“MacBean and Old Bega will be enough help for that,” said Tormand. “Morainn says ye must go to see Ilsabeth and quickly. She says Ilsabeth kens something verra important.”
“What could Ilsabeth ken? She has been imprisoned in the dungeon for two days. There is naught one can learn down there except how to keep the rats at bay.”
“I just tell ye what I am told. Wheesht, Simon, ye ken as weel as I do that poor Morainn cannae always understand what she sees, that ‘tis more often just pictures and some words. And Ilsabeth needs ye to come to her because she has important information. Morain said Ilsabeth spoke to her in the visions. Ilsabeth said, ‘Find a way, Simon. Please...’”
“Please find a way to come to me,” Simon finished, and suddenly knew what had ripped him out of a sound sleep. Ilsabeth’s fear and grief. She was terrified of someone. What he had felt had not been just the terror some can suffer when put in the dungeon. This had far-reaching consequences.
“Ye heard it.” Tormand looked at Simon with a faint smile. “Mayhap ye have a gift.”
“Mayhap ‘tis Ilsabeth who does. Coming from the family she does, it shouldnae be a surprise.”
“That is true. I think whate’er has frightened her or made her so urgent to see ye caused her to, weel, send out a call. Doubt she even kens that she did it. But ye say it was what woke ye and Morainn says it was clear in her vision. Go and get yourself presentable for court while we get those poor bairns out of their nice warm beds and take them to Morainn.”
Simon clapped Tormand on the back as he hurried out of the room to go and get ready for court. He was washed, shaved, and dressed so quickly he briefly worried if he had forgotten something. When he hurried back down the stairs he met with the others, Tormand holding a sleepy Elen and Peter holding a wary Reid. Simon went and kissed each one on the cheek. Elen had returned his kiss with a loud, somewhat wet one of her own before turning her attention to charming Tormand. Reid allowed the kiss but grabbed Simon by his hair to stop him from walking away.
“Reid, ye shouldnae do that,” he said as he untangled the child’s fingers.
“Why are ye giving us away?” Reid asked. “Isnae Ilsabeth coming back?”
“Nay!” Simon took Reid from Peter’s arms and, holding the child close, stepped away from the others so that Elen could not overhear them. “Nay, I am not giving ye away. Ye ken weel that this is a dangerous time, aye?”
“Aye, so we should stay with ye to make sure ye are safe.”
“Reid, the mon who is putting us all in danger isnae like those soldiers ye tried to stop from taking Ilsabeth. He is like the one who held a knife to Elen’s throat but even worse than that. Tormand’s wife, Morainn, has dreams and most of them tell us things that will be, but that can also be changed by acting wisely. She sent Tormand here because she said ye must come to them tonight.”
“Because this really bad mon might come here to hurt Elen?”
Simon opened his mouth to say the bad man would hurt Reid, too, but abruptly saw the way to get the child to do as he should with no more complaint. “Aye, and mayhap e’en MacBean and Old Bega. Ye dinnae think I am giving them away, do ye?”
“Nay. But ye will come and get us when the danger is gone, aye?”
“Aye, as soon as it is safe again.” “Ye swear?”
“I swear that ye arenae being given away and that ye will see us again. Come, lad, do ye think Ilsabeth would let me give ye away e’en if I wanted to?” He was pleased to see Reid smile. “Now back to Peter here and do as they tell ye so that ye can get to Tormand’s safely.”
They left the house as secretly as possible, but Simon still kept a close watch for anyone following them. If Henry had already decided to hurt the children as Morainn’s vision implied, he would have some men watching for them at the house. Simon watched the others until they were out of sight, constantly sweeping his gaze over all the hiding places someone could use while they tried to follow people. He was just about to turn away when he saw a slight movement in a small alcove between two old crooked houses. A moment later a man slipped out of the niche and hurried along the same path Peter and Tormand had taken his family.
His family, he thought, as he slipped his knife from its sheath and crept out of the house to follow the man he had seen. The word fit, rolled from his tongue with ease. It was the threat to his family that had him creeping behind a man, his knife ready to be used to kill.
Just as he drew close enough to grab the man, his prey turned around. Simon hesitated because he recognized his old childhood friend from Lochan-corrie. “Ye are leaving the chase too early, Wallace,” he said. “And ye cannae think that Henry will believe ye lost them. Ye were always the best of trackers, e’en as a child.”
“Simon?”
The tall, young man with thick, curly, red hair lowered the knife he had held in the ready to strike Simon. Simon took it from the man’s shaking hands. The Wallace he recalled would never have gotten mixed up in such things as treason and murder. He had been a gentle boy who loved animals, a risky love around Henry.
“Aye, ‘tis Simon. What are ye doing here, Wallace? Do ye ride with Henry in this treasonous folly?”
“I ride with Henry because his men hold my wife and bairn. They will kill them if Henry but says the word.”
“He cannae say it from here, can he? Nay without reducing what few fighting men he brought with him. And, with so many of the king’s soldiers about, Henry willnae risk being undermanned.”
“Then he will do it when he gets back to Lochancorrie or send that word when the fighting stops.”
“When the fighting stops, and my plan is to have as little fighting done as possible, Henry will be going nowhere but to the dungeons, a swift trial, and an execution.”
“Ye sound so certain of that. I want to believe ye, but, if ye were able to take Henry down, why havenae ye come home and done it?”
“I will explain that as I can. Just come with me. Yeken that Henry will ken that ye didnae follow your quarry as ye were told to. He will kill ye and then kill your wife and bairn at his leisure. If ye are standing with them, ye will die there. As I see it, ye have nay choices left to ye. Come with me.”
