Chapter Four
“’Tis a bold plan, Devlin,” Shain said, his voice low. “Are you sure they will not recognize you?”
“De Cleveley has never seen me,” Devlin said. “He would not know me on sight.”
Devlin and Shain were standing near the stables of Black Castle’s fortress complex; the keep itself was built on a promontory on the edge of the sea with a rope suspension bridge linking it to the mainland where the majority of the fortress was.
It was a bridge that could be easily removed or burned to prevent access to the keep if the need arose.
Like most Irish castles, Black Castle’s keep and walls were built of stone, with a muck-filled moat paralleling the outer wall.
The bailey held a giant feasting hall and several outbuildings all built of wattle and daub, including sleeping quarters and a barn, while the keep itself was literally three stories and three rooms – storage on the bottom floor, a big hall on the second floor, and Devlin’s massive chamber on the third floor.
All of this surrounded by the vast Irish sea to the east.
Evening had fallen now as Devlin and Shain lingered near the outbuildings, and a wicked eastern wind had whipped up, battering man and structure alike.
Devlin eventually pulled Shain out of the wind as they huddled inside the stables to seek shelter from the weather.
It was a bitter night, made more bitter now with the conversation at hand.
Devlin had just proposed a rather daring scheme to Shain and the man wasn’t particularly thrilled with it. In fact, he was positively adverse.
“But you have fought de Cleveley before, many times,” Shain said, motioning at Devlin’s flaming red hair. “Surely someone has seen you and knows what you look like. You are rather hard to miss, you know.”
Devlin shrugged. “I have always worn armor, including a helm,” he said. “If they have seen me, they have never gotten a good look at me. If I thought for one moment they would recognize me, I would not have suggested my plan.”
Shain’s gaze lingered on him for a long, tense moment before looking away.
“I understand why you would send Fitzgerald’s sister into their midst,” he said.
“Your bargain with her is a sound one. They could very well divulge their plans to her because she is an ally. But the thought of you accompanying her… why must you do this? I still do not understand.”
Devlin didn’t really understand himself; all he knew was that he couldn’t let her go without him. Maybe he couldn’t let her out of his sight. He wasn’t sure yet, but one thing was for certain – he was about to go into the belly of the beast with the woman. He would not let her go in alone.
“I will pretend to be her slave or her bodyguard,” he said. “I will pretend to be mute so my brogue will not give me away. It would not be wise to let her go into the settlement without some measure of protection.”
“So you would risk yourself?” Shain demanded. “’Tis madness, Dev!”
Devlin shook his head. “It is not,” he replied firmly. “We have plenty of armor from the dead English. I will dress in their armor, shave my head, and generally look the part of the Béarla warrior. She will tell them that I am her slave and they will believe her.”
Shain looked at him as if he had gone mad. “You do not look like a slave,” he said. “It would be better if you were her protector, sent by her brother. You look the part of something more noble than a slave.”
“Then I shall be her protector,” he said, becoming irritable with Shain’s resistance. “It only make sense; surely a lone woman would not be traveling alone.”
“I thought you were going to tell them that she was your escaped captive?”
Devlin pondered that lie a moment and a thought occurred to him.
He looked at Shain, rather slyly. “Mayhap she will tell them that I was a captive also, tortured by the Black Sword,” he said, thinking aloud.
“I am mute because of it. Mayhap that will create more sympathy with them towards both the lady and me.”
Shain was appalled that he was starting to like the man’s plan. He sighed heavily. “Is there no other way, Dev?” he asked, almost pleading. “I have no issue with the lady going into their midst, but you… if you were to be discovered, this rebellion would lose its heart. Is it worth the risk?”
Devlin nodded slowly and deliberately. “I believe it ’tis,” he said. “Shain, it’s my belief that the invasion fleet the other night was just the beginning. I feel that the English are planning something very big and I must find out what it is. Can you not understand that, lad?”
Shain rolled his eyes in defeat and nodded. “Of course I do,” he said. “But why do you have to go with her? Why can’t I go?”
Devlin was already shaking his head before Shain even finished his question.
“Because this is something I must do,” he said, although it wasn’t the truth.
