Chapter Six
The Scot’s Destiny
Maitland and Maeve
Loki stops for a night at Menzie land and meets Wiley and Q.
Maitland stayed another day before heading back to Grant land.
He could simply stay through Yule—he’d planned to come here for the festive season anyway—but he had unfinished business back at Grant Castle.
He wanted to take Maeve a Yuletide gift, and he knew in his heart his mother was right.
He and Maeve belonged together. They could work with Maeve’s disinclination to leave Grant land.
And now that he’d acknowledged his feelings for her, he did not want to delay. Neither of them were young. Which meant they didn’t have much time to waste second-guessing or playing coy. And they knew what to expect out of life.
Not much.
Maitland sat on a large boulder at the Menzie archery field, an old shield fashioned into a target on a post a short distance away.
He’d been working with the lads on learning to use their slings.
Q was perhaps a wee bit young yet—he’d managed to hit himself with his stones as often as the target.
But they all knew the story of Loki and how he’d been adopted by Brodie Grant after they found him and that he’d fought in the Battle of Largs using his sling and knocked out a few Norsemen.
Wiley let fly a stone three times and hit the target once. “Why am I missing?”
Q said, “Do dat way, Wi.” He’d shortened his brother’s name, just as Wiley had shortened his when he hadn’t been able to say Quillan.
“Do what?” Maitland asked Q.
Wiley shook his head. “Not do. He said go. ‘Go that way.’ He wants me to try from this side.”
Maitland glanced over at Q, who was grinning and nodding. The two had the same blond hair that carried a wee bit of wave when the wind messed it up. And they understood each other better than anyone. Like most brothers, Maitland reckoned.
“I’ll try it, Q,” Wiley said.
Sure enough, Wiley hit two out of three, and Q squealed with delight. “He did it!”
“Now ye try, Q.”
Q gave it his best effort, but his face fell when he missed the target completely with all three stones.
Hoofbeats caught Maitland’s attention, and he was surprised to see an unexpected trio approaching. Loki Grant tied his horse to a nearby tree and dismounted, his son Lucas and adopted son Kenzie just behind him.
Loki raised a hand in greeting to Maitland, then called out to the boys. “Let me have a look at those weapons ye are using, lads. Mayhap I have finer ones for ye.”
Maitland rose to greet his friend. Though not of the same blood, anyone from Grant land felt like family to him. “Loki, so pleased to see ye, but what brings ye here?”
“We’re just passing through. The lads and I always head to Ayr and Edinburgh just before Yule to search out any more lads living in crates like I did. We hope ye would oblige us with warm beds and good food for the night. We’ll be moving on in the morn.”
Tad came along behind the three. “The others who came with ye are already being fed. Ye are always welcome here, Loki. These are my lads, Wiley and Quillan, though we call him Q. They’ve been doing their best to improve their skills with their slings.”
“Many thanks to ye, Tad.” Loki turned to the boys and said, “Here, lads. Allow me to inspect yer slings. Mayhap Lucas has a couple spares for ye too. Not to say yers aren’t good, but we’re known for making the best in the land.”
Wiley brought his over and said, “Greetings to ye, my lord.”
Loki smiled. “Nay lord here. Just call me Loki. And this is Lucas and Kenzie. We all use slings.”
Q looked up at Loki and asked, “’Ten ye hep us, peez?”
Loki ruffled Q’s hair and said, “I’d love to. Will ye promise me an apple from yer orchard in return?”
“We already picked some,” Wiley said. “Cook is making apple tarts for supper. Ye can have two.”
“Many thanks to ye. Maitland made ye a fine sling, but try these two that Lucas has with him. He and Kenzie will teach ye the way to shoot them.”
Maitland, Loki, and Tad stood back and watched the lads practice with their new slings, cheering when they hit the target.
“Maitland, ye’ve been on patrol, I hear. Anything ye wish to share about yer travels?” Loki asked, crossing his arms as he watched the lads.
“Not much. The English bastards have been coming much farther north and no one likes it, but we managed to send many of them back. Or bury them.”
Loki laughed. “’Tis the best place for them in the Highlands. Deep in the ground.”
“Have ye seen any along yer journey?” Maitland asked.
“Nay, but we travel quickly. I only bring four others with us, so we are less than ten. And I take advantage of my friendships for shelter at night. These bones are too old to enjoy sleeping on the ground anymore. I prefer a pallet anywhere inside. I dinnae need a soft bed, just a pallet inside away from the cold of winter.” He wore a thick mantle with a long scarf.
“We often find a few lads and bring them home, but they are no’ used to the cold Highland nights either.
I am grateful for yer hospitality, Menzies. ”
“Think naught of it. We always enjoy seeing ye,” Maitland said.
Wiley ran over to stand in front of Loki, his hand full of small stones. “Lucas gave us each a sack to carry our stones in, but he also said to always keep some to stop bad men who might be taking us away or chasing us. He said to ask ye how ye did it.”
Tad chuckled along with his brother, and Loki asked, “Lucas is telling tales again, aye?”
Lucas said, “Da, ’tis a great story. Tell them how ye made the big, mean Norseman scream like a wee bairn.”
Q and Wiley waited patiently, their faces full of anticipation.
“’Tis a fine secret I’ll tell ye, laddies.” The tall man knelt down so he was at their level.
“What is the secret?” Wiley asked.
“What secwet?” Q mimicked.
“Ye put the stones in the villain’s shoes while they are sleeping. Then they canno’ chase ye.”
The two boys chuckled with glee and a hint of troublemaking.
“What did he do?” Wiley asked.
“What do?” Q repeated.
Loki leaned over and whispered, “A mean old Norseman I was following holed up in an abandoned house for the night. I knew I’d need to follow him when he left, but I needed to rest too.
So after he went to sleep, I snuck over and put stones in his shoes.
When the surly pig-nut put them on, he cursed and swore and yelled for half the hour.
And I knew he was leaving so I followed him. Then I knew where he was going.”
Wiley looked at Q and said, “We must fill our sacks.”
The two ran off to complete their task, but Tad called out, “Ye’re never to do that to yer parents or yer uncles!”
Loki laughed as the boys ran off, then his expression turned more serious. “Have ye had much problem with reivers? We haven’t seen any about nor heard much news of trouble. Any insight from either of ye? We always run into marauders or reivers trying to steal sheep.”
“I dinnae see any either,” Maitland said. “And I agree with ye. Something is odd about that.”
What the hell was going on?