Chapter Eleven
Meg
Meg awakened the next morning, hoping she hadn’t slept too late. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It took her a few moments to orient herself to where she was, but no sooner had it all come back to her than she overheard male voices outside her chamber. Rather than open the door to see who was there, she decided to listen and moved closer.
“You will keep her here.”
“She is heading to Oban, so the stable master said. She’ll not wish to stay.”
“You must find a way to keep her here.”
“Why? I know that shipment arrived, but they’ll not bother her. They are all sleeping. What can she do?”
“True, but unless you wish to control those four bairns, I’d say keep her. They’ll be picked up in a day or two. Offer her coin. Women are much better at handling bairns than we are, and you know it. And I’ll not ask Mabel to do it. She’s got to cook for them on top of her other duties.”
“Agreed.”
Meg stepped back from the door, aware of movement. A knock rapped against the wood, so she opened it and peeked around the corner. A man stood there with a bowl of porridge and a pitcher of fresh water. Grateful, she thanked him, closed the door, then sat on the cot, eating the porridge while it was still warm. No matter what happened today, she would need her strength.
Once she finished breaking her fast, she used the pitcher to wash up then donned her trews again. She still had one gown she hadn’t worn, but she decided to save it to put on if she needed to obtain passage on the ship.
For now, she wished to depart before it was too late. She had no idea what the men had been discussing about bairns and shipments and such, but it was time to take her leave. Even though this was a kirk, she also recognized that much of this building was hidden. She was certain very few were aware that the cellars featured sleeping chambers.
She hadn’t seen any nuns or heard any priests, though she supposed the two she’d heard this morning could’ve been priests; she just couldn’t be sure. It was time to get on her way. Packing her things carefully, her axes hidden, she moved out of the chamber, looking both ways before creeping up the stairs to the back entrance as quietly as she could.
She opened the door carefully, then hurried to the stables, but that was as far as she got. Two large men approached her.
“Come with us,” one said, taking her by the elbow and turning her toward the building they’d just exited.
“Nay, I must be leaving now.” She shoved against his chest, though it was rock hard—her effort did nothing to sway the man. She’d hoped to push away from him, but he wasn’t about to allow it.
“You’re staying with us.”
“Nay, I’m leaving.” She kicked him in the shin.
“Ow, you wee bitch.”
She shoved him harder, so he put his hand over her mouth and lifted her up, carrying her toward the building, a good distance away from the kirk. Knowing she had to get away before it was too late, she fought and kicked and even tried biting the man, but she couldn’t fight him off. She still clutched her bag, but her axe was at the bottom of it sheathed where she couldn’t reach it.
“Open the door, Herbert.”
“Stop using my name.”
“Open the door, eejit.”
Meg squirmed and fought, but to no avail. Herbert opened the door and the man who held her tossed her inside, then slammed it shut behind her. The sound of the key turning in the lock set her insides to boiling, so she swung around and grabbed at the doorknob.
It didn’t give.
She banged on the rough surface, but a small voice called to her, “It will not help you to do that. We’ve tried since we arrived.”
Turning around slowly, she noticed what had evaded her before—four bairns huddling together in the corner of one cot. Feeling the cold, she rubbed her arms and tugged her mantle tighter. The chamber was just large enough to hold one cot, one barrel on the wall next to the door, and a couple of stools. Bags of seed and other contents covered shelves on the walls.
“Please help us,” a boy of around ten winters said.
Just like that, her objective changed. How could she deny the lad? Picking up a stool close to the wall, she set it directly in front of the group. “All right. If you wish for my help, you must tell me who you are and why you are here.”
All four voices began at once, so she held up her hands to silence them. “One at a time. You decide.”
Three of them pointed at the boy. “You tell her, if you please, Magni.” The older blond-haired lass nodded to him, speaking as if she were an adult rather than a bairn. Meg wished she had the ability to guess their ages, but she could not.
“Go ahead, Magni.”
The lad was the tallest of the group, and he beamed at being selected as their representative.
Meg folded her hands in her lap so the boy wouldn’t consider her a threat. “Go ahead.”
“I’m Magni, and I’m ten. This is my sister Lia, who is five summers. Rowan is six winters, and Tora is four. We were stolen from our different clans on the Isle of Mull. They put us on a ship, but we have no idea where we are going. Where are we? Will you help us? We wish to go home.”
Of the four, three were filled with fear while the fourth, Lia, was calm as could be, something Meg found oddly disconcerting. She wore an oddly-colored green gown that was covered with dust, while Tora wore a fine pair of wool trews with a dark red tunic top. The boys wore identical trews and tunics, both as dirty as any she’d seen. The state of their clothing showed how bad their journey had been.
“I will help you, if I can. I don’t know where we are, other than on the mainland about half a day from Oban. If we return to Oban, we can catch a ferry back to the isle, which is where I am headed. That should be our goal. Does that make sense to the four of you?”
The children nodded.
“Do you know who the kidnappers are? Or where you are headed?”
Magni said, “Nay. Pirate Man and Hairy left us here last eve. Said we’ll be leaving on the morrow. We have to get away quickly.”
