Chapter Eighteen
Connor
Connor managed to get Sela and the bairns inside and settled, with the two lads now chowing down on meat pies, so he headed back out to help Alasdair arrange the horses and see what else they needed for their guards. The cook advised she had more meat pies and loaves of bread nearly ready.
The men could wait, and they knew it.
Alasdair approached. “The stable buildings are beautiful. One made of wood with plenty of stalls with a wee bit of fire damage that we can fix, and a stone building with stalls and plenty of pallets and stools for our men.”
“It’s a fine night to sleep under the stars. Tell them to take care of the horses and we’ll feed them in about an hour.” Connor’s gaze traveled to the castle entrance. “Alasdair, is that Logan?”
Alasdair spun around and asked, “Truly? No one has seen him since Alaric’s wedding, or so I thought. Mayhap he’s living here?”
Connor strode toward the entrance, pleased to greet his old friend. He came in with two women on horses, and he swore one was Logan’s wife, Gwyneth, the woman they thought to be dead from an infection in her leg. He approached to help one woman down, one he didn’t know. “May I be of assistance, my lady?”
“Why, you surely could. I happily accept your help.”
Connor smiled and lifted her down. “Connor Grant, father to Dyna, grandfather to the three wee hellions.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Connor Grant. I am Eva, sister to Lennox MacVey. Is he here?”
“He is. I met him and he’s a fine man. Your brother is part of the reason the bairns are here. He found the lass who’d moved them secretively nearly to Oban, and he’s with our healer now, not for himself but for the lass. Please go inside and you’ll hear the story. I wish to help this lady. Broc?” He waved over to his nephew.
Broc ran over to assist. Connor said, “Please escort Lady MacVey inside. I’ll help Gwyneth.”
As the two left, Connor grinned. “Hellfire, but you two are a pleasant sight to see, Logan and Gwyneth Ramsay. What are you doing here?”
Logan dismounted and moved over to his wife. “I’ll get her, Connor. She’s got issues now.”
Connor waited but noticed right away that Gwyneth had lost her leg. “Sorry to learn you have issues, Gwyneth.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “But I’m more pleased to see you are well. You are healed?”
“Aye, and my niece is working on some fancy contraption to help me walk so I don’t break Logan’s back. It’s lovely to see you, Connor. Glad you are here. There are some evil people on this isle. It’s a lovely place with some fine clans, but there are always a few. You can help them, I am sure.”
“There are evil people everywhere, Gwyneth, but you know that. I’m glad to be here to see my daughter and family. They are all inside. Are you staying here?”
Logan replied, “We stayed with Clan MacVey for a bit, but we’re moving here now. I’ll go let Alaric know, and then I’ll return once I find myself an ale, Grant. We need to talk.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”
“See if you can find a private place for a discussion.”
“I’ll find one. I believe I see a bench on the far side of the courtyard.” He pointed to an area in the dark, but still inside the curtain wall. “Bring me an ale too, if you can, Logan. I’ll be over there in a few minutes.”
Connor hadn’t expected to see Logan here, but it was a great surprise. He trusted Logan to assess the situation on the isle and update him on anything he needed to know. Logan had more experience than Derric and Dyna, and with Maitland on the mainland, they must be busy learning the area.
A few moments later, Connor found the bench and took a seat, loving the night air and scanning the new castle where his grandbairns would grow up. The smell of the salt air was unique to him, and he found it pleasing. He couldn’t wait to explore the area on the morrow. After a good night’s sleep.
But first, he must find a way to get all his worries off his mind. Relax, enjoy his family, his friends, his clan, and their many allies. Tora was home with her mother. That was the best part of his day.
Logan returned promptly carrying two goblets. “Fresh just for us, so the serving lass said. It tastes fine to me.”
Connor took a sip and smiled. “Just what I needed. The meat pie can wait. I wish to hear your thoughts on the isle. I’ve talked with Maitland extensively, and he seemed pleased thus far. He didn’t detect any true threats. Your concerns suggest otherwise.”
“One that I know of. I’ll update you with all I’ve learned.” Logan took a seat next to Connor on the bench, but he barely had time to get his thoughts arranged when a lad came barreling out of the keep straight for him. “Chief Ramsay, you must do something. Please help her.”
Connor looked to Logan and said, “You know this lad? He was one who was captured?”
“I do. Magni, calm down and tell me what has you in such a state.” He moved to the edge of the bench, leaving a space for the lad between Connor and Logan. “Sit right here. You’ll have the two strongest men to protect you.”
“You have to go back for Lia. Please.”
“Why didn’t she come with you? I was informed all the bairns were found.” Logan looked at Connor for confirmation.
“All were found by Meg and Lennox. Lia didn’t return on the ship. She remained in Oban.”
Magni added, “Rowan and Tora came back, but Lia didn’t. She made us all promise not to tell. So, we couldn’t. She said she had to go somewhere to take care of some things.”
Connor could see the lad was riled up over the issue, but he didn’t know Lia or the lad, so he had to let Logan handle the situation.
“Magni, why are you telling me if she made you promise to keep her secret?”
“Because she said we couldn’t tell Meg or the chief, but she didn’t say we couldn’t tell someone else. And besides, you already know she’s not truly my sister.” He leaned in to whisper, “You already guessed the truth, Chief Ramsay. They all think she’s my sister because that’s what she told me to say and I had to promise not to tell anyone where I found her and then she said to tell everyone we were brother and sister, but she never said I couldn’t tell you the truth, but you already knew so…”
Logan held up his palms and said, “Magni, take a breath. Calm down. Do you see this man behind you?”
“Aye. Tora’s grandsire.”
