As Argyle yelped and fell back, his nose smashed, Brendan pushed forward and threw his weight against the door. Annaleigh couldn’t hold out against it and she stumbled back, but it was enough to give her a head start at running. She screamed as Brendan tore after her, running for the main entry to the stables where surely someone would hear her. At this time of night, most of the servants were eating or in bed, but there was always someone around.
She was counting on that someone to raise an alarm.
But she never had the chance.
Brendan caught up to her and grabbed her from behind. Panicked, Annaleigh struggled against him, throwing her fists and trying to fight him off. But in the process, she didn’t look where she was going. She tripped just short of the main stables’ entry and pitched forward with Brendan nearly on top of her. It was enough momentum to ram her head right into the side of the stables’ entry and the contact was brutal enough that it knocked her unconscious immediately.
Annaleigh went down with Brendan on top of her and no one saw or heard a thing.
Or, so they thought.
Unbeknownst to Argyle and Brendan, the worst was yet to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Nay, I’ve notseen him,” Jemma said. “Was he supposed tae come tae the hall?”
Kieran was standing near the dais of the great hall where his wife was, but he was looking for War. He could see War’s men at the end of the table, near the hearth– the men called Monty, Alexei, and Clement– but no sign of War himself.
“Nay,” Kieran said, still looking around. “But I’d hoped he’d come here. I wanted to speak to him.”
“Why?”
Kieran looked at her. “Because he and William had words,” he said, lowering his voice. “Most of them not pleasant. I was hoping to soothe Herringthorpe somehow.”
Jemma was concerned. “God’s Bones,” she said. “Did they fight?”
“As I said, it wasn’t pleasant.”
“But why?”
Kieran sighed. “It is a long story and one I will tell you later, so please do not press me right now,” he said. “I’d like to find War. I must speak to him.”
Jemma was many things, but a pest to her stoic husband wasn’t one of them. At least, not when it mattered and, at this point, she could see by Kieran’s expression that it mattered. She’d been married to him long enough to know that.
“As ye wish,” she said reluctantly. Since she couldn’t ask him more about War, she shifted to the one thing that had been heavy on her mind for the last hour or so. “Did anyone tell ye that Argyle and Brendan have come tae Castle Questing?”
Kieran looked at her sharply. “Cord’s sons?”
“Aye.”
“What are they doing here?”
Jemma shook her head. “I dunna know,” she said. She wagged a finger in her husband’s face. “But I dunna trust that pair. Whenever there’s trouble or subversion, they’re in the middle of it. Annie told me that they were leading the rebellion against Ian. They’ve been the ones speaking out against him and telling our kin that Annie caused the battle at Etal. They’re trouble, I tell ye.”
Kieran knew that. “But why did they come?”
Jemma shrugged. “Tae speak tae Annie,” she said. “They said that Robbie sent them with a message and they wouldna tell me what it was.”
Kieran frowned. “They were speaking out against Annie, yet Robbie sent them with a message for her?” he said. “That does not sound right.”
“I’m well aware,” Jemma said. “I told them not tae move from the hall. In a room full of witnesses, they dunna dare…”
She suddenly trailed off as her gaze moved to the tables near the open hall door. As short as she was, she leapt up onto a bench so she could see better, but what she saw did not please her. Not in the least.
“Damn those fools,” she snapped. “I told them tae stay there!”
Kieran was trying to see what she saw. “Stay where?” he said. “What is amiss?”
