"Love, this is Aggie, the owner's wife," Breana explained. "I told her that we're seekin' out me sister at the hidden convent. She doesnae ken exactly where it is, but she kens enough directions tae lead us through the forests until we reach the general vicinity we're lookin' for."
"I wouldnae have told ye even that much if it wasnae for that symbol ye carry. That organization deserves protection. If yer sister is one of them, then she's lucky," Aggie explained. Eoin frowned, not understanding what the woman meant, then saw that Breana was holding a small embroidered patch of cloth with a white sparrow upon it.
They filled their packs with supplies of dried food, then ate a small bowl of porridge each at Aggie's insistence, before finally setting out.
"It was risky, showin' that tae her," Eoin commented as they mounted their horses and set out in the direction that Aggie had indicated. "Ye didnae ken if she was friendly."
"I ken. But risks are all we have," Breana replied. "And, luckily, it was a success."
Eoin couldn't disagree, but something about the way she said it bothered him. There was a slight chill to her tone now, not aimed at him, but just retracting from her usual boundless warmth. It wasn't unreasonable, but it did worry him. Maeve was a spitfire, but Breana was like sunshine, and to hear that retreating in her tone felt… wrong.
They rode in silence for a while until the small village was far behind them. Then, Eoin asked, "Breana?"
"Yes?"
"Do ye want tae talk about?—"
"I'm fine," she interrupted. "Come on. We're wastin' daylight."
She leaned forward and sped up her horse, and Eoin waited back for a moment before he followed. His concern grew, and he knew that whatever she was holding down would burst out eventually. However, he also knew that insisting would not help her now—not really. And so, instead, he'd do all that he could. He'd be here for her, no matter what.
For as long as she needed.
8
"Yer sister is quite the artist," Kier said, his gruff voice raising with genuine and obvious admiration. "This information she gathered from yer father's castle and the way she's managed tae organize it all is…"
"It's goin' tae bring the rebellion further forward than anythin' we've managed tae gather so far," Ewan continued. He pointed at a letter rolled out at the top of the sprawling information scattered strategically across the war table. "Look at this correspondence between O'Sullivan and the False King. Looks like he was hopin' tae angle his way intae weddin' his youngest tae the lad, Ansel."
Hamish snorted. "As if Ashkirk would have ever accepted such a match in earnest. Nevertheless, it seems tae have done the trick just tae trick the fool intae believin' it was a possibility. He's sent a strong contingent of men along tae the trainin' grounds at McNair Castle."
Senan was bent over a map of the area around McNair Castle, studying the marks that had clearly been made by either O'Sullivan or the False King himself. He didn't speak, but he did glance up at Maeve as the other councilmen talked, a glimmer of concern in his keen eyes.
Cailean rested a gentle hand on the small of Maeve's back. She had tensed at the passive mention of her youngest sister, and though she rarely spoke about Nessa, he knew it must be complicated to hear about her in such a way after their altercation back in O'Sullivan Castle. His own nerves were standing on end knowing that Eoin and Breana were out searching for his own sister, and he could not help but wonder if Maeve was feeling some of that same pain he was, if in a different way.
She glanced up at him and smiled, the tension melting away in a moment. If she was upset, she did not show it, instead stepping forward and pointing to a spot on the map that Senan was examining. "That's where Ferda said she and the others were ambushed," she explained. "So we ken that it must be heavily watched. If we are tae approach, we best do so from a different angle."
Pride flared in Cailean's chest. He didn't have to worry about Maeve, not really—though of course, he did and would worry about her, no matter what. She had fully stepped into the role of a strong leader and a queen, and even more than his love for her, he was overwhelmed with gratitude that the two of them had somehow found one another. She was beautiful in mind, body, and spirit, and she was everything he had always known that a queen should be without even thinking about it.
He glanced over to Darren and Fergus, who were currently deep in discussion about formations and attack strategies. As was characteristic of the cousins, Darren favored a more all-out attack, while Fergus was being cautious even to a fault. Cailean knew that they would argue back and forth for a while before presenting him and the rest of the council with a reasonable and well-thought-out happy medium. It was one of the reasons that the two of them were so important to him other than just their friendship; the way that they worked together to strategize wasnothing short of brilliant, and Cailean would never stop being grateful to have them by his side.
"There could be over a thousand men in that castle," Fergus said patiently. "We arenae prepared for that."
"That's very unlikely and ye ken it," Darren responded. "And even if there were, many of them will be less trained than the soldiers we're used tae fightin' against. Besides, it isnae our goal tae slaughter everyone, just tae fight our way tae victory."
"If ye look here," Hamish said in another conversation, addressing Ewan and Kier as he pointed at another scattered document, "Ye'll see that there seems tae be a pattern of there bein' a lag in security at certain times of day. I'm wonderin' if we might nae be better sendin' out a small scoutin' group tae measure the best time for our full attack."
"I think time is of the essence," Ewan replied, shaking his head in disagreement. "We need tae attack fast and hard, before they ken we're comin'. We need more men, nae more time."
"Then we'll send out word," Cailean said decisively. All conversations paused, and everyone turned to look at him. "Our numbers have grown significantly, and they grow more every day. We ken now that many of the people of Scotland are unhappy with the way things are and continue tae be. So what we do is we send out messengers tae the nearby villages and clans, all the way between here and Castle McNair, and we ask for any man—" he paused, looking at Maeve, then added "—or woman who is able and willin' tae fight tae join us."
"That's risky," Kier said, though it was clear by how his eyes lit up that, despite his caution, he did like the idea. "We cannae tell who is a spy or a loyalist of the False King. Any one of our messengers could be caught and turned in, and the message would get out."
"Aye," Senan agreed thoughtfully. "That, and the other thing—it may just attract more people here tae Bruce Castle. We'realready splittin' at the seams; it is uncertain if we can handle any more."
Cailean hesitated. Both of those were very good points, neither of which he could really argue with. He looked at Maeve, but she simply smiled.
"It is risky," she said softly, gaining the attention of all the men in the room. "But right now, risks are all we have. All we can do now is take them together."