“Harry has a name, but not the Pirate Man?”
“Nay.” Magni giggled. “We call him Hairy because he has so much hair.” Then he leaned forward and whispered, “Even in his ears.”
“I think his name is Herbert. His true name, but I’m not sure. I heard him called that just now.”
“Who awe you?” Tora asked.
“My name is Meg, and I am going to visit my sister on an isle.”
“Mull?”
She shook her head. “But she can wait. I’ll help you first.”
“I want my mama,” Tora said, her lower lip quivering. “I don’t like dis woom.”
Rowan said, “Now you are upset, Tora. You didn’t care before.”
“I wish to go home now. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Let me take a look around and see if we can figure out a way to open that locked door.” Meg took out her axe from her bag and did her best to break it, but it wasn’t to be. She glanced over at the four disappointed faces. “Mayhap it would be best to try again in the middle of the night. If we managed to open it now, it would be in vain because the men are just outside the door. I can hear them talking not far away. And the cook would see us leave. We need to wait. I think it would be better to leave in the dark.”
She moved over onto the pallet, and they made room for her. Leaning her back against the wall, the four huddled around her, two on each side. “I thought it was morn when I woke up, but the sun was high when they brought me here.”
“You’ll not leave us, will you?” Magni asked.
“Nay. I promise to stay. We’ll find a way out this eve.”
“Good,” Magni said. “Because the men will be here after the late meal on the morrow. They gave us something awful to eat earlier, and we pished outside one at a time, but they have not been back. We’ll have to leave before high noon on the morrow to be safely away.”
“We’ll get out. Don’t worry. I know it’s not dark yet, but you all look exhausted. Now close your eyes.” Meg hummed a song her mother used to sing until the four bairns calmed in her arms, finally closing their eyes. Being captive was indeed exhausting.
She closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer to the Lord to find a way to unlock the door when she awakened next.
***
When she woke up, it was dark, but she had no idea how long she’d slept. The lads were still asleep, but Lia and Tora were awake.
Lia said, “They’re coming at high sun. I heard them talking about it.”
“Then we must act now,” Meg said, though she wasn’t certain what exactly to do.
Tora gave Magni a kiss on his cheek. He woke instantly with a loud “Yuck,” then swiped his cheek and glared at Tora, who put her finger up to her mouth.
“Shush.” She pointed to the door. Rowan sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Meg had formulated a plan. Now she had to get four bairns to do as she said. She still had two axes in her bag, so that would help. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Lia, I want you to cry so they’ll come in to check on you. Rowan, you’ll be on one side of the door, and Magni, you on the other. When the two step inside, you put your foot out to trip them and push them to the floor. Then we all rush out over them, close the door, and lock it. That will give us enough time to run away. And we need to run deep into the forest, not on the main path. Stay together so no one gets lost. Understand?”
“How do you know the key will be in the lock?” Magni asked.
“Because when they brought the food in last eve, that’s what they did. They left the key in the door and retrieved it after they locked it again. I’m sure that’s the only way they can open it.”
Rowan said, “What if only one comes in?”
“Good question.” She had to think about it for a moment. “If both girls cry, then I think the other will enter. We’ll start with one crying and if we need to, we’ll have Tora cry too.”
“Now?” Lia asked.
Meg took one last look around the building before making the first move. The room comprised about half the building, but she didn’t know what was in the other half. Various bags and containers lined the walls, but she had no idea what they held. The door was in the middle of the wall, easy enough for the two lads to trip them with one on each side. There were two windows, but both were too high to look out. They’d have to judge everything by sound.
She moved the two stools in front of the door with the hopes that their falls would be a bit harder. If she hid in the corner, once the men fell, she’d easily get to the door and be able to lock it from the other side. She held her bag close to her chest, ready to grab one of her axes if necessary.
She’d never used one on a person before, but if she had to, she would.
“Aye. Wait for the lads to get in position. We’ll have to walk. I had a horse, but it won’t hold five of us, so I’ll have to leave the mare behind. But we can hide better without her.”
She glanced from one dirty face to the next, their trust humbling her. She’d certainly lived a life different from any of them. “Lads, take your positions. I’ll hide next to Magni so they can’t see me.”
They took their spots by the door, then Meg nodded to Lia, who broke out in a wail until the door opened. One man stood there and said, “Shut your mouth.”
Then Tora screamed and the other man pushed in behind the first one. “I’ll shut them up.”
Both men tripped over Magni’s and Rowan’s feet—one fell on the other with the loudest bellows, and the other hit his head on one of the stools, cursing. All four bairns stepped on the fools while Meg grabbed the key and shouted, “Hurry!”
The four clamored out the door, waiting for her, and she slammed it, locking it just in time as Pirate Man grabbed the handle.
“Run!” she said.
Meg took off behind the children with her saddlebag over her shoulder, surprised when the lad from the stable tossed her a bag of something. Whatever it was, she’d check later.
They ran and ran down a path headed deep into the forest, away from the main path.
Though Meg had no idea where they were headed.