Chapter Thirty-Three
The moment the words left her lips, Conan’s face changed. He looked up at her, eyes brightening by the second. “What did you say?”
“Family is everything,” she repeated the phrase that had been etched in her heart since childhood.
“What if I make you an oath?” he asked. “I will take an oath and then keep it, to redeem myself.”
Now that was an interesting thought. “What kind of oath?”
He grinned, that same, wicked grin she hadn’t seen in far too long, and took the dagger from her hand. He cleaned Oran’s blood from it with his tunic.
“What’s going on here?” Illadan called from the bottom of the path. He looked from Conan to Alannah. “You’re wounded?”
“You should see the other guy,” Conan told him.
“Oran?”
Conan nodded once, his lips set into a grim line. “He made his choices.”
Illadan, Finn, Dallan, and Ardál joined them near the cobblestone courtyard.
“I was just about to make things right with the women, here,” Conan continued, placing the dagger against the soft skin of his palm and pulling it across his hand. Squeezing it closed, his stormy eyes stared into her soul as drops of his blood splattered onto the cobblestones.
“I swear that I will do everything in my power to find your brothers and return them to Ath Luain.”
Alannah’s breath caught at his words. Long-abandoned hope rose within her chest. “Do you really think you could find them?”
“I don’t know.” Conan took a step toward her. “I’ll need Brian’s permission to do it, and it could take a long time. But if they can be found, I will do so. It’s the least I can do after all we’ve put you both through.”
Alannah heard the sound of a sheath releasing a blade. Turning, she found that Dallan had also drawn his own dagger.
“You’ll have better luck if we do it together. And, as Conan said, it’s the least we can do to make all this up to you.” He drew the blade across his palm, an angry red river flowing in its wake. “I swear to find your brothers and bring them home, if it is within my power to do so.”
Conan and Dallan looked toward the other three men. Illadan pinched the bridge of his nose, something Alannah noticed him do often. Then he drew his own dagger. They all swore the same oath. When they’d finished, Illadan stepped forward.
“I speak on behalf of those not present as well,” he told Alannah. “Cormac, Diarmid, and Broccan will aid you. You have their oaths through me.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, her eyes blurring through watery rims. “Thank you,” she whispered, wincing at the sound of her damaged voice.
“Gods,” Finn breathed. “What happened in there?”
Conan placed a hand on her uninjured shoulder. “Alannah proved that all that time training with us was time well spent. She single-handedly defeated Oran.”
“And took quite the beating along the way, it would seem.” Dallan stepped closer. “May I? My wife’s a healer. I haven’t her skill, but I know more than these louts.”
Another laugh threatened, but Alannah squashed it into a smile instead, nodding her consent.
He lifted her chin, gently turning her head one way, then the other as he inspected her neck. “You’re going to have some wicked bruises.”
“Will my voice return?” she croaked.
Dallan nodded. “I think so. If it doesn’t, you should return to Cenn Cora with us so Niamh can have a look.”
Alannah nodded, daring a glance at Conan. Would she go if he asked her?
Would he ask her?
*
What was that look? Alannah’s face had softened when Dallan mentioned her coming home with them. Did that mean she wanted to? This wasn’t the time or place to ask her, of course, but Conan knew he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t. Tomorrow. He would ask her tomorrow.
“He’s right,” Conan agreed. “You’d be in good hands with her.”
“The best,” Dallan corrected, looking down his nose at Conan comically. “She’d be in the best hands with her.”
While they jested and Dallan took a closer look at Alannah’s shoulder wound, Conan caught sight of his brother making his way toward them. Wanting to speak with him privately, Conan hurried to intercept Teague.
A deep furrow etched into Teague’s brow. “Is Emer alright?”
Conan nodded. “Aye. We arrived just in time.” He told Teague the entire story, from how they found Emer in Oran’s clutches, to how Alannah fought him off herself and nearly died. When he’d finished, Teague frowned, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.
“I’ll waive the fine, of course,” he said. “The killing was in self-defense. In payment for the attack on Emer, Oran’s kin will owe the fine for assault, to be paid either in silver or in the gifting of the hostelry to her.”
Conan took a step back. “Oran’s hostelry?” That was a massive overpayment of the fine, should they choose that route.
“It’s possible they have no interest in managing it and would rather keep their silver,” Teague shrugged.
“Teague,” Conan began, taking a deep breath, “I want to thank you for all you’ve done tonight. You stood by me, even though it was a risk.” He extended his hand. “Let’s consider this a new beginning. A clean slate. All our mistakes are in the past.”
Teague beamed at him, the smile going straight from his lips to his umber eyes as he took Conan’s hand. “A new beginning it is.”
One bridge rebuilt. One more to go.
Conan and Teague rejoined the others in front of the hostelry. “Illadan?” Conan addressed their leader. “May I have a moment?”
Illadan followed him toward the stone cottage where they’d stayed.
“I’m sorry that I disobeyed your orders,” Conan began. “But I’m not sorry for upholding my oath to help those in need. The villagers needed help, and I wasn’t about to stand there and watch them be slaughtered. I’m prepared to accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.”
Illadan crossed his arms. “You’re correct that the situation forced us to choose between two of our oaths, and therefore your actions aligned with one of them.
And I agree, that the villagers shouldn’t have been left to fend for themselves, whatever our disagreement with them.
” His hazel eyes narrowed. “But that’s not why you defected. ”
“No, it’s not.” There was no use denying it. Even if it had violated his oath of loyalty to Brian, Conan couldn’t have stood there and fought Alannah.
Illadan stared at him for several moments. “If you marry her in the next three months, I’ll waive your punishment.”
Conan’s mouth fell open. “What?” He’d expected something truly awful—he’d nearly ruined everything and had renounced his oath, even if only temporarily.
“You also vowed to marry for love. If your actions were aimed to fulfill that oath, I could overlook them.” The corner of Illadan’s lip lifted. “It’s not like the rest of us haven’t fallen prey to similar misadventures, myself included.”
“Thank you,” Conan managed through his shock. “I don’t think I deserve that, but I am grateful for it.”
Illadan started back toward the hall. “Only a man in love would do something so foolish.”
Conan smiled to himself. Wasn’t that that truth.