Brendon and Malcolm watched with trepidation as DuncanMacFarlane unlocked the entrance to the mine. Despite their bargain, neither man had lowered their pistol. Indeed, MacFarlane didn’t appear to expect them to.
As the warrior stepped into the gloom, they could see the remains of rudimentary machinery that had clearly been used in the past. Ignoring it, MacFarlane picked up a lantern, lit it with a flint and tinder and led them down a set of steep stairs cut into the rock. In unspoken agreement, Brendon hung back, keeping his pistol trained down the stairs. Malcolm too gave the warrior a wide berth. The real danger would come when the children actually came out of their so called sleeping quarters. The guard could easily use the bairns as a shield.
The shadows cast grotesque shapes on the walls as MacFarlane hung the lantern onto a hook driven into the stone, revealing a small door set into the rock. Malcolm remained six feet away, his pistol pointing steadily at the warrior’s head.
Seconds later, MacFarlane inserted a key into the door and pushed it open. ‘Get ye here,’ he ordered, his voice loud and forbidding. For a few seconds nothing happened, then slowly Malcom heard the sound of movement, and he stared in horror as the children filed out of the pitch-black room, squinting in the meagre light of the lantern.
‘Get ye up the stairs,’ MacFarlane ordered, raising his hand to cuff a small girl who wasn’t moving quickly enough. Malcolm raised his weapon.
‘You willnae lay another hand on these bairns,’ he warned his voice low and furious, ‘if ye dae, bargain or nae bargain, I’ll blow yer bastart head off.’
Duncan MacFarlane stared up at him impassively for a second, then he shrugged.
Malcolm stepped to one side, allowing the children to climb past him. They eyed him apprehensively as they filed upwards,but the Scot never took his eyes off the warrior below. ‘They be comin’ up tae ye, Bren,’ he called. ‘Get ‘em outside.’
As the last child exited the room, Malcolm had a sudden sick premonition. ‘Is that all o’ ‘em?’ he asked. MacFarlane shrugged again.
‘Go into the room.’ For a second, the warrior’s eyes widened in fear.
‘I’m nae gaunnae lock yer sorry arse up,’ Malcolm growled, ‘Though, in truth, I’m sorely tempted. I want tae check nobody’s been left behind.’
Hesitantly, MacFarlane stepped backwards into the doorway, just as Malcolm reached the bottom of the steps.
‘Go inside.’ Nostrils flaring at the commanding tone, the guard stepped into the room.
‘Can ye see anybody?’ Malcolm asked. He stepped to the side, better to see in the darkened chamber. To his horror, it resembled a small priest hole. He hadn’t counted the children coming up the steps, but he knew they wouldn’t have had enough space to sleep without curling up into small balls. He swallowed, fighting the urge to simply shoot the bastard and be done with it.
As his eyes became accustomed to the blackness inside the room, he discerned a small shape. ‘Come tae me, lad,’ he requested hoarsely. ‘We’ve come tae get ye out o’ here.’
Slowly the shape became a head and a body. ‘Ah nae be a lad,’ a small voice responded. There was a pause. ‘Ah cannae walk wi ma leg.’
‘Pick her up,’ Malcolm ordered the warrior. ‘He willnae hurt ye, sweetheart,’ he added as the small figure gave a frightened gasp.
With an impatient sound, MacFarlane went into the room andpicked the girl up none too gently. ‘Up the stairs wi’ her,’ Malcolm commanded, waving his gun towards their only exit. The little girl’s nearly silent sobs were cutting him in two. He was beginning to feel as though he was down in the bowels of hell itself.
He followed MacFarlane up the stairs and out into the early evening light. All in all there were twenty-two children. All emaciated and filthy dirty.
‘Dinnae forget our bargain,’ MacFarlane demanded, clearly seeing murder in the other men’s eyes. ‘Ye might think me a bastart, but ah didnae put the bairns doon there an’ it wasnae my decision to work ‘em tae death. Despite what ye be thinkin’ o’ me, ye have ma word that the mine’ll be closed. There’ll be nae more.’ He looked around him and shook his head before repeating, ‘There be nae honour in this.’ He handed the small girl into Brendon’s waiting arms.
‘Ah’m gaen back intae the bothie noo,’ he stated. ‘The MacFarlane willnae ken what happened here until the morra. An’ by then, his days as Chief’ll be ower.’
‘Dae ye hae any support?’ Brendon couldn’t help asking. ‘Ye cannae take on the whole Clan by yerself.’
Duncan MacFarlane gave a fierce grin. ‘Dae ye think me a reckless eejit? The Clan will be mine by sundoon.’ And with that, he turned his back and walked away.
Chapter Twenty
‘Ah reckon that be the last o’ ‘em,’ Dougal gasped as he plonked a tarnished bracelet into the Reverends hands.
‘There’ll be enough here to see you and Brendon through a good few winters,’ the clergyman commented, wading with groaning relief out of the freezing cold water. ‘Tare an’ hounds I’ve lost the feeling in me toes. If they turn black it’ll be your deuced fault.’
‘Ah be tae auld tae decide what tae dae wi’ it. That’ll be Bren.’ Following the Reverend out of the water, Dougal added gruffly, ‘Ah want tae thank ye fer yer help. Ye didnae hae tae.’
Reverend Shackleford hmphed. ‘I could hardly have got any wetter. Thunder an’ turf, it’s cold. Still, at least me drawers are dry.’
The two men took the last of the jewellery back to their belongings and took refuge in the blankets they’d brought. ‘Colman had good taste, I’ll give him that,’ the Reverend commented, taking a bite out of his cheese. ‘I reckon the only way we’ll be able to carry this lot is to leave all else behind. Hopefully we won’t need the spade to put anybody to bed with.’ He gave a small chuckle at his own joke. It was strange really. He was possibly wetter and colder than he’d ever been in his life, but he was also inexplicably happy. In truth, it was good to feel useful again.
As soon as they’d eaten, they divided the trinkets and stuffed them into the two bags, placing their essential items on the top. ‘It be bloody heavy,’ Dougal panted as they hefted the bags to the shore. ‘It be a good thing we dinnae hae tae swim. ‘Right then, let’s fetch the boat an’ get off this bloody island.’
