Chapter 30
"Get Torvald. Call Bjorn and Hamish. I want them in the war room now."
Magnus barely paused as he strode through the keep, Ada hurrying to keep pace beside him. Guards snapped to attention as he passed, clearly sensing the urgency radiating from their laird.
"Should I—" Ada started.
"Stay with me." Magnus's hand found hers, squeezed briefly. "I'll need ye there. Ye ken yer faither better than anyone. Ye might see things we miss."
Within minutes, they'd reached the war room—a smaller chamber off the great hall where Magnus held his most sensitive councils. Torvald arrived first, still pulling on his shirt, his hair sleep-mussed.
"What's happened?" he asked, taking in Magnus's grim expression and Ada's pale face. "Is it another attack?"
"Worse." Magnus moved to the table where maps of Barra lay spread out. "Get the others here. Now. And dinnae wake the whole keep daein' it. I want this quiet until we ken what we're dealin' with."
Torvald's eyes narrowed but he nodded, disappearing back into the corridor.
Ada stood near the doorway, her arms wrapped around herself. Magnus wanted to go to her, to offer comfort, but there wasn't time. Not yet.
Men began filtering in—Bjorn first, his scarred face creased with concern. Then Hamish, Magnus's captain of the guard, still buckling his sword belt. Fergus the steward. Two village elders who'd been staying at the keep.
Finally, Torvald returned with Aldric, the quartermaster.
"This is everyone?" Magnus asked.
"Everyone ye specifically requested, aye." Torvald closed the door, took up position near it. "Now what's goin' on?"
Magnus didn't waste time. "Ada and I went ridin' this evenin'. Beyond the eastern ridge, near the old spring." He placed both hands flat on the table. "We found a camp. Armed men. At least fifteen, maybe more."
The room went silent.
"On our land?" Bjorn's voice was dangerously quiet. "Without permission?"
"Without permission. Without announcement. Hidden in a hollow where they wouldnae be easily seen." Magnus's jaw clenched. "And at the center of that camp were two men. One was Donnan MacFerguson—"
"The guard who came with Lady Ada's escort?" Hamish interrupted.
"Aye. Him." Magnus's gaze swept the assembled men. "And the other man wore a cloak with the MacTavish crest. Ada recognized him immediately as her faither. Conall MacTavish."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then chaos erupted.
"MacTavish? Here?"
"That's impossible."
"How long has he been there?"
"QUIET." Magnus's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "All of ye. Quiet and listen."
The men fell silent, though anger and disbelief remained clear on their faces.
"Me faither has been on Barra," Ada said, her voice steady despite the tremor Magnus could hear underneath. "Probably since shortly after I arrived. Maybe even before."
"But why?" Fergus asked. "What daes he gain from hidin' in the woods like a common bandit?"
"Control." Magnus moved around the table, his finger tracing the area where they'd seen the camp.
"Think about it. Every attack we've suffered—the poisoned well, the fire, the attempt on Ada, the man we caught today tryin' tae poison another well—all of it happened after Ada arrived.
All of it was meant tae weaken us. Tae spread our forces thin. Tae make us look vulnerable."
"And Donnan?" Torvald's expression was dark. "He's been feedin' information tae MacTavish this whole time?"
"Aye. He kent our routines, our patrol schedules, where our defenses were weakest." Magnus's hands curled into fists. "He's been playin' the concerned guard, makin' sure Ada was 'safe,' while reportin' every detail back tae her faither."
"That treacherous bastard." Bjorn's voice was a growl. "I'll kill him meself."
"Ye'll dae nae such thing." Magnus's tone brooked no argument.
"We need tae think strategically. If we move against Donnan now, if he disappears or dies suddenly, Conall will ken we're ontae him.
He'll either attack immediately or disappear and regroup.
Either way, we lose the advantage of kennin' where he is. "
"So what dae we dae Hamish asked. "Just let the spy keep walkin' around our keep?"
