Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Hydra
“K al! Fetch Caelus and come with me!”
The shout came from Estevan, calling to his brother, who was standing with a group of Highlanders as they practiced spear throwing. Bales of rope-bound grass had been set up for targets and, so far, the middle dun Tarh brothers, Caelus and Kaladin, seemed to be doing quite well. Caelus, in fact, with his long arms and long legs, seemed to be doing particularly well, and he wasn’t modest about it.
But Estevan didn’t have time for their foolery.
Something serious was afoot.
Sensing this, Kaladin motioned to Caelus, pulling him away from the Highlanders, who now wanted to start wagering on the spear throwing. Caelus, the tallest dun Tarh brother, wasn’t happy about being removed from a sure-money situation, but Estevan didn’t look pleased. Curious, Kaladin and Caelus went to see what was amiss, but Estevan waved off their questions.
“Come,” he said. “Da wants tae speak with us.”
The intrigue deepened.
Beneath mild skies, with a hint of rain on the horizon, the brothers passed from the massive outer ward into the slightly less massive inner ward. The keep of the Hydra was in the middle of the inner ward, a stout, square beast of a building, one of the largest in Scotland. It didn’t have a lot of chambers to it, but the chambers it did have were enormous. There was a massive hall on the entry level, one that spanned the entire width and breadth of the keep.
That was where they found Lares.
The great hall of the Hydra was also Lares’ solar. The Hydra didn’t have a separate solar set aside for the lord of the manor, so Lares tended to conduct business in the hall and keep all of his documents and valuables in the colossal chamber he shared with his wife. His sons could see him at the far end of the hall, sitting at one end of the dais. When they drew closer, they could see that the man had a missive in his hand.
“I brought them, Da,” Estevan said. “Tell them what ye told me.”
Lares was still looking at the missive. It tended to be dark at this end of the hall, so the servants had brought a bank of yellow tapers affixed to an iron sconce that was as tall as a man. It gave off a good deal of light. Lares waited until his sons sat down before speaking.
“Darien has trouble, lads,” he said, looking up from the missive. “He’s sent word that Emelia has returned tae Blackrock.”
A collective hiss went up between Caelus and Kaladin. “She’s back ?” Caelus said, aghast. “Why? What happened?”
Lares held up the missive. “Yer brother wrote this,” he said. “According to him, she returned three days ago with a tale that Luke Cannich had abducted her against her will. She has returned tae Blackrock and wants tae marry yer brother, only he intends tae marry Evie. I’m leaving for Blackrock at dawn because I have a feeling this is something I need tae straighten out with Fergus.”
“Why?” Estevan said. “Are ye afraid he’ll go back on his word tae Darien about Evie?”
Lares shrugged. “Truthfully, I dunna know, but I dunna trust him when it comes tae Emelia,” he said. “He convinced me that she’d be a good wife for Darien once, but we’ve come tae see that is not the case. He told me once that if she returned, he’d not break the betrothal with Darien, but that was before Darien and Evie fell in love. If Fergus tries tae force Darien tae marry Emelia, I’m afraid what yer brother might do to him.”
“What about Mother?” Kaladin asked. “Lilliana said she’s very fond of Evie. Does she know any of this?”
Lares shook his head. “Not yet,” he said sadly. “I wanted tae tell the three of ye because I want ye tae come with me tae Blackrock tomorrow. When I tell yer mother, I suspect she’ll want tae come, too. She’ll not let Fergus hurt yer brother.”
The brothers nodded, looking at one another, feeling uncertainty on behalf of Darien. They could only imagine what the man was going through, so they were eager to get to Blackrock, just as their father was, in the hopes of straightening this mess out.
If only the woman had stayed away…
“Da,” Kaladin said after a moment, “ye are aware that I know Luke Cannich. We were both tutored by the same priest from Inverness. The man loves women—there’s no doubt about that—but he doesna have a mean streak in him. I dunna believe Emelia when she says he abducted her. That’s not the Luke I know.”
Lares sighed faintly, glancing at the missive before putting it back on the table. “Is he beyond running off with a woman if he wanted her badly enough?”
Kaladin could only shake his head. “I dunna know,” he said. “The man is a seducer, and women love him. I’ve seen it myself. Is he beyond running off with one? I canna say. But I remember that when we were being taught by the priest, he’d speak of being rich someday. A rich laird, he would say. Does running off with Emelia give him wealth?”
Lares nodded. “Wealth and a title, lad.”
“Then I would say anything is possible.”
“Where is Luke, Da?” Caelus asked. “Does Darien say?”
Lares shook his head. “He doesna say,” he said. “But we’ll know more when we get tae Blackrock and settle this matter. The three of ye will go and prepare for tomorrow’s journey while I go tell yer mother. And ye’d better make sure the carriage is prepared if I canna fight her off.”
Estevan looked at his brothers. “That means bring the carriage forth,” he said. “If Mam wishes tae go tae Blackrock, then nothing he can say will stop her.”
“Dunna be so quick tae discount me,” Lares said, weakly defending himself. “I may yet be able tae convince her tae let me handle this alone.”
That brought snorts from all three brothers. “Of course ye can,” Caelus said. “Stand strong, Da. She’ll surrender eventually.”
Kaladin started laughing, but a nasty look from Lares had the young man moving away from the dais quickly. Caelus, receiving the same nasty look, fought off a grin and followed his brother out of the great hall. Only Estevan remained behind, watching his father pick up the missive one more time and look at Darien’s careful writing.
It was clear that Lares was greatly troubled.
“This is going tae be a battle, isn’t it?” Estevan asked softly. “Darien’s battle. He’ll not let Evie go without a fight.”
Lares knew that. “I am aware,” he said quietly. “Darien the Destroyer will make an appearance, I’m certain. And that’s why I’m going tae Blackrock.”
“Tae stop him?”
Lares twisted his lips ironically. “I’m fairly certain Evie wouldna like her future husband tae kill her father,” he said. “That would cripple the marriage before it starts. And I canna let that happen.”
Estevan couldn’t disagree. They departed the great hall in silence, with Lares going into the keep to inform his wife that her son’s former fiancée had finally returned home. As he’d known, Mabel was extremely unhappy with the situation. Predictably, she accompanied her husband and sons to Blackrock the very next morning.
A tense situation was about to get worse.