There was no reason for Shain not to go; Devlin simply didn’t want him to.
He wanted to be the one to escort Emllyn.
He wanted to be the one to be with her. “I must hear it with my own ears and see the enemy with my own eyes. I have to understand them, lad. I have to know what we are up against and if there are any weaknesses, I must know.”
Shain accepted the explanation but he clearly wasn’t happy. “What do we tell Iver and Freddy?” he asked. “Freddy is going to be hard to control with you away. I worry over it.”
Devlin shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, lock him in the vault until I return,” he said. “I know Freddy is unpredictable but he is not a fool.”
“As in a fool that would try to take over your men?” Shain wanted to know. There was warning in the tone. “He loves you but he loves himself more. He believes he is in the right, always. He has the ear of the men.”
“I have their ear more,” Devlin fired back softly. “Shain, I appreciate your concern, but I will speak with Freddy. He will understand his place and if he does not, then you and Iver will ensure that he does not get out of control. But while I am away, you are in command. I will trust you.”
Shain knew there wasn’t much more he could say. After a moment, he simply nodded his head. “As you say, Dev,” he said softly.
Devlin could see how unhappy he was and he clapped him gently on the head.
“All will be well,” he assured him. “But for now, we need to focus on today. When I came out of the keep, I noticed the men were breaking down the ships on the shore. What are you having them do with the wood and other treasures?”
Shain reluctantly shifted from Devlin’s future plans to the situation at hand.
“Anything salvageable, wood or rope or tools, is being brought to the fortress and stacked outside of the walls. Anything of value like personal possessions or coin is being brought inside and stored inside the barn. Would you see it now?”
“Later,” Devlin replied. “Are the prisoners still in the vault?”
Shain nodded. “Still,” he answered. “It is very crowded. Those chambers were made for no more than twelve men and there are thirty of them.”
“Make sure they are fed and watered properly,” Devlin said. “They can deal with the cramped quarters but I would make sure they are fed adequately. I’ve no inclination to starve men to death.”
Shain cocked his head in thought. “Dev,” he said casually, “do you think you should interrogate them before you depart to de Cleveley lands? It is possible that someone knows something about future attacks against us. It would be a prudent thing to at least question them.”
Devlin had been thinking that very same thing.
Emllyn had made mention of it last night in a roundabout way, wanting to see the prisoners to see if she knew of one of them in the commander hierarchy, but in her case it was a self-serving desire.
She only wanted to see if her precious Trevor was among the captives.
In Devlin’s case, he thought perhaps to interrogate them all to see if anyone knew anything valuable.
Truth be told, he was more than curious to know if, indeed, Trevor was among them.
A day ago he had no interest in the man but now, he found himself more and more intrigued.
Who was this man that held Emllyn’s heart?
Curiosity had the better of him, and another emotion he didn’t recognize.
He thought it might be anger or disapproval; it never occurred to him that it was jealousy.
He had to see the man who had her attention.
“Aye,” he said after a few moments of deliberation. “Mayhap I will visit the captives and see if I can discover anything useful. Has anyone questioned them at all?”
Shain shook his head. “Nay,” he replied. “We rounded them up and threw them straightaway into the vault. With the chaos last night, there has been no time for interrogation.”
“Then mayhap the time is now.”
Shain agreed and they made their way out of the stables and into the brisk salty wind that blew steadily off of the sea.
The bailey of the fortress was fairly empty this time of night even though his soldiers were milling about and there were men on the wall on patrol.
It was a full moon over head, peeking out from between intermittent rain clouds, something that had illuminated the battle the night before much to the advantage of the Irish.
Devlin glanced up at the ghostly silver moon, his gaze lingering on it. Shain caught his expression.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
Devlin shrugged although his gaze remained on the sky. “I am thinking of Elathan, the God of the Moon,” he said. “The noble and beautiful prince of darkness. My mother said he was my ancestor.”
Shain’s expression grew somber. “He was also a man too trusting in those around him,” he muttered. “He was betrayed by a relative. Beware that you do not make the same mistake.”
Devlin took his eyes off the moon, looking at his friend and seeing how serious he was. He gave him a half-grin. “That is why I have you to watch out for me.”