"For me father," he announced. "For me clan. And for me country. Let's take back our lands!"
A cheer rose up, and Cailean's eyes sought Maeve again. She watched him from the crowd, and the pride that shone in her eyes proved that there would always be hope. He just had to be the one to lead the way.
The stealth operation was a small one, filled with only a select few of Cailean's most trusted warriors. Darren, Fergus, and Maeve all stood by his side, along with seven others. It was a big risk to bring such a small force, but Cailean was certain that this was the best way to make sure they achieved their objectives without losing control of the operation, and Maeve and the elders had agreed.
They approached Darach Castle as one. Maeve was debriefing them on some of the things they needed to know, though Cailean still had his doubts about what she was talking about now.
"We need tae get a message tae Eoin," she said. "We have the White Sparrows already on the inside, so they'll be able tae help us. I dinnae ken how many are still there, but I hope at least a few. Ann told me that the stable master's daughter is one ofthem, so if we can get tae her, she can pass on our message and Eoin can help us."
"Eoin is a Darach," Cailean said, doubt coloring his voice. "I ken he'll be useful, as the leader of the guards, in gettin' information even ye cannae give us, but Maeve, he cannae be trusted."
"Because of his blood?" Maeve challenged. "He's a Darach, aye — but I'm an O'Sullivan."
This made Cailean blanch. He looked up and saw Darren watching him, a small smile playing on his friend's face.
"Ye've met yer match with this one," Darren told him, grinning. "Maeve, how sure are ye that Eoin Darach can be turned?"
"He doesnae need tae be turned," Maeve insisted. "He just needs tae ken there's hope. I've told ye already, I'm alive because of him. If he kens that the True King has returned, then he'll turn on his father in an instant. He already works with the Sparrows, and he already helped me get out. He saved me life, surely that matters more than who his father is."
Cailean sighed, but he knew in his heart that she was right. Her pointing out her own father's name had been a stark reminder that, though his own legacy was one to be proud of, not everyone was so lucky — and they deserved as much right as him to fight for the country they loved.
"All right," he said finally. "We'll find the stable lassie and we'll send a message along. It has tae be in code, though, or else we might be discovered and all will be lost. The Sparrow will help with that. Do ye ken her well?"
Maeve shook her head. "I only kent Ann, and she's gone now. She said she was goin' back tae their headquarters. I ken the stable master's name was Jim, and I think his daughter was Sadie. Hopefully, it's the same person. There are some old ruins in the woods; Eoin will be able tae meet us there."
They were approaching the edge of the castle grounds now, and the stables loomed ahead of them. "Let's hope so," Cailean said grimly. "Time tae put our plan intae action."
22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
An hour passed, then two, and Maeve's heart sank as they shivered in the cold night air. The tall pine trees around them were no shelter from the wind, and as they peered around them to watch the old ruins, it seemed that the forest itself was actually channeling the cold toward them. Maeve tried hard not to take it as a bad omen.
There was no sign of Eoin, and she was growing terribly worried that something had happened to him. She could hear the others muttering amongst themselves, many obviously doubting Eoin's loyalty to Maeve, and some of them were even worried that he might have taken the message and turned them in. But Maeve knew that wasn't the case. She just knew it, deep in her heart. Whatever was preventing Eoin from joining them, it was something bad, something that meant he or Sadie might be in danger.
"Are ye sure about this man?" Cailean asked her for the thousandth time. He took her hand in his and squeezed gently, making it clear there was no reproach in his words, and Maeve appreciated the comfort his touch gave. "Ye even admit that yedidnae ken him very well. I ken he saved yer life, but he's still the chieftain's son…"
"I ken who he is, and who he isnae," Maeve told him a little sharply. "He'll come."
"And if he doesnae?" Cailean asked quietly.
Maeve didn't have an answer for that, and it filled her with an intense fear. Terrible images swirled in her head, mixed with memories of her time here, waking nightmares of being trapped in the arms of men who had no hearts to speak of and less soul. If Eoin wasn't coming, was he being interrogated by his slimy, horrifying father? Was he hurt? Or was it simply that he wasn't at the castle? There were so many possibilities, and doubt crept into Maeve's heart no matter how much she tried to push it away.
But then, just as she was about to admit her own fears, hope arrived in the form of Sadie, the stablemaster's daughter and White Sparrow who had taken the message in the first place. She was young, only seventeen or eighteen, and seemed nervous every time she spoke, but Ann had assured Maeve that she was dedicated to the cause, and that was good enough.
Maeve had only glimpsed the girl before — a plain but not homely young thing with mouse brown hair who was always more at home with the horses. But today, she looked pale and thin. Had she always been that way? Or perhaps the work with the Sparrows had brought it out in her? Maeve frowned slightly and moved forward to reintroduce herself, surprised when the young woman flinched.
"I'm… I'm sorry tae have kept ye all waitin'," Sadie told them, that same nervousness in her voice now. "I… I didnae ken… and then when I found out, I…"
"Didnae ken what?" Fergus asked with an unexpected gentleness that made Maeve smile slightly.
Her smile soon faded, though, as Sadie answered. "Kyle… the Chieftain, I mean… he kept it quiet. He didnae want the whole country kennin' he'd imprisoned his own son, I suppose."
A shocked silence fell across the small group, and finally Maeve let out a strangled, "What?"
Sadie looked at her with wide, apologetic eyes, and Maeve could see even in the darkness that they were filled with tears. "He was caught. They found out he was part of yer escape, Maeve, and he didnae make it better for himself by publicly dissentin' from his father whenever he got the chance. He kept helpin' people, protestin' his father's wishes, and eventually, it all got too much — Kyle locked him up."
"His own son…" Cailean stated, not a question but an exclamation of disgust and regret.