"Fer now, aye. We watch him. Carefully. And we feed him false information if we can." Magnus looked at each man in turn. "But our bigger problem is Conall himself. Those men in that camp, they're nae just watchin'. They're waitin'. Probably fer reinforcements. Fer the right moment tae strike."
One of the village elders, an older man named Callum, cleared his throat. "Me laird, if I may. Why would MacTavish dae this? I thought the Pact was meant tae create peace. Why would he risk the king's wrath by attackin' one of the jarls?"
"Because he's clever." Ada's voice was quiet but everyone turned to look at her.
"Me faither daesnae dae anything without a plan.
If he attacks Magnus directly, he's breakin' the Pact.
But if he can make it look like Magnus broke it first—if he can claim he cannae protect me, that I was mistreated or endangered—then he becomes the loyal faither protectin' his daughter. The king would support him."
Magnus nodded grimly. "That's why the attacks have been subtle.
Poisoned wells that make it look like we cannae protect our own people.
A fire that suggests we're careless with our defenses.
An attempt on Ada that I only barely stopped.
" He met her eyes across the table. "He's buildin' a case against me.
Makin' me look incompetent or cruel. And when he has enough evidence—real or fabricated—he'll take it tae the king. "
"And the king will give him permission tae remove ye," Torvald finished. "And install someone more 'trustworthy' as laird of Barra."
"Someone like Conall himself." Magnus's voice was flat. "That's been his plan all along. Use the Pact, use Ada, tae get control of the Isles."
Silence fell over the room again, heavier this time. The men exchanged glances, worry clear on their faces.
Finally, Bjorn spoke. "So we attack first. Now. While we ken where his camp is. We take our men and we wipe them out before they can move against us."
"With what men?" Magnus asked, his tone sharp.
"Half our fighters are still recoverin'.
The poisoned well affected nearly thirty people, and some of them are still too weak tae lift a sword.
The fire injured another dozen. We have maybe forty men at full strength right now.
Against MacTavish's fifteen, aye, we'd probably win.
But what if there are more? What if that camp we saw is only part of his forces? "
"Then what dae ye propose?" Hamish leaned forward. "We just sit here and wait fer him tae attack?"
"Nay." Magnus straightened, his decision made. "We send fer reinforcements. Fer allies we can trust."
"The other jarls," Torvald said immediately. "Erik. Harald. Ragnar. Ivar."
"Aye." Magnus nodded. "They're part of the Pact same as me. If MacTavish is willin' tae move against one of us, he's a threat tae all of us. They'll come."
"Will they?" Aldric asked. "Barra's far from Skye and Lewis. And with winter approachin', the seas will be rough. They might decide their own keeps are more important."
"They'll come." Magnus's voice was certain. "Because we're nae just jarls bound by the king's decree. We're braithers. We stood taegether at each other's weddin's. Fought taegether tae make this Pact work despite everyone expectin' it tae fail. They'll come."
"How long will it take?" Fergus asked. "Fer them tae gather their men and sail here?"
"Days. Maybe a week if the weather's bad." Magnus moved to the map, studied the distances. "Erik on Skye is closest. He could be here in two days if he pushes hard. Harald and Ragnar maybe three or four. Ivar's the farthest, but he has the fastest ships."
"A week." Bjorn shook his head. "That's a long time tae wait with an enemy camped on our doorstep."
"It's also time we can use tae prepare." Magnus's finger traced the keep's walls on the map. "We fortify. Double the guards. Check every well, every entrance, every weak point. We make this place impenetrable. And we watch Donnan. Every move he makes, every person he speaks tae."
"What about the prisoner in the dungeons?" Hamish asked. "The one we caught poisonin' the well?"
"Keep him locked up and isolated. Dinnae let Donnan anywhere near him." Magnus's expression hardened. "When this is over, and we've dealt with MacTavish, I'll get answers from that man one way or another."
"And if MacTavish attacks before our reinforcements arrive?" Callum's voice was worried. "What then?"
"Then we hold." Magnus's voice was iron. "We've held this keep against worse odds. We can dae it again."
