That was something she could do. She'd go for a walk in the forest now to clear her head and maybe take note of some of thedetail that were missing. Maybe then, she'd feel like she had a place—even if that place was just outside the walls of the castle.
Breana had been strolling in the forest for almost an hour, taking notes as she walked, absorbed in her work. For the first time in a while, her heart lifted, enjoying what she was doing, feeling centered. Maybe there was something to what Eoin had said about her talking to the cartographers. Maybe she could be of some help after all; maybe?—
"Help…please help…"
The faint voice shocked Breana out of her thoughts, and she spun where she stood, seeking out the sound.
"Help me…"
It was a woman's voice, and it sounded weak. Whoever was begging for help was clearly in pain, and they were nearby. Breana looked around wildly, hoping one of the other rebels would appear, but she was alone in the forest. Alone, that was, except for whoever was begging for help.
She needed to do something, and she pushed through her sudden paralyzing fear. "Can ye hear me? Where are ye?" she called back, hoping that the injured woman could not hear the shaking in her voice.
"...help…"
Breana followed the voice to the bushes at the side of the path and almost cried out in shock. A woman lay there, pale and bleeding from a large wound at her side which she was clutching hard, trying to keep her lifeblood inside. Breana hurried to her, falling roughly to her knees at her side.
"What happened tae ye?" she asked desperately. "Who hurt ye?" She ripped off the bottom of her skirt, not really sure whatshe was doing except that she had to help with the bleeding. The woman didn't protest as Breana pressed the makeshift bandage against the wound.
"Treachery," the woman gasped. "Treachery."
Breana knew it was dangerous to try to move the woman, but she also knew she couldn't leave her here. She would have to keep her talking, keep her awake, in order to get her back to the healers before it was too late. She helped the woman to her feet, encouraging her to lean against her. "Hold the bandage tae the wound," she instructed her, hoping that it was the right thing to do.
They moved through the forest, the woman staggering but conscious. "McKenzie," she muttered. "McKenzie."
Cold ice flooded Breana's veins. "Murtagh McKenzie?" she asked. Breana could see the walls of the castle ahead, so she forced herself to keep moving, even though the shock made her want to stand stock-still. "Are ye talkin' about…"
"Treachery…" the woman said again, then coughed. Blood leaked through the makeshift bandage and got on the remains of Breana's dress. The woman's legs gave out under her, and she stumbled. Breana managed to keep her up, but only just.
"No more talkin'," Breana assured her, trying to ignore the nausea and fear in her guts. "Let's get ye help."
"She's a spy. One of the White Sparrows, the people who Ferda went to find," Eoin explained to Breana. "And ye saved her life."
The two of them sat outside the council room, waiting to be called inside when the elders had all arrived. As soon as Breana had passed the injured woman off to the healers, she'd hurried off to find Eoin, the only person she could think of at themoment. She told him what the woman had said to her, and he'd urgently called for the council.
"I… I dinnae ken how I managed tae get her back here," Breana confessed. The healers had told her the woman was going to be all right, which was a relief at least, but now all that Breana could think about was Maeve. What had the spy meant by treachery? Had someone from the McKenzie clan somehow been the one to hurt her? Surely not.
"But ye did," Eoin told her. He put a hand on her arm, and only when he did that did Breana realize that she was shaking. His skin felt comforting against hers, and she found herself breathing a little more steadily at his small gesture of comfort. "Ye did, and now we have information we wouldnae have had otherwise, and she's gonnae live."
"But what does it mean?" Breana asked, a tremor in her tone. "McKenzie…do ye really think…?"
"I dinnae ken," Eoin told her. He took her hand and squeezed it.
The elders arrived soon after, and Breana told the whole story once more, from the moment she'd heard the injured woman's voice to the words she'd said. As she spoke, she could hear her words jumbling up as her anxiety rose to the surface, urgency making it difficult to focus.
When she was finished, Hamish was the first to speak. "The spy—her name is Barbara—she is unconscious. We likely willnae get any further information from her any time soon. So it's vitally important ye tell us everythin' that she said."
"That is everythin'," Breana assured him. "Treachery. McKenzie. That's all she said." Her stomach tightened uncomfortably, and she felt like she was going to be sick. "Is Maeve in danger? How can we warn her? How can we help her?"
Kier rubbed at his thick beard, then shook his head. "We dinnae have enough information tae go on. Barbara may havemeant any number of things by her warnin'. If we're tae go in, swords raised, and it turns out there's been a mistake—we could have ruined everythin' before it's even started. The McKenzie treaty is essential tae Cailean's plans."
"Nae if he's a monster," Eoin argued. "Nae if his men injured this lass,ourlass, presumably tae keep some dark secret. What if Cailean and his men are in danger? Are we tae just stand back and hope?"
"We're tae trust Cailean," Senan said, exchanging looks with the other three council members. "I believe he'll be able tae deal with whatever ploy Murtagh McKenzie throws his way. He's nae unaware, and he didnae go intae this a blind, trustin' fool. He'll be on his guard."
Ewan nodded. "We must trust our king, if he's tae rule us. If there's a threat?—"
"Thereisa threat," Breana interrupted, unable to believe what she was hearing. "And Maeve is there! Deirdre, Darren, Fergus, all of the rest of them are there—nae just Cailean. He'll be distracted, tryin' tae protect them all. We need tae let them ken there's danger, or…"
