“Yer Majesty,” Brochan, the leader of the Order’s warriors, said to the king, his voice firm. “I understand yer concerns but we need to evacuate the lower town so that our troops can station themselves there to trap Snarlsson’s army when they land. It’s our only hope of winning this battle.”
It was at least the third time he’d explained this.
The king was silent for a moment, thinking. Then he opened his mouth to speak but stopped as the door suddenly swung open. One of his men walked in briskly, crossed the hall, and whispered in his ear.
“My apologies, gentlemen,” King John said to them all. “I must retire to my chambers briefly. A messenger has arrived for me. We will reconvene this council shortly.”
Kai ground his teeth as the king left. Lorna and Tobias had already given up on the war council. Although they’d been present at the start, they’d soon excused themselves to go and tell Alasdair what had been discussed so far. Kai couldn’t blame them. He wished he’d been able to do the same.
He climbed to his feet. Fine. If there was going to be a delay, he would use it to do the thing he’d been wanting to do all morning: go and speak to Caitlin.
He walked quickly through the castle, ignoring the curious gazes of the servants and guards as he made his way to Caitlin’s door. His heart was pounding in his chest as he raised his fist to knock. He swallowed hard. What if she’d changed her mind about him? What if she didn’t feel the same way he did? He knocked but there was no answer.
Kai turned the handle and found that it wasn’t locked. “Caitlin?” he called, stepping inside and looking around. The room was empty.
Her bed had not been slept in and her shawl was gone. Striding out of the room, he quickly grabbed a nearby maid. “Where is she?” he asked urgently.
The maid looked surprised at his sudden appearance and stammered an answer. “She isnae here, my lord,” she said hesitantly. “She wasnae in her room when I came this morning. “
“Then where is she?”
“I dinna know. Could she have gone to the kitchens for breakfast?”
But she wasn’t in the kitchens. Nor was she in the stables petting Smokey. Unease settled into Kai’s stomach. He checked the gardens and the library and road to the village but there was no sign of her. He asked servants and other castle inhabitants if they had seen her, but none of them had. His anxiety grew.
Where was she? Where was Caitlin?
Suddenly, Kai heard someone shouting his name. He turned to see a kitchen lad running towards him.
“My lord,” he gasped, his face flushed with exertion. “I heard ye were looking for the Lady Caitlin. I saw her yesterday afternoon in the kitchen and then later on by the steps down to the undercroft.”
Kai was already running before the lad finished speaking, racing towards the undercroft. Why would she have gone down there? It had been disused for as long as he could remember, ever since one of the serving lasses had slipped on the stairs and broken her neck. Since then the inhabitants of the castle avoided the place, thinking it cursed.
Dear Lord, had Caitlin slipped and hurt herself?
The thought made him go cold.
He reached the door at last and burst through it, leaping down the steep steps. He noticed a thin line of soot reaching along the floor to a door at the end, but took no notice. His eyes were searching for Caitlin, his heart pounding with fear that he might be too late. He called out for her as he ran, his voice echoing in the dark depths of the stairwell and only his own echoes coming back to him in response.
The air was thick with dust which had collected over years of neglect. Kai had to stop several times to clear his throat and take deep breaths before going on again.
“Caitlin!” he yelled. “Caitlin! Are ye down here?”
And then he heard it. A voice so faint he thought he’d imagined it.
“Kai?”
It was coming from behind the door at the end of the corridor. He sprang over to it, shot the bolt holding it closed, yanked it open, and then suddenly Caitlin was there, staggering through the door and into his arms.
She was trembling and covered in soot and dust, but she was alive. Kai held her tightly, relief flooding through him. “What in God’s name are ye doing down here?”
Caitlin shook her head and buried it against his chest, unable to speak for a few moments.
“Lorna,” she croaked. “Tobias.”
“What about them?”
“It’s them,” Caitlin said, her voice raw as though she’d spent the night shouting. “They...locked me in there. They were going to...” She trailed off, trying to catch her breath.