"But me laird—" one of the other elders started.
"I ken what ye're goin' tae say." Magnus cut him off.
"That we might be outnumbered. That we're weakened.
That maybe we should consider negotiation.
" He paused. "But let me be clear. Conall MacTavish came tae our island in secret.
Poisoned me wells. Tried tae abduct me wife.
He's nae here tae negotiate. He's here tae take what's mine by force.
And I'll be damned if I give it tae him without a fight. "
The men murmured agreement, some nodding, others clenching their fists.
"Now." Magnus straightened. "Here's what we're goin' tae dae. Torvald, I want ye tae write the letters tae the other jarls. Tell them what's happenin'. Tell them we need them here as soon as they can manage. Send the fastest riders we have."
"Aye, me laird."
"Bjorn, start organizin' the defenses. I want every wall checked, every gate reinforced. If there's a weakness anywhere in this keep, I want tae ken about it."
"Aye."
"Hamish, double the guard rotations. And I want men watchin' Donnan specifically. Subtle, dinnae let him ken we're onto him. But I want tae ken everywhere he goes, everyone he talks tae because we need tae ken if he works with someone else and eliminate them."
"Consider it done."
"Fergus, Aldric, inventory our supplies. Food, weapons, water. I want tae ken exactly what we have and how long it'll last if we're under siege."
Both men nodded.
"And the villagers?" Callum asked. "Should we warn them? Have them come tae the keep fer protection?"
Magnus hesitated. "Nae yet. If we suddenly have hundreds of people flockin' tae the keep, Donnan will ken somethin's wrong.
Better tae keep everythin' lookin' normal until our reinforcements arrive.
But start quietly stockpilin' supplies near the villages.
Blankets, food, water. If we need tae evacuate them quickly, I want tae be ready. "
"Smart." Callum nodded approvingly.
Magnus looked around the table at his Council—those men who'd served him loyally, who'd stood by him through scandal and rumor and now genuine threat.
"I willnae lie tae ye," he said quietly. "The next few days are goin' tae be difficult. Dangerous. But I have faith in every one of ye. We've survived worse than this. And we'll survive this too. Taegether."
"Taegether," the men echoed.
"Now go. Get started. We dinnae have time tae waste." Magnus dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "Torvald, stay a moment."
The others filed out, speaking in low, urgent voices. Only Torvald remained, along with Ada, who still stood near the door.
When they were alone, Magnus finally allowed himself to show the exhaustion pulling at him. He braced his hands on the table, his head dropping forward.
"Are ye all right?" Torvald asked quietly.
"I need tae be." Magnus looked up. "Too many people countin' on me tae be anythin' else."
"Magnus." Torvald moved closer. "Ye didnae cause this. Ye ken that, aye? This is MacTavish's daein'. His betrayal. Nae yers."
"But Ada—" Magnus's gaze found her. "She's here because of the Pact. Because the king forced it. And now her faither's usin' that against us."
"I'm sorry." Ada's voice was thick with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted—I didnae ken he would dae that."
Magnus crossed to her in three strides, pulled her into his arms. "This isnae yer fault. Dae ye hear me? None of it."
"But he's me faither. I still need tae take responsibility."
"Blood means naething." Magnus's voice was fierce. "Ye said it yerself earlier. Ye chose me. Chose Barra. That makes us more family here than he could ever be."
Ada buried her face against his chest. "I just—I saw him down there. In that camp. And I realized he really would have killed me if it served his purpose."
"Then he's a fool." Magnus pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Because ye're worth more than all his schemes combined."
Torvald cleared his throat. "I'll leave ye two alone. Get started on those letters."
"Thank ye," Magnus said.
When Torvald had gone, Magnus held Ada for a long moment. Feeling her trembling against him. Wishing he could take away the pain of her father's betrayal.
"We'll get through this," he murmured. "I promise ye."
"I ken." Ada looked up at him, her eyes red but determined. "I trust ye."
And somehow, despite everything, those three words gave Magnus the strength to face whatever came next.