Cull laughed, kissed her cheek. “My lovely bride, as always, is correct. Come, let me take ye to the Great Hall.”
The large room was filled with men, women, and children happily chatting as copious amounts of food and drink were passed around, but there was no head table where a chieftain or mormaer might be found.
“Sit.” Cull sat at a table only partly occupied, Rhona close beside him, and accepted the platter of meat before passing it their way. The three of them settled on the benches beside Rhona.
Niall took a mug, brimming with sweet mead, from Rhona’s hands. “My thanks. It has been awhile since we’ve been so fortuitously welcomed. The route through the mountains has little to offer wanderers.”
Lachlann ripped off a hunk of the dark brown bread before handing it off to Aldred, who sat beside him.
“And well I know it. I was sent to guard the perimeter even though there’s been nothing to guard against for quite a while.” Cull took a large bite of a leg of lamb, chewing loudly.
“And where is yer mormaer?” Niall speared a piece of the dark meat with his dagger.
“They’ve gone to sea, him and his sons. There was some trouble with the islanders, and he hoped to settle it peacefully.”
“Have ye no protection then?” Aldred asked.
The same question was in Lachlann’s mind, but he knew better than to be so blunt. The immediate silence of the others at the table, including Cull and his wife, was chilling. The drinks were set down, the food pushed away. The men crossed their arms about their chests, while the women and children dropped their hands to their laps.
“And what do ye think we are?” A large red-headed man on the far side of Cull stood. His face was nearly hidden by a massively thick auburn beard.
Aldred should have reddened, but Lachlann could tell by the set of his shoulders that he was instead preparing for battle. Not a wise move.
Niall drank his mead, showing no sign of having noticed the change, but his gaze on the bearded man was intense. “No insult was intended from my loose-lipped friend.”
“They’re pilgrims,” Cull offered more as an explanation than any defense. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “They’d have been lost out in the storm if I’d not offered assistance. They’ll be gone once the storm passes.”
“And what is it ye seek?” the bearded man asked, not backing down a bit.
For lack of a better title for the place, Lachlann said, “The Holy Man’s cave.”
“Holy Man? St. Gervadius?” The shift was nothing short of miraculous. The bearded man dropped to his bench, a big smile lightening his otherwise dark face. “They’re to the caves!”
The others had similar reactions, enthusiastically bobbing their heads and with wide grins. Lachlann was a bit perplexed at the sudden change. When Aldred opened his mouth to speak, Lachlann jabbed him in the side with his elbow for silence.
“Have ye been there?” Lachlann asked, even while Aldred shot daggers at him with his look.
“Ah, no. We’re not about to go stirring up trouble, but glad we are ye’ve come to see to them.”
“Them?” Niall asked the question.
“Those loons that live there. They’ve taken over all the caves, living like animals. ’Tis disgraceful. Have ye not come to rid us of their vile presence?”
“Are they actual birds then?” Aldred asked, and for once, Lachlann was glad the man had asked the question that sounded far too asinine to be asked…except by Aldred.
The bearded man paused before slapping his hand on the trestle and breaking into hearty laughter. Others joined in and they soon had the attention of all the other tables, craning their necks to see what was happening.
“The church has sent us protection and entertainment.” The man stood, raising his mug as he did so to include the onlookers. “My friends, we have three pilgrims here who’ve come to rid us of the pagan filth that occupy our shores. Huzzah!”
The entire assembly followed suit, lifting their drinks as well. “Huzzah!”
Lachlann swallowed hard. He’d expected empty caves not people living in them and surely, they’d have found any silver no matter how well it might have been hidden. He glanced at Aldred and Niall, who wore the same perplexed look, but they quickly covered it up, smiling and drinking with the rest of them.
In a small hut beyond the castle gardens, Lachlann stretched his back in the steaming water of a deep wooden tub. Niall and Aldred, in identical tubs, were on either side of him. After having been given the best spot in the Great Hall for the night and each offered a willing lass that only Aldred accepted, they were feeling quite appreciated. Apparently, their mission to visit Holy Man’s cave and remove the unwanted inhabitants raised them to hero status. They’d found no opportunity to correct the assumption.
Lachlann had spent most of the night attempting to ignore the “attention” Aldred was giving to the pretty green-eyed lass, and tried to work out the best approach to searching inhabited caves. Even now she hovered near his friend, pouring in yet another pitcher of heated water. When she reached for the cloth to wash him, Aldred stopped her hand. Caressing her long, red tresses, he spoke in a quiet voice to her, “I will see to myself. Go. Rest yerself.”
They were finally alone.
