Cailean gave her a small smile. "Dinnae tell her I told ye, but Patty told me I had tae check in on ye. Ye did well today, by the way."
Maeve rolled her eyes, making a mental note to scold her friend lightly for interfering, but not feeling seriously offended. It was nice to have a chance to talk to Cailean, even if it was for a reason that might be otherwise embarrassing. "Thank ye for the compliment," she said. A thought came to her then, and half in jest but half in earnest, she said, "Wait… can I ask ye somethin'?"
"Ask," Cailean said with a nod.
"Did… did ye do this for me?"
Cailean blinked, looking genuinely surprised by the question. "Do what for ye?" he asked, puzzled.
Undeterred, Maeve, still in a half-joking voice, said, "The switching of the way we fight. Ye gave me an advantage, or at least removed some of me own disadvantage. I ken ye noticed I was strugglin', and I thought…"
Cailean was already shaking his head. "Me methods had nothin' tae do with ye directly," he said, gently but firmly. "Me job is tae make sure thateveryoneis performin' tae their peak. That's why I had Darren, the best of us, act as me partner for the demonstration. Remember, I dinnae have time for one-tae-one trainin' durin' our daily sessions. I've a whole army tae care for."
Maeve immediately felt chastened by the way that he shut her down, wondering if it was possible to bruise her ego any more than it was already damaged after her weeks of failure. Cailean had only mildly rebuked her, and his words had been entirely fair; it had been foolish of her to center her own challenges in his decisions, which were being made for the whole warrior faction of the rebellion.
But then, who could blame her for thinking this way? She'd never been a part of anything before. How did she know what it was to work as part of a unit? Despite her embarrassment, the way that Cailean was watching her and the realization that she was now part of this group was enough to wipe it away.
"But… if ye have some time tae spare this afternoon, then come and meet me at the stables," Cailean suggested. "I have another way that I might be able tae help ye tailor yer trainin' tae yer strengths — and yer weaknesses."
"Ye'd do that for me?" Maeve asked, her shock making the words fall out of her mouth before she could even think about them.
Cailean shrugged. "Will ye be there?"
Before she could respond or Cailean could say anything else, someone else called for Cailean, and after bidding her a polite goodbye, he turned and jogged off toward Fergus. He turned back and gave her a quick smile, and Maeve's heart fluttered in her chest.
Yes, she'd meet him this afternoon. And whatever he had prepared, she and her ego would both be ready.
11
Chapter Eleven
"What do ye need?" Cailean asked as he returned to Fergus's side. He tried to put Mary out of his mind, especially the shock in her voice and the soft warmth in her eyes that had accompanied her last words to him. Fergus calling him over had been a relief; there was just something about the newest woman in the camp that made Cailean feel like he was less in control of himself than usual. Logically, he should be avoiding her, and yet instead he felt himself drawn to her over and over again.
He'd been observing her closely these last two weeks, and while she couldn't be calledgoodby any means, she'd improved dramatically, though he could tell that Mary herself could not see it. He was actually very impressed by her efforts, and humbled, too; he couldn't remember the last time he had been so wrong about a person as he had been about Mary when he'd been reluctant to train her. He hadn't spoken to Senan about her yet, but he knew that when he did, his friend and mentor would serve him withI told ye so— and he'd be right.
Cailean felt a bit nervous about the idea he'd had for the afternoon, but he couldn't and wouldn't let himself focus on that right now. After all, though the session was done, the morning's extended training for the most dedicated of warriors was still to be completed.
Fergus looked up as Cailean spoke and nodded toward the men and women who were currently free-sparring while they waited for his next command. To his amazement, they had not defaulted back to what they were used to. They wereallfighting with their non-dominant hands, each and every one of them, and more than that, they were doingeverythingon their non-dominant side. As he watched, left-handed Darren held out his right hand to help up an opponent. Young Dirk fought with his right hand tucked behind his back.
"What are they doin'?" Cailean asked, marveling at the sight before him.
"Followin' yer orders," Fergus replied. "Ye want us tae learn tae overcome our weaknesses? Then we're gonnae make them our strengths."
"But the session is over. Me orders dinnae stand the whole time," Cailean protested. "This is the time for their free sparrin'."
Fergus shrugged. "I'm goin' tae join them. Ye should stay here, though."
"Why?"
Fergus pointed, and Cailean turned to see Kier and Senan approaching, both watching the sparring matches intently. Fergus hurried off to join in, but Cailean remained where he was, knowing that the two councilmen would definitely have something to say.
"Lads, lassies, if ye drop yer swords anymore, ye're gonnae lose them," Senan called out to general laughter from the gathered fighters. "Did ye stick yer hands in the butter this mornin'?"
Kier let out a deep guffaw. "As if we can afford butter," he joked, though it wasn't far from the truth. “And leave them be, Senan. Let them fight like they're underwater if they want tae."
Cailean stood there, amused, watching as the mentors teased the trainees and the fighters lobbed back joking insults and comments in turn. It was one of the things he loved most about this place, this life he lived, this family that he had managed to gather around him. They were all like brothers and sisters, unafraid to jokingly tease one another, knowing that each of them had the back of all the others.
After some time, Kier said, "But it is a clever way tae cover their weaknesses, indeed," he mused. "Learn tae fight with yer weak hand, and in response ye'll have two strong."
