, friendly but with an undercurrent of firmness to it as well. "There's nae shame in nae bein' as physically able as anyone else, Sean," he said.
"I'm—"
"And besides," Cailean continued, not giving the young man time to protest. "There's plenty ye can do for me army without fightin'.
Ye've already said ye're the man of the house, and yer mother and granda both need ye here.
But soldiers cannae fight well if their shoes are fallin' apart.
I'm commissionin' ye and yer grandfather tae ensure me army have sturdy, comfortable boots tae make sure they're prepared for whatever we might face on our journey. Can ye do that?"