Conall’s expression softened, and he reached out to place a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “What happened at the fair wasnae yer fault.”
“Wasnae it?” he growled. “Would any of those people have been hurt if I hadnae decided to take that gunpowder there?”
Conall had no answer to that.
Kai scowled, determined to change the subject. “How are the preparations coming?” he asked. “Give me some good news, will ye?”
“Well at least I can please ye on that score. Lord Tobias has sent scouts along the coast in both directions and to the higher ground inland. He’s set up teams of messengers in relays so we’ll know in plenty of time if Snarlsson’s fleet is spotted.”
“Any word from the Order?”
“Not yet.” Conall leaned forward with a frown on his face. “How come ye dinna know all this already? Surely Lord Tobias has told ye—”
Kai snorted, cutting his friend off. “Lord Tobias has told me precisely nothing. I asked to be part of his war councils but I was politely rebuffed. Preening, arrogant, cock-sure, little—”
“Well, ye canna really blame him, can ye?” Conall interrupted.
Kai felt a flash of anger but before he could retort, the door burst open and a group of rowdy men stumbled in, laughing and shouting. Kai tensed, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword.
But then he relaxed, recognizing some of them as local fishermen. They were drunk and in high spirits, but not dangerous. Kai’s eyes flickered back to Conall. “What do ye mean by that?” he asked, his tone low and dangerous.
Conall didn’t flinch, meeting Kai’s gaze steadily. “Ye know exactly what I mean. After what happened with ye and Lorna—”
“Quiet!” Kai growled. “Dinna say it!”
Conall held up his hands placatingly. “Alright, alright.” He leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of his ale. “But what happened between ye and Lorna—”
“I said not another word!” Kai snapped, his chest tight with anger and pain. “I dinna wish to talk about it!”
Conall sighed heavily and lapsed into silence. The rowdy group of men stumbled over to a nearby table, their laughter and shouts growing louder. Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn’t want to talk about Lorna. Hell, he didn’t even want tothinkabout Lorna. But being here ripped that wound open as though it was still fresh and bleeding rather than scabbed over.
Kai shook his head, trying to push aside the memories. “I suppose ye are right,” he said at last. “About Tobias, I mean. In his position perhaps I would see me as a threat as well. But he shouldnae. He won. I lost. And nothing changes the fact that we need to work together if we’re going to stop Snarlsson.”
Conall nodded in agreement, and his expression turned serious. “There’s something else ye need to know, Kai. I’ve been hearing rumors—whispers—that Snarlsson might have some kind of inside information. Information that could give him an advantage over us.”
“Rumors? From whom?”
“Some of the guards. Most didnae want to talk to me but those that did said there have been whispers of clandestine meetings taking place in the town but the town guard havenae been able to ferret them out.”
Kai scowled. Perfect. Just bloody perfect. “Then we need to find out who this mole might be and what information they’ve passed to Snarlsson.”
“Aye,” Conall said. “But we need to be careful. If Snarlsson knows we’re onto him, this could go south very quickly.”
Kai considered this. It was not unusual for there to be spies and informants living in a lord’s castle. Anyone could be bought and it was unsurprising how the promise of coin could turn a man’s loyalty. But what was unusual was for those spies and informants to have access to the kind of information that Leif Snarlsson would want. Only someone close to the lord and lady of the keep would have that, and in Kai’s experience, spies were normally lowly servants or stable hands trying to make a few extra coppers.
Still, he wasn’t about to take any risks. Their only advantage was that Snarlsson didn’t know they’d worked out he was targeting Dun Cator. They could not afford to lose that advantage.
“I’ll speak to Lord Tobias again,” he said. “See if he can be persuaded to stop merchants and the like leaving the castle.”
Conall nodded his agreement.
“In the meantime,” Kai continued. “Go see if Magnus is back from scouting. We need to know what he’s discovered.”
Conall nodded again. He finished his ale and stood. “Aye, I’ll go check on him now.”
Kai watched as Conall strode out of the tavern and into the street, his broad shoulders set with determination. He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair.
As he did, he noticed the serving lass watching him again. Kai couldn’t help but smile automatically at her, some of his old swagger returning. He considered going over and talking to her, trying his hand at some light flirting. Aye, maybe that’s exactly what he needed.
