Chapter 26
As Brodie and his companions approached Rònmòrach Isle, his other galley came into view on the beach.
Kenneth and his clansmen stood on shore with the male selkies in human form, all armed. To the side, four pairs of selkies practiced with swords, their feet kicking up sand. Brodie was proud of them for the way they had grown in confidence and fighting skills.
He raised his hand in greeting and spoke to them telepathically. They grinned, welcoming him.
After rowing closer, his clansmen leapt off into the seawater and dragged the galleys onto the beach.
"Come, I wish you to meet the selkies," Brodie told Gavin and Torr as they leapt off, splashing into the cold water.
Brodie made introductions, and the men shook hands. Lady Una and several of the women emerged from the cave, again dressed in their finest, the sea glass beads gleaming in the sunlight. They greeted everyone, and he introduced them to Gavin and Torr.
Once the women turned their attention to the food, Brodie approached Scarth and lowered his voice. "Gavin and Torr received a warning from Finnian. He foresaw another raid. So, we must be ready."
"Did he say when?" Harcus asked, his scowl fierce.
"Nay," Gavin said.
"I've been sending scouts to keep an eye on Dunrhyne. No more galleys have shown up there," Scarth said.
Brodie nodded. "The knave owns five castles. He could be using one of the others as a base, perhaps one on Loch Long called Glenhaish."
The men had brought food and drink on the galleys. They shared it with the selkies, who in turn shared their fish roasted over an open fire. Brodie ate enough but didn't stuff himself. Nor did he drink much ale. He had to be ready if the bastard attacked this night.
He gazed out over the ocean toward the west, to the blazing orange, rose, and violet sunset lighting the sky. It reminded him of Elsea. She'd always remarked on the beautiful colors, awe in her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Torr asked, approaching. He drank from a tankard.
"Much better. The shifting helped me heal faster."
Torr nodded. "You appear fully recovered. I'm impressed."
Brodie nodded. "I have to be ready for the next raid."
"Elsea asked me to tell you to be safe."
Brodie loved the sound of her name and wished he could see her now. Embrace her. "How is she?"
"Well, as far as I know. Just worried about you."
Brodie tried to banish her from his mind, for memories of last night muddled his thoughts. He needed to be sharp and focus on a possible attack.
"Move the galleys to the back side of the island," Brodie told his clansmen a few minutes later. "They'll not know we're here."
At gloaming, Brodie used his spyglass and spotted possible raiders in the distance. "Galleys approaching from the south!" he shouted. "Take cover, and we'll surprise them. They'll nay suspect we're all here."
"Shift and take to the water," Scarth told the women. They dashed for the cave. After they shifted, they would escape into the sea through the hidden tunnel.
Some of the men hid in the front part of the cave, while others concealed themselves behind the massive black crags protruding from the sandy beach.
When the invaders were rowing the four galleys closer, Brodie covertly peered out at them. Hell, were they outnumbered?
Most of the men were rowing, but a few held pikes, ready to stab anyone who threatened to overturn their galleys. They would be tired if they'd rowed all the way from Loch Long. Or perhaps they'd rested along the way. He would not underestimate them.
The raiders remained quiet, thinking they were slipping in on the selkies, but they couldn't prevent the splash as they jumped off into the shallow surf and dragged the galleys ashore.
A dozen or more of the warriors sprinted toward the cave, swords in hand.
Those hidden inside leapt out of the darkness, swords swinging.
Brodie, Gavin, Torr, and their men left the cover of the crags and rushed in behind them.
***
WILONA MACRAE HID WITHIN the selkies' cave, having flown in as a bird earlier.
She'd shifted to human form and rested so she would be ready for the raid she'd planned with Talnaroch.
Because she wanted the twenty-five percent he'd promised her, she'd had to reveal her magical powers to him to prove she could accomplish what she claimed.
If he betrayed her, she would take everything he had and end him.
For now, she had no choice but to trust him.
The more autumn advanced into winter, the more she needed the funds for a warm home. If they captured all the females and sold them, they would make a king's ransom. That was the plan.
Brodie had brought a sizable force of men with him, including Torr and Gavin, but that didn't matter. She knew how to outsmart all of them. She smiled, knowing she would prevail.
When the selkie chief had told the females to shift and go into the sea, that was Wilona's cue.
