His lips tightened, and she could see that he was about to dismiss her words again. She prepared herself for another argument, ready to make her point more firmly if she needed to, but she was interrupted as the door swung open.
They both turned to see Maeve watching cautiously from the doorway, looking a little guilty to have interrupted, but strangely amused as well. She smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry tae come in like this, but I will say, ye're doin' an excellent job at impersonatin' a married couple already."
Breana and Eoin jumped apart as if they were burned. She could see Eoin looking a little red around the neck, and she felt her own cheeks flare from embarrassment.
"Why would ye say such a thing?" she demanded of her sister, trying not to make it too obvious how much the words had affected her, and failing miserably. "What has bein'...marriedgot tae do with anythin'?"
"Plenty," Maeve replied with a shrug. "Ye're a young man and a young woman travelin' together. If people get suspicious, it makes sense tae claim ye're newlyweds. Who kens what kind of cover story ye might need in the days ahead. Ye'll be travelin' far and intae lands we dinnae ken well. Suspicion will be yer enemy, and ye must be ready tae face whatever might come. Besides, I think ye'll make a wonderful married couple."
Obviously flustered, Eoin muttered something under his breath. "I'll be at the stables if ye need me. I–excuse me…"
Only when he was gone did Maeve fully enter the room and sit herself down gingerly at the end of Breana's bed. She was carrying something strapped to her back, and she carefully removed it to reveal a finely crafted bow, which she laid down beside her.
Breana was momentarily distracted from her embarrassment by the sight of the beautiful weapon. She walked over and traced a finger along the carved wood, takenaback. It was smaller than the standard size, obviously designed specifically that way. "What is this?"
"It's for ye," Maeve explained. "I had it made for yer size and shape tae make things a bit easier for ye. I noticed that the bow is one of the weapons ye've been doin' best with, and I think it suits yer precise mind. Ye ken to be patient, how tae aim and when tae shoot."
"I'm nae well-versed in the weapon yet," Breana said hesitantly, though part of her heart soared as she realized the implications of the gift Maeve had given her. This had been made for her, which meant that Maeve trusted her, even before all of this had happened. Maeve had known that Breana might need a weapon of her own.
"Ye'll have plenty of time tae practice," Maeve assured her. "After all, it sounds like ye have a long way tae go. Ye always were good at protectin' yerself, even if not in the most conventional ways. Maybe this way, ye can look after yerself from a distance and take the shots when ye really need tae."
Breana sat down next to her sister, laying her head on her shoulder. "It means so much that I'm here with ye," she said. "I promise I'll be careful, but I'm glad ye trust me with this." She sighed and looked in the direction of the closed door. "I'm beginnin' tae think ye might be the only one."
"Ye ken that isnae true," Maeve told her. "He just wants tae protect ye. Men have a habit of doin' that, I'm sure ye've noticed. Especially when they… well, when they care about a person. And Eoin's fears arenae entirely unfounded. He's right tae be worried about ye protectin' yerself, even when he kens that ye're strong. Cailean would do the same with me, and that's when he kens that I can take care of meself. And it isnae just then. I trust ye, and I ken why ye need tae do this, but I'm worried about ye as well, Bre."
"I ken," Breana told her. She straightened up and turned to look Maeve fully in the eyes. "But I ken if I hadnae volunteered—nae,forcedme way in—Eoin would have gone alone. I couldnae bear the thought of that."
She half expected Maeve to argue with her, or at least tell her to be reasonable, but instead her sister gave her a smile that was a little too knowing.
"I understand. Ye ken I do," Maeve told her. "I would never tell ye nae to go with him. He needs ye there, just as much as ye need tae go, I think. But our people need and trust ye, Breana, so it's important that ye look after yerself while ye're out there. Just promise me that ye'll be careful. Look after yerself and Eoin both, and make sure ye come home tae me."
Breana nodded, touching the bow she'd been gifted again with that same reverence. "I'll do me best," she promised. "I just hope I can learn quickly enough with this thing tae make it worth it."
Maeve touched her arm. "Ye cannae think like that. We've nae time for 'I just hope' or 'what if'. The fact is, we're in the midst of it, and we must simplydothese things and succeed. Ye must trust in yerself, and in the growin' abilities I've seen in ye. Trust in that remarkable spirit of yers."
Though she smiled again, Breana felt an uncomfortable twist in her stomach. "Ye're the remarkable one, Maeve. Look at everythin' ye've done."
"And look at everythin'ye'vedone. Ye survived Kyle Darach. Ye're probably the only one among us who can interpret what Ferda knows in order tae be able tae find Neala." Maeve grinned. "We're a powerful pair. Never forget it."
They went together to meet with Ferda after that, and Breana spent a few hours going over every detail that the scout could remember of Morag's words. Ferda was extremely anxious about Morag and even more so about Ann.
"They'll probably already ken that somethin's gone wrong," Ferda told them over again. "There are a few Sparrows who already work directly around the False King, so it might be they've already heard that Morag and Ann have been taken. Even if they dinnae, they'll be on high alert now that Morag hasnae returned. This place isnae one of their main activity hubs, I suspect it's used for trainin' and raisin' young Sparrows, but I wouldnae be surprised if those in charge are even more suspicious of newcomers than usual."
"We'll be careful," Breana promised her again, adding a final mark to her map. "Thank ye for the information. It might nae be enough to locate the princess on its own, but it'll be enough tae get us close."
Ferda nodded. "Be careful. The Sparrows arenae tae be trifled with. They may be spies, but that doesnae mean they cannae be deadly."
"It might be that very deadliness that has kept Neala alive all these years—if she's really there," Maeve noted. She'd been hanging back this whole time, watching the geographical discussions without comment but with a keen eye. Breana knew that Maeve would be absorbing as much information as she could, even if it didn't seem useful right now, knowing the smallest thing could potentially be the difference between winning the war and losing it entirely.
Ferda nodded. She looked frustrated. "I wish I could come with one of yer groups. Kennin' that Ann is trapped, and Morag as well, and justsittin'here…"
"Ye're injured," Breana reminded her, nodding to her friend's broken arm. "And besides, we need people here who have as much information as ye do." She sighed. "We all have people we want tae save, and we will, by winnin' this war. For now, it's all we can do to take the steps we can. Stone by stone, we'll build a fortress even the False King can't overcome."
She caught Maeve shooting her an approving look, and she blushed.
Ferda sighed but nodded. "Ye're right. So let's take that first step. It's time tae get Cailean's sister back." She paused, then reached into her pocket and drew out a tiny embroidered piece of cloth. "Here. Take this. It might help."
It was night by the time they reached the stables, where Eoin and Cailean were finishing loading the packs and preparing the horses for the journey. Both men looked up when Maeve and Breana approached, and both smiled in greeting.
