They had no interest in risking life and limb for a bigger plot of land.They were satisfied with what they had.
But men like Fergus could never have enough.They wanted more and more and more.And when their appetites were that voracious, they consumed everything in their path.
Adam knew Fergus had to be stopped.He’d made too many aggressions into neighboring territories, threatening to divide Scotland and rule over the west as king.
But he didn’t agree with Malcolm that all-out war was required to rein in Fergus’s ambitions.
Fergus was still just one man with a few allies.
Like a bad tooth, he could be removed with no harm coming to the rest.
And Adam could be the one to do it.
When he arrived at the Fergus stronghold, Adam demanded to see the laird immediately.Unfortunately, having made himself invisible for weeks as the mercenary Ness MacNeill had its drawbacks.It took several threats and coercion of a guard at the tip of a blade to be granted an audience.
When Fergus greeted him with a frown, Adam told him he’d seen the king’s troops.
“I doubt that,” Fergus grumbled.“If ye had, ye wouldn’t have come back.Not in one piece anyway.”
“I tossed a comely lass in their path,” Adam said, giving him a knowing wink.“They were too busy takin’ turns on her to pay heed to me.”
Fergus chortled at that.
“I have information that may be o’ value to ye,” he continued.
“Information?”Fergus raised a dubious brow.“And what sort o’ value are ye hopin’ to extract from me?”
Adam shrugged.“Not much.I’m reasonable.Maybe an extra cup of ale at suppers.”
“And how do I know this information is worth an extra cup of ale?”
“I give ye my word.”
Fergus snorted.“The word of a mercenary?”
“I’ll tell ye the information.’Tis up to ye whether ye believe it or not.”
“Fine.Tell me your information.”
“I heard tell the king is plannin’ a siege.”
Fergus’s eyes widened.“On the Fergus stronghold?”
“Aye.”
“When?”
“After All Souls Day.”
“All Souls Day is…” He stopped to calculate.“A fortnight hence.”
“There’s more.”
“What more?”
Adam hesitated.He needed to play to Fergus’s expectations of him as a mercenary.“That will cost ye an extra oatcake each morn.”
Fergus looked disgruntled.“Done.”