“Aye, he’s the chieftain of Clan Grant and they have nearly one thousand guards to help him. They’ll do whatever he tells them to do. We will find Lia. I promise you.”
Connor set his hand on the lad’s shoulder. “I swear to you, as one of the best swordsmen in all the land, along with my nephew, we will find the evil souls who dared to touch you and my granddaughter. They will be found, and they will pay.”
“My thanks to you. But I don’t know them.”
Logan said, “Listen, Magni. We have many resources to help us, but I need you to tell me everything you know. Start at the beginning. Where did she find you? And where are your parents?”
Magni let out a deep sigh, but his shoulders relaxed, telling Connor he had calmed a wee bit. “Take your time, lad. Logan will wait.”
“My parents were killed, and I was stolen away. The bad people brought me to Ulva, but I escaped.”
“Good job, lad,” Logan said.
“So, I hid in the forest on Mull and one night I was crying and that’s when she came to me.”
“She?”
“Lia. She was hiding under a leaf.”
“A leaf?” Logan nodded but gave Connor one of his doubting looks. Connor motioned with his hand to let the boy continue.
“When I first saw her. You see, Lia is a faery of the woods, of the green meadow. And she can appear any way she wishes. She made herself bigger, but not quite my size.”
“Why is Lia here? Faeries usually have special powers, special purposes.”
“She does. She told me this in the cave after Meg saved us. She said that she had to take care of a few things, to help fix them, but she promised she’d come back to me. She said she can’t change things herself, she has to push people to do things. I don’t understand what that means, but she said people needed her. I begged her not to go. She promised not to leave me until we were safely on the boat. And when Lennox came, she said he would save us all, the five of us. So, she went to the docks with us, but then she said she had to leave for a bit. And then…” Magni peered up at Logan, then at Connor.
“Go ahead, Magni. Tell Logan everything.”
Tears fell down the lad’s cheeks and he said, “But you’ll never believe me.”
“We will. Tell us what you saw and what she said. Take your time.” Logan set his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and he nodded, then wiped his tears.
“She turned into a woman with a scarf and said, ‘I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time. Now I must go, Magni.’ Then she kissed my cheek and said, ‘I’ll be back.’”
He stared into space, transfixed. But then he broke into a wide grin. “Then she told me she would always be my sister. And I made her promise because I don’t have anyone anymore. Just Thane.”
Logan cleared his throat and looked up at the stars. “Lad, I’ll be needing a grandson here. Connor, he’s got a daughter, a grandson, and a granddaughter. And I have a granddaughter…”
“Who’s that?”
“Eli is my granddaughter, but she spends all her time with Alaric, her new husband. I have grandsons far away, but I miss them. I wish to adopt one here.”
Magni looked up at Logan, the hope in his eyes nearly causing Connor to look away, but instead he broke into a wide grin. Logan had a way with bairns unlike anyone else he knew.
“Me? You’d pick me?”
Logan shrugged. “Only if you wish to be my grandson and if Thane agrees.”
“Aye. I would. And Thane will agree. I told him I never had a grandda or a grandmama.” Then he paused, scowling a bit before he lifted his head again. “But only if you promise to find Lia first.”
Connor laughed and patted Magni on the back. “Ramsay, he must be yours. He’s already conniving.”
“I’m conni…con…what?”
“Never mind. I agree to your conditions.”
“So how will we find Lia?”
“Did she tell you where she was going?”
“Nay, but she told Meg! She did. I heard her.”
“What did she say?”
He shrugged and pouted. “I don’t know. I never heard of the place, but Meg knows.”
“Then I guess we’ll be waiting until the morrow to go after Lia. Meg should improve by then.”
“But what if we can’t find her?”
Logan said, “Lad, if everything you told me about Lia is true, if she’s truly a faerie, and I do believe you, then we won’t find Lia until she wishes to be found. But if we don’t find her, I’m sure of one thing.”
“What?”
“She’ll come back for you.”
Magni threw himself at Logan, wrapping his arms around him in a big hug.
Logan glanced over at Connor.
Connor nodded, the silent pact made that they’d be going after the men who dared to kill this lad’s parents and abduct him.
“Magni, I think the bread should be ready now. Go check. You must still be hungry.”
“I am!”
Logan gave him a wee push toward the keep, the lad running so fast that it made Connor shake his head.
The two men stood at the same time, staring at the keep.
Connor asked, “You believe him?”
Logan ran his hand through his long gray locks. “Oddly enough, I do. Gwynie will. I’ll be interested to hear what Meg has to say. I’ll give instructions to Eli and Lennox that I am to be awakened when she comes around.” He crossed his arms and asked, “You think he’s telling the truth, Grant?”
“Aye, though I have no sound reason to believe in a faery. My daughter is a seer, and I believe my granddaughter is too. And sometimes I wonder about Astra. She is different, but Sela and I haven’t quite figured out how.”
“I’ll ask a favor.”
“Ask and I’ll honor it.”
“I can’t quite handle my sword the way I used to. My shoulders are giving out on me somedays. When we find the bastards who killed his parents, will you do me the honor?”
“I’ll do better. I’ll hold the sword, and you can plunge it into his heart.”
Connor put his hand on Logan’s shoulder and the two headed inside. “Glad to have you still here. You worried many.”
Logan laughed and said, “Tell everyone at Clan Grant that we’ll visit when we get this settled. But we have things to accomplish first. That’s exactly what I told Brenna to tell all of Clan Ramsay.” He stopped outside the door to the hall, staring up at the parapets. “Miss your sire, Grant.”
“Every day.”
“You leaving with me on the morrow, Grant?”
“First light.”