In human form, she made herself invisible.
She picked up one of the females' discarded arisaids and a belt.
Before the females had time to tug on their sealskins and shift, Wilona quietly murmured the spell she'd used on Alpin, her late assistant, in the past when she wanted to turn him into an animal.
"Horse and hattock. You shall go into a mouse, with sorrow and sych and meickle care.... "
The female selkies turned into mice. One by one, she picked them up by the tail and dropped them into the pouch she had formed with the cloth. She lost count of how many were in the sack. She had to chase a few down as they tried to scurry away.
The battle commenced outside, metal clanging and men shouting. She must hurry.
Once she had them all, she wrapped a belt around the top, tightening it, then buckled it securely.
She murmured the spell again, this time transforming herself into a sea eagle while maintaining her invisibility.
Near the cave's exit, she snagged her long talons into the pouch containing all the selkie mice and flew from the cave, over the heads of the fighting warriors.
As she passed over Talnaroch on the galley, she let out a loud screech, her signal that she had the females.
Her massive wings propelled her toward the craggy coast of the mainland, where she alighted to rest and wait for Talnaroch.
She didn't know how long she could maintain this large form plus hold all the selkie females in mouse form.
She had to get them onto one of the galleys in case the shifting happened.
A quarter hour later, she alighted on Talnaroch's front galley with her sack.
He grinned at her, but his men looked terrified.
She shifted from the sea eagle form to the much smaller storm petrel to conserve her power and energy.
She absolutely must hold the females in their mouse forms until they reached Glenhaish, and the men locked them inside.
***
THOUGH THE COLD HAD increased and leaden clouds moved in, hiding the tips of the rugged mountains, Elsea and her clan made excellent time through the glens. They arrived at Kincreag just after gloaming. Exhausted, they'd eaten supper and retired for the night.
Tilly, her maid, had gushed and thanked God for her safe return, tears in her eyes as she'd embraced Elsea. Tilly was like a second mother, and Elsea loved her dearly. But she'd sent the maid to bed in her own chamber. She could rest better there and wouldn't know what Elsea planned.
Will had told her they would all be guarding her, making sure she was safe.
Safe from the earl? Or were they making sure she didn't escape again?
Will had assigned Kieran the first watch, posting him outside her chamber door. At least Will had not locked the door and imprisoned her.
Kieran loved to sleep long, hard, and deep. Ever since he was a child, he could sleep ten or twelve hours per night, if allowed. Besides that, he'd had a couple of drams of whisky after supper. Having ridden all day, he was probably exhausted. She should be, too, but her restlessness prevented it.
Under the covers, she'd formed her pillows into a human shape on the bed. Tilly would not discover her trick until the morn. Hopefully, Elsea would be back before then, and no one would realize she'd been anywhere.
She had to do this one last thing for Brodie. 'Twas the only way she knew how to demonstrate her love for him, whether he returned that love or not.
She owned extra knives, replacing those she'd lost. She had strapped the four sheathed sgian dubh blades to her forearms and calves and the narrow sgian achlais under her armpit.
The dirk Brodie had returned to her was sheathed on the right side of her belt and her lightweight sword on the left.
Surprisingly, Talnaroch had returned the sword with her horse.
He'd probably assumed it belonged to one of her brothers.
In the pouch, which also hung from her belt, she had a few supplies.
Already dressed for warmth in two layers of wool arisaid and an old green hooded cloak, Elsea listened at her door.
After a while, faint snoring reached her ears.
She always kept her door hinges well-oiled so no one would know what she was about. After opening the door silently, she peered out. Her brother sat on the floor, a glowing lantern a few feet away. His head hung forward in slumber. She closed her door and crept past him.
Elsea knew the corridors and stairs so well, she could traverse them in the dark.
She stole down the servants' stairs and through the still warm kitchen.
The outside door gave a slight squeak, but thankfully no one was close enough to hear.
After closing it back, she headed outside, surprised to see snowflakes swirling in the wind.
For years, she'd possessed a key for the postern gate, but Will knew nothing of it.
Earlier, while the groom, stable lads, and guards had been eating supper, she'd saddled Freya and secretly led her outside the walls through the postern gate. Thankfully, it was tall enough to accommodate her mare.