It was so strange to think that, when Ferda had left, they hadn't known that Neala might be alive. Cailean had almost forgotten that—in his mind, it was all tied up together. The Sparrows. His sister. The future of the rebellion. He found it hard to separate it all in his mind and heart.
"I… I went lookin' for Ann. Ye all ken how…anyway. I found her. But nae where she was meant tae be. Actually, the fact I came across her at all was a pure accident. She's…" Ferda closed her eyes, looking distressed. "I found a small group of Sparrows near the old McNair Keep, Ann among them. They asked me tae join their mission, and I did, believin' I would be able tae ask them me questions afterward."
Cailean sat up straighter in his seat. The old McNair Keep? His old home? Flashes of the old nightmare flooded through his mind, memories of fire and blood and ash. "The whole area around the old keep was destroyed, and the castle with it. Blackthorn Keep is miles away. What would Ann be doin' there?"
"She…" Ferda started. "The Sparrows, they had an important task. It was…"
"Is that when ye got hurt?" Darren cut in. "Who did it? How did they ken ye were there? Are the Sparrows alive?"
Cailean shot him a look, annoyed a little by the interruption, but he could hardly blame Darren for the pressing questions. It was clear that his friend was worried about his family, and it was also important to know if their closest allies had survived the attack.
"We were ambushed," Ferda explained. "There were four of us. The False King's men attacked as if out of nowhere, overwhelmin' us. One of the Sparrows, Dina, was killed almost immediately. The rest of us fought back, but they were too strong. The others were captured, and I–I barely escaped with me life. I ran as fast as I could, and I found the refugee group some days later. But the False King's men, they'd followed me.They attacked me again, and that was when I was hurt. I would have died, had Eoin and the scouts nae arrived right on time."
The room fell silent, a moment of respect for the fallen Sparrow. Cailean did not know and had never met nor even heard of Dina, but when he thought of her, he could only picture Neala. So many young women and men lost to this awful war. Had this Dina had a mother, a father, brothers or sisters? Was she young or old? What had caused her to give her life over to the Sparrows, and ultimately fully sacrifice everything for the dream of a country that might never be fully restored?
No. It would be. Cailean would make sure of it, as would everyone else in this room. No sacrifice would be in vain—he simply wouldn't allow it. And knowing his fellow rebels, seeing the determination on Ferda's face as she spoke, he knew they wouldn't either.
"We're glad ye're alive, lass," Kier said after the moment had passed. "Me more than anyone. I swore tae me brother I'd protect ye, and it's a relief tae see ye here. But while I'm sorry yer friend was captured, and of course, we'll do all we can tae rescue her, I cannae see how this was worth the immediate interruption. It could have waited?—"
"Ye said there were four of ye," Maeve said quietly.
The room fell silent, all eyes including Cailean's turning to her, then back to Ferda.
"Aye," Ferda said, sinking down into a chair, looking truly weary. "Dina, meself, Ann… and Morag."
Cailean inhaled a sharp breath. Surely, she didn't mean…
"Morag?" Senan asked, leaning forward, sounding much more serious now. "Ye mean…"
Ferda closed her eyes and nodded. "Aye. Morag. The White Sparrow leader. She's now in the hands of the False King and his men, and I dinnae even ken if she's alive."
Morag. The woman who had saved Cailean all those years ago, the woman who had cared for him until the rebels had taken him under their wing. Morag, who had saved his life and given him the second chance to thrive again. It had been more than twenty years now since he had seen her, two long decades filled with more events and love and heartbreak than Cailean could even begin to describe. But when he thought of her, he still thought of those loving arms which had held him and brought him back to life.
He'd been heartbroken when they'd parted, though she'd explained to him even then that they had different paths and different duties that needed them. She'd promised they'd meet again one day, and he had not realized until this moment how desperately he had been holding on to that hope.
"We must rescue her. Both of them. I propose we prepare and head for Blackthorn Castle immediately," Cailean declared firmly, getting to his feet.
A tumult of chaos erupted at his words, a mangled ring of protests so numerous that he could scarcely make out the words.
"Dinnae be so foolish," Kier said in his usual blunt way. "We're in nae position tae tackle the False King's lair and all his army around him. We'd be killed in a moment, and all of our fightin' would have been for nothin'."
"Morag needs us. Ann needs us." Cailean protested. "What are we if we let our people anguish?"
"Ann is me friend," Eoin put in. "She's well-versed in the risks of her chosen vocation. She already risked her life once in this very castle when we worked tae protect and then free Maeve. She wouldnae want us riskin' ourselves for her, nae until we're prepared."
"But what of Morag? What are the Sparrows without their leader?" Cailean shot back. "We need tae find Morag. We need tae set her free. Without her, the whole operation could topple."
"And if ye're killed in a foolhardy attempt tae rescue her, the whole rebellion could be destroyed," Ewan pointed out firmly. "We are nae ready tae face the False King."
"Use yer head, nae yer heart. Be the leader we ken ye are," Hamish added.
"There are Sparrows stationed in Castle Blackthorn, too. Nae many, but some. Enough that they'll be able tae look out for Morag, and Ann as well, until we can find out how we can save them," Ferda added, obviously attempting to assure him, though she still sounded worried herself. "Racing in would be unwise, much as I wish tae as well."
Cailean slowly sat back down, frustration and pain coursing through his blood. He wanted to act. Heneededto do something. He was tired of hearing of those he loved being trapped and sitting here doing nothing about it.
Maeve rested her hand gently on his leg under the table, just a light, reassuring touch. She spoke to Ferda and said, her voice regally calm, in a way that helped to settle Cailean's frayed nerves. "Ferda, when ye were with Morag… did she say anythin' tae ye that might be helpful? Anythin' at all?"
Ferda touched her hair nervously, then nodded. "Helpful? I dinnae ken. But she did tell me somethin' that I think might be important." She took a breath. "She told me that if anythin' was tae happen, it was imperative that ye ken that the most important thing, the thing she's been protectin' and hidin' all this time—it's at the convent